Monthly archives: June, 2012

What a Supreme Court Decision to Eliminate the Individual Mandate Could Mean for Coverage and Costs

What a Supreme Court Decision to Eliminate the Individual Mandate Could Mean for Coverage and Costs, The Urban Institute Health Policy Center, June 22, 2012 The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. Without the mandate, the ACA would be less effective in reducing …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legislation

Commentary – Fifty Years After Silent Spring, Assault on Science Continues

Fifty Years After Silent Spring, Assault on Science Continues, by Frank Graham Jr. “When Silent Spring was published in 1962, author Rachel Carson was subjected to vicious personal assaults that had nothing do with the science or the merits of pesticide use. Those attacks find a troubling parallel today in the campaigns against climate scientists …

Subjects: Knowledge Management

Pew – Libraries, patrons, and e-books

Libraries, patrons, and e-books, by Kathryn Zickuhr, Lee Rainie, Kristen Purcell, Mary Madden and Joanna Brenner. Summary of findings: 12% of readers of e-books borrowed an e-book from the library in the past year. But a majority of Americans do not know that this service is provided by their local library. Some 12% of Americans …

Subjects: Libraries

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: A Legal Analysis

CRS – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): A Legal Analysis, David H. Carpenter, Legislative Attorney, June 7, 2012 “Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act is entitled the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFP Act). The CFP Act establishes the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB or Bureau) within the Federal Reserve System (FRS) …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legislation

Law review article – Confronting Supreme Court Fact Finding

Larsen, Alli Orr, Confronting Supreme Court Fact Finding (February 23, 2012). Virginia Law Review, Forthcoming; William & Mary Law School Research Paper No. 09-206. “Supreme Court justices routinely answer factual questions about the world – such as whether violent video games have a harmful effect on child brain development or whether a partial birth abortion …

Subjects: Courts, Legal Research, Libraries

Moody's Downgrades 15 Big Banks in US and UK

News release: “Moody’s Investors Service today repositioned the ratings of 15 banks and securities firms with global capital markets operations. The long-term senior debt ratings of 4 of these firms were downgraded by 1 notch, the ratings of 10 firms were downgraded by 2 notches and 1 firm was downgraded by 3 notches. In addition, …

Subjects: Knowledge Management