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January 29, 2007
Headlines - DHS Report on Critical Infrastructure for a Pandemic Outbreak
- DHS OIG Audit on Coast Guard National Security Cutter
- Newseum Launches New Website
- GAO Report Highlights Need for Increased Recycling Efforts
- Government Secrecy vs. Freedom of the Press
- Homeland Security Committee Agenda for 110th Congress
- NRC Approves Final Rule Amending Security Requirements
- GAO Report on Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief
- Investment Bank and Securities Dealing Receipts Up 25 Percent
- Free Corporate Earnings Cheat Sheet and Earnings Estimates from WSJ
- Cyber Threat Calculator Released for Government Use
 DHS OIG Audit on Coast Guard National Security Cutter (PDF, 139 pages), January 29, 2007.
Newseum Launches New Website Press release: "Along with the Web site's newest features, many of the most popular attractions from the Newseum's original site make a redesigned return. Today's Front Pages -- the electronic exhibit featuring more than 450 U.S. and international newspaper front pages - - will feature larger front-page images, new sorting options that allow visitors to search by country, state and newspaper name and weekday analyses of trends in front-page coverage."
GAO Report Highlights Need for Increased Recycling Efforts Follow up to previous postings on e-waste, see this GAO report, released today: Recycling: Additional Efforts Could Increase Municipal Recycling, Full text GAO-07-37, and Highlights, December 29, 2006. "Although recycling can generate environmental and economic benefits, the national recycling rate has increased only slightly since 2000, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While local governments have the primary role in operating recycling programs, EPA and the Department of Commerce have some legal responsibilities for encouraging recycling."
Government Secrecy vs. Freedom of the Press "A new First Amendment Center report examines the rising conflicts between the federal government and the press over matters of secrecy, leaks and threats to prosecute journalists for espionage or treason for reporting classified information. Government Secrecy vs. Freedom of the Press (77 pages, PDF), by Geoffrey R. Stone, a University of Chicago law professor, is one in a series of First Reports by the center exploring crucial First Amendment topics. Included in the report is an analysis of the 1918 Espionage Act by Stephen I. Vladeck of the University of Miami School of Law."
Homeland Security Committee Agenda for 110th Congress Press release: "Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, delivered a roll out address at the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute. The address, entitled "The Real Deal for Homeland Security”, laid out his agenda for the 110th Congress."
NRC Approves Final Rule Amending Security Requirements Press release: "The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today approved a final rule that enhances its security regulations governing the design basis threat (DBT) – the latest in a series of actions addressing security at nuclear power plants. This rule, the first of several planned rules related to security, imposes generic security requirements similar to those previously imposed on operating nuclear power plants by the Commission’s April 29, 2003, DBT Orders. The new rule modifies and enhances the DBT based on experience and insights gained by the Commission during implementation of the Orders, and extensive consideration of the 12 factors specified in the Energy Policy Act of 2005." Frequently Asked Questions About NRC's Design Basis Threat Final Rule Public Citizen press release: "The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) vote today against requiring existing nuclear power plants to be protected against 9/11-type terrorist attacks jeopardizes the safety of millions, three public interest organizations said. The new rule, which is supposed to lay out the extent to which operators must protect reactors from terrorist attacks, doesn't require protection against attacks by airplanes, nor against more than a small number of attackers on the ground – a number that would represent a fraction of the 19 terrorists involved in 9/11."
GAO Report on Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief: Prevention Is the Key to Minimizing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Recovery Efforts, Full-text GAO-07-418T, and Highlights, January 29, 2007. Related postings on hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Investment Bank and Securities Dealing Receipts Up 25 Percent Investment Bank and Securities Dealing Receipts Up 25 Percent, Census Bureau Reports: "Revenue in the investment banking and securities dealing industry reached $158.9 billion in 2005, a 25 percent increase from $127.3 billion in 2004, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This industry is rebounding from two years of declining revenues in 2001 and 2002, and has now surpassed the $145 billion in revenues reached in 2000." The report, 2005 Service Annual Survey (SAS): Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments Activities and Related Activities, shows revenue for firms with paid employees.
Free Corporate Earnings Cheat Sheet and Earnings Estimates from WSJ WSJ free feature today, Earnings Cheat Sheet: "Get a peek at what to expect in the quarterly reports of major companies." See also free data from the WSJ Markets Data Center Earnings Calendar: "Click on company names for earnings estimates (estimates are not available for companies quoted on the OTCBB, pink sheets or non-U.S. exchanges). An estimated date range appears for companies that haven't confirmed their earnings-release time."
Cyber Threat Calculator Released for Government Use Press release: "The University of New Hampshire Cyber Threat Calculator was unveiled Thursday, January 25, 2007, at the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Conference 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri. The UNH Cyber Threat Calculator was developed by researchers at UNH Justiceworks and students, and offers a new method to identify and quantify the threats posed to the United States' cyber infrastructure." UNH Justiceworks Research and Analysis Group
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