Cell Internet Use 2012

Cell Internet Use 2012. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Aaron Smith. June 26, 2012.

Some 17% of cell phone owners do most of their online browsing on their phone, rather than a computer or other device. Most do so for convenience, but for some their phone is their only option for online access. Nearly nine-in-ten (88%) U.S. adults own a cell phone of some kind as of April 2012, and more than half of these cell owners (55%) use their phone to go online. We call these individuals “cell internet users” throughout this report, and this represents a notable increase from the 31% of cell owners who said that they used their phone to go online as recently as April 2009. Moreover, 31% of these current cell internet users say that they mostly go online using their cell phone, and not using some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer. That works out to 17% of all adult cell owners who are “cell-mostly internet users”– that is, who use their phone for most of their online browsing. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 16 pages, 919.71 KB].

Using Public Lands for the Public Good: Rebalancing Coal and Renewable Electricity with a Clean Resources Standard

Using Public Lands for the Public Good: Rebalancing Coal and Renewable Electricity with a Clean Resources Standard. Center for American Progress. Jessica Goad et al. June 25, 2012.

The authors explain how a long-term phase-in of renewable energy sources and a subsequent rebalancing of fossil fuels sourced from the federal estate will help ensure that public land is used for the public good. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 44 pages, 616.6 KB].

GOP Holds Early Turnout Edge, But Little Enthusiasm for Romney

GOP Holds Early Turnout Edge, But Little Enthusiasm for Romney. Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. June 21, 2012.

Less than five months before Election Day, voters are not as engaged with the presidential campaign as they were at this point four years ago, when interest in the campaign reached record levels. But voter engagement today generally equals or surpasses levels from the four campaigns prior to 2008, indicating that 2012 could be another relatively high turnout election. Republicans hold the edge on several turnout measures, in contrast to 2008 when Democrats had leads, some quite substantial, on nearly every indicator. Yet Democrats are more enthusiastic about their candidate. Most Obama backers support him strongly, while most Romney voters support him only moderately. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 72 pages, 1.19 MB].

Going for Smart Growth : Making Research and Innovation Work for Bulgaria

Going for Smart Growth : Making Research and Innovation Work for Bulgaria. The World Bank. Web posted June 13, 2012.

This policy note provides a detailed assessment of Bulgaria’s innovative capacity and offers policy recommendations to increase the impact of science and innovation. Part one of the policy note provides an assessment of Bulgaria’s innovation capacity in the public and private spheres. Part two provides recommendations that could facilitate the implementation of the NRP and the Scientific Research Strategy, including sectoral analysis to guide innovation policy in priority industries. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

In English [PDF format, 81 pages, 2.53 MB].

In Bulgarian [PDF format, 97 pages, 1.87 MB].

 

Charter Schools: Additional Federal Attention Needed to Help Protect Access for Students with Disabilities

Charter Schools: Additional Federal Attention Needed to Help Protect Access for Students with Disabilities. U.S. Government Accountability Office. June 7, 2012.

Charter schools enrolled a lower percentage of students with disabilities than traditional public schools, but little is known about the factors contributing to these differences. In school year 2009-2010, which was the most recent data available at the time of our review, approximately 11 percent of students enrolled in traditional public schools were students with disabilities compared to about 8 percent of students enrolled in charter schools.

[PDF format, 46 pages, 936.01 KB].

U.S. Agriculture and Nutrition Policy Statement: Transforming American Food and Agriculture Policy

U.S. Agriculture and Nutrition Policy Statement: Transforming American Food and Agriculture Policy. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. June 20, 2012.

The paper urges the 112th U.S. Congress to modernize the current U.S. agriculture, nutrition, and food sector to be more efficient and cost-effective, and provide more than $31 billion in deficit reduction over the next decade. It also offers recommendations on how Congress can protect the farm and nutrition safety net for the American families and enhance the U.S. agriculture’s global competitiveness while reducing agriculture’s cost to American taxpayers. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 24 pages, 653.38 KB].

Armed Robbery: How the Poorly Regulated Arms Trade is Paralyzing Development

Armed Robbery: How the Poorly Regulated Arms Trade is Paralyzing Development. Oxfam International. Deepayan Basu Ray. June 13, 2012.

The poorly regulated global trade in arms and ammunition weakens the ability and willingness of governments to sustain progress in development. It fuels and exacerbates conflicts and armed violence, diverting resources away from poverty reduction activities. Development gains are lost as communities are paralyzed: schools are closed, health systems are strained to breaking point, investment is discouraged, and security is undermined. Through a strong focus on development, the Arms Trade Treaty can help prevent serious impediments to development, consolidate regional initiatives to safeguard development, and strengthen national capacity to become ‘treaty-compliant,’ according to the report. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 10 pages, 361.95 KB].

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act: A Summary of Superfund Cleanup Authorities and Related Provisions of the Act

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act: A Summary of Superfund Cleanup Authorities and Related Provisions of the Act. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. David M. Bearden. June 14, 2012.

Congress enacted the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA; P.L. 96-510) in response to a growing desire for the federal government to ensure the cleanup of the nation’s most contaminated sites to protect the public from potential harm. The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-499, SARA) clarified the applicability of the statute’s requirements to federal facilities, and modified various response, liability, and enforcement provisions. Several other laws also have amended CERCLA for specific purposes, including relief from cleanup liability for certain categories of parties, and the authorization of federal assistance for the cleanup of abandoned or idled “brownfields” where the presence or perception of contamination may impede economic redevelopment.

[PDF format, 44 pages, 427.28 KB].

Obama Health Care Law: Where Does the Public Stand?

Obama Health Care Law: Where Does the Public Stand? Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.June 15, 2012.

The American public has been deeply divided from the start over the health care reform law now before the U.S. Supreme Court, though opinion has generally tilted more negative than positive over the past two years. A majority of Americans disapprove of a key component of the law, which requires most individuals to be covered by health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty, says the survey. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

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Time to End Fuel Subsidies?

Time to End Fuel Subsidies? YaleGlobal. Will Hicky. June 7, 2012.

Subsidies distort markets and discourage development of substitutes. Subsidies for fuel are especially problematic, because energy is a backbone of any economy. In terms of energy production and consumption, the world is an uneven playing field in terms of reserves, taxes, regulations, public versus private ownership and income availability, says the author. An abrupt end to fuel subsidies would crush the poorest. With few ready alternatives, fossil fuels are highly inelastic products in economic terms. Wealthy countries purchasing oil often set contract terms that benefit a few, and developing countries that are oil rich arrange subsidies as one benefit for the middle class and poor. Subsidies, even in countries lacking energy resources, contribute to political and economic stability. Ending subsidies, without putting alternative support programs into place, only adds to the ranks of the poor and threatens global security. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

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