The video is provided courtesy of ABC News as is the transcript of the interview. Local reaction, including from former Governor Jim McGreevey, can be found in this Star-Ledger article. Additional local feedback, including how this affects Governor Christie’s own stance on this subject, is at this Bergen Record article. And PoliFact New Jersey , NJ 101.5 and Politicker NJ offer more. Several CRS reports may prove useful: Federal Employee Benefits and Same-Sex Partnerships (January 2010); Same-Sex Marriages: Legal Issues(May 2012); and The Effect of State-Legalized Same-Sex Marriage on Social Security Benefits and Pensions (January 2008). The National Conference of State Legislatures features Defining Marriage: Defense of Marriage Acts and Same-Sex Marriage Laws that contains a history and overview along with: Same-sex marriage timeline provides a chronological account of significant events related to same-sex marriage since 2003; Civil unions and Domestic Partnerships Summary provides information and links to laws in states that allow civil unions or domestic partnerships; and states offering benefits to same-sex partners of state employees.
Archive for Current Events
Economic Crisis – May 2012 Update
What is the economic outlook for OECD countries? (OECD); Fiscal Consolidation: How much, how fast and by what means? (OECD); Toward Effective Governance of Financial Institutions (Group of 30); Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Financial Problems (CRS); Global Financial Stability Report (IMF); Economic Growth and the Unemployment Rate (CRS); and The G-20 and International Economic Cooperation: Background and Implications for Congress (CRS).
Live View of Space Shuttle Enterprise Over New York City
The shuttle Enterprise will begin its flyover of NYC around 10AM. You can watch it live; a projected flight path is available. Additional information on the shuttles’ retirements can be found at SPACE.com. UPDATE: Viewer-supplied photos here; abbreviated MSNBC video here; and a nice selection of YouTube videos here.
2011 Tax Returns for the Obamas and the Bidens Released
For those interested in these matters, the returns for both couples are here. Reportage/commentary are at: CNN, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Politico.
Economic Crisis – April 2012 Update
The African-American Labor Force in the Recovery (U.S. Department of Labor); The U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons (CRS); The Boomerang Generation: Feeling OK about Living with Mom and Dad (Pew); The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress (CRS); and Sovereign Debt in Advanced Economies: Overview and Issues for Congress (CRS).
Japan Disasters – One Year Later
The images of the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear meltdowns that plagued Japan beginning on March 11, 2011 are ever-present. A year later, the Japanese people distrust their government and have gone so far as to buy their own radiation detectors. Here are some relevant reports: The Death of Trust and The Dream that Failed (both from The Economist); U.S. Nuclear Power Safety One Year After Fukushima (Union of Concerned Scientists); Nuclear Power Plant Designs and Seismic Safety Considerations (CRS); Fukushima in Review: A Complex Disaster, a Disastrous Response (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists). A great meta-site devoted to preserving electronic pages on these disasters is at Digital Archive of Japan’s 2011 Disasters; also check out the Internet Archive‘s 2011 Japan Earthquakes.
Economic Crisis – March 2012 Update
Solving the Financial and Sovereign Debt Crisis in Europe (OECD Journal); The Recession of 2007-2009 (Bureau of Labor Statistics); The Crisis: The Response of the European Trade Unions (Global Labour University); Economic Policy Reforms: Going for Growth (OECD); and Coping with Crisis: How Are Local Governments Reinventing Themselves in the Wake of the Great Recession (International City/County Management Association).
Economic Crisis – February 2012 Update
The Great Recession and Bank Lending to Small Businesses (Federal Reserve – Boston); Top Economic Stories of 2011 (Brookings); At Risk: America’s Poor During and After the Great Recession (Indiana University); Beige Book, January 2012 (Federal Reserve); Down and Out: Measuring Long-Term Hardship in the Labor Market (Center for Economic Policy and Research); Financial Sector Regulation for Growth, Equity and Stability (Bank for International Settlements); Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy (CRS); Transformative Times: New Opportunities for Business in an Era of Upheaval (Wharton); Unemployment Statistics on Older Americans (Urban Institute); Unemployment Insurance and the Great Recession (Urban Institute); Global Economic Prospects 2012 (World Bank); and World Economic Situation and Prospects (United Nations).
News Coverage of the 2012 Presidential Campaign
In less than a year, the winner of this year’s contest will have been inaugurated as our new president. Between now and then you need to keep yourself apprised of the ongoing developments, and recourse to news sources is recommended. Among the best are: The New York Times Campaign 2012 (includes free access to articles, videos, numerous polling results, slide shows, and special reports); Washington Post Campaign 2012 (features on the delegate race, campaign financing, campaign ads, along with its Fact Checker, that “examines the truth behind the rhetoric”); Wall Street Journal Election 2012; Infoplease Campaign 2012; C-SPAN Campaign 2012 (extensive video coverage, including the debates); CNN America’s Choice: Election Center (with nice section on campaign issues); and Politico 2012 Live. For an overseas perspective, try BBC U.S. Election. Gallup polls dealing with the election are here. The Pew Research for the People & the Press Center report – Campaign 2012: Too Negative, Too Long, Dull - echoes what many believe, and journalism.org (another Pew Center) has an excellent Campaign 2012 in the Media feature.
Representative Gabrielle Giffords Resigns from Congress
This morning, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, greviously wounded last January, submitted her resignation to House Speaker Boehner. Her letter and video of her resignation can both be found at C-SPAN. A brief biography is available. Information on her voting record, stands on issues, public statements, ratings by interest groups, and campaign finances are here.
Two Unions Sign Contracts with New Jersey
Two smaller unions representing about 5000 state workers have signed contracts with the state. The contracts, which are retroactive to July 1, 2011, call for no raises in the first two years, followed by raises of 1% in the third year and 1.75% in the fourth year. New coverage is at: The Star-Ledger, and Bloomberg (in which Governor Christie says he expects similar concessions from the other unions).
Income Inequality
There has been much press of late on income inequality, but many may not realize that the question of income inequality or the distribution of wealth has been a thorny topic for at least 200 years. The following are some recent publications that have a bearing on this problem: Changes in the Distribution of Income Among Tax Filers Between 1996 and 2006: The Role of Labor Income, Capital Income, and Tax Policy (a MUST read, CRS); Growth in the Residential Segregation of Families by Income, 1970-2009 (US 2010 Project); U.S. Neighborhood Income Inequality in the 2005-2009 Period (Census Bureau); Income Distribution (Brookings) ; and Is Income Inequality A Problem in the U.S.? (NPR). For statistics on this topic, please visit the Income, Expenditures, Poverty, and Wealth section of the 2012 Statistical Abstract of the United States. This question is not limited to the United States: Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2011 (Chapter 2 concentrates on income inequality, European Commission); Divided We Stand:Why Inequality Keeps Rising (a substantive examination, OECD); Income Inequality, various reports(World Bank); Inequality and Unsustainable Growth: Two Sides of the Same Coin? (IMF); and World Income Inequality (Conference Board of Canada). And what brought this discussion to the forefront is this CBO report: Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007.
Economic Crisis – January 2012 Update
2011 Year in Review
Gentle reader, in case you have forgotten or wish you had forgotten the previous year’s activities, here are some sites to refresh your memory: 2011: Year in Review (infoplease); 2011 Year in Review (Yahoo); Year in Review 2011 (Reuters); Dynamic 2011 Events to Shape the World for Years to Come (CNN); 2011: Year in Review (CBS); Year in Review 2011: Videos (New York Times); Year in Review: Science Stories of 2011 (NPR); 2011 Year-End Review (Wall Street Journal); 2011: Year in Review (Los Angeles Times); 365 Days: 2011 in Review (Nature); and let us not forget Dave Barry’s take on the past year. On a more local level, please read 2011: The Year in Review in Politics (NJ Spotlight); and 2011 Power List and Year in Review (PolitickerNJ).
Economic Crisis – December 2011 Update
The Way Forward (New America Foundation); Economic Growth and the Unemployment Rate (CRS); Unemployment and Earnings Losses: The Long-Term Impacts of The Great Recession on American Workers (Hamilton Project); Future Recession Risks: An Update (Federal Reserve); and Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in 2012 and 2013 (CBO).
Iran’s Nuclear Program
According to this recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency – Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and Relevant Provisions of Security Council Resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran - Iran over the years actively pursued the weaponization of nuclear material. In a separate annex to this report, the IAEA lays out its reasonings and shows that Iran has all the component parts for a nuclear weapon or is investigating those components that go into the construction of such a device. The Institute for Science and International Security(ISIS) has issued its analysis of the IAEA document, stating that: “Included in this report is the most comprehensive detail to date that the IAEA has gathered on evidence of nuclear weaponization-related actvities conducted by Iran.”(3) Iran’s responses to the IAEA report can be followed at this Middle East Media Research Institute site. Both the IAEA and ISIS maintain extensive sites on Iran’s nuclear program: the former is called IAEA & Iran, the latter is known as Nuclear Iran.The New York Times also offers extensive coverage at Iran’s Nuclear Program. Additional relevant sites include: The New IAEA Report and Iran’s Evolving Nuclear and Missile Forces (Center for Strategic and Iinternational Studies); Q&A: Iran Nuclear Issue (BBC); Crisis Guide: Iran (Council on Foreign Relations); Iran (Brookings); Iran’s Nuclear Future (RAND); Iran: Braking the Nuclear Deadlock (Chatham House); Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses, Iranian Nuclear Sites, Iran’s Nuclear Program:Status, (all CRS); Iran (Nonproliferation Policy Education Center); Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran (Strategic Studies Institute); Iran Threat (Heritage Foundation); Can Iran Be Deterred? (Hoover Institution); and Iran Security Initiative (Washington Institute for Near East Policy);
Economic Crisis – November 2011 Update
Shifts in the Job Structure in Europe during the Great Recession (Eurofund); Europe Navigating Stormy Waters (IMF); SEC Charges Bank Executives with Hiding Millions of Dollars in Losses During 2008 Financial Crisis (SEC); Job Loss in the Great Recession: Historical Perspective from the Displaced Workers Survey, 1984-2010 (Princeton); Social Climate (EuroBarometer); Social Impact of the Crisis (Eurofound); Unemployment, the Labor Market, and the Economy (Federal Reserve); Post-Crisis Growth in Developing Countries (Commission on Growth and Development); and Tracking Europe’s Debt Crisis (New York Times).
Flooding in Thailand and Its Implications
As floodwaters inundate Bangkok, with more than a third of the country underwater, and with basic water/sanitation facilities rapidly deteriorating, it would do us well to re-read this important document, Climate Risks and Adaptation in Asian Coastal Megacities: A Synthesis Report. A joint report from the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and Japan International Cooperation Agency, it examines the climate-related risks and remediation projects which cities along the coast or at sea level need to undertake; three megacities are included in the analysis: Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila. Another coastal megacity, Shanghai, is already sinking, and islands in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean have already vanished. And these problems are not limited to foreign lands; please read the New York State Sea Level Rise Task Force: Report to the Legislature. (FYI, online maps of the flooding from various sources are available.)
Occupy Wall Street Videos
From the Internet Archive, this growing collection of media concerns itself with the Occupy Wall Street movement and related protests. The New York Times has extensive coverage of OWS with many links to outside sources as well.
Economic Crisis – October 2011 Update
Here are some interesting reports: Apocalypse Then: The North Atlantic Economy and the Global Crisis (International Monetary Fund); The Subprime Crisis: Is Government Housing Policy to Blame? (Federal Reserve); Confronting the Nation’s Fiscal Policy Challenges (Congressional Budget Office); Why the Global Economy Recovery is in Trouble (Brookings); How to Save the Euro (The Economist); Grappling with Crisis Legacies (IMF); Slowing Growth, Rising Risks (IMF); and City Fiscal Condition in 2011 (National League of Cities).
