Comparing bird and bat fatality-rate estimates among North American wind-energy projects – K. Shawn Smallwood, Wildlife Society Bulletin Volume 37, Issue 1, pages 19–33, March 2013: “Estimates of bird and bat fatalities are often made at wind-energy projects to assess impacts by comparing them with other fatality estimates. Many fatality estimates have been made across… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Majority of Public Companies Indicate Cyber Attack Would Cause “Serious Harm”
News release: “A majority of the U.S. listed Fortune 500 firms are following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Guidelines by providing some level of disclosure regarding cyber exposures, with more than half indicating their firms would face “serious harm” or be “adversely impacted” due to a cyber-attack, according to a recent report by Willis North America,… Continue Reading
CRS – Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources
Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources, Rita Tehan, Information Research Specialist. July 18, 2013 “Cybersecurity vulnerabilities challenge governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Attacks have been initiated by individuals, as well as countries. Targets have included government networks, military defenses, companies, or political organizations, depending upon whether the attacker was seeking military intelligence, conducting diplomatic or industrial… Continue Reading
Climate science: Vast costs of Arctic change
Climate science: Vast costs of Arctic change. Gail Whiteman, Chris Hop & Peter Wadhams. Nature 499, 401–403 (25 July 2013) doi:10.1038/499401a “Unlike the loss of sea ice, the vulnerability of polar bears and the rising human population, the economic impacts of a warming Arctic are being ignored. Most economic discussion so far assumes that opening… Continue Reading
SIGTARP Qaurterly Report to Congress, July 24, 2013
Christy Romero, Special Inspector General: “Congress created SIGTARP to combat white collar crime committed by those who view Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”) bailout funds as an opportunity for fraud and other illicit activity. Congress authorized SIGTARP to investigate, search, seize, and arrest. SIGTARP investigations have already resulted in 51 defendants sentenced to prison for… Continue Reading
TRAC – Number of ICE Detainers Drops by 19 Percent
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “Very timely month-by-month data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that the immigration “detainers” issued by the agency are declining, according to information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. The detainers are notices issued by ICE and other… Continue Reading
NIST Releases Updates to Digital Signature Standard
“The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a revision to the digital standard used to ensure the integrity of electronic documents, as well as the identity of the signer. The new document, Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 186-4, concerns what is commonly known as the digital signature standard. First published in 1994… Continue Reading
Online Survival Kit from Reporters Without Borders
“Reporters Without Borders has published an Online Survival Kit on its WefightCensorship.org website that has tools and practical advice that will allow you to protect your communications and data. You don’t need to be an IT engineer to learn how to protect the content of your emails and remain anonymous online. The tools and techniques… Continue Reading
New Energy Technologies and Avoiding an Electric Service Gap
“The electricity industry is now entering a similar period of rapid change as that faced by the telecom industry a decade ago. New technologies from smart grids and solar panels to superefficient homes and electricity storage are all coming on-line rapidly at the same time that our legacy infrastructure faces the unanswered challenges of an… Continue Reading
Brookings: Confronting U.S. Citizen Terrorist Suspects Abroad
Tools and Tradeoffs: Confronting U.S. Citizen Terrorist Suspects Abroad: “In this report, Daniel Byman and Benjamin Wittes profile Anwar Awlaki and other suspected American terrorists who joined the jihadist cause from abroad, and they examine several distinct approaches the U.S. government can use to confront the threat of these U.S. citizen terrorist suspects.” Continue Reading
Report Shows Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Would Worsen Climate Change
News release: “The proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would significantly boost the carbon pollution that drives climate change, failing the test set by President Obama, according to a detailed analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In just one key way, over its 50-year life, the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would add up… Continue Reading
Gallup – In U.S., Economic Confidence Stalls
“Americans are less upbeat about the economy now than they were in May and June. Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index held steady at -12 last week, but the current score is substantially lower than the five-year weekly high of -3 reached in late May and early June. Americans’ confidence in the economy has recovered from… Continue Reading
