“Like our ancestors, we look up at the heavens and wonder. What is the structure of the universe? How significant are we? Are we alone? In Carl Sagan’s words, “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” To commemorate the acquisition of The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive,… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Iran: U.S. Economic Sanctions and the Authority to Lift Restrictions
CRS – Iran: U.S. Economic Sanctions and the Authority to Lift Restrictions. Dianne E. Rennack, Specialist in Foreign Policy Legislation. February 4, 2014. “The regime of economic sanctions against Iran is arguably the most complex the United States and the international community have ever imposed on a rogue state. Iran’s economy was once integrated into world trade, markets, and banking.… Continue Reading
LC – Orphan Works and Mass Digitization
“The U.S. Copyright Office will host public roundtable discussion sand seeks further comments on potential legislative solutions for orphan works and mass digitization under U.S.copyright law. The meetings and comments will provide an opportunity for interested parties to address new legal developments as well as issues raised by comments provided in response to the Office’s previous Notice… Continue Reading
EPIC – New Limits on NSA Telephone Record Program Established, Authority Expires March 28
“The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has granted the government’s motion to limit access by the NSA to the bulk telephone records provided by US telephone companies. Under the new rules, the government cannot “query” the telephone metadata until after the court finds that there is a “reasonable, articulable suspicion that the selection term is associated with” a… Continue Reading
K-12 Education, Nanomanufacturing
K-12 EDUCATION: Characteristics of the Investing in Innovation Fund, GAO-14-211R: Published: Feb 7, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 7, 2014.”From fiscal years 2010 to 2012, Education awarded over half ($493 million of $937 million) of Investing in Innovation (i3) grants funds as validation grants, and most awards went to partnerships involving nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations partnering with school… Continue Reading
The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012 and Beyond: Detainee Matters
The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012 and Beyond: Detainee Matters. Jennifer K. Elsea, Legislative Attorney; Michael John Garcia Legislative Attorney. January 27, 2014. “In recent years, Congress has included provisions in annual defense authorization bills addressing issues related to detainees at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and, more broadly, the disposition of persons captured in… Continue Reading
The Freedom of Information Act: Background, Legislation, and Policy Issues
CRS – The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Background, Legislation, and Policy Issues, Wendy Ginsberg, Analyst in American National Government. January 23, 2014. “The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. §552), often referred to as the embodiment of “the people’s right to know” about the activities and operations of government, statutorily established a presumption of public access to… Continue Reading
Center for Financial Stability – Global Country Reports
“Financial regulators and central banks in over 60 countries publish Financial Stability Reports about the health of their banking, financial and payments systems. These are a rich source of information on the structure of financial systems, recent trends in banking and finance, and the impact of the global economy on local markets. For scholars and… Continue Reading
Crowd-funding: An Infant Industry Growing Fast
Crowd-funding: An Infant Industry Growing Fast – Staff Working Paper of the IOSCO Research Department. Eleanor Kirby and Shane Worner, February 2014 “Crowd-funding is an umbrella term describing the use of small amounts of money, obtained from a large number of individuals or organisations, to fund a project, a business or personal loan, and other needs through an online web-based platform.… Continue Reading
Post-Employment, “Revolving Door,” Laws for Federal Personnel
Post-Employment, “Revolving Door,” Laws for Federal Personnel, Jack Maskell, Legislative Attorney. January 7, 2014 “Federal personnel may be subject to certain conflict of interest restrictions on private employment activities even after they leave service for the United States government. These restrictions— applicable when one enters private employment after having left federal government service—are often referred to as “revolving door” laws.… Continue Reading
Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits
CRS – Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits. David H. Carpenter, Legislative Attorney. January 29, 201 “For decades, federal policymakers and state administrators of governmental assistance programs, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants (formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Board – The Interest Rate Elasticity of Mortgage Demand
The Interest Rate Elasticity of Mortgage Demand: Evidence From Bunching at the Conforming Loan Limit, Anthony A. DeFusco and Andrew Paciorek. 2014-11 “The relationship between the mortgage interest rate and a household’s demand for mortgage debt has important implications for a host of public policy questions. In this paper, we use detailed data on over 2.7 million… Continue Reading
