Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: November 10, 2014

Hashtag Standards For Emergencies

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Hashtag Standards For Emergencies – OCHA POLICY AND  STUDIES SERIES – THINK BRIEF, October 2014 | 012

“In recent years, social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and blogs have demonstrated significant value during emergencies as the “information currency of disasters”. These digital tools give affected communities a flexible information platform to share local knowledge, transparently document efforts crowd-verify or eliminate false rumours, and engage in two-way communication with formal emergency response agencies. Twitter is currently the social media platform best suited for emergency response due to real-time post ing, public feeds and asymmetric relations (one-to-many or non-reciprocal information exchange). Facebook users comprise 82 per cent of the global social media market aged 16-64 outside of China, but privacy settings limit its use during a disaster.28 Other social media tools are used for emergency preparedness and response (e.g., YouTube), but there is less evidence-based research supporting their uptake during a crisis.”

EPA, DOE Release 2015 Fuel Economy Guide for Car Buyers

News release: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) …released the 2015 Fuel Economy Guide, providing consumers with a valuable resource to help them choose the most fuel-efficient and low greenhouse gas emitting vehicles that meet their needs. In comparison to previous years, the 2015 models include a greater number of… Continue Reading

Employment-Based Retirement Plan Participation

Employment-Based Retirement Plan Participation: Geographic Differences and Trends, 2013. October 2014 . Issue Brief #405 Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2014 “The percentage of workers participating in an employment-based retirement plan rose in 2013, increasing for the first time since 2010 among all workers and private-sector workers. The retirement plan participation level depends on the type of worker being… Continue Reading

Defining Criticality in a Networked World

Fleming, Matthew H. and Goldstein, Eric and Abott, Stephen and Bromberger, Seth and Kendall, Joseph, Defining Criticality in a Networked World: Implications of the Use of Information and Communications Technology for Efforts to Promote the Security and Resilience of Critical Infrastructure (January 17, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2519887 “Current approaches to critical infrastructure… Continue Reading

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

CRS – Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations, Christopher M. Blanchard,  Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. November 4, 2014. “Qatar, a small peninsular country in the Persian Gulf, emerged as a partner of the United States in the mid-1990s and currently serves as host to major U.S. military facilities. Qatar holds the thirdlargest proven natural gas reserves in the world, and… Continue Reading

How CBO Analyzes the Effects of Changes in Federal Fiscal Policies on the Economy

“Analyzing the effects on the overall economy of changes in federal fiscal policies—that is, policies governing taxes and spending—requires complex modeling and a significant amount of time. CBO undertakes such analyses in certain reports and for some major pieces of legislation; some of those analyses include the feedback effects of changes in the economy on… Continue Reading

UK Major Incident Procedure Manual Eighth Edition

“The London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP) was formed in 1973 and consists of representatives from the Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police, British Transport Police, the London Fire Brigade, the London Ambulance Service and local authorities. The Port of London Authority (PLA), Marine Coastguard, RAF, Military and voluntary sector are also represented. LESLP… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Compounded Drugs, Bureau of Fiscal Service Audit

COMPOUNDED DRUGS: Payment Practices Vary across Public Programs and Private Insurers, and Medicare Part B Policy Should Be Clarified, GAO-15-85: Published: Oct 10, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 10, 2014. FINANCIAL AUDIT: Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s Fiscal Years 2014 and 2013 Schedules of Federal Debt, GAO-15-157: Published: Nov 10, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 10, 2014. Continue Reading