Author archives

EPA and DOT Finalize Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks

“Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution, while bolstering energy security and spurring manufacturing innovation. The final phase two standards were called for by President Obama’s …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Transportation

Kaiser Foundation – Disparities in Health and Health Care: Five Key Questions and Answers

“Disparities in health and health care in the United States have been a longstanding challenge resulting in some groups receiving less and lower quality health care than others and experiencing poorer health outcomes. This brief provides an introductory overview of health and health care disparities, including what disparities are and why they matter, the status …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Health Care

EFF Commentary – With Windows 10, Microsoft Blatantly Disregards User Choice and Privacy

Amul Kalia – “Microsoft had an ambitious goal with the launch of Windows 10: a billion devices running the software by the end of 2018. In its quest to reach that goal, the company aggressively pushed Windows 10 on its users and went so far as to offer free upgrades for a whole year. However, …

Subjects: Internet, Legal Research, Microsoft, Privacy

DOD Contractor and Troop Levels in Iraq and Afghanistan: 2007-2016

Department of Defense Contractor and Troop Levels in Iraq and Afghanistan: 2007-2016, Heidi M. Peters, Coordinator, Information Research Specialist; Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition; Lawrence Kapp, Specialist in Military Manpower Policy. August 15, 2016. “This report provides background information for Congress on the levels of Department of Defense (DOD) troop and contractor personnel deployed …

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

Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, July 26-27, 2016

Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee – Long-Run Monetary Policy Implementation Framework – “The staff provided several briefings that reviewed progress on a long-term effort begun in July 2015 to evaluate potential long-run frameworks for monetary policy implementation. The briefings highlighted some foundational considerations that are relevant for such an evaluation. The staff described …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

2016 International Data Base Update

“The current update provides revisions for 14 countries and areas, incorporating new data from censuses, surveys, and administrative records and new analyses. Revised estimates and projections are available for Argentina, Bangladesh, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Gaza Strip, Haiti, Namibia, Nepal, South Korea, the United States, Venezuela and West Bank. Highlights from the International Data Base: …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research

NASA Analysis Finds July 2016 is Warmest on Record

“July 2016 was the warmest July in 136 years of modern record-keeping, according to a monthly analysis of global temperatures by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. Because the seasonal temperature cycle peaks in July, it means July 2016 also was warmer than any other month on record. July …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Environmental Law, Government Documents

Final Report of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology Patent Damages Workshop

Graham, Stuart J.H. and Menell, Peter S. and Shapiro, Carl and Simcoe, Timothy, Final Report of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology Patent Damages Workshop (August 15, 2016). Texas Intellectual Prfoperty Law Journal, Forthcoming. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2823658 “The determination of patent damages lies at the heart of patent law and policy, …

Subjects: Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Patent and Trademark

Future Workforce Study 2016

“Dell and Intel have teamed up to create their newest Future Workforce Study 2016 which reveals how people around the world feel about how technology is shaping the workplace. Collaborating with Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), a series of online interviews were conducted across seven target industries, with adults who work more than 35 hours a …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management

FTA Releases WMATA Stop Signal Overrun Investigation Report – Issues Safety Directive to Correct Systemic Safety Deficiencies

“The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today issued a Safety Directive 16-5 to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) requiring the transit agency to address the serious safety concern of stop signal overruns in its Metrorail system by implementing 11 required actions and expediting completion of prior corrective actions approved by …

Subjects: Government Documents, Transportation

Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States

CRS report via FAS – The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS): “The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is comprised of nine members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President representing major departments and agencies within the federal executive branch. While the group …

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

Federal Prisoner Petitions to Vacate Sentences Soar in 2016

“The latest available data from the federal courts show that during July 2016 the government reported 1,432 new federal prisoner petitions to vacate sentences were filed. This is the fourth month in a row that civil filings for these matters have been above a thousand, far above the typical number of less than 600 each …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Legal Research

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