Monthly archives: August, 2012

Federal Reserve Beige Book August 2012

Current Economic Conditions By Federal Reserve District, August 29, 2012: “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest economic activity continued to expand gradually in July and early August across most regions and sectors. Six Districts indicated the local economy continued to expand at a modest pace and another three cited moderate growth; among the …

Subjects: Government Documents

Report – July Pending Home Sales Rebound

News release: “Pending home sales rose in July to the highest level in over two years and remain well above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 2.4 percent to 101.7 in July from 99.3 in June and is 12.4 …

Subjects: Government Documents

New York Fed: Overall Delinquency Rates Down as Americans Paying More Debt on Time

“In its latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York today announced that delinquency rates for mortgages (6.3 percent), credit cards (10.9 percent), and auto loans (4.2 percent) decreased from the previous quarter. However, rates for student loans (8.9 percent)1 and home equity lines of credit (HELOC) (4.9 …

Subjects: Government Documents

Education, Job Openings, and Unemployment in Metropolitan America

“This paper and data by Jonathan Rothwell [Brookings Senior Research Analyst and Associate Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program] aims to provide metro, state, and national policy makers with a better sense of the specific problems facing metropolitan labor markets. First, the analysis examines trends in the demand for educated labor and how a gap between education …

Subjects: Government Documents

Friends of Quinn and LD OnLine: Two good Web sites illustrate need for separate national digital library systems – public and academic

New on LLRX.com – Friends of Quinn and LD OnLine: Two good Web sites illustrate need for separate national digital library systems – public and academic “David H. Rothman highlights how two Web sites on learning disabilities demonstrate the need for separate but tightly intertwined national digital library systems – one system public, one academic. …

Subjects: Libraries

CRS – Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2004-2011

Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2004-2011. Richard F. Grimmett, Specialist in International Security. Paul K. Kerr. Analyst in Nonproliferation. August 24, 2012 “Developing nations continue to be the primary focus of foreign arms sales activity by weapons suppliers. During the years 2004-2011, the value of arms transfer agreements with developing nations comprised 68.6% of …

Subjects: Government Documents

Top 10 child health concerns: Exercise, obesity & smoking lead list

“In this year‟s sixth annual survey of top health concerns conducted by the C.S. Mott Children‟s Hospital National Poll on Children‟s Health, adults rate ‘not enough exercise’ as the leading health concern for children in their communities. Childhood obesity and smoking and tobacco use were the second and third most commonly identified child health problems …

Subjects: Government Documents

Arctic Sea Ice Breaks 2007 Record Low

NOAA: “As of August 26, Arctic sea ice appears to have broken the 2007 record for smallest daily extent of the satellite era. Arctic sea ice extent fell to 1.58 million square miles on August 26, 2012. This was 27,000 square miles (slightly bigger than the state of West Virginia) below the previous record low …

Subjects: Government Documents

Recent GAO Reports – Medicaid Long-Term Care

Medicaid Long-Term Care Information Obtained by States about Applicants’ Assets Varies and May Be Insufficient, GAO-12-749, July 26, 2012 Worker and Family Assistance – Home Energy Assistance for Low-Income Occupants of Manufactured Homes, GAO-12-848R, Aug 24, 2012 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – Estimates of the Effect on the Prevalence of Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage, …

Subjects: Government Documents

Obama Administration Finalizes Historic 54.5 mpg Fuel Efficiency Standards

News release: “The Obama Administration today finalized groundbreaking standards that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. When combined with previous standards set by this Administration, this move will nearly double the fuel efficiency of those vehicles compared to new vehicles currently on …

Subjects: Government Documents