OhMyGov!

NY Congressman introduces sweeping Open Gov legislation

Samuel Knight — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:17:00 GMT

Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) introduced legislation on Tuesday to force all executive branch agencies to publish non-confidential data online. The bill, known as the Public Online Information Act (POIA), would also create an open data protocol for the federal government, which would demand that agencies display this data in a user-friendly database.

While plenty of government data is already legally required to be made public, much of it is inaccessible as anyone who has ever tried to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request can tell you. Some government agencies are reluctant to release data; others struggle to keep pace with FOIA requests, and then some of the data released is extremely difficult to read.

“Right now, our government will stamp something 'public' and lock it away in a warehouse in Maryland,” Rep. Israel explained. “That's about as accessible and transparent as a nuclear missile silo.”

“It's time for 'public' to mean something different,” he said. “My bill will require that all executive branch agencies make their public documents easily available online. People across the country -- from scholars to school children -- should be able to see any public government information from the convenience of their computer."

Helping Rep. Israel write the legislation were think tanks that work towards more transparent government in Washington. Ellen Miller, co-director of the Sunlight Foundation, praised Rep. Israel's efforts. “We commend Rep. Israel for his work to ensure that government information will be available to everyone within a few keystrokes on a computer,” Miller said.

Another group that helped draft the legislation, the Personal Democracy Forum, was also full of praise for POIA. Founder Andrew Rasiej said that the bill will “redefine what the term 'public information' means for democracy and civic life in the 21st century.”

The legislation would not, however, force government agencies to publish data from before the bill's enactment, and would give government agencies three years to come up with a system of only making data acquired after POIA's passing public.

Unless, of course, that information is about President Obama's true place of birth, which, as we all know, will be kept under wraps at his underground lair inside the Communist Party compound in France. Just joking, White House.

Read more about POIA from Truthout.org.

Spigit crowdsourcing tech takes aim at government

Jenifer Reinhardt — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:24:00 GMT

However brilliant America’s forefathers were, they did not foresee the day when democracy would truly be “by the people.” But with a growing belief that more ideas are better, today’s technology is enabling our democracy to approach its purest form. While government websites embrace social media to make communication with citizens easier than ever, with access to new software, government by the people may be ready for launch.

Today the software management firm Spigit and IT collaborative specialists Metro Star Systems are announcing the expansion of their General Services Administration contract to allow government organizations to purchase their software on GSA IT-70. The software will provide the agency with a platform from which it can communicate with its citizens and constituents in a transparent, structured and actionable manner. The technology might just prove to be more effective than the black hole that was the suggestion box at city hall, although perhaps not as entertaining to read.

“Metro Star is excited to announce that Spigit’s innovation software is available to our government customers,” said Ali Reza Manouchehri, CEO of Metro Star Systems. “Spigit has a history of providing social software to top Fortune 1000 enterprises and businesses. With our partnership government agencies will now have access to a broader range of social media products from Metro Star Systems to connect and communicate with their citizens and constituents.”

We asked Scott Anderson, Vice President of Partner Relationships at Spigit, when they considered that their software would be a good fit for the government. “Our analytics have revealed government organizations in the US and around the world have been researching Spigit’s capabilities on Spigit.com for quite a while. We realized the power the Spigit SaaS platform could bring to government agencies to enable them to empower and connect with citizens, and allow them to create and collaborate on innovative and actionable ideas."

Proving that you don’t have to be big in order to be innovative, the folks down in Manor, TX, population 6,500, have been using the Spigit software in their own city government. Working closely with their partner, the city opened the website Manor Labs where citizens can log in and submit ideas. “We wanted to demonstrate to other cities how to build a sustainable innovation platform,” said Dustin Haisler, Chief Information Officer of Manor.

Anderson told OhMyGov that “the city of Manor, TX is using Spigit for Government to ask citizens for input in eight categories, including IT services, the court system, police, utility billing, and public works. Citizens get virtual currency for their efforts --- called "Innobucks" --- and can cash in these rewards for a ride with the police chief or even a rare custom-framed flag of the state of Texas. The effort is early, but thus far, the City of Manor, TX has received 68 ideas, with police being the most popular department.”

