• Afghanistan Development - Agencies Could Benefit from a Shared and More Comprehensive Database on U.S. Efforts, GAO-13-34, Nov 7, 2012
• 2020 Census - Initial Research Milestones Generally Met but Plans Needed to Mitigate Highest Risks, GAO-13-53, Nov 7, 2012
• Federal Employees' Compensation Act - Effects of Proposed Changes on Partial Disability Beneficiaries Depend on Employment After Injury, GAO-13-143R, Dec 7, 2012
• International Affairs - Firms Reported to Have Sold Iran Refined Petroleum Products or Engaged in Commercial Activities in Iran's Energy Sector, GAO-13-173R, Dec 7, 2012
• Civil Rights - Additional Actions in Pigford II Claims Process Could Reduce Risk of Improper Determinations, GAO-13-69R, Dec 7, 2012

Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 - Transparency International: "Looking at the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012, it's clear that corruption is a major threat facing humanity. Corruption destroys lives and communities, and undermines countries and institutions. It generates popular anger that threatens to further destabilise societies and exacerbate violent conflicts. The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). While no country has a perfect score, two-thirds of countries score below 50, indicating a serious corruption problem. Corruption translates into human suffering, with poor families being extorted for bribes to see doctors or to get access to clean drinking water. It leads to failure in the delivery of basic services like education or healthcare. It derails the building of essential infrastructure, as corrupt leaders skim funds."

News release: "The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) yesterday released a report titled Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2010 that unveils important trends in U.S. doctoral education. The report calls attention to the changing characteristics of U.S. doctorate recipients over time, including the increased representation of women, minorities and foreign nationals; the emergence of new fields of study; the time it takes to complete doctoral study; the expansion of the postdoctoral pool; and employment opportunities after graduation."

"As requested by the President, the Public Interest Declassification Board (the Board) researched and studied the security classification system in cooperation with the National Security Advisor to design a fundamental transformation of the security classification system. The Board sought to understand how classified records of every level of sensitivity are managed and how different users influence classification and declassification decisions at the front-end and the back-end of the system. The Board met extensively with stakeholders inside and outside of government during its study: senior government officials, Executive departments and agencies (agencies), distinguished civil servants, the Congress, leading technologists, experts from public interest, civil society and transparency groups, historians, classifiers, declassifiers, and archival researchers. Its research led the Board to understand the challenges the system presents to all users and to solicit suggestions and ideas for its transformation. The findings of the Board are conclusive; present practices for classification and declassification of national security information are outmoded, unsustainable and keep too much information from the public. The prevalence of electronic records has made the current paper-based system of classification and declassification unworkable. Use of advanced information technology is crucial to achieving increases in efficiency and better balancing information security with government openness. However, there is little evidence that Executive departments and agencies (agencies) are employing or developing the technologies needed to meet these objectives."

• High-Speed Passenger Rail - Preliminary Assessment of California's Cost Estimates and Other Challenges, GAO-13-163T, Dec 6, 2012
• Low-Income Housing Tax Credits - Agencies Implemented Changes Enacted in 2008, but Project Data Collection Could Be Improved, GAO-13-66, Dec 6, 2012
• Screening Partnership Program - TSA Should Issue More Guidance to Airports and Monitor Private versus Federal Screener Performance, GAO-13-208, Dec 6, 2012
• Small Business Lending - Opportunities Exist to Improve Performance Reporting of Treasury's Programs, GAO-13-76, Dec 5, 2012
• Medicare and Medicaid - Consumer Protection Requirements Affecting Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries Vary across Programs, Payment Systems, and States, GAO-13-100, Dec 5, 2012
• Defense Management - Opportunities Exist to Improve Information Used in Monitoring Status of Efficiency Initiatives, GAO-13-105R, Dec 4, 2012

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency: "The World Investment and Political Risk report examines the overall trends in political risk perceptions, foreign investment intentions, and longer-term demand for political risk insurance (PRI), especially in emerging economies. The research conducted for the report includes an Economist Intelligence Unit survey of multinational investors that addresses their risk perceptions for developing countries in the short and medium term. It addresses foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Middle East and North Africa in light of the Arab Spring, as well as the reaction of multinational enterprises to those developments. The 2012 edition of the report looks at the risk of sovereign defaults, typically caused by adverse economic shocks, and how it relates to expropriation. Both the risks of sovereign default and expropriation remain significant issues for foreign investors amid the global economic slowdown and continued political instability."

