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Category Archives: Economy

EPA Report Finds That Formaldehyde Presents an “Unreasonable Risk” to Public Health

ProPublica: “A long-awaited report from the Environmental Protection Agency has found that formaldehyde presents an unreasonable risk to human health. But the report, released Thursday, downplayed the threat the chemical poses to people living near industrial plants that release large quantities of the carcinogen into the air.The health risk assessment was published weeks after a… Continue Reading

LLRX December 2024 Articles and Columns

December 2024 – LLRX.com® – the free web journal on law, technology, knowledge discovery and research for Librarians, Lawyers, Researchers, Academics, and Journalists. Founded in 1996. January 1, 2025 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1929 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1924 – by Jennifer Jenkins. AI in Finance and Banking,… Continue Reading

The Changing Medical Debt Landscape in the United States

Urban.org: “Medical debt can intensify financial challenges, affect health care access, and potentially worsen health outcomes. Starting in 2022, the three nationwide credit reporting companies made significant changes to medical debt reporting. Paid medical collections were removed from credit reports, debt in collections would no longer be used in calculating Vantage credit scores, the grace… Continue Reading

62 Fascinating Facts of 2024

The New York Times:  Each day, Times Insider editors scour the newspaper for the most interesting facts to appear in articles. This year, tidbits about grudge-holding crows, the first-ever first kiss and George Washington’s dentures enlightened, informed and entertained us… 21. In the United States, more than 60 percent of the work force lives paycheck… Continue Reading

AI in Finance and Banking, December 31, 2024

Via LLRX – AI in Finance and Banking, December 31, 2024 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links… Continue Reading

DOL Launches Database for Retirement Savings Lost and Found

PlanSponsor: “The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration on December 27 launched the public Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database, a tool designed to help America’s workers and beneficiaries search for retirement plans that may still owe them benefits. Created as part of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, the database serves as… Continue Reading

Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services

Department of the Treasury – Report on the Uses, Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence in the Financial Services Sector, December 2024. “This report provides background on the use of AI in financial services based on respondents’ comments and building on observations from previous Treasury reports and  stakeholder engagement,5 highlights Treasury’s ongoing efforts to evaluate… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 28, 2024

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 28, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex… Continue Reading

Microsoft Bundling Practices Focus of Federal Antitrust Probe

ProPublica: “The Federal Trade Commission is investigating Microsoft in a wide-ranging probe that will examine whether the company’s business practices have run afoul of antitrust laws, according to people familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, FTC attorneys have been conducting interviews and setting up meetings with Microsoft competitors. One key area of interest is… Continue Reading

No One Buys Books

The Elysian: “Everything we learned about the publishing industry from Penguin vs. DOJ.  In 2022, Penguin Random House wanted to buy Simon & Schuster. The two publishing houses made up 37 percent and 11 percent of the market share, according to the filing, and combined they would have condensed the Big Five publishing houses into… Continue Reading