"To get to sustainable development, we need well-designed, inclusive green growth policies that can improve social welfare for all, promote careful stewardship of natural resources, and respect the delicate balance of the planet. In the 2012 report Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development, World Bank economists set out an economic argument and framework for countries to begin greening their growth."

Follow up to previous postings on fracking, news that Vermont became the first state to ban the practice - Gov. Peter Shumlin: "This bill, [H. 464 - An act relating to hydraulic fracturing wells for natural gas and oil production], will ensure we do not inject chemicals into groundwater in a desperate pursuit for energy. It is a big moment. I hope other states will follow us. The science on fracking is uncertain at best. Let the other states be the guinea pigs. Let the Green Mountain State preserve its clean water, its lakes, its rivers and its quality of life."

"286 Sunscreens Exposed: Nine Surprising Truths - Sunscreens prevent sunburns, but beyond that simple fact surprisingly little is known about the safety and efficacy of these ubiquitous creams and sprays. EWG’s review of the latest research unearthed troubling facts that might tempt you to give up on sunscreens altogether. That’s not the right answer. Despite the unknowns about sunscreens’ efficacy, public health agencies still recommend using them, just not as your first line of defense against the sun. At EWG we use sunscreens, but we look for shade, wear protective clothing and avoid the noontime sun before we smear on the cream. Here are the surprising facts..."

The 2012 list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® - From pollution to fracking to dams and dredging, this year we’re highlighting issues that have a direct impact on our clean water, public health, and wildlife. Every year since 1986, this report has put a spotlight on ten rivers at risk. With the 2012 list, we have zeroed in on key actions and, working with our local partners – and you - we are going to get decision-makers to do the right thing."

"The annual Milliman Medical Index (MMI) measures the total cost of healthcare for a typical family of four covered by a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan. The 2012 MMI cost is $20,728, an increase of $1,335, or 6.9% over 2011. The rate of increase is not as high as in the past, but the total dollar increase was still a record. This is the first year the average cost of healthcare for the typical American family of four has surpassed $20,000."

"Economic Mobility of the States is a new interactive tool that captures the findings of the first analysis of Americans’ economic mobility—their movement up and down the earnings ladder—at the state level, including data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Users can click the map to see where in the country Americans are most likely to move up rather than down, and where they are most likely to move down rather than up. View the interactive map."

Food Price Watch: "Global food prices have increased by 8% in the last four months since December 2011, and in March 2012 were only 6% below their February 2011 historical peak. All key food prices have increased, except for rice. Increasing international oil prices, adverse weather conditions, Asia's strong demand for food imports, and the persistent European financial crisis have contributed to this increase, notwithstanding the projected bumper harvests of rice and coarse grains and the corresponding increase in ending food stocks. Domestic prices remain high in many parts of the world, with the magnitude of increases typically exceeding price declines across countries. If the current production forecasts for 2012/13 do not materialize, global food prices could reach higher levels, underscoring the need to remain vigilant and improve the monitoring of early signals of global and regional crises."

NYT: "Labor Department figures indicate that the percentage of workers over the traditional retirement age of 65 is at a record high. But, the figures show, job totals fell sharply for men under 55 during the recession and have only started to recover, while the proportion of women ages 25 to 54 with jobs also slid and is close to the lowest level of the last two decades...Off the Charts: The Older the Worker, the Better - Employment for traditional working-age Americans remains well below where it was at the end of 2006, before the economy began to weaken. But the proportion of older Americans with jobs has risen, as baby boomers put off retirement or return to the work force."

• AARP: Half of Older Adults Surveyed Plan to Put Off Retirement
  
• Employee Benefit Research Institute: Older Americans Expect to Work Longer, And Many Expect Never to Retire, Data Show
  
• Arizona Business and Money: "The percentage of people who work and people who want to work has increased markedly in both the 65-and-older and 75-and-older groups, says Sara Rix, senior adviser for the AARP Public Policy Institute. For 2011, the participation rate for 65 and older was 17.9% compared with 10.8% in 1985. For 75 and older, the rate jumped from 4.3% in 1990 to 7.5% in 2011."

"The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities - IATH is a research unit of the University of Virginia established by the University of Virginia in 1992. Our goal is to explore and develop information technology as a tool for scholarly humanities research. To that end, we provide our Fellows with consulting, technical support, applications development, and networked publishing facilities. We also cultivate partnerships and participate in humanities computing initiatives with libraries, publishers, information technology companies, scholarly organizations, and other groups residing at the intersection of computers and cultural heritage. The research projects, essays, and documentation presented here are the products of a unique collaboration between humanities and computer science research faculty, computer professionals, student assistants and project managers, and library faculty and staff. In many cases, this work is supported by private or federal funding agencies. In all cases, it is supported by the Fellows' home departments; the College or School to which those departments belong; the University of Virginia Library; the Vice President for Research and Public Service; the Vice President and Chief Information Officer; the Provost; and the President of the University of Virginia."

Birth Rates for U.S. Teenagers Reach Historic Lows for All Age and Ethnic Groups - Brady E. Hamilton, Ph.D., and Stephanie J. Ventura, M.A., April 2012

House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security - Hearing on the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance (GPS) Act - Statement for the Record of Professor Matt Blaze, May 17, 2012

News release: "The curated Twitter content in Factiva covers 31 industries, including energy, financial services and technology, with a focus on the most influential tweeters from around the globe. The real time content is available via Factiva Snapshot, a business search tool with news dashboards that help businesses to efficiently gather intelligence and identify trends, opportunities and risks. Factiva leverages a combination of technology and editorial staff to curate content from Twitter’s “firehose.” The selected Twitter streams complement the wide range of content in Factiva, including more than 35,000 leading media sources, of which 8,000 are top business blogs. Many of these leading sources are not available on the Web."

Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured: "As care delivery and financing models in Medicaid have multiplied, so has the terminology used to refer to them. This glossary seeks to clarify and define the terms that are widely used to describe the diverse approaches that states are taking to reform the way they organize and pay for care for Medicaid beneficiaries. Although some terms are also used in other contexts, including private insurance and Medicare, this glossary confines itself to how they tend to be applied in the context of Medicaid."

Annual Report to Congress - Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2012, May 2012

• Natural Resources and Environment - Air Emissions and Electricity Generation at U.S. Power Plants, GAO-12-545R, Apr 18, 2012
• Food and Drug Administration, Employee Performance Standards for the Timely Review of Medical Product Applications, GAO-12-650R, Apr 18, 2012