China’s Holdings of U.S. Securities: Implications for the U.S. Economy, December 6, 2012

"A new report issued by the Bread for the World Institute reveals the extraordinary progress many countries around the world have made in achieving the development goals they agreed to 12 years ago. However, programs that support these efforts could be derailed, depending on the outcome of ongoing U.S. negotiations to avert the “fiscal cliff.” The United States is the largest provider of poverty-focused development assistance programs in absolute terms. These effective programs are at risk in these negotiations. The 2013 Hunger Report: Within Reach—Global Development Goals, calls for a renewed push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 deadline and urges a focus on ending hunger and extreme poverty in a post 2015 development framework and set of goals."

"The U.S. government isn’t allowed to wiretap American citizens without a warrant from a judge. But there are plenty of legal ways for law enforcement, from the local sheriff to the FBI, to snoop on the digital trails you create every day. Authorities can often obtain your emails and texts by going to Google or AT&T with a simple subpoena. Usually you won’t even be notified. The Senate last week took a step toward updating privacy protection for emails, but it's likely the issue will be kicked to the next Congress. Meantime, here’s how police can track you without a warrant now..."

National Indicators and Social Wealth, Erwin de Leon. December 4, 2012

"Large-scale weather patterns which occur in various locations around the Earth, from the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropics to the high latitude Arctic Oscillation (AO) play a significant part in controlling the weather on a seasonal time scale. Knowing the condition of these atmospheric oscillations in advance would greatly improve long-range weather predictions. Scientists search for clues in the earth’s surface conditions such as tropical sea surface temperatures and snow cover at higher latitudes. Reliable and accurate weather prediction is vitally important in numerous areas of society, particularly agriculture and water management and weather risks are evaluated by a wide range of businesses, including power distributors who make fewer sales during cool summers and more sales during cold winters. The portion of the U.S. economy sensitive to weather conditions is estimated to be at least $3 trillion."

Arctic Report Card - Update for 2012: "The Arctic region continued to break records in 2012—among them the loss of summer sea ice, spring snow cover, and melting of the Greenland ice sheet. This was true even though air temperatures in the Arctic were unremarkable relative to the last decade, according to a new report released today. ..New records set for snow extent, sea ice extent and ice sheet surface melting, despite air temperatures - a key cause of melting - being unremarkable relative to the last decade. Multiple observations provide strong evidence of widespread, sustained change driving Arctic environmental system into new state."

"EIA has just issued its Annual Energy Outlook 2013 (AEO2013) Reference case, which highlights a growth in total U.S. energy production that exceeds growth in total U.S. energy consumption through 2040. "EIA's updated Reference case shows how evolving consumer preferences, improved technology, and economic changes are pushing the nation toward more domestic energy production, greater vehicle efficiency, greater use of clean energy, and reduced energy imports," said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski. "This combination has markedly reduced projected energy-related carbon dioxide emissions," said Mr. Sieminski."

"This free and open archive provides access to more than 55,000 social media records from selected North Carolina state agencies. It is currently in beta. Social media activity from these agencies is continually being captured and indexed, and additional agencies will be included in the future. The content in this archive has been captured because it was made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by an agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions (G.S. § 132-1). Enter a keyword to search across the entire archive of social media sites, or use the Advanced Search for more options."

China’s Economic Conditions, Wayne M. Morrison, Specialist in Asian Trade and Finance. December 4, 2012