Author archives

A growing number of people think their job is useless. Time to rethink the meaning of work

World Economic Forum: “A great deal has been written in recent years about the perils of automation. With predicted mass unemployment, declining wages, and increasing inequality, clearly we should all be afraid. By now it’s no longer just the Silicon Valley trend watchers and technoprophets who are apprehensive. In a study that has already racked …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management

National Park Week April 15 to 23, 2017

“National Park Week is America’s largest celebration of national heritage. It’s about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, enjoying affordable vacations, and enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks! It’s all happening in your national parks. The National Park Service is once again partnering with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of …

Subjects: Environmental Law, Government Documents

MasterPrint: Exploring the Vulnerability of Partial Fingerprint-based Authentication Systems

“This paper investigates the security of partial fingerprint-based authentication systems, especially when multiple fingerprints of a user are enrolled. A number of consumer electronic devices, such as smartphones, are beginning to incorporate fingerprint sensors for user authentication. The sensors embedded in these devices are generally small and the resulting images are, therefore, limited in size. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Knowledge Management, Privacy

Federal Contracts: Agencies Widely Used Indefinite Contracts to Provide Flexibility to Meet Mission Needs

Federal Contracts: Agencies Widely Used Indefinite Contracts to Provide Flexibility to Meet Mission Needs, GAO-17-329: Published: Apr 13, 2017. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2017. “The federal government obligated over $130 billion annually during fiscal years 2011-2015 on indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts—which are used when the exact quantity and timing of products or services are not …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Companies Stashing the Most Money Overseas

24/7 Wall St – “The U.S. economic system encourages cost-cutting at every stage of business. While taxes are a yearly expense for small businesses, working families, and individuals, large U.S. companies avoid billions in taxes each year on cash held in offshore bank accounts. The current level of global wealth inequality, which is widely expected …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Poverty

Report – Fostering Integrity in Research (2017)

The National Academies: “The integrity of knowledge that emerges from research is based on individual and collective adherence to core values of objectivity, honesty, openness, fairness, accountability, and stewardship. Integrity in science means that the organizations in which research is conducted encourage those involved to exemplify these values in every step of the research process. …

Subjects: Government Documents, Knowledge Management

Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce

Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies – April 12, 2017. M-17-22, Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce. “This memorandum provides agencies guidance on fulfilling the requirements of the Hiring Freeze PM and the Reorganization EO while …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legislation

Share of married Americans is falling, but they still pay most of the nation’s income taxes

“While the share of U.S. adults who are married has been falling steadily over the past 40 years, married people continue to earn most of the nation’s income and pay the vast majority of income taxes, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of IRS tax administration data. In 1970, 69% of adults were married, …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Global Restrictions on Religion Rise Modestly in 2015, Reversing Downward Trend

“Government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion increased in 2015 for the first time in three years, according to Pew Research Center’s latest annual study on global restrictions on religion. The share of countries with “high” or “very high” levels of government restrictions – i.e., laws, policies and actions that restrict religious beliefs …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research