Follow up to previous posting – Animal welfare information wiped from USDA website – news via TIME on the freedom of information evangelist Russ Kick – “An Arizona man who has published thousands of animal welfare documents on his website since the government purged the once-public information is pledging to keep digging up data until… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2017
AALL joins 60 advocacy groups calling for open access info on government websites
Via AALL: On February 14, 2017 “the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) partnered with OpenTheGovernment.org and more than 60 other public interest groups and associations on a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), asking OMB to issue guidance reminding agencies that they are required under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.… Continue Reading
Libraries Are For Everyone
Via GOOD – “Shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries, assistant library director Rebecca McCorkindale created a sign to let immigrants and longtime residents alike know “Libraries Are For Everyone.” It was a simple message, but it quickly gained global momentum. After publishing a blog post about… Continue Reading
World Bank Scores Sustainable Energy Policies in 111 Countries
World Bank: “An increasing number of developing countries – Mexico, China, Turkey, India, Vietnam, Brazil, and South Africa – are emerging as leaders in sustainable energy, with robust policies to support energy access, renewables and energy efficiency, according to a new World Bank Report. But there is huge room for improvement across every region in… Continue Reading
2016 Motor Vehicle Deaths Estimated to be Highest in Nine Years
National Safety Council: “For the first time in nearly a decade, preliminary data from the National Safety Council estimates that as many as 40,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016. That marks a 6% increase over 2015 and a 14% increase over 2014 – the most dramatic two-year escalation in 53 years. … Continue Reading
FiveThirtyEight – Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump
An updating tally of how often every member of the House and the Senate votes with or against the president By Aaron Bycoffe. From the FAQ – “Donald Trump has Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress — it’s the first time since Barack Obama’s first two years in office that the same party has… Continue Reading
Cloud Spanner: a global database service for mission-critical applications
Google Cloud Platform Blog: “…we’re excited to announce the public beta for Cloud Spanner, a globally distributed relational database service that lets customers have their cake and eat it too: ACID transactions and SQL semantics, without giving up horizontal scaling and high availability. When building cloud applications, database administrators and developers have been forced to… Continue Reading
Report – Corporate interests rack up earnings at expense of budget for national parks
“…America’s national parks should be owned by and managed for the benefit of all Americans. However, corporate interests have been steadily attacking and whittling away at that idea. Hotels, food service providers, gift shops, and other concessionaires, such as Delaware North, are profitable businesses in the national parks. The top-four concession holders in national parks—Aramark… Continue Reading
Paper – Peer Effects on the United States Supreme Court
Holden, Richard and Keane, Michael and Lilley, Matthew, Peer Effects on the United States Supreme Court (February 3, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2916394 “Using data on essentially every US Supreme Court decision since 1946, we estimate a model of peer effects on the Court. We consider both the impact of justice ideology and justice votes… Continue Reading
CRS – Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2016
Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2016, Matthew Eric Glassman, Analyst on the Congress. February 13, 2017. [Via FAS] “Senators and Representatives are frequently asked to support or sponsor proposals recognizing historic events and outstanding achievements by individuals or institutions. Among the various forms of recognition that Congress bestows, the Congressional Gold Medal is often considered the most… Continue Reading
The Essential Neil Gorsuch Reader: What Judge Gorsuch Cases Should You Read?
Via FAS – The Essential Neil Gorsuch Reader: What Judge Gorsuch Cases Should You Read?, CRS Legal Sidebar, February 13, 2017. “Judge Gorsuch has a voluminous judicial record, having served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit for more than a decade. According to Judge Gorsuch’s recent submissions to the Senate Judiciary… Continue Reading
Federal Spending for Means-Tested Programs, 2007 to 2027
“CBO projects that, if current laws generally remained unchanged, federal outlays for mandatory means-tested programs (programs and tax credits that provide cash payments or other assistance to people with relatively low income or few assets) would grow over the next decade at an average annual rate of 4.3 percent, whereas spending for mandatory non–means-tested programs… Continue Reading
