U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Office of Policy Development and Research: Family Options Study – Short-Term Impacts of Housing and Services Interventions for Homeless Families, July 2015. “The study examines four interventions: 1. Permanent housing subsidy, or SUB, usually a housing choice voucher (HCV), could include assistance to find housing but no… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2015
NASA releases application for users to view details on Mars
Via NASA – “Mars Trek is an application that allows you to view imagery and perform analysis on data from the planet Mars.” Continue Reading
Federal agencies test new “release for one, release to all” FOIA policy
Reporters Committee on Freedom of the Press – Adam Marshall, July 9, 2015: “With little public fanfare, seven federal agencies have announced a controversial trial program of publishing documents responsive to most Freedom of Information Act requests online. Under the program, known as a “Release-to-One is Release-to-All” policy, any member of the public will presumably… Continue Reading
US chicken and seafood processed in China – returned for sale stateside
Food Safety News – “Thanks to our Change.org petition (307,000-plus signatures and rising), millions of Americans have learned that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is about to allow U.S chickens to be sent to China for processing and then shipped back to the U.S. for human consumption. This arrangement is particularly alarming given China’s appalling… Continue Reading
Commentary – The Logic of Effective Altruism
Peter Singer – The Boston Review: “A minimally acceptable ethical life involves using a substantial part of one’s spare resources to make the world a better place, July 6, 2015: “Effective altruism is based on a very simple idea: we should do the most good we can. Obeying the usual rules about not stealing, cheating,… Continue Reading
The State of Safety Nets 2015
World Bank – July 8, 2015 — “Some 136 countries are now investing in social safety nets and the number is growing. A new study finds such programs reduce poverty by 8%. Yet only one-third of the world’s poor benefit from safety nets. The State of Safety Nets 2015 Continue Reading
Efficacy of International Law and Its Fact-Finding Institutions
Krebs, Shiri, The Efficacy of International Law and Its Fact-Finding Institutions: Experimental Tests (July 9, 2015). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2628967 “Do international law and institutions shape public opinion on contested events such as war crimes? Based on two novel survey experiments, this article finds that international fact-finding reports on war crimes investigations are… Continue Reading
Climate change impacts on bumblebees converge across continents
“For many species, geographical ranges are expanding toward the poles in response to climate change, while remaining stable along range edges nearest the equator. Using long-term observations across Europe and North America over 110 years, we tested for climate change–related range shifts in bumblebee species across the full extents of their latitudinal and thermal limits… Continue Reading
UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health Report
“In the next few years the UK could establish itself more firmly as in leader in health and life sciences or it could begin to lose that status for ever. The UK is a global power in health. It has world class universities and research, is a global leader in health policy and international development,… Continue Reading
Information about OPM Cybersecurity Incidents
“OPM – This site will be updated regularly. What happened How you may be affected What you can do What we are doing to help Frequently Asked Questions What Happened? OPM recently discovered two separate but related cyber-security incidents that have impacted the data of Federal government employees, contractors, and others: In April 2015, OPM… Continue Reading
Report – Psychologists Shielded U.S. Torture Program
New York Times, James Risen – The Central Intelligence Agency’s health professionals repeatedly criticized the agency’s post-Sept. 11 interrogation program, but their protests were rebuffed by prominent outside psychologists who lent credibility to the program, according to a sweeping new report. The 542-page report, which examines the involvement of the nation’s psychologists and their largest… Continue Reading
CDC Reports on Heroin Epidemic
CDC – “Most demographic groups are increasingly using heroin and other drugs. During the past decade, heroin use has increased across the United States among men and women, most age groups, and all income levels, with some of the greatest increases occurring in demographic groups that have had historically lower rates of heroin use, according… Continue Reading
