[Update Feb 4, 2009: I’ve created a GovLoop group and kiva lending team.] Have you heard of the microfinancing concept? The basic idea is that by making very small loans to entrepeneurs in developing areas, you help them help themselves and contribute to the local economy. Thanks to Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist,com, I learnedRead… Read more »
I am disappointed to have to write this blog post but wanted to make sure others were aware of what is happening due to the language of the Recovery Bill with respect to road construction. So far, from what I have been told by DOT employees, the only roads that will be eligible to receiveRead… Read more »
Good Monday morning govloop members! Stocks were mixed on Friday as the Dow lost ground, along with the international stocks, while the S&P 500 and small caps each gained about a half of a percent. With a week to go in the first month of 2009, only the G-fund is in green territory in January.Read… Read more »
Framed photographs of President Obama and Vice President Biden will soon replace shots of former president George W. Bush and former vice president Richard B. Cheney that have adorned the lobbies of Federal outposts for the past eight years. The new presidential photos, released last week, were the first taken by a digital camera. TheRead… Read more »
Sixty years does not quite reach the average lifespan…. and as such, there are still plenty of folks around who remember Rosa Parks, and Brown vs the Board of Education, and their children remember the aftermath and lived through those times of change. They remember when things were supposedly “separate but equal”… things that folksRead… Read more »
From TheGovGurus.com: 1. KNOCK ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S FRONT DOOR AND BACK DOOR: Most job seekers look for federal openings only on USAJOBS (usajobs.opm.gov), the federal government’s official jobs website. But there are plenty of other ways to land federal jobs.For example, employment agencies and consulting firms frequently place employees on contract jobs in federalRead… Read more »
I know some of you read Government Executive’s FedBlog already. But for those of you who don’t, I’m Alyssa Rosenberg, and I’ve just taken over at FedBlog from my venerable editor Tom Shoop. I’ll be posting excerpts from the big FedBlog posts of the day, along with links to the complete posts. If you guysRead… Read more »
There’s plenty to learn from Gov. Bill Richardson’s (D-N.M.) decision to withdraw his name from consideration as the next secretary of commerce — both about how the nomination process works and about how his decision could impact the near-term operations of the Commerce Department. The governor apparently withdrew his name because “a grand jury inRead… Read more »
It seems that accountability will be the name of the game in 2009. The Center for American Progress recently issued a report called, “Making Contracting Work for the United States,” which states that recent laws that require more disclosure by government contractors don’t do enough to regulate those companies. Although there has been progress withRead… Read more »
A new reality television show focused on the agencies and employees of the Department of Homeland Security is sure to find fans among bureaucrats and department observers, and also is likely to draw some criticism from those who wonder if a primetime television show is the best use of the agency’s time. Homeland Security USARead… Read more »