FTC Testifies on Efforts to Protect Consumers in the Funeral Industry
Source: Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission today told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce that the FTC will work with the Subcommittee and others to explore ways to deploy the FTC’s experience and resources in connection with the recent grievous events at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, and in addressing consumer protection concerns regarding cemeteries.
The testimony, presented by Charles Harwood, Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, commended Subcommittee Chairman Bobby L. Rush for holding the field hearing in Chicago, Illinois, on oversight of cemeteries and other funeral services. The FTC also lauded Illinois authorities’ thorough and rapid response to the desecrations at Burr Oak Cemetery, and stated that the agency is prepared to cooperate and coordinate with these authorities and take further action if warranted. The Commission vote authorizing the testimony was 4-0.
+ Full Testimony (PDF; 172 KB)
+ Consumer Rights Under the Funeral Rule
July 28th, 2009
New Reports From the Economic Analysis Group
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
+ Does Competition Among Medicare Advantage Plans Matter?: An Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Local Competition in a Regulated Environment (PDF; 153 KB)
+ Why Prices Rise Faster Than They Fall (PDF; 43 KB)
+ Who Are You Calling Irrational? Marginal Costs, Variable Costs, and the Pricing Practices of Firms (PDF; 103 KB)
U.S. energy use drops in 2008
Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Americans used more solar, nuclear, biomass and wind energy in 2008 than they did in 2007, according to the most recent energy flow charts released by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The nation used less coal and petroleum during the same time frame and only slightly increased its natural gas consumption. Geothermal energy use remained the same.
The estimated U.S. energy use in 2008 equaled 99.2 quadrillion BTUs (“quads”), down from 101.5 quadrillion BTUs in 2007. (A BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy, and is equivalent to about 1.055 kilojoules).
+ Annotated Chart (PDF; 816 KB)
Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges faced by the UK
Source: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
The reason for the sudden interest in food on the part of Governments across the world is clear: global food prices have increased substantially in recent years. According to the World Bank, global wheat prices increased by 181% over the three years up to February 2008, and overall global food prices increased by 83% over the same period. A report by Chatham House, Rising Food Prices: Drivers and Implications for Development, published in April 2008, stated that, although high prices were not uncommon in agricultural markets, “the unusual feature of the current situation is that the price spike applies to almost all major food and feed commodities, rather than just a few of them”.
It noted that the price of corn was at its highest level in 11 years, rice and soya their highest level in 34 years, and wheat its highest level ever. All of this followed on from a period between 1974 and 2005 when food prices fell in real terms.
Escalating food prices were blamed for violent protests in Egypt, Haiti, the Ivory Coast and Cameroon, and demonstrations in Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Bolivia and Indonesia. Some countries, including Argentina, imposed export restrictions. Rising food prices also affected people in the UK, albeit less dramatically. A report for the Soil Association by the Centre for Food Policy at City University noted that consumer prices index data published in August 2008 showed food inflation to be running at an annual rate of 13.7%. Prices for oils and fats rose by 29% in the year to July 2008, meat by 16.3%, bread and cereals by 15.9%, vegetables by 11.1% and fruit by 10.7%.
+ Direct link to document (PDF; 476.7 KB)
D-2009-092 Validity of DOD Civilian Employee Accounts (Project No. D2008-D000FC-0156.000) (PDF; 1.45 MB)
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General
As of May 2008, the Defense Civilian Pay System (DCPS) included 7.3 million DoD civilian employee accounts with more than $148 billion in taxable earnings during the period January 2002 through April 2008 (excluding taxable earnings for calendar year 2007). However, DFAS did not ensure that DCPS contained only valid DoD civilian employee accounts. Specifically, DCPS included invalid Social Security numbers, employees under the legal employment age, and multiple employee accounts that shared the same bank account. As a result, DFAS may have paid approximately $15.4 million to more than 2,300 invalid DoD civilian employee accounts from January 2002 through April 2008 (excluding 2007). By reviewing the DoD civilian employee accounts identified and ensuring the accuracy of future accounts, DFAS will reduce the likelihood of paying invalid DoD civilian employees.
DFAS internal controls were not adequate. We identified internal control weaknesses in the administration of DoD civilian employee accounts. See the finding section for further details on the internal control weaknesses.
Electrocution Deaths in Iraq
Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General
+ IE-2009-006 Review of Electrocution Deaths in Iraq: Part I - Electrocution of Staff Sergeant Ryan D. Maseth, U.S. Army (PDF; 2.5 MB)
+ IPO2009E001 Review of Electrocution Deaths in Iraq: Part II - Seventeen Incidents Apart from Staff Sergeant Ryan D. Maseth, U.S. Army (PDF; 1.7 MB)
See also: SPO-2009-005 Assessment of Electrical Safety in Afghanistan (PDF; 2.6 MB)
Census Bureau of Reports on Residential Vacancies and Homeownership (PDF; 137 KB)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
National vacancy rates in the second quarter 2009 were 10.6 (+ 0.4) percent for rental housing and 2.5 (+ 0.1) percent for homeowner housing, the Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau announced today. The Census Bureau said the rental vacancy rate was higher than the second quarter 2008 rate (10.0 percent) and higher than the rate last quarter (10.1 percent). For homeowner vacancies, the current rate was lower than the second quarter 2008 rate (2.8 percent) and lower than the rate last quarter (2.7 percent). The homeownership rate at 67.4 (+ 0.5) percent for the current quarter was lower than the second quarter 2008 rate (68.1 percent), but not statistically different from last quarter’s rate (67.3 percent).
