Monthly archives: November, 2015

EFF – NSA Ordered to Stop Collecting, Querying Plaintiffs’ Phone Records

EFF news release: “Affirming his previous ruling that the NSA’s telephone records collection program is unconstitutional, a federal judge ordered the NSA to cease collecting the telephone records of an individual and his business. The judge further ordered the NSA to segregate any records that have already been collected so that they are not reviewed …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

CBO – Monthly Budget Review: Summary for Fiscal Year 2015

“In fiscal year 2015, which ended on September 30, the federal budget deficit totaled $439 billion—$44 billion less than the shortfall in 2014. Fiscal year 2015 was the sixth consecutive year in which the deficit declined as a share of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). The deficit peaked at 9.8 percent of GDP in …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

As American homes get bigger, energy efficiency gains are wiped out

Pew FactTank: “U.S. homes have become considerably more energy-efficient over the past four decades, according to government data. But homes also are a lot bigger than they used to be, and their growing girth wipes out nearly all the efficiency gains. According to preliminary figures from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Housing

Technology Device Ownership: 2015

Pew – “Today, 68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011, and tablet computer ownership has edged up to 45% among adults, according to newly released survey data from the Pew Research Center. Smartphone ownership is nearing the saturation point with some groups: 86% of those ages 18-29 have a smartphone, …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Internet, Social Media

Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2015

CRS – Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2015. Richard S. Beth – Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process, Valerie Heitshusen, Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process. November 3, 2015. “Each new House elects a Speaker by roll call vote when it first convenes. Customarily, the conference of each major party nominates a candidate …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legislation

U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues

CRS – U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues, updated November 3, 2015. “Even though the United States plans to reduce the number of warheads deployed on its long-range missiles and bombers, consistent with the terms of the New START Treaty, it also plans todevelop new delivery systems for deployment over the next 20-30 …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

USDA cancels webinars on neonicotinoids and pesticide risks

News release: “Web-based training sessions about powerful new insecticides seeping into some of the continent’s most sensitive wetlands were cancelled by a senior U.S. Department of Agriculture official due to its subject matter, according to documents posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER is characterizing the cancellation as another example of USDA …

Subjects: Environmental Law, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

An Exploratory Study of Financial Reporting Structures: A Graph Similarity Approach Using XBRL

Yang, Steve Y. and Liu, Fang-Chun and Zhu, Xiaodi, An Exploratory Study of Financial Reporting Structures: A Graph Similarity Approach Using XBRL (September 8, 2015). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2687275 “Financial reporting information is crucial to both investors and regulators for their decision-making purposes as it reveals corporate financial position and performance over a …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Securities Law