Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public — despite the widely–noted publication and republication of other CRS reports by wikileaks.org this week — include the following (all pdf).
“Iran’s Economic Conditions: U.S. Policy Issues,” updated January 15, 2009.
“U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians,” updated January 30, 2009.
“The Google Library Project: Is Digitization for Purposes of Online Indexing Fair Use Under Copyright Law?” February 5, 2009.
“FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process: A Primer,” January 23, 2009.
“Nuclear Waste Disposal: Alternatives to Yucca Mountain,” February 6, 2009.
This is not the first time Google has agreed to censor imagery at the behest of governments, but be warned: obfuscation at this broad level poses a direct threat to the public’s ability to monitor and scrutinize government operations.
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.
America’s affordability problem, for instance, is bigger than home prices and rents. How we build affects household costs like insurance and utilities.
As humans expand our geographic reach, encroach on untouched natural territories, and interact more with animal populations, we will encounter novel zoonotic diseases that threaten the human body. The sooner we act to address these risks, the better.