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Daily Archives: April 2, 2015

DARPA – Breakthrough Technologies for National Security

Breakthrough Technologies for National Security: “For more than fifty years, DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] has held to a singular and enduring mission: To make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security. The genesis of that mission and of DARPA itself dates to the launch of Sputnik in 1957, and a commitment by the United States that, from that time forward, it would be the initiator and not the victim of strategic technological surprises. Working with innovators inside and outside of government, DARPA has repeatedly delivered on that mission, transforming revolutionary concepts and even seeming impossibilities into practical capabilities. The ultimate results have included not only game-changing military capabilities such as precision weapons and stealth technology but also such icons of modern civilian society as the Internet, automated voice recognition and language translation, and Global Positioning System receivers small enough to embed in myriad consumer devices. DARPA explicitly reaches for transformational change instead of incremental advances. But it does not perform its engineering alchemy in isolation. It works within an innovation ecosystem that includes academic, corporate and governmental partners, with a constant focus on the Nation’s military Services, which work with DARPA to create new strategic opportunities and novel tactical options. For decades, this vibrant, interlocking ecosystem of diverse collaborators has proven to be a nurturing environment for the intense creativity that DARPA is designed to cultivate.”

The Impact of Tight Credit Standards on 2009-13 Lending

Urban Institute – The Impact of Tight Credit Standards on 2009-13 Lending. Laurie Goodman, Jun Zhu, Taz George. April 2015. “Tight credit standards curbed mortgage lending activity from 2009 to 2013. Based on our estimates, if the cautious standards of 2001 had been in place rather than the more severe standards that were in place over these… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Federal Chief Information Officers, Homeland Security

Federal Chief Information Officers: Reporting to OMB Can Be Improved by Further Streamlining and Better Focusing on Priorities, GAO-15-106: Published: Apr 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Apr 2, 2015: “Federal agencies annually invest over $80 billion on IT. As part of overseeing this spending, OMB directs federal CIOs to report on their management of IT in… Continue Reading

The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050

Pew Research Center – Why Muslims Are Rising Fastest and the Unaffiliated Are Shrinking as a Share of the World’s Population – “The religious profile of the world is rapidly changing, driven primarily by differences in fertility rates and the size of youth populations among the world’s major religions, as well as by people switching… Continue Reading

CRS – Cyberwarfare and Cyberterrorism

Cyberwarfare and Cyberterrorism: In Brief, Catherine A. Theohary, Specialist in National Security, Policy and Information Operations. John W. Rollins, Specialist in Terrorism and National Security. March 27, 2015. “Recent incidents have highlighted the lack of consensus internationally on what defines a cyberattack, an act of war in cyberspace, or cyberterrorism. Cyberwar is typically conceptualized as… Continue Reading

The United Kingdom: Background and Relations with the United States

CRS – The United Kingdom: Background and Relations with the United States, Derek E. Mix, Analyst in European Affairs. March 27, 2015. “Many U.S. officials and Members of Congress view the United Kingdom (UK) as the United States’ closest and most reliable ally. This perception stems from a combination of factors, including a sense of… Continue Reading

Eyes in the Sky: The Domestic Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, House Judiciary Committee

Eyes in the Sky: The Domestic Use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, House Judiciary Committee, May 17, 2013. Serial No. 113–40. “The United States remains at the forefront of technological progress. Every day we hear of some advancement in communications or computer technology that promses vast improvements in our daily lives. We have become a much… Continue Reading

Latest Federal Tax Return Info by County, State

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse – “Based on adjusted gross income (AGI), the richest county in the country during filing year 2013 was Teton County, Wyoming where the average AGI reported was $296,778. At the other end of the ranking was Gooding County, Idaho with an average AGI of $15,379. New York County (Manhattan) topped the… Continue Reading