Privacy National Consumer Law Center Massive Data Sharing

#upworthy #privacy Come September, the watchdog found that 20 percent of Americans are likely to see a different personal credit score from the one a potential lender would see.

#Privacy Equifax Sells Private Information To Debt Collectors

Equifax, one of the nation’s largest credit reporting agencies with one of the most expansive private databases of information, has accumulated the salary and employment records of more than one-third of U.S. adults, according to NBC.
How does Equifax do it? The credit agency gets the sensitive information from U.S. businesses and feeds it into one of its subsidiaries, The Work Number. Used by lenders and employment screeners, The Work Number serves as a verification of employment and income information.
According to NBC, once the information is compiled, Equifax sells some of it to debt collectors and financial services companies without expressly notifying the individual whose information is being distributed.
Demitra Wilson, a spokesperson for Equifax, verified that debt collectors can request employment data from The Work Number.
Continue reading “Privacy National Consumer Law Center Massive Data Sharing”

Everything Tech Touches is devalued, Jobs are never coming back people!

Everything Tech Touches is devalued, Jobs are never coming back.

AP IMPACT: Recession, tech kill middle-class jobs By BERNARD CONDON and PAUL WISEMAN Wed, Jan 23, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — Five years after the start of the Great Recession, the toll is terrifyingly clear: Millions of middle-class jobs have been lost in developed countries the world over. And the situation is even worse than it appears.
Most of the jobs will never return, and millions more are likely to vanish as well, say experts who study the labor market. What’s more, these jobs aren’t just being lost to China and other developing countries, and they aren’t just factory work.
Increasingly, jobs are disappearing in the service sector, home to two-thirds of all workers. They’re being obliterated by technology.
Continue reading “Everything Tech Touches is devalued, Jobs are never coming back people!”

GOODLATTE DISAPPOINTED BY EPA'S FAILURE TO WAIVE RFS

GOODLATTE DISAPPOINTED BY EPA’S FAILURE TO WAIVE RFS

Friday, November 16, 2012 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) released the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) delayed decision to deny a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) despite severe drought conditions this year:
“I am greatly disappointed by the EPA’s decision to deny much-needed relief to American livestock producers, food producers, and consumers. With a steep decline in corn production this year and a sharp increase in corn prices, the economic harm of the RFS is undeniable. For many farmers and businesses in the Sixth District who use corn to feed livestock or produce products, rapid increases in the price of corn weigh heavily on their bottom line. But it doesn’t stop there – higher corn prices are ultimately reflected in the price of food on grocery store shelves. However, the federal government is once again choosing to put more ethanol in gas tanks rather than food on the table.
“In the debate over ethanol, the government is picking winners and losers. Livestock and food producers as well as consumers of these products are on the losing end. A broad coalition of agricultural organizations, food producers, restaurants, grocery stores, environmental organizations, hunger groups, and consumer groups as well as 155 Members of the House and 34 U.S. Senators, joined me in asking the EPA to use their power to waive the RFS. Yet, the EPA still refused. This decision has proven that the waiver provisions currently in law are inadequate.
“We will now turn to our colleagues in the House and the Senate to take up legislation to address this ongoing problem. I support a complete elimination of the RFS, and have already introduced the Renewable Fuel Standard Elimination Act (H.R. 3098) to do just that. Today’s decision makes the passage of this legislation even more important.”
Additional Information
For a PDF copy of the letter sent to EPA Administrator Jackson by Congressman Goodlatte and 155 other bipartisan Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in August requesting a waiver, please click HERE.
###

The impact of Hurricane Sandy on K12 Schools

Hurricane Sandy Scholastic is donating one million books to schools and libraries in the hardest-hit areas of the tri-state region.

The impact of Hurricane Sandy on K12 Schools

The impact of Hurricane Sandy on schools (57 schools in New York City are too damaged to reopen, forcing the relocation of 34,000 students, and 14 schools in New Jersey are still closed) is a reminder of the need to build a comprehensive, all-hazards school emergency management plan that is framed by the four phases of emergency management — Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Two critical aspects include the continuity of education and the provision of mental health supports for students and staff experiencing trauma due to disasters or significant incidents.
http://www.ed.gov/sandy/ AND http://rems.ed.gov/
Also, the emergency underscored the importance of facilities’ maintenance and environmental health, controlling utility costs, and schools serving as emergency shelters, as well as the need for effective environmental education.
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/11/sandy-underscores-maintenance-utility-cost-control-schools-as-shelters-and-environmental-education/
Meanwhile, Scholastic is donating one million books to schools and libraries in the hardest-hit areas of the tri-state region.
TO APPLY FOR A BOOK GRANT, PLEASE GO TO
http://www.scholastic.com/bookgrants.