Today I attended a presentation by John Scumniotales, the newly promoted President of Verdiem at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. His company was founded to provide PC power management software. They are now expaning to provide management of network equipment and other ICT devices..The Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010 – 2015 (DEWHA, 2010)Read… Read more »
Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra where Apurva Sanghi, from the World Bank, is talking about their new book “Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention”.Unfortunately the World Bank has chosen to restrict access to this document. This is ironic as in his presentation Apurva Sanghi urged government to make publiclyRead… Read more »
More than seventy-five years ago, Social Security began with a promise to protect all Americans from a life of poverty in old age. Since then, the program’s protections have grown to cover other life events, like disability, the loss of a loved one, or severe financial hardship. Many Americans may think Social Security is onlyRead… Read more »
Businesses have the opportunity to grow their revenues through government contracting. According to www.USAspending.gov, the federal government spends over $500 billion annually on goods and services. Thanks to changes in federal policy, women-owned businesses have a greater chance to win government contracts. The Women-Owned Small Business Program, recently created by the Small Business Administration (SBA),Read… Read more »
Illinois is taking steps to protect its minority communities ahead of state redistricting. A new law will protect the voting rights of racial and language minority communities in the state by making it hard to divide up groups between several districts and effectively split votes. The Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011, will allow forRead… Read more »
Katie Couric’s got some recommendations for government to get less redundant. First, a hat tip to our friend Ed O’Keefe, Federal Eye at the Washington Post, who found this fun nugget. So I’ll say it again in case you couldn’t believe your eyes (ha ha – and to be redundant): Katie Couric offered a quickRead… Read more »
Stephen Whitehead, researcher at London, UK-based New Economics Foundation (nef), recently alerted me to a new paper of theirs: Connected Conversations Reflecting on nef’s decade of experience in democracy and participation, this pamphlet argues that tackling the biggest issues, from climate change to social inequality, needs to start with small conversations between friends and neighbours.Read… Read more »
Goal: Make sense of your benefits package and pick the programs right for you. How To Cover Your Benefits Bases: 1. Pick a health/vision/dental insurance plan that suits your working style (i.e. HMO for staying put/PPO for travelling Govvies). 2. Contribute 5% to your retirement account or enough to get the full employer match, whicheverRead… Read more »
Hi, Getting some enthusiastic and thoughtful response to the Gentor ™ and Gentoring ™ concepts: a) the legal magazine, KNOW, wants to publish my first “Gentoring” article (see link below), b) a Colonel at a military war college wants to brainstorm program ideas re: my “Bridging the Generational Divide” programs, c) another Colonel and colleagueRead… Read more »
Good morning, Fellow GovLoopers! Dan Chenok posted his thoughts on the FY 2012 IT Budget on the Business of Government Blog. I thought I’d share the highlights here (though you really should read the whole thing!) As occurs each year, the President’s Budget Proposal includes a Chapter on IT spending – it’s in the “AnalyticalRead… Read more »