Author archives

How Americans Encounter, Recall and Act Upon Digital News

When following links, online news consumers could recall the name of the news outlet 56% of the time – “Anyone who wants to understand today’s news environment faces a challenge: How to discern the nuances of digital news habits when Americans’ attention spans are fractured, human memory is naturally limited and news comes at them …

Subjects: Blogs, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

Food Safety: A National Strategy Is Needed to Address Fragmentation in Federal Oversight

Food Safety: A National Strategy Is Needed to Address Fragmentation in Federal Oversight, GAO-17-74: Published: Jan 13, 2017. Publicly Released: Feb 13, 2017: “Although the U.S. food supply is generally considered safe, foodborne illness remains a costly, common public health problem. The safety and quality of the food supply is governed by a system administered …

Subjects: Economy, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions

CRS report via FAS – Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy. February 7, 2017. “Congress has delegated responsibility for monetary policy to the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve (the Fed), but retains oversight responsibilities for ensuring that the Fed is adhering to its statutory …

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

Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework the Paris Agreement and the Iran Nuclear Agreement

CRS report via FAS – Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement – Stephen P. Mulligan, Legislative Attorney. February 9, 2017. “The legal procedure through which the United States withdraws from treaties and other international agreements has been the subject of long-standing debate between the legislative and executive …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

Missing Members of Congress Action Plan

“Where on earth has your Member of Congress gone? Something strange has been happening in the last month or so: Members of Congress (MoCs) from all over the country are going missing. They’re still turning up for votes on Capitol Hill, and they’re still meeting with lobbyists and friendly audiences back home—but their public event …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

New on LLRX – The value of microblogs for research and information sharing

New on LLRX.com – The value of microblogs for research and information sharing – Are you overwhelmed by social media applications, many of which are not permitted to use in your private or public work place. If so this guide by Pete Weiss offers several alternatives to assist you with lightweight applications that bypass controversy …

Subjects: Blogs, Knowledge Management, Social Media

Microsoft Corporation v. DOJ on sneak-and-peek searches

Via Bloomberg – “Microsoft Corp. persuaded a judge not to let the U.S. government out of a lawsuit alleging the company’s free-speech rights are violated by a law that blocks it from alerting users to the clandestine interception of their e-mails. The judge said Microsoft has at least made a plausible argument that federal law …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, E-Mail, E-Records, Free Speech, Legal Research, Privacy

NSA Contractor Facing Federal Indictment for Willful Retention of National Defense Information

Follow up to previous posting – Former NSA contractor removed 50 terabytes of classified data, via DOJ – “A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Harold Thomas Martin III, 52, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, with willful retention of national defense information. Martin Harold Indictment “As a private contractor who worked on classified programs …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research

2016 U.S. Wind Industry Market Reports

Wind Surpasses Hydroelectric as Top U.S. Renewable Energy Source “American Wind Energy Association releases U.S. Wind Industry Quarterly Market Reports each quarter to provide a snapshot view of U.S. wind industry activity and trends, including new wind capacity installed, wind projects under construction and in the advanced stages of development, along with newly signed power purchase …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Environmental Law

Minimum Wage and Corporate Policy

Gustafson, Matthew and Kotter, Jason D., Minimum Wage and Corporate Policy (January 2017). Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2914598 “We provide evidence that minimum wage changes significantly affect the investment and financing policies of labor intensive public firms. Our identification strategy exploits cross-state and intertemporal variation in whether a state’s minimum wage is bound by …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Beyer, Johnson, Lipinski Ask for Hearing on Trump Administration Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

“Democratic leaders on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology sent a letter [February 9, 2017] to their Republican counterparts on the Committee’s majority requesting a hearing on lapses in cybersecurity in the Trump White House.   “Just months ago the House Science Committee’s Republican Majority seemed to believe that cybersecurity for the President’s team …

Subjects: Congress, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research