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Daily Archives: November 14, 2015

G20 subsidies to oil, gas and coal production

Oil Change International – “This research discovers that G20 country governments’ support to fossil fuel production marries bad economics with potentially disastrous consequences for climate change. In effect, governments are propping up the production of oil, gas and coal, much of which cannot be used if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change. The report Empty promises: G20 subsidies to oil, gas and coal production documents, for the first time, the scale and structure of fossil fuel production subsidies in the G20 countries. The evidence points to a publicly financed bailout for some of the world’s largest, most carbon-intensive and polluting companies. It finds that, by providing subsidies for fossil fuel production, the G20 countries are creating a ‘lose-lose’ scenario. They are directing large volumes of finance into high-carbon assets that cannot be exploited without catastrophic climate effects. This diverts investment from economic low-carbon alternatives such as solar, wind and hydro-power. In addition, the scale of G20 fossil fuel production subsidies calls into question the commitment of governments to an ambitious deal on climate change.”

GAO Report on IRS Financial Audit

Financial Audit: IRS’s Fiscal Years 2015 and 2014 Financial Statements, GAO-16-146: Published: Nov 12, 2015. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2015. “In GAO’s opinion, the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) fiscal years 2015 and 2014 financial statements are fairly presented in all material respects. However, in GAO’s opinion, IRS did not maintain effective internal control over financial… Continue Reading

Google – An Empirical Analysis of Email Delivery Security

Neither Snow Nor Rain Nor MITM…An Empirical Analysis of Email Delivery Security “The SMTP protocol is responsible for carrying some of users’ most intimate communication, but like other Internet protocols, authentication and confidentiality were added only as an afterthought. In this work, we present the first report on global adoption rates of SMTP security extensions,… Continue Reading

OPM IG Memo – Fiscal Year 2015 Top Challenges

Fiscal Year 2015 Top Management Challenges – “The Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 requires the Inspector General to identify and report annually the top management challenges facing the agency. In meeting this requirement, we have classified the challenges in to two key types of issues facing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) – environmental… Continue Reading

Essay recommends thirteen new signals for The Bluebook’s next edition

Roark, Marc Lane and Emerson, Warren, Signals (November 10, 2015). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2688685 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2688685 ”Currently, The Bluebook recommends twelve signals that give direction to the author’s intended use of sources. Bluebook signals communicate how the author believes the work cited is relevant to the proposition. But Bluebook signals could communicate so much more.… Continue Reading