Why Your Water Could Be Worse Than Flint’s Our nation’s water crisis requires radical solutions, by Laura Orlando “Most municipal water departments in the United States work very hard to keep the water coming out of the tap as safe as possible, but they do not have the authority or money to change pipes and… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: April 2016
The Guardian and partners analyze huge tranche of documents on offshore tax regimes
“The hidden wealth of some of the world’s most prominent leaders, politicians and celebrities has been revealed by an unprecedented leak of millions of documents that show the myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes. The Guardian, working with global partners, will set out details from the first tranche of… Continue Reading
Local Consumer Review Survey 2014
BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2014. “This survey is an annual exploration into how consumers read & use online reviews. It seeks to quantify the value that users place on the reviews they read & how this impacts their opinions & actions when seeking a local business to use. The survey is specifically concerned with the reviews & purchase… Continue Reading
Trends in adult body-mass index in 200 countries from 1975 to 2014
Via The Lancet, www.thelancet.com, Vol 387 April 2, 2016 – Trends in adult body-mass index in 200 countries from 1975 to 2014: a pooled analysis of 1698 population-based measurement studies with 19·2 million participants. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30054-X Background – Underweight and severe and morbid obesity are associated with highly elevated risks of adverse health outcomes. We… Continue Reading
Paper – Notice and Takedown in Everyday Practice
Urban, Jennifer M. and Karaganis, Joe and Schofield, Brianna L., Notice and Takedown in Everyday Practice (March 29, 2016). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2755628 “It has been nearly twenty years since section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act established the so-called notice and takedown process. Despite its importance to copyright holders, online service… Continue Reading
NIST Cryptographic Standards and Guidelines Development Process
NIST – IR 7977 – NIST Cryptographic Standards and Guidelines Development Process, Cryptographic Technology Group Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory, March 31, 2016.” “This document describes the principles, processes and procedures that drive cryptographic standards and guidelines development efforts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This document reflects public comments received… Continue Reading
The History of U.S. Government Spending, Revenue, and Debt (1790-2015)
Via Metrocosm – “Through most of its history, the federal government did not have the power to tax incomes. How was it funded before the income tax? Today’s national debt is big by historical standards, but it has been bigger. When was the country’s deepest debt, and how long did it take to pay back?… Continue Reading
FOIA Mapper
This tool was developed by Max Galka: “Making a Freedom of Information Request is a burdensome process that may involve days or even weeks of work to identify what records are available and enough information about how they are stored to property phrase the request. Government agencies are required to disclose a list of their “Major… Continue Reading
AP Stylebook announces changes to use of Internet and Web
Effective June 1, 2016 with the launch of the new AP Stylebook, the word internet will be written in lowercase. Per another tweet – “Also, we will lowercase web in all instances – web page, the web, web browser – effective June 1.” Continue Reading
Kaiser – An Overview of Medicare
Kaiser Family Foundation – “Medicare is the federal health insurance program created in 1965 for people ages 65 and over, regardless of income, medical history, or health status. The program was expanded in 1972 to cover people under age 65 with permanent disabilities. Today, Medicare plays a key role in providing health and financial security… Continue Reading
Elements of a New Ethical Framework for Big Data Research
“The Berkman Center is pleased to announce the publication of a new paper from the Privacy Tools for Sharing Research Data project team. In this paper, Effy Vayena, Urs Gasser, Alexandra Wood, and David O’Brien from the Berkman Center, with Micah Altman from MIT Libraries, outline elements of a new ethical framework for big data… Continue Reading
The Role of the Federal Reserve – Lessons from Financial Crises
The Role of the Federal Reserve—Lessons from Financial Crises – March 31, 2016 – William C. Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer – Remarks at the Annual Meeting of the Virginia Association of Economists, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia As prepared for delivery: “…The crisis showed that the regulatory community did not fully grasp the… Continue Reading