New York Leads in Per-Pupil Public Education Spending at Nearly $16,000, Census Bureau Reports
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Public schools in New York spent $15,981 per pupil in 2007, which was more than any other state or state equivalent, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. (See Table 11.) New Jersey ($15,691) and the District of Columbia ($14,324) had the next-highest spending. States spending the least per pupil were Utah ($5,683), Idaho ($6,625) and Tennessee ($7,113).
On average, each state spent $9,666 per pupil in 2007, a 5.8 percent increase over 2006. Of total public school financing, state governments contributed 47.6 percent, followed by local sources, which contributed 44.1 percent, and federal sources, which made up the remaining 8.3 percent.
+ Public education finances: 2007 (state and local financial and enrollment statistics) (PDF: 1 MB)
New Census Bureau Economics Releases
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
+ 2007 Economic Census: Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Industry Series
Wharton Private Equity Review: Navigating the Challenges Ahead
Source: Knowledge@Wharton
Private equity (PE) firms will see unprecedented challenges over the next few years, given the depth and duration of the current financial crisis. In this special report, produced in cooperation with the Wharton Private Equity Club, Knowledge@Wharton looks at how markets are shifting and what participants can expect in the coming months. One example: Deals that settled for just 15% in equity a couple of years ago now require 35% to 40%, and up to 75% for some smaller buyouts. Going forward, a “wall” of refinancing due in 2012 will challenge the survival of many portfolio companies — and PE firms as well. Also included in this report are a roundtable discussion on the secondaries industry (the buying and selling of pre-existing PE commitments) and an interview with Dalip Pathak of Warburg Pincus and Bridgepoint Capital’s Alastair Gibbons on the prospects for PE in India and China.
+ Full Report (PDF; 624 KB)
Gross domestic product: Preliminary estimate 2nd Quarter 2009 (PDF: 100 KB)
Source: Office for National Statistics
The preliminary estimate shows that the chained volume measure of gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by 0.8 per cent in the second quarter of 2009 compared with the previous quarter. The decline in output was due to decreases in all component aggregate series.
The volume of output in the production industries is estimated to have decreased by 0.7 per cent this quarter. Manufacturing output decreased by 0.3 per cent. Mining and quarrying decreased by 1.0 per cent and electricity, gas and water supply decreased by 3.8 per cent. Output of the service industries is estimated to have decreased by 0.6 per cent.
Medical practitioners: education and training in Australia (PDF; 645 KB)
Source: Parliamentary Library of Australia
This background note summarises that process, elaborating upon the roles played by the major providers of medical education in Australia and the pathways taken by students to qualify as medical practitioners.
Charter School Replication: Growing a Quality Charter School Sector (PDF; 250 KB)
Source: National Association of Charter School Authorizers
“Replication” is the practice of a single charter school board or management organization opening several more schools that are each based on the same school model. The most rapid strategy to increase the number of new high-quality charter schools available to children is to encourage the replication of existing quality schools.
The Effect of California’s Budget Cuts on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People and Their Children (PDF; 336 KB)
Source: Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law
California faces a $26.3 million budget shortfall for the approaching fiscal year. In an effort to balance the budget, cuts are likely to some of California’s most vital services and programs including Medi-Cal, the State’s healthcare option for low-income children, families, elderly, and disabled. The poor, elderly, and disabled will undoubtedly bear a significant share of these cuts. This research note uses the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to explore the potential consequence of the severe downsizing or elimination of some of California’s public benefits programs on the often overlooked low-income lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population. Since that survey predates the current deep recession, the current numbers of LGB recipients is likely to be even higher than the figures presented here.
Understanding the form, function, and logic of clandestine cellular networks: the first step in effective counternetwork operations
Source: School of Advanced Military Studies Monographs/Combined Arms Research Library
Since the events of September 11, 2001 the United States military counternetwork operations, theory, and doctrine have failed to account for the form, function, and logic of clandestine cellular networks used by both interstate insurgencies, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as by global insurgencies, like al Qaeda and its associated movements. The failure to understand the form, function, and logic of clandestine cellular networks has led to the incorrect application of counternetwork theories. Counternetwork operations specifically targeting key leaders, facilitators, individuals with special skills, or highly connected individuals, intuitively seem to be the correct targets for disconnecting clandestine cellular networks. However, there has been little comparative analysis done to verify if these operations are in fact having the overall effect required to disrupt, neutralize, defeat, or ultimately destroy these networks. Understanding the form, function, and logic of clandestine cellular networks reveals that the removal of single individuals, regardless of function, is well within the tolerance of this type of organizational structure and thus has little long-term effect. At the same time, highly connected nodes violate the principles of clandestine operations since they are obviously highly visible when compared to a competent clandestine practitioner that does not want a discernable signature in order to remain hidden from the counterinsurgent. Thus, by focusing on the highly connected individuals as high priority targets, US efforts have effectively “culled the herd” of poor clandestine practitioners. These two examples provide the two most common errors in the current counternetwork theories and operations, and the errors are all due to a lack of a systemic understanding of clandestine cellular networks. This monograph uses a modified process-trace methodology to analyze the form, function, and logic of clandestine cellular networks in order to dispel the myths associated with current network and counternetwork theories, and challenge the contemporary thoughts on counternetwork operations. This work concludes with the development of six principles of clandestine cellular networks, along with a myriad of conclusion based on the analysis of the form, function, and logic of these networks, to provide a deeper understanding of clandestine cellular networks. Understanding the form, function, and logic of clandestine cellular networks is the first step to more effective counternetwork operations.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 1.08 MB)
