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Daily Archives: June 17, 2013

New certificates launched to help everyone discover, understand, and use open data

“The Open Data Institute (ODI) is today launching Open Data Certificates to help everyone find, understand and use open data that is being released. The new certificates are being announced by CEO Gavin Starks at a G8 Summit event: Open for Growth.  The certificates have been created in response to business, government, and citizen needs to bring rigour to the publication, dissemination and usage of open data. Over the last six months, ODI has been collaborating with dozens of organisations around the world to define the certificates. Today sees their first Beta release…Certificates are created online, for free, at http://certificates.theodi.org/. The process involves publishers answering a series of questions, each of which affect the certificate generated at the end.”

Commentary: The PRISM – Privacy in an age of publicity

Follow up to previous postings on NSA’s big data domestic surveillance program, via The New Yorker – The PRISM – Privacy in the age of publicity by Jill Lepore, June 24, 2013: “The A.C.L.U., which last week filed a suit against the Obama Administration, has called the N.S.A.’s surveillance program, Prism, a “gross infringement” of the “right to… Continue Reading

Middle East leads global crude oil and condensate production

EIA – “Growth in North American crude oil production (including lease condensate) contributed to record global production of 75.6 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2012 (see animated map). In 2012, global production increased by 2%, as production rebounded in Africa and Asia and accelerated in North America. The Middle East produced 24.1 million bbl/d… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Nuclear Nonproliferation, Virtual Economies and Currencies

Nuclear Nonproliferation – IAEA Has Made Progress in Implementing Critical Programs but Continues to Face Challenges, GAO-13-139, May 16, 2013: “IAEA is making progress in establishing an international nuclear fuel bank by 2014 that is intended to provide eligible countries with a guaranteed supply of low enriched uranium (LEU) for civilian nuclear power programs in… Continue Reading

Paper – The interest rate effects of government debt maturity

The interest rate effects of government debt maturity by Jagjit S Chadha, Philip Turner and Fabrizio Zampolli, Working Papers, No 415 June 2013 “Federal Reserve purchases of bonds in recent years have meant that a smaller proportion of long-dated government debt has had to be held by other investors (private sector and foreign official institutions).… Continue Reading

Census – Commuter-Adjusted Population Estimates

“Knowing how a community’s population changes during the day is crucial to emergency preparedness officials and other local planners. This report and series of tables show the population totals for places, minor civil divisions, counties and states, accounting for the flow of commuters on a typical workday. In addition, graphs are available that show cities… Continue Reading

Global Economic Prospects – June 2013: Less volatile, but slower growth

World Bank Report – Global Economic Prospects – “The global economy is transitioning into what is likely to be a smoother and less volatile period. Financial market conditions have improved significantly since June 2012, and high-income countries still face serious challenges, the likelihood of a major crisis has declined. Overall, high-income growth is expected to… Continue Reading

Report – Rising Income Inequality and the Role of Shifting Market-Income Distribution

Rising Income Inequality and the Role of Shifting Market-Income Distribution, Tax Burdens, and Tax Rates, by Andrew Fieldhouse | June 14, 2013 “Income inequality in the United States—already well above that experienced in other advanced economies—has surpassed Gilded Age levels, and the Great Recession and ongoing jobs crisis will exacerbate this trend until full employment is… Continue Reading