Monthly archives: March, 2012

China’s Banking System: Issues for Congress

China’s Banking System: Issues for Congress, Michael F. Martin, Specialist in Asian Affairs, February 20, 2012 “China’s banking system has been gradually transformed from a centralized, government-owned and government-controlled provider of loans into an increasingly competitive market in which different types of banks, including several U.S. banks, strive to provide a variety of financial services. …

Subjects: Government Documents

Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety

Follow up to previous postings on the Deepwater Horizon Spill, “The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were …

Subjects: Government Documents

CDC – 75 Years of Mortality in the United States, 1935–2010

75 Years of Mortality in the United States, 1935–2010, Donna L. Hoyert, Ph.D., CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, March 2012 “A 75-year perspective points to both stability and change in the leading causes of death: stability because three causes (heart disease, cancer, and stroke) remained among the five leading causes each year between 1935 and …

Subjects: Government Documents

EPIC Publishes 2012 FOIA Gallery

“In celebration of Sunshine Week, EPIC published the EPIC FOIA Gallery: 2012. The gallery highlights key documents obtained by EPIC in the past year, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s watch list guidelines, records of the Department of Homeland Security’s social media monitoring program, Google’s first Privacy Compliance Report, records detailing the government’s FAST scanning …

Subjects: Freedom of Information

Federal Reserve releases paper describing methodology used in 2012 Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review stress test

News release: “The Federal Reserve on Monday released a paper describing the methodology used in the stress test in the 2012 Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) as well as the templates for disclosure of the summary results, which will be issued at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 15. The CCAR is a rigorous …

Subjects: Government Documents

FTC Issues Report on the Experiences of Victims Recovering from Identity Theft

News release: “The Federal Trade Commission issued a staff report, Using FACTA Remedies: An FTC Staff Report on a Survey of Experience of Identity Theft Victims, summarizing the results of a survey of identity theft victims who were asked to describe their experiences dealing with consumer reporting agencies and, more generally, exercising their rights under …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Government Documents, ID Theft, Privacy

Implications of Great Lakes Free of Ice

News release: “As the mild winter of 2012 yields to an early spring, the Great Lakes are relatively free of ice. However, as longtime residents of the region know, ice cover on the lakes can vary dramatically from one winter to the next. Researchers at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (GLERL) have been …

Subjects: Government Documents

Pew – Social networking sites and politics

Social networking sites and politics, by Lee Rainie, Aaron Smith, Mar 12, 2012 “Chatter in people’s social networks about political issues prompts a share of disagreements among friends and the sites yield surprising revelations about people’s views; 18% of users have shunned “friends” who have different ideas and 16% have found friends whose beliefs match …

Subjects: Internet

Classified National Security Information Program for State, Local, Tribal and Private Sector Entities Implementing Directive

DHS – Classified National Security Information Program for State, Local, Tribal and Private Sector Entities [STLPS] – Implementing Directive, February 2012 “Under the authority of the Order, and through this implementing directive, a governance and oversight structure are put in place that will serve to instill and promote the uniform application of security standards within …

Subjects: Government Documents

Understanding the “Jobs Gap” and What it Says About America’s Evolving Workforce

“In past months, The Hamilton Project has examined the toll the Great Recession has taken on various segments of the population through its employment analysis—looking at the plight of men, women, the young and the old. These groups have all been impacted in different ways, with young workers having been particularly hard hit and leaving …

Subjects: Government Documents