Environmental Protection: Information on Federal Agencies’ Expenditures and Coordination Related to Harmful Algae, GAO-17-119: Published: Oct 14, 2016. Publicly Released: Oct 14, 2016. “Harmful overgrowths of algae—called algal blooms—are a problem in all 50 states. These blooms can hurt aquatic plants and animals by producing toxins, consuming oxygen, and limiting light penetration in the water.… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: October 2016
Judge to determine whether Pacer fees are too high for public access
Via NextGov – Cost of Electronic Access to US Court Filings Faces Major Legal Test of Its Own: “…the paywall that surrounds Pacer is facing what may be its most serious test since the service emerged 28 years ago. Judge Ellen Huvelle of the U.S. district court in Washington, D.C., is expected to decide in the… Continue Reading
Websites around the world disappear as HTTPS certificates mistakenly blocked by root authority
Via The Register: “GlobalSign has performed a postmortem examination on how, as one of the world’s root certificate authorities, it managed to break a chunk of the web. The New Hampshire, US-based biz has to date sold 2.5 million SSL/TLS certificates to websites around the world. This week, it inadvertently smashed its own chain of… Continue Reading
USSS Faces Challenges Protecting Sensitive Case Management Systems and Data
“We performed this audit as a follow-up to a September 2015 Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation regarding United States Secret Service (USSS) employees improperly accessing and distributing sensitive information onthe agency’s Master CentraIndex (MCI) mainframe system. Our objective was to determine whether adequate controls and data protections were in place on systems to which… Continue Reading
National Park Service – Series: LGBTQ America
“LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History is an extensive and comprehensive look at LGBTQ heritage in the United States. Each chapter provides an expert summary of a particular topic.” Continue Reading
Fortune – Publishing Hacked Private Emails Can Be a Slippery Slope
“It may be hard for the media to resist a big email dump, but there are long-term risks. Regular dumps of classified documents and other internal communications have become a fixture of modern life, thanks in part to stateless—and frequently lawless—entities like WikiLeaks. But is publishing those leaks always the right thing to do? That’s… Continue Reading
Monthly Budget Review for September 2016
CBO – “The federal government ran a budget deficit of $588 billion in fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates—$149 billion greater than the shortfall recorded in fiscal year 2015. The 2016 deficit equaled an estimated 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from 2.5 percent of GDP in 2015. The increase in… Continue Reading
CBO – How Preferential Trade Agreements Affect the U.S. Economy
“Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) are treaties that remove barriers to trade and set rules for international commerce between two countries or among a small group of countries. PTAs directly affect a country’s economy by altering its flows of trade and investment. Primarily through trade, PTAs indirectly affect other aspects of a country’s economy—such as productivity,… Continue Reading
FTC – New Identity Theft Report helps you spot ID theft
“Do you ever hear from customers or employees who want you to know that they’ve been affected by identity theft? If so, you’ll probably start seeing them use the new FTC Identity Theft Report. It tells you that someone important to your business is a crime victim, has alerted law enforcement, and is working to… Continue Reading
DOJ Outlines Plan to Enable Nationwide Collection of Use of Force Data
“…Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced several steps by the Department of Justice to enable the nationwide collection of data on law enforcement interactions with civilians, including data related to the use of force by law enforcement officers. “Accurate and comprehensive data on the use of force by law enforcement is essential to an informed… Continue Reading
Visualizing Health Policy: Intersection of State Abortion Policy and Clinical Practice
Via Kaiser: “This Visualizing Health Policy infographic examines state policies related to abortion and their intersection with clinical practice. Nine of 10 reported abortions in the United States are in the first trimester. Between 2003 and 2012, the abortion rate decreased 18% among women aged 15 to 44 years. Twenty-five states have laws that restrict… Continue Reading
Data Driven Journalism – Fragile Cities: Plotting lesser known urban stories
Data Drive Journalism: “London, Paris, Madrid, New York…there are a numerous “global cities” that mesmerize us with their power and opportunity. But what about the lesser known cities? That can’t boast such potential? What do we know about them? To scope out which cities are forging ahead, and identify those that are falling behind, the… Continue Reading