So far at Manor Labs the ideas submitted have covered a wide spectrum, from serious proposals like this --- “As a new form of economic development, the city of Manor could utilize augmented reality to allow prospective businesses to visualize how vacant land could potentially be developed” --- to less serious ones like “It’s my understanding that the water from the old downtown Artisan well is in the neighborhood of 180 degrees. If the hot water is still flowing, why not uncap it and open a resort offering hot artisan baths.” (The hot baths are currently leading the augmented reality 11 promotions to 9).

The benefits of this software, according to Anderson, are multifold. “Engaging with citizens’ results in a better allocation of resources, as well as improved efficiency and operations, as government learns what citizens want, sometimes at a neighborhood by neighborhood level. When used internally, Spigit helps government employees in exactly the same way; by making their ideas become a reality. It is empowering for individuals to believe they can make a difference, particularly in large organizations where employees can sometimes feel that their ideas are not valued.”

The ability for government organizations to purchase professional crowd-sourcing software is just another step in the direction of the “open and participatory” government that US CIO Vivek Kundra envisions. The success of the program in Manor is proof that it can work at many different levels both large and small. “The results can be incredible, where a simple idea evolves through our process to become something that vastly improves government services, or saves taxpayers money,” said Anderson.

Can my boss delay my departing date for a new position?

Bureaupat — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:46:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat,

I am in the process of accepting a new position at a different government agency. I know that my boss is not happy about me leaving her department. Could she delay the process by delaying my last day of employment at current job? Is there a rule about this? Thanks.

Dear Departing,

Generally speaking, a government employer can not hold back an employee from the gaining government employer. Typically, the losing organization gets notice of one pay period (two weeks) for a promotion and two-pay periods (4 weeks) for a lateral move to plan your going-away party and finish the transition.

That is the policy and general practice, but it's not unusual for a the losing organization to cry the blues to the gaining organization and ask for an extension. So it's in your best interest to let your new employer know that you want to get there as soon as possible so they can go to bat and remind the losing organization about the general rules above.

A word of caution: do your best to ensure that you leave on a good note. Believe it or not, government is a small community and you never know who you will cross paths with. Plus it's always nice to have a good reference for other jobs you may compete for in the future.

Yours in Gov,

Bureaupat

[EVENT] Social Media 101 for Seniors

Samuel Knight — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:54:00 GMT

If you are a senior citizen in Boulder, Colorado and want to learn how to use social media, then this event is for you.

When: March 29th, 2010. 10:00 - 11:00 AM.

Cost: Free

Location: West Senior Center, Boulder, CO (909 Arapahoe)

Register: More info here.

[EVENT] Open Gov West

Samuel Knight — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:36:00 GMT

A number of governments throughout the greater Northwest have launched open government directives. Open Gov West is hoping to bring these regional open government leaders together.

The conference includes a work summit on the first day and an "unconference" on the second.

Sponsored by the City of Seattle, Knowledge As Power, Re-Vision Labs, The Ford Foundation, Comcast, the Province of British Columbia and the Seattle Department of Information Technology.

When: March 26 - 27, 2010

Cost: $85 for both days (prices may vary).

Location: City Hall, Seattle WA (600 5th Ave)

Register: Sign up/more info about tickets here. More event information here.

States find Facebook, Twitter help engage state park fans

OhMyGov! — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:23:00 GMT

It's not often that we read Recreation Management magazine. But a story this month caught our attention --- writer Stacy St. Clair profiles three different U.S. states' smart use of social media to promote their State Park systems.

Government communicators at public-facing government agencies can glean some useful tips from the case studies. Virginia State Parks Operations Director Nancy Heltman saw the success that candidate Barack Obama had using social media during his successful campaign for president, and decided to give Twitter a try. Heltman took the time to find and follow Twiter users who expressed a love for the outdoors, many of whom followed her @VAStateParks feed in return. The list grew from there, and now has more than 8,500 followers and an engaged audience that asks questions and benefits from the 10,000 plus messages posted to date. Though it's a time investment by Heltman, the cost of this extra outreach is virtually zero and she gathers great (often positive) feedback from park lovers.

