This mystery was solved: Scientists say chemicals from fracking wastewater can taint fresh water nearby – “…But a study by the U.S. Geological Survey appears to have answered a critical question about the millions of gallons of chemical-laced water that are injected into the wells to fracture rocks and release trapped gas. Is there any… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2016
Divide continues to separate rich from poor for broadband access
Center for Public Integrity – “Nationwide, families in neighborhoods with median household incomes below $34,800 — the lowest fifth of neighborhoods nationally — are five times more likely not to have access to broadband than households in areas with a median income above $80,700 — the top fifth, according to a Center for Public Integrity… Continue Reading
Social Media Finds New Roles as News and Entertainment Curators
New York Times – Social Media Finds New Roles as News and Entertainment Curators – “As more tech firms employ their own editing staffs, they are being viewed as something less than news organizations, but more than simple reflections of their growing audiences.” Continue Reading
401(k) Plan Asset Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2014
401(k) Plan Asset Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2014. April 2016. EBRI Issue Brief #423. Executive Summary – “Since 1996 the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI) have worked together on collecting and analyzing annual data on millions of 401(k) plan participants’ accounts. This report reflects the year-end… Continue Reading
Americans over 65 continue to work past retirement date
Bloomberg – “Almost 20 percent of Americans 65 and older are now working, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the most older people with a job since the early 1960s, before the U.S. enacted Medicare. Because of the huge baby boom generation that is just now hitting retirement… Continue Reading
GAO Report – Retirement Security: Low Defined Contribution Savings May Pose Challenges
Low Defined Contribution Savings May Pose Challenges, GAO-16-408: Published: May 5, 2016. Publicly Released: May 5, 2016. “An estimated 40 percent of all U.S. households had some retirement savings in a defined contribution (DC) plan, such as a 401(k) plan, in 2013, and account balances varied by household income and race in recent years, according… Continue Reading
IG Report – GSA Data Breach – 18F and Slack
MANAGEMENT ALERT REPORT: GSA Data Breach JE16-004 May 12, 2016 “During the course of an ongoing evaluation, the OIG Office of Inspections and Forensic Auditing identified an issue that warrants immediate attention. Due to authorizations enabled by GSA 18F staff, over 100 GSA Google Drives were reportedly accessible by users both inside and outside of… Continue Reading
Thirty Reflection Questions to Help Each Student Find Meaningful Employment and Develop an Integrated Professional Identity
Hamilton, Neil W. and Organ, Jerome M., Thirty Reflection Questions to Help Each Student Find Meaningful Employment and Develop an Integrated Professional Identity (Professional Formation) (May 13, 2016). Tennessee Law Review, Forthcoming. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2779741 “Law schools must now define learning outcomes for their programs of legal education. Many law schools (and… Continue Reading
Report – 75 percent of requests to be forgotten denied by Google
Report: 2 years in, 75 percent of Right to Be Forgotten asks denied by Google More than 50 percent of requests come from Germany and the UK. Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land: “Google refuses roughly 70 percent to 75 percent of requests, according to the data. The chart reflects the most common categories or justifications… Continue Reading
FCW – OPM’s sensitive data on feds still not encrypted
Federal Computer Week, Adam Mazmania, May 13, 2016 – “More than a year after a hack of Office of Personnel Management systems compromised more than 22 million records, the agency has not been able to encrypt all the sensitive data on 4 million federal employees, including Social Security numbers. “There are still elements of OPM… Continue Reading
Commentary – We risk becoming a society of technological prowess and philosophical illiteracy
Chronicle of Higher Education – John Kaag and David O’Hara May 13, 2016 – “We are on the verge of becoming the best trained, and least educated, society since the Romans — and reducing the humanities to a type of soft science will only hasten this trend. As the sciences rightly grow, a free society… Continue Reading
Biking To Work Is Healthier Than Driving Regardless of Air Pollution
Charlie Sorrel, Fast Coexist – “Biking is obviously better for you than driving, because while biking you are exercising and while driving you are sitting. “But wait! cry the pro-driving advocates. When you bike, you’re inhaling (quite deeply, because of the exercise) air that is full of the polluting exhaust of the cars around you.… Continue Reading
