Monthly archives: November, 2014

New GAO Reports – Alternatives to Detention, Free Trade Agreements, Indian Affairs, Agency Program Evaluation

ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION: Improved Data Collection and Analyses Needed to Better Assess Program Effectiveness, GAO-15-26: Published: Nov 13, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 13, 2014. FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS: Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Should Continue to Improve Its Monitoring of Environmental Commitments, GAO-15-161: Published: Nov 6, 2014. Publicly Released: Nov 13, 2014. FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS: U.S. Partners Are Addressing Labor Commitments, but …

Subjects: Government Documents

OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2014

“Squeezed R&D budgets in the EU, Japan and US are reducing the weight of advanced economies in science and technology research, patent applications and scientific publications and leaving China on track to be the world’s top R&D spender by around 2019, according to a new OECD report. The OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2014 finds …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

114th Congress New Member Pictorial Directory

New Member Pictorial Directory: 114th Congress. Prepared by the Committee on House Administration – Candice S. Miller, Chairman; Robert A. Brady, Pennsylvania, Ranking Minority Member. November 10, 2014.

Subjects: Copyright, E-Government, Government Documents

Symantec – Government agencies and private sector businesses are drowning in information

Navigating Information Governance – “In addition to managing the growing variety, velocity, and volume of data, they must: Meet information transparency objectives Respond quickly to eDiscovery requirements Manage Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and internal investigations Comply with records management regulations With data requirements skyrocketing, how can organizations leverage information governance to meet this …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management

WaPo – Chinese hack U.S. weather systems, satellite network

Mary Pat Flaherty, Jason Samenow and Lisa Rein: “Hackers from China breached the federal weather network recently, forcing cybersecurity teams to seal off data vital to disaster planning, aviation, shipping and scores of other crucial uses, officials said. The intrusion occurred in late September but officials gave no indication that they had a problem until Oct. 20, …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, Government Documents, Internet

OCC Fines Three Banks $950 Million for FX Trading Improprieties

News release: “The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today assessed $950 million in fines against three national banks for unsafe or unsound practices related to their foreign exchange (FX) trading businesses. The fines against Bank of America, N.A.; Citibank, N.A.; and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., follow multiagency examinations and investigations of the banks’ …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Pew – Banking practices at financial institutions serving the military

“An earlier version of “Checks and Balances, Stars and Stripes,” a report on checking account practices of banks and credit unions on military installations, included several incorrect or incomplete statements and data points regarding transaction ordering. We take accuracy very seriously. The original report and accompanying news release, published on October 28, were revised and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Do Compensation Consultants Enable Higher CEO Pay?

Chu, Jenny and Faasse, Jonathan and Rau, P. Raghavendra, Do Compensation Consultants Enable Higher CEO Pay? New Evidence from Recent Disclosure Rule Changes (September 23, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2500054 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2500054 “In July 2009, the SEC announced additional disclosure rules requiring firms that purchase other services from their compensation consultants to disclose fees …

Subjects: Economy, Knowledge Management

World Oil Transit Chokepoints

EIA: World Oil Transit Chokepoints – Last Updated: November 10, 2014 “World chokepoints for maritime transit of oil are a critical part of global energy security. About 63% of the world’s oil production moves on maritime routes. The Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca are the world’s most important strategic chokepoints by volume …

Subjects: Defense, Energy, Government Documents

Immigration Detainers Decline 39 Percent Since FY 2012

“There has been a dramatic drop in the number of detainers issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the latest available data from the agency. In the eighteen month period from the end of FY 2012 through March 2014, there has been a 39 percent decrease in the number of ICE detainers sent …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2011

“In 2011, according to CBO’s estimates, average household market income—a comprehensive income measure that consists of labor income, business income, capital income (including capital gains), and retirement income—was approximately $81,000. Government transfers, which include benefits from programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance, averaged approximately $13,000 per household. The sum of those two …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Government Documents

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