Washington Post – “Leaders of the federal judiciary are working to block bipartisan legislation designed to create a national database of court records that would provide free access to case documents. Backers of the bill, who are pressing for a House vote in the coming days, envision a streamlined, user-friendly system that would allow citizens… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Government
Free PACER advocates say $2B estimate for new online system is not accurate
FedScoop: “Building a new online system that will make federal court records free to the public will cost far less than a rumored $2 billion, according to former government technologists and IT experts. In a letter sent Tuesday to the Judicial Conference of the United States, representatives from the Free Law Project — a nonprofit… Continue Reading
At every turn the distortion of data has been central to the U.S. government’s disastrous response to the coronavirus
Highline – HuffPo – “This is an accounting of the damage…The administration has failed on so many different fronts in its handling of the coronavirus, creating the overall impression of sheer mayhem. But there is a common thread that runs through these government malfunctions. Precise, transparent data is crucial in the fight against a pandemic—yet… Continue Reading
COVIDcast Real-time COVID-19 Indicators
Carneige Mellon University – The Delphi Blog: “Delphi uses information from the survey as part of its public COVIDcast map, to inform its forecasts (currently in development) of the pandemic’s spread, and to assist public health agency partners. By providing daily data from all parts of the United States, the survey allows comparisons between regions… Continue Reading
The Danger Of Deliberate Destruction Of Documents By President Donald Trump
WAMU Podcast – 1A – “President Donald Trump is known to be keen on controlling the flow of information surrounding himself and his businesses. He reportedly tears up notes or documents from White House meetings. He employs nondisclosure agreements in both his professional and personal life. And White House aides have been known to use apps… Continue Reading
FEMA Releases National Risk Index: New Online Data Shows Natural Hazards Risks for Communities
“The National Risk Index (The Index) is an online tool to help illustrate the nation’s communities most at risk of natural hazards. It is made possible through a collaboration between FEMA and dozens of partners in academia; local, state and federal government; and private industry. The Index leverages best available source data to provide a… Continue Reading
Federal Telework: Key Practices That Can Help Ensure the Success of Telework Programs
Federal Telework: Key Practices That Can Help Ensure the Success of Telework Programs, GAO-21-238T: Published: Nov 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 18, 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies have used telework as a strategy to help them continue their work in trying circumstances. We assembled our past work on federal telework to provide information… Continue Reading
FDA Releases New Outbreak Investigation Table
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is committed to transparency and keeping the public and stakeholders informed of our work upholding the safety of our food supply. As part of this continued commitment, today we are releasing a new tool to communicate foodborne illness outbreak information frequently and as soon as the FDA begins an… Continue Reading
Re-Hearing Beethoven Festival at the Library of Congress
“The Library of Congress planned to mark Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday with a series of concerts that offered a fresh look at Beethoven’s nine remarkable symphonies, performed by string quartets, piano duos and the U.S. Marine Band. While the pandemic has moved the concerts online, they can now be enjoyed from the comfort of… Continue Reading
#Protect2020 Rumor vs. Reality
Chris Krebs, the DHS Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was fired by President Trump on November 17, 2020. His agency’s website, “RumorControl – Mis- and Disinformation can undermine public confidence in the electoral process, as well as in our democracy,” is still online but may not continue. “This webpage is for people with… Continue Reading
Free software to create full copies of sites to archive
“HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility. It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site’s relative link-structure. Simply open a… Continue Reading
How Do Presidential Transitions Normally Work?
LifeHacker: “The White House has seen a peaceful transitions of power between outgoing and incoming presidential administrations throughout history, regardless of any volatility gripping the nation. Passing the baton of executive power to a new presidential administration has been a hallmark of this country’s democracy; the White House is where presidential tenants temporarily reside, not… Continue Reading
