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By Sabrina I. Pacifici - bespacific@earthlink.net
Free weekday coverage on current issues
August 08, 2007
Headlines - Interim Pre-pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States
- FTC Offers Tips for Laptop Security
- Leahy Sets New Deadline For Administration Wiretapping Documents
- Report Tracks and Compares Competition for Search Privacy
- Minneapolis Bridge Colllapse: New Data and Initiatives
- Survey Identifies 68 State Legislators Who Currently Serve in the U.S. Military
- ITC Releases The Year in Trade 2006
- EPA Announces New Water Quality Trading Guide
- Court Orders Release of Personal Data on FEMA Victims
 Interim Pre-pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States - "School closures and other community strategies designed to reduce the possibility of spreading disease between people during an epidemic can save lives, particularly when the measures are used in combination and implemented soon after an outbreak begins in a community, according to a new study based on public records from the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. The findings, which are published in the Aug. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, provide vital clues to help public officials planning for the next influenza pandemic and highlight the importance of community strategies. These strategies are particularly important because the intervention most likely to provide the best protection against pandemic influenza -- a vaccine -- is unlikely to be available at the outset of a pandemic. Community strategies that delay or reduce the impact of a pandemic (also called non-pharmaceutical interventions) may help reduce the spread of disease until a vaccine that is well-matched to the virus is available." Interim Pre-pandemic Planning Guidance: Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States (97 pages, PDF) FTC Offers Tips for Laptop Security "Consumers can take many measures to make their laptop secure from hackers, viruses, and other potential threats, such as installing firewalls, updating antivirus software, and using strong passwords. Now, the Federal Trade Commission is offering tips for protecting laptops from theft." OnGuard Online – Laptop Security Leahy Sets New Deadline For Administration Wiretapping Documents Press release: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday set a final date for an extension given to the Administration to respond to subpoena relating to warrantless wiretapping issues. The August 20 deadline sets a final date of an extension that offered the White House and the Vice President's office nearly an additional month to respond to committee subpoenas...[ text of the letter sent to White House Counsel Fred Fielding]" Related postings on investigations into U.S. Attorney firings Report Tracks and Compares Competition for Search Privacy Press release: "In a trend that could substantially benefit Internet users, the largest Internet search companies are beginning to aggressively compete with one another to offer stronger privacy protections, according to a report published today by the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT). Until recently, most of the major Internet search engines kept detailed -- and potentially personally identifiable -- records of their customers' searches for as long as they deemed them useful, which generally meant indefinitely. In a string of recent announcements, the companies announced steps they were taking to delete old user data, strip the personally identifiable information out of stored search records, and, in one case, give users the option to have all of their search records deleted. CDT's Search Privacy Practices report details and compares the revamped privacy policies of the five largest search providers and offers recommendations for both the industry and lawmakers for how to strengthen privacy protections even further." Minneapolis Bridge Colllapse: New Data and Initiatives Follow up to postings, National Bridge Inventory (NBI) and 2006 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges and Transit and DOT IG Will Conduct Assessment of National Bridge Inspection, related news today: NTSB Advisory August 8, 2007 - Update on NTSB Investigation of Collapse of I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis: "...Chairman Rosenker said that NTSB investigators have observed a design issue with gusset plates at particular locations (gusset plates are steel plates that tie steel beams together). Safety Board investigators are in the process of verifying the loads and stresses on the gusset plates at these locations, as well as the materials used in constructing the gusset plates. This information has been shared with the other parties to the investigation, including the Federal Highway Administration." Oberstar Announces National Bridge Plan - Initiative would create dedicated fund for bridge repair, August 8, 2007: "Just one week after an Interstate highway bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, MN, taking at least five lives and plunging dozens of vehicles and their occupants into the Mississippi River, Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.) today proposed a comprehensive program to repair the nation's structurally deficient bridges." House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: "A study released by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics in August of 2007 shows that, of 597,340 bridges in the country, 73,784 are structurally deficient. The Department of Transportation (DOT) defines a structurally deficient bridge as one that requires significant maintenance attention, rehabilitation or replacement." State by State Listing of Structurally Deficient Bridges US Bridge Map: "This site is intended to be a resource for folks who are curious about how safe the road bridges are in their area. The map shows information for over 700,000 bridges located in the 50 States, DC & PR. The Data is current as of 1/1/06 and is from the National Bridge Inventory (NBI)..." Survey Identifies 68 State Legislators Who Currently Serve in the U.S. Military National Conference of State Legislatures: "A newly published survey has identified 68 state legislators who serve in the U.S. military as members of their states' National Guard or Reserve units. The survey found that of the 68 state legislators who also serve in the military, 23 have been deployed or are currently on deployments. All 23 of these legislators have been on at least one deployment while also serving in their respective legislatures. Not surprisingly, many of the deployments of state legislators have been to the Middle East and have occurred within the last four years." Legislators in the Military Report ITC Releases The Year in Trade 2006 "The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)...released The Year in Trade 2006 (210 pages, PDF), its annual overview of the previous year's trade-related activities. The publication provides a practical review of U.S. international trade laws, a survey of actions under U.S. trade laws, a summary of the operation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), an overview of U.S. free trade agreements and negotiations, and a review of U.S. bilateral trade relations with major trading partners." EPA Announces New Water Quality Trading Guide "A new EPA publication will help the regulated community design and implement voluntary water quality trading programs consistent with EPA's 2003 National Water Quality Trading Policy. This new guide will provide stakeholders with detailed guidance on the fundamental concepts of trading which can accelerate water quality improvement and reduce compliance costs." Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers, Aug. 2007, EPA-833-R-07-004: "The Water Quality Trading Toolkit for Permit Writers is EPA's first "how-to" manual on designing and implementing water quality trading programs. The Toolkit helps National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting authorities incorporate trading provisions into permits. It will help improve the quality and consistency of all trading programs across the nation." Court Orders Release of Personal Data on FEMA Victims Press release: "The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is launching an effort to contact up to 2.2 million applicants for federal disaster assistance to inform them that a federal appellate court ruling requires FEMA to release certain personally identifiable information. This information would normally be protected under the Privacy Act and the exemption for personal privacy under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)...The order affects up to 2.2 million persons in eight states who applied for federal assistance in connection with disasters that include hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne in Florida in 2004 and 27 additional Presidentially declared disasters."
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