State park officials in Arkansas focused on Facebook. Joe Jacobs, the manager of parks marketing and revenue, started a friend page in November 2008, and later expanding to a fan page that now boasts nearly 20,000 Arkansas state parks fans. By spending one to two hours a day managing the social media outreach, tapping travel writers for their regional expertise, and encouraging followers to post their own images, the state Parks and Tourism agency has cultivated a loyal following and even made some money.

"If you're not trying to engage everyone, then you're not going to be successful," Jacobs said.

The Recreation Management story also mentions South Carolina, which got onboard with Facebook in July 2009 and saw instant success with a campaign where a pair of state employees posted updates and photos from their statewide park visits. Facebook followers started showing up on the route to greet "Gwen and Ken," demonstrating that social media can engage fans and supporters in ways other media rarely do.

10 flaws in Data.gov data

OhMyGov! — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:24:00 GMT

Accuracy errors, incorrectly labeled records, and poorly structured data are just 3 of the problems that Washington Technology contributor Michael Daconta sees with the government data posted to Data.gov.

"If government data is untrustworthy, the government defaults on its backstop role in society," Daconta writes. His "cursory examination" of newly-released data sets revealed a number of errors and inconsistencies that should trouble open government advocates and scientists looking for useful data, not just a numbers dump.

Census promotion hits Legoland

OhMyGov! — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:02:00 GMT

The U.S. Census Bureau is promoting this year's all-important national headcount even in fictional places, reports The Washington Post's Federal Eye.

The Legoland amusement park in Carlsbad, California, is getting in on the Census action too. This isn't a paid promotion by the feds, but rather a cute way of spreading word about the decennial census to visitors and fans of the San Diego area attraction.

Six Lego characters sporting Census uniforms have been placed throughout the park's miniature cities and locales, and will remain there ostensibly counting Lego figures until July.

[EVENT] NHIN University - Exchanging eHealth Information Securely

Samuel Knight — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:20:00 GMT

The National eHealth Collaborative is hosting the first Nationwide Heath Information Network (NHIN) University class online tomorrow. Students will learn about and discuss the many models of health information exchange that can be supported by the NHIN.

The lecture is being given by Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, PhD, Acting Director of Standards and Interoperability, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

When: March 16, 2010. 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

Cost: Free

Where: Online.

Register: Sign up here.

Obama Caught Lip-Syncing Speech

OhMyGov! — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:05:00 GMT

The Onion News Network breaks story of Obama lip syncing speech. Despite the controversy, Obama will not be altering the schedule of his upcoming tour opening for the Black Eyed Peas.

TSP Talk Weekly Wrap Up - 03/13/10

TSP Talk — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:10:00 GMT

It was another good week for stocks as the major indices added to their 2010 gains, and all of the TSP funds ended in positive territory.

The C-fund was up 1.07% for the week, while the S-fund gained another 1.75%, and the I-fund added 1.29%. The F-fund (bonds) and the G-fund were up 0.12% and 0.06% respectively.

March continues to be a strong month as we are seeing gains in the stock funds between 4.2% and 6.7%. For the year, only the I-fund remains in negative territory while the S-fund is well out ahead at +9.18% in 2010. This illustrates why it is so important to understand the differences in the funds, as far as which are performing better, and why.

For the S&P 500, we are at a bit of a fork in the road. We have been watching the chart of the S&P 500 from early 2007 for clues to what might happen next, as that chart is very similar to what we are seeing today.

The comparisons between the above chart prior to the “you are here” arrow and today’s chart below are undeniable, except for one very important point: Today’s chart has not yet broken out above the prior high. That is important, because many times old highs act as resistance rather than breaking out.

.

Let’s take a look at another chart from 2007. It is from a little later in the year.

Charts provided courtesy of www.decisionpoint.com, analysis by TSP Talk

You can see that there was a similar “V” bottom that quickly ran up to test the prior high. It actually broke out for a few days, but quickly failed and pulled right back down toward the prior low. The significance of that move, other than the obvious weakness, is that the failed breakout point above happened to be the peak before the 2008 collapse in the stock market, so it was actually the perfect time to be a seller.

I would like to say that today’s technical picture is much stronger than what we saw at the peak of 2007, but unfortunately, although looking very good based on the moving averages, they are very similar. The key will be whether the breakout can occur, and also whether it will hold.

