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Daily Archives: November 22, 2013

Managing the Risk of Catastrophes—Protecting Critical Infrastructure in Urban Areas

At the N.Y. Fed: Managing the Risk of Catastrophes—Protecting Critical Infrastructure in Urban Areas. James Orr, Rae Rosen, Max Livingston, Kaivan K. Sattar, and Eric Ster.

“On November 1, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York hosted the conference “Managing the Risk of Catastrophes—Protecting Critical Infrastructure in Urban Areas.” Superstorm Sandy caused significant damage and destruction of a broad range of property—telecommunications, gas, and electrical utilities; bridges, roads, tunnels, and mass-transit facilities; and, in many parts of the region, local businesses and single and multi-family housing. The disruption of economic activity in the lives of our region’s residents was widespread, and highlighted the need to examine ways to limit adverse effects of future extreme-weather events. This post reviews the conference and provides links to interviews with some of the conference participants, who are among the world’s leading experts in this area. Click on the participant’s name to be taken to the post-conference interview with that expert and on the highlighted key words to be taken to his or her presentation.”

Speech by Fed Governor Tarullo on shadow banking and systemic risk regulation

Governor Daniel K. Tarullo At the Americans for Financial Reform and Economic Policy Institute Conference, Washington, D.C. November 22, 2013. Shadow Banking and Systemic Risk Regulation.  “As illustrated, quite literally, by a chart that New York Fed staff produced a few years ago, the term “shadow banking system” encompasses a wide variety of institutions that engage in credit… Continue Reading

How We Should Remember John F. Kennedy

To honor his memory, it’s important to place him in his era of bold optimism and hard realism—and alongside other great leaders of that era. NEWTON N. MINOW “Kennedy described and also prescribed the time perfectly in his inaugural address when he spoke of “a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard… Continue Reading

A Better Toilet for a Cleaner World Project

News release: “RTI received additional funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Reinvent the Toilet Challenge to further develop an off-grid toilet—targeted at developing nations—that converts human waste into burnable fuel, stored energy and disinfected, non-potable water through a new biomass conversion unit. The novel waste treatment system could significantly improve public health and quality of life… Continue Reading

New Proposal: Reforming Funding to Reduce Mass Incarceration

“A leading law and policy institute unveiled a new proposal to reform the federal government’s largest criminal justice funding program. The Brennan Center for Justice’s new proposal, Reforming Funding to Reduce Mass Incarceration, sets out a plan to link federal grant money to modern criminal justice goals – as a tool to promote innovative crime-reduction policies… Continue Reading

Facing Change: A Perspective on Government Publications Services in Canadian Academic Libraries in the Internet Age

Facing Change: A Perspective on Government Publications Services in Canadian Academic Libraries in the Internet Age. Sherry Smugler, Government Publications and Reference Librarian, University of Toronto. November 2013. Government Documents Round Table – American Library Association – GODORT Occasional Papers. ISSN 1948-6499. Number 9, November 2013. “This paper provides a librarian’s perspective on government publications services in Canadian academic libraries over the past… Continue Reading

Canadian Parliament’s Historical Debates are now available online

“The Library of Parliament, in collaboration with Canadiana.org, is launching its Historical Debates of the Parliament of Canada digital portal. The portal provides free public access to digital versions of the historical debates of the Parliament of Canada in both official languages.  It includes all published debates of both the Senate and the House of Commons from Parliament 1,… Continue Reading