Monthly archives: September, 2008

Health benefit cost growth predicted to ease slightly in 2009 as employers shift cost

Early responses to Mercer’s annual survey indicate cost will rise 5.7 percent next year, September 4, 2008: “After three years of double-digit growth in the first half of the decade, annual health benefit cost increases slowed to about 6 percent in 2005 and have stayed there ever since. Preliminary survey findings released today by Mercer …

Subjects: Knowledge Management

Pay Relatives for U.S. Census Regions and Divisions, 2006

Pay Relatives for U.S. Census Regions and Divisions, 2006, by John E. Buckley, Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 28, 2008 “Results from the 2006 National Compensation Survey show that average pay levels in the Northeast and West are higher than in the South and Midwest. The National Compensation Survey (NCS) provides national, regional, and locality …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

National Toxicology Program Finalizes Report on Bisphenol A

News release: “Current human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is of “some concern” for effects on development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children, according to a final report released today by the National Toxicology Program (NTP). …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

Federal Reserve Beige Book, September 3, 2008

Summary: “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicate that the pace of economic activity has been slow in most Districts. Many described business conditions as “weak,” “soft,” or “subdued.” Cleveland and St. Louis reported some weakening since their last reports while Boston and New York noted signs of stabilization. Kansas City reported a slight …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

CERT: Understanding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Cyber Security Tip ST05-018 – Understanding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): “Because VoIP relies on your internet connection, it may be vulnerable to any threats and problems that face your computer. The technology is still new, so there is some controversy about the potential for attack, but VoIP could make your telephone vulnerable to viruses …

Subjects: Cybercrime, E-Government, Government Documents, Privacy

New DHS Office of Inspector General Management Reports

OIG-08-86 – Costs Incurred for Rejected Temporary Housing Sites (PDF, 31 pages) OIG-08-85 – The Science and Technology Directorate’s Processes for Selecting and Managing Research and Development Programs (PDF, 51 pages) New 09/03/2008 OIG-08-83 – The State of Utah’s Management of State Homeland Security Grants Awarded During Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006 (PDF, 24 pages)

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents

Public/private partnership to build first sustained petascale system for open scientific research

News release: “Extending more than 50 years of supercomputing leadership, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and its National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) announced today that they have finalized their contract with IBM to build the world’s first sustained petascale computational system dedicated to open scientific research. This leadership-class project, called Blue Waters, is …

Subjects: Knowledge Management

U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention Launches Drug Error Finder

USP’s Drug Error Finder – Look–alike/Sound–alike Drug Names: “As a service to healthcare practitioners, industry, consumers, and others, USP has developed a free tool for accessing drug names that have been identified with a medication error. USP’s Drug Error Finder allows a user to search more than 1,400 drugs involved in look–alike and/or sound–alike errors. …

Subjects: Knowledge Management