We have some very important events scheduled on Tuesday of this coming week that could help determine which path we are about to take. Greece has a deadline on Tuesday to show the EU its plans on reducing their deficit, and that could determine whether or not they are going to be getting a bailout. No bailout could mean unstable market conditions across the globe.

Also on Tuesday is the Fed’s FOMC meeting where they will discuss interest rates and monetary policy. These meetings can be market movers.

Good luck, and thanks for reading. We will be back here next week with another TSP Wrap Up.

Tom Crowley
www.tsptalk.com

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TSP Talk does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this report, nor does TSPtalk.com assume any liability for any loss that may result from reliance by any person upon any such information or opinions. Such information and opinions are subject to change without notice and are for general information only.

The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and not intended to be recommendations, and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written consent from TSPtalk.com. Full Disclaimer

[EVENT] Building Transparency

Samuel Knight — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:10:00 GMT

This three panel event, being held in association with Sunshine Week at the Center for American Progress, will feature experts and insiders who will discuss the White House's Open Government Initiative and its effect on the public.

The first panel, which will discuss the White House's efforts to embed transparency into the system by requiring agencies to develop an open government plan, consists of:

Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform
Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute
John Wonderlich, Policy Director at the Sunlight Foundation

The second panel will focus on recent changes to law and public policy, and how they affect a citizen's ability to request and receive information from the federal government. Members of that panel are:

Kevin Goldberg, counsel to the American Society of News Editors (ASNE)
Miriam Nisbet, Director of the new Office of Government Information Services (OGIS)
Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Melanie Pustay, Director of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Information Policy (OIP)

The final panel will consist of developers and advocates for open governance who will discuss how they use government info like that available on Data.gov to undertake projects in the name of public interest. Confirmed panelists thus far include:

Laura Beavers, National KIDS COUNT Coordinator for the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Eric Gundersen, President and co-founder of Development Seed
Sean Moulton, Director of Federal Information Policy at OMB Watch will monitor the discussion.

CAP is encouraging would-be participants who aren't in DC to host events showing live feeds of the discussions. Plan now!

When: March 19th, 2010. 12:00 - 2:00 PM (EST)

Cost: Free

Location: Center for American Progress, Washington DC (1333 H Street, NW)*

Register: Sign up/more info here.

[EVENT] Celebrating Sunshine Week 2010 in Washington State

Samuel Knight — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:50:00 GMT

This event will feature a national broadcast from "Building Transparency" at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. A townhall-style meeting featuring Washington State's Auditor, Attorney General and Secretary of State will follow.

When: March 19, 2010. 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Cost: Free

Location: KCTS Studios, Seattle, WA (401 Mercer Street)

Register: More info here.

[EVENT] Sunshine Week

Samuel Knight — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:11:00 GMT

Sponsored by the American Society of News Editors and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Sunshine Week is a nationwide initiative to further the cause of open government and freedom of information in the United States. Participants include media outlets, schools, universities, civic groups, libraries and non-profits.

How can you participate? Discuss open governance, even if it is only in an informal setting (it would make for food cocktail/dinner party conversation).

When: March 14th - 20th

Cost: Free

Location: Everywhere the sun shines (sorry Seattle...just kidding...Seattleites are also encouraged to participate).

Register: Registration not necessary. More info here.

Locked Up: FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending March 12, 2010

OhMyGov! — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:33:00 GMT

Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Woman Indicted in Plot to Recruit Violent Jihadist Fighters and to Commit Murder Overseas

Colleen R. LaRose, aka “Fatima LaRose,” aka “JihadJane,” was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to a government official, and attempted identity theft. The indictment charges that LaRose (an American citizen born in 1963 who resides in Montgomery County, Pa.) and five unindicted co-conspirators (located in South Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the United States) recruited men on the Internet to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe, and recruited women on the Internet who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad. Full Story

FBI Headquarters: 60th Anniversary of the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” Program

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III on Wednesday announced the FBI’s commemoration of its famous “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” program, created 60 years ago. In 1949, a reporter for the International News Service (the predecessor to United Press International) approached the FBI and asked about writing a story about the “toughest guys” being sought by the FBI at the time. The Bureau provided the names and descriptions of 10 fugitives. The resulting feature became a major story and gained national attention. On March 14, 1950, then Director J. Edgar Hoover inaugurated the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives program. Since then, the FBI, through the “Top Ten” list, has been asking for help from the public to locate America’s most dangerous fugitives. Since 1950, 494 fugitives have appeared on the list; 463 have been apprehended or located, with 152 of those fugitives located as a direct result of citizen cooperation. Full Story

New York: Indictment Unsealed Charging Colombo Family Administration Member Theodore Persico and Seven Others

An eight-count indictment was unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court charging eight defendants—Theodore Persico, Jr., Michael Persico, Thomas Petrizzo, Edward Garofalo, Jr., James Bombino, Louis Romeo, Alicia Dimichelle and Mike LNU—variously with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, extortion, and embezzlement of union benefit funds. Several of the suspects are affiliated with the Colombo crime family. Full Story

New Orleans: Former New Orleans Police Detective Pleads Guilty; Confirms Danziger Cover-Up

A second former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officer has pleaded guilty to covering up a deadly police shooting in the days after Hurricane Katrina, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Jeffrey Lehrmann, a former NOPD detective who works as a special agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony (a charge for concealing a known felony) for failing to report a conspiracy to obstruct justice in the investigation of a police-involved shooting on the Danziger Bridge in New Orleans. The Sept. 4, 2005, shooting left two civilians dead and four others seriously injured. Full Story

New York: President and Chief Operating Officer of Mount Vernon Money Center Charged with Defrauding Banks, Retailers, Hospitals, and Universities out of $50 Million

Robert Egan, the president of Mount Vernon Money Center (“MVMC”), and Bernard McGarry, chief operating officer, was indicted on charges of defrauding banks, other financial institutions, retailers, hospitals, and universities out of $50 million in funds that had been entrusted to MVMC. Full Story

Los Angeles: Key Players in Irvine Investment Firm Arrested for Running $8 Million Ponzi Scheme That Targeted Koreans

The chairman of an Irvine investment firm and his girlfriend were arrested Tuesday on federal wire fraud charges that accuse them of running a Ponzi scheme that collected $8 million from approximately 60 Korean-American victims who lived throughout California. Euirang Hwang, 36, and Sang Yi, 39, were arrested without incident at a house in Corona by FBI special agents. Full Story

Miami: Three South Florida Men Charged in Obstruction of Justice and Money Laundering Operation

Three Florida men were arrested Wednesday on charges that include obstruction of justice and money laundering as part of a joint U.S. and Italian law enforcement action. Roberto Settineri and Daniel Dromerhauser were arrested on charges contained in a superseding indictment unsealed Wednesday. Enrique Ros was also charged in the superseding indictment, but remains at large. The defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct, two counts of obstruction and attempting to obstruct federal proceedings, one count of conspiracy to launder money, and five counts of substantive money laundering. If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison on each of the nine charged counts. Full Story

FBI Headquarters: National Center for Disaster Fraud to Coordinate Haitian and Chilean Fraud Complaints

Shortly after the earthquake in Haiti last January, the FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) established a telephone hotline to report suspected fraud associated with relief efforts. That number, (866) 720-5721, was initially staffed for the purpose of reporting suspected scams being perpetrated by criminals in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake. Since then, with the recent earthquake in Chile, our efforts have expanded to identify similar fraud activity emerging from that disaster. Therefore, the public is encouraged to call this same number—(866) 720-5721—to report suspected fraud from either disaster. The line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additionally, e-mail information can be directly sent to disaster@leo.gov. Full Story

Kansas City: Texas Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison in Massive Ecstasy Conspiracy

The 28th and final defendant in a drug-trafficking conspiracy was sentenced in federal court Thursday for his role in distributing hundreds of thousands of ecstasy pills, worth approximately $2 million, in Jackson County, Mo. Southanome Frichitavong, also known as “Pao,” 36, of Euless, Texas, was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Frichitavong to forfeit to the government $2 million, for which he is jointly and severally liable with other co-defendants, which represents the proceeds of the illegal drug trafficking. Full Story

Denver: Colorado Springs Man Indicted for Attempting to Corrupt TSA Computer Database

