“Consumers in the U.S. are most concerned about data breaches at retailers and government agencies. U.S. consumers indicated relatively lower levels of concern about data breaches at other organizations such as airlines, healthcare and telecom companies. Interestingly, the perceived threat of data breaches is low for banks and utilities, possibly reflecting traditional high levels of… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2015
BP Deep Water Horizon Settlement of 18.7B to states is tax deductible and spread over 18 years
WSJ blog: “BP PLC agreed Thursday to pay $18.7 billion to settle federal and state claims over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The penalty includes the biggest pollution fine in U.S. history. Here’s what you should know…” See also via New York Times – BP to Pay $18.7 Billion for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill… Continue Reading
Promoting an open research culture
Science 26 June 2015: Vol. 348 no. 6242 pp. 1422-1425 DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2374 “Transparency, openness, and reproducibility are readily recognized as vital features of science. When asked, most scientists embrace these features as disciplinary norms and values. Therefore, one might expect that these valued features would be routine in daily practice. Yet, a growing body of evidence… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – VA Disability Benefits, Navy Working Capital Fund, Electricity, Federal Transit Benefits, Medicaid, Youth Athletes
Veterans’ Disability Benefits: VA Can Better Ensure Unemployability Decisions Are Well Supported, GAO-15-464: Published: Jun 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 2, 2015. Navy Working Capital Fund: Budgeting for Carryover at Fleet Readiness Centers Could Be Improved, GAO-15-462: Published: Jun 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 30, 2015. Electricity: Generation Mix Has Shifted, and Growth in Consumption… Continue Reading
GAO – Bank and Other Depository Regulators Need Better Data Analytics
Cybersecurity: Bank and Other Depository Regulators Need Better Data Analytics and Depository Institutions Want More Usable Threat Information, GAO-15-509: Published: Jul 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 2, 2015. “Regulators use a risk-based examination approach to oversee the adequacy of information security at depository institutions—banks, thrifts, and credit unions—but could better target future examinations by analyzing… Continue Reading
Medicare Advantage 2015 Spotlight: Enrollment Market Update
Kaiser Family Foundation – Jun 30, 2015 | Gretchen Jacobson, Anthony Damico, Tricia Neuman, and Marsha Gold “Despite concerns that reductions in payments to Medicare Advantage plans enacted in the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) would lead to reductions in Medicare Advantage enrollment, the number and share of Medicare beneficiaries enrolling in Medicare Advantage… Continue Reading
A ten-year follow-up of a study of memory for the attack of September 11, 2001
A ten-year follow-up of a study of memory for the attack of September 11, 2001: Flashbulb memories and memories for flashbulb events. Hirst, William; Phelps, Elizabeth A.; Meksin, Robert; Vaidya, Chandan J.; Johnson, Marcia K.; Mitchell, Karen J.; Buckner, Randy L.; Budson, Andrew E.; Gabrieli, John D. E.; Lustig, Cindy; Mather, Mara; Ochsner, Kevin N.;… Continue Reading
Paper – Internet searching not a substitute for knowledge
“Searching the Internet for information may make people feel smarter than they actually are, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. “The Internet is such a powerful environment, where you can enter any question, and you basically have access to the world’s knowledge at your fingertips,” said lead researcher Matthew Fisher, a… Continue Reading
Federal Funding for Science and Engineering Declined by $1B
“In FY 2013, federal agencies obligated $29 billion to 995 academic institutions for science and engineering (S&E) activities. This represents a 6% decrease in current dollars from the $31 billion obligated to 1,073 academic institutions in FY 2012. This is the third year in a row of declining S&E funding to academic institutions. These statistics… Continue Reading
UK Airports Commission: Final Report 2015
From the Report: “The London airport capacity problem has perplexed governments for over fifty years, for reasons that are not hard to find. The considerable benefits of aviation accrue to the many, while the environmental costs are borne by the (relatively) few. For those who live near them airports are noisy neighbours and are greedy… Continue Reading
Northern Alaska Coastal Erosion Threatens Habitat and Infrastructure
“In a new study published [July 1, 2015], scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey found that the remote northern Alaska coast has some of the highest shoreline erosion rates in the world. Analyzing over half a century of shoreline change data, scientists found the pattern is extremely variable with most of the coast retreating at… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Board releases first determination of aggregate consolidated liabilities of all financial companies
“The Federal Reserve Board on [July 1, 2015] released its first determination of the aggregate consolidated liabilities of all financial companies in accordance with section 622 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which prohibits any financial company from combining with another company if the resulting company’s liabilities exceed 10 percent of the aggregate consolidated liabilities of all… Continue Reading
