CRS – Invasive Species: Major Laws and the Role of Selected Federal Agencies – M. Lynne Corn, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy; Renée Johnson , Specialist in Agricultural Policy . October 24, 2013 “An “invasive” species (alternatively known as an alien, exotic, injurious, introduced or naturalized, non-native, nonindigenous, nuisance, or noxious species) refers to an animal or plant that is introduced into… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Report – Drug-resistant “superbugs” that kill people are on the rise, but no new antibiotics are in the pipeline
Frances Weaver is a senior editor at The Week magazine – her report includes the following: “Thousands of Americans are now dying every year from infections that used to be curable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently warned that drug-resistant bacteria kill at least 23,000 people annually in America and cost the U.S. health-care system… Continue Reading
Governments can do more to regain trust, says OECD report
Government at a Glance 2013: “The global economic crisis has undermined trust in government. Today only four out of ten citizens in OECD countries say they have confidence in their national authorities. Not surprisingly, trust declined in the countries hit hardest by the crisis, such as Ireland, Greece, Slovenia and Portugal. But measures can be taken to… Continue Reading
Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014
World Economic Forum: “The Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014 provides a top-of-mind perspective from the Global Agenda Councils on the challenges and opportunities of the coming 12–18 months. It offers a comprehensive overview of the world, drawing upon the foremost global intelligence network and its collective brainpower to explore the most important issues we… Continue Reading
Home Value and Homeownership Rates During and After Recession Explored in the American Community Survey
News release: “A new housing brief from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that median home values in many small counties across the nation held steady after the most recent recession, while values in large counties declined. These findings come from the Census Bureau’s brief, Home Value and Homeownership Rates: Recession and Post-Recession Comparisons From 2007-2009 to 2010-2012,… Continue Reading
Government to Release More NSA Documents and FISA Court Opinions in Response to EFF Lawsuit
“On Monday, the US Department of Justice will release to the public hundreds of additional pages of government documents concerning its use of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the provision of law the NSA relies on to collect the call records of millions of Americans. The disclosures will follow closely on the heels of yesterday’s reports in… Continue Reading
Hearing – The Homeland Threat Landscape and U.S. Response
Hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs – The Homeland Threat Landscape and U.S. Response – November 14, 2013 – The Honorable Matthew G. Olsen Director National Counterterrorism Center. “Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs) remain the most likely global jihadist threat to the Homeland. While the threat posed by HVEs probably will broaden… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – DHS Financial Management, DC Opportunity Scholarship, Information Resellers
DHS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT – Continued Effort Needed to Address Internal Control and System Challenges, GAO-14-106T, Nov 15, 2013 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – Actions Needed to Address Weaknesses in Administration and Oversight, GAO-13-805, Sep 30, 2013 INFORMATION RESELLERS – Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace – GAO-13-663, Sep 25, 2013 Continue Reading
EPIC – Government Audit Finds TSA’s Behavioral Analysis Program “Ineffective”
“The Government Accountability Office issued a report to Congress finding that the Transportation Security Administration’s behavioral analysis program, known as “Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques” (SPOT), is ineffective. The GAO determined that there is no scientifically valid evidence for behavior indicators, and that TSA screeners cannot reliably interpret passenger behavior. The GAO report also notes that… Continue Reading
New England Journal of Medicine – Preventing Gun Deaths in Children
Preventing Gun Deaths in Children – Judith S. Palfrey, M.D., and Sean Palfrey, M.D. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:401-403 January 31, 2013 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1215606 “As practicing pediatricians who have lost patients to gun violence, we join our colleagues in mourning the 20 children and their teachers who were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. Our sadness is… Continue Reading
UMD, Google and gov. create first detailed map of global forest change
News release: “A University of Maryland-led, multi-organizational team has created the first high-resolution global map of forest extent, loss and gain. This resource greatly improves the ability to understand human and naturally-induced forest changes and the local to global implications of these changes on environmental, economic and other natural and societal systems, members of the… Continue Reading
Commentary on Google’s latest transparency report – what is missing that they cannot reveal
Rebecca J. Rosen – The Atlantic: “Today brings the release of the first Transparency Report since the Snowden revelations about widespread government surveillance, and Google’s tone has changed dramatically. In contrast with the warm glow of corporate benevolence Google has tended to exude in these moments, today’s Google Blog post announcing the new Report is a touch surly,… Continue Reading