Douglas James Duchak, age 46, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver Tuesday on charges of attempting intentionally to damage a protected computer. The indictment alleges Duchak attempted to corrupt a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) database. Duchak worked at TSA’s Colorado Springs Operations Center (CSOC). The CSOC loads into its computer servers data it receives from the federal government’s Terrorist Screening Database, and the United States Marshal’s Service Warrant Information Network. Full Story

The week's 10 best political jokes - March 12, 2010

OhMyGov! — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:56:00 GMT

10. "Rush Limbaugh says if health care reform passes, he's going to leave the country and move to Costa Rica. Hey, you know what that means, right? That means one less overweight smoker the rest of us don't have to pay for." –Jay Leno

9. "According to the New York Post, Tiger Woods has hired former President Bush's press secretary Ari Fleischer to help with his public relations campaign. Is George Bush's guy really the one you want in charge of your approval rating? If it was up to me, I'd hire Clinton's guy." -Jimmy Kimmel

8. "Record ratings for the Oscars. Kathryn Bigelow won best director for her film about the Iraq war. But in her speech, she forgot to thank the two people without whom this film could never have been made -- Bush and Cheney." -Jay Leno

7. "President Obama's been really busy, you guys. He's making his final push on health care reform. Yesterday, Obama warned that insurance companies will continue to drop people's coverage when they need it. Or as iPhone users call that, 'The AT&T option.'" -Jimmy Fallon Bottom of Form

6. "A new poll out today shows that 22 percent of voters strongly approve of the job President Obama is doing, 43 percent strongly disapprove of the job he's doing, and the other 35 percent are holding off judgment until he actually does something." –Jay Leno

5."New York congressman Eric Massa has resigned his post this week after allegations that he groped his male staff. If it's not Charlie Rangel trying to get into your wallet, it's Eric Massa trying to get in your pants." -Jay Leno

4. "Former President Bush announced today he is writing a book on how he made decisions while in the White House. The book will be divided into the two chapters, 'Heads' and 'Tails.'" -Jay Leno

3. "Earlier today, the president of Haiti was at the White House to meet with President Obama. He said the people of his country need jobs, they need places to live, and they need health care. And then the president of Haiti spoke." –Jay Leno

2. "Yesterday, the White House said that it wants to pass the health care bill by March 18, or March 19. But at the very, very latest, March 21. Unless they have to wait until March 23, in which case they'll definitely want to pass it by April 6. Or April 8. Definitely by April 10. The 6th through the 10th, or possibly April 12 is a possibility. April 12, 2025, will definitely be the date. If not then, 2027. And if that doesn't come to fruition then, it's going to cut it off at 2040. So there you go. So, we'll have the health care bill by 2040, hopefully." –Jimmy Fallon

1. "And in an interview in Time magazine, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York -- I love this -- he said that having sex with hookers is not nearly as bad as having an affair. Guys, let me tell you something. Don't try this excuse at home, O.K. Eliot Spitzer is a politician. He is a trained professional liar. You will get killed!" -Jay Leno

And one to get you prepared for “Celebrity Apprentice”

David Letterman's Top Ten Questions Rod Blagojevich Asked Himself Before Appearing On 'Celebrity Apprentice'

10. 'Can I get paid in shampoo?'
9. 'Would I rather stay unemployed than work for Trump?'
8. 'Should I bring my attorney?'
7. 'Do I have anything better to do?'
6. 'Is there any chance NBC will replace me with Leno?'
5. 'Can I get paid in conditioner?'
4. 'Haven't I been through enough?'
3. 'How about my own show, 'The Haircut Ref?''
2. 'How come I'm not a governor and Paterson is?'
1. 'Will my hair get along with Trump's hair?'

Social Media Guru Praises Emerging 'Start-up Culture' in DC

Samuel Knight — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:38:00 GMT

Anil Dash had a simple message for those gathered at a Washington DC bakery to hear him give a brief talk Wednesday night: forget all your stereotypes about Washington's aversion to innovation.

The Director of Expert Labs, a nonprofit that advises the government on social media and crowdsourcing, spoke glowingly of the technology's potential to not only help government reach citizens more efficiently, but obtