This document from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee provides evidence of the extent of phone tapping by the News Corporation and how the higher-ups in the company knew about it, contrary to their protestations. One of the Committee’s conclusions reads thusly: “Corporately, the News of the World and News International misled the Committee about the true nature and extent of the internal investigations they professed to have carried out in relation to phone hacking …. Their instinct throughout, until it was too late, was to cover up rather than seek out wrongdoing and discipline the perpetrators, as they also professed they would do after the criminal convictions. In failing to investigate properly, and by ignoring evidence of widespread wrongdoing, News International and its parent News Corporation exhibited wilful blindness, for which the companies’ directors—including Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch—should ultimately be prepared to take responsibility.”(84) Because of the compexity of these hearings, a who’s who of the participants begins on page 86; this is in turn followed by a lengthy timeline dating back to 2000 starting on page 90. A review of these hearings and their outcome can be read at The New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, Poynter Institute, Press Gazette, BBC (with a very informative Q&A section), and The Guardian.
Archive for Reports
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).
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).
Teens Would Rather Text Than Phone
All the mind-numbing statistics can be found in the report Teens, Smartphones and Texting from the ever-reliable Pew Internet and American Life Project.
New Jersey Least Corrupt State in the Nation
We know some may not believe the heading of this entry, but according to this report – State Integrity Investigation- New Jersey ranks highest in the number of laws governing state-level ethics and the efforts to enforce them. The report gives us this insight: “I’m still in shock,” Senate Majority Leader Lorretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) said, laughing. “If we’re number one, I feel bad for the rest of the states.” (From How Did New Jersey Finish First?) Indeed, New Jersey scored a B+ overall because: “…New Jersey’s strong points are clear: extensive financial disclosure requirements for the governor, a transparently-run pension fund, and an aggressive ethics enforcement agency. The state also boasts some of the nation’s toughest anti-pay-to-play laws for contractors.”(from Overview) Just a little over 50% of the states received a D or F rating. Here is the complete New Jersey report. All the other states are available as well; each report lists the questions asked, the answers received, and the enabling legislation. In addition, each state report is accompanied by selected news articles highlighting ethics (or lack thereof).
Diabetes Could Reach Epidemic Proportions by 2050
If this report - Projection of the year 2050 burden of diabetes in the US adult population: dynamic modeling of incidence, mortality, and prediabetes prevalence (from Population Health Metrics) – is correct, then the prevalence of diabetes in this country could be a catastrophic health care burden as 33% of the U.S. population could be affected. Some counter-measures are discussed that can impact this disturbing trend, but without vigilance, diabetes will become a national scourge. Previous blog entries provide additional information on this disease.
Employer-Paid Compensation for State and Local Workers
These figures, as of December 2011, illustrate how much employers pay out in compensation (salaries + benefits + plus other mandated costs) to their employees; of particular interest are university teachers and their compensation: table 4(p.9) lists university teachers in the state/local sphere, while table 10(p.19) looks at their private industry counterparts.
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).
Economic Crisis – January 2012 Update
Is RateMyProfessors.com a Valid Faculty Evaluation Tool?
Given the criteria selected and the methods employed, the authors of this article, Student Concensus on RateMyProfessors.com, offer a qualified yes – “In the aggregate, RateMyProfessors.com is providing useful feedback about instructor quality.”(10) Whatever your opinion of this “service,” (and there is obviously a plethora of viewpoints if this insidehighered entry is any indication) the article should be looked at; its references alone are worth a perusal.
Vacation Days Around the World: How Many and Their Use
This Harris poll underwritten by Expedia.com is an annual publication tracking the number and use of vacation days from selected countries around the world. This Vacation Deprivation Study, for those who do not already know, shows how poorly American workers fare in the allotment of vacation days. For example, U.S. workers are given 14 days of vacation, ranking them near the bottom of the list; only South Korea (10 days) and Japan (11 days) receive less. On the other hand, in every European country on the list, with the exception of Ireland (21 days), workers get a minimum of 25 days of vacation, with some being given 30 days. There are many additional results in this 15 page report, from are bosses supportive of employees taking vacation to what kind of vacation would you take if you could take only one. (For this latter question, 7% of Americans would take a gambling vacation, far outdistancing any other respondents.) Please see relevant articles in CNN Money, the Los Angeles Times, and Forbes. Also, this site from the Bureau of Labor Statistics – Holiday, Vacation, Sick, and Other Leave Benefits - provides a great deal of information; it must be remembered that under federal law, there is no such thing as paid vacation or sick time (Fair Labor Standards Act).
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).
Millionaires Collecting Unemployment and Social Security, and Other Financial Misdeeds
This document from Republican Senator Tom Coburn, Subsidies of the Rich and Famous, reports that those earning more than $1 million a year receive government subsidies in the amount of $30 billion annually in the form of mortgage interest write-offs, unemployment checks, Social Security payments, and various other tax credits. Using government data, he tabulates the number of millionaries who have received subsidies; for example, 38,217 millionaries received $1.14 billion in Social Security payments in 2009. And of that number the 1,430 who have annual incomes in excess of $10 million collected over $47 million in retirement checks.(6) He names Ted Turner and Jon Bon Jovi, among others, for their receipt of farm subsidies.(13) These findings, in combination with the release of the Corporate Taxpayers & Corporate Tax Dodgers 2008-10 study that revealed how massive subsidies were given to 280 Fortune 500 business in excess of $223 billion, certainly gives one pause for thought. And let’s not forget the excessive salaries/bonuses going to the top executives at Fannie and Freddie Mac where $170 billion of taxpayer monies went to keep them afloat. Is it any wonder people are so angry and frustrated?
New Jersey Ranks at the Top in Mathematics and Reading According to “The Nation’s Report Card”
The 2011 results for The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics 2011 and The Nation’s Report Card: Reading 2011 have just been released and once again New Jersey ranks in the upper echelons. According to the state snapshots, New Jersey’s scores for 4th grade mathematics placed in the top three; scores for 8th grade mathematics placed in the top two; and similar findings are available for 4th grade reading and 8th grade reading. These snapshots also report on the still-troubling achievement gaps among various student groups; results for other states in reading and mathematics can also be accessed. An informative summary of New Jersey’s scores is at NJ Spotlight; additional news is at: Press of Atlantic City, The Star-Ledger, Bergen Record, and NJ Today. While positive in the short-term, the fact that so many children in both New Jersey and the nation operate at only a basic level of skills is of great concern. As Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on the release of these reports: “The modest increases in NAEP scores are reason for concern as much as optimism. While student achievement is up since 2009 in both grades in mathematics and in 8th grade reading, it’s clear that achievement is not accelerating fast enough for our nation’s children to compete in the knowledge economy of the 21st Century. After significant NAEP gains in the 1990s, particularly in mathematics, the 2011 results continue a pattern of modest progress.”
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).
Highest Income Households Increase Their Wealth
A report issued from the Congressional Budget Office, Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007, shows that the top 1% of households in income saw their income increase 275% between 1979 and 2007; for the rest of us, it was all downhill.(Summary) An examination of how employer-sponsored health insurance contributed to income growth for the midddle percentile households is especially enlightening as New Jersey state workers now start to pay for part of their premiums.(Appendix C) The report states that “Employer-sponsored health insurance provides the biggest proportional boost to income in the middle of the distribution, with a smaller boost at both extremes of the distribution.”(44)
We Eat Too Much Salt
In light of Campbell’s announcing that it was putting more salt in some of its products that are marketed as healthier for you (LA Times and ABCNews), it should come as no surprise that the CDC has issued a report – Usual Sodium Intakes Compared with Current Dietary Guidelines—United States, 2005-2008 – that shows that practically everyone in this country eats too much salt. The very first words of this document say it all: “High sodium intake can increase blood pressure and the risk for heart disease and stroke.” And this is certainly not a problem limited only to the United Staes; the World Health Organization has identified high sodium around the globe as a major health problem. Its document – Strategies to Monitor and Evaluate Sodium Consumption and Sources of Sodium in the Diet - simply states that “High blood pressure is responsible for 13% of deaths globally….The total dietary salt consumed is an important determinant of blood pressure levels….”(5) More information on salt consumption in your diet can be found here. On a personal note, we are always amazed at the amount of salt that television chefs dump into their recipes. We have not added salt to any homecooked dish in years, and as far as we know, no one has keeled over from salt deprivation.
First Analysis of Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan
The Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of both The Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, has released the first detailed examination of Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. The report indicates that rather than reducing taxes, this plan would, in some cases, significantly raise the taxes of lower and middle class workers.
Attacks on Voting Rights for 2012 Election
This report from the Brennan Center for Justice (NYU School of Law) – Voting Law Changes in 2012 – shows how newly passed and proposed legislation is threatening the voting rights of five million people. From requiring photo IDs to abolishing Election Day registrations, it would appear that concerted efforts are underway to disenfranchise a significant number of voters. A summary of state laws and bills as well as an overview of this report are available. In New Jersey, S2996 will require a photo ID for any election after January 1, 2012, regardless if a person had been previously registered and allowed to vote. A discussion of these attempts to make voting harder for certain groups can be found at the Diane Rehm Show (starting at the 10:21:05 mark); this article from The New York Times – “New State Rules Raising Hurdles at Voting Booth” – can be supplemented by the paper’s Voter Registration and Requirements page.
