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Daily Archives: April 14, 2016

Decoupling of global emissions and economic growth confirmed

“International Energy Analysis [IEA] analysis shows energy-related emissions of CO2 stalled for the second year in a row as renewable energy surged. Global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) – the largest source of man-made greenhouse gas emissions – stayed flat for the second year in a row, according to analysis of preliminary data for 2015 released [March 16, 2016] by the International Energy Agency (IEA). “The new figures confirm last year’s surprising but welcome news: we now have seen two straight years of greenhouse gas emissions decoupling from economic growth,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “Coming just a few months after the landmark COP21 agreement in Paris, this is yet another boost to the global fight against climate change.”

Maximizing K-12 Fiber Connectivity Through E-Rate: An Overview

Authored by J. Ryan Thompson, David Talbot, and Keith Krueger – “The federal E-rate program provides up to $3.9 billion annually to subsidize the provision of high-speed Internet access to schools and libraries.  Recent revisions to the program greatly expand the options for how such service can be provisioned. Notably, school districts can now seek… Continue Reading

Microsoft sues DOJ – demands right to disclose when law enforcement seeks customer data

Microsoft v. The United States Department of Justice, USDC Western District of Washington at Seattle – April 14, 2016: “Microsoft brings this case because its customers have a right to know when the government obtains a warrant to read their emails, and because Microsoft has a right to tell them. Yet the Electronic Communications Privacy… Continue Reading

A Peek behind the Curtain of Bank Supervision

Liberty Street Economics Blog: “Since the financial crisis, bank regulatory and supervisory policies have changed dramatically both in the United States (Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) and abroad (Third Basel Accord). While these shifts have occasioned much debate, the discussion surrounding supervision remains limited because most supervisory activity— both the amount of… Continue Reading

GAO 6th annual report on federal data and IT fragmentation

2016 Annual Report Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits, GAO-16-375SP: Published: Apr 13, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2016. WHAT GAO FOUND – In its 2016 report, GAO presents 92 actions that the executive branch or Congress could take to improve efficiency and effectiveness across 37 areas that… Continue Reading

American Panorama – historical atlas project

“American Panorama is an historical atlas of the United States for the twenty-first century. It combines cutting-edge research with innovative interactive mapping techniques, designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in American history or a love of maps…American Panorama is an ongoing project. In the coming months we’ll be adding maps on redlining during… Continue Reading

EU Parliament adopts General Data Protection Regulation

European Parliament News: “New EU data protection rules [EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)] which aim to give citizens back control of their personal data and create a high, uniform level of data protection across the EU fit for the digital era was given their final approval by MEPs on Thursday. The reform also sets… Continue Reading

The dozen plus one CEO’s who earn more than $30M per year

USA Today: “Eleven current CEOs of S&P 500 companies, including Philippe Dauman of media giant Viacom (VIAB), Marc Benioff of online sales software maker Salesforce.com (CRM) and Robert Iger of media powerhouse Disney (DIS), are members of the lucrative $30-million-a-year club, based on an analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence by USA TODAY of the 418 CEO… Continue Reading

Federal Sentencing Statistics 2015

Federal Sentencing Statistics 2015 – “Geographic Statistics by Fiscal Year: The sets of reports [on this site] are released annually and examine federal sentencing statistics from each judicial district, the districts within each judicial circuit, and the districts within each state. Each report compares the statistics from the respective district, circuit, or state to the… Continue Reading

Weather conditions continue record breaking snow melt in Greenland

Washingotn Post: “The Danish Meteorological Institute reported that although it’s only April, nearly 12 percent of the ice sheet’s surface is covered with a layer of meltwater of a depth of at least a millimeter. “The former top 3 earliest dates for a melt area larger than 10% were previously all in May (5th May 2010, 8th May 1990,… Continue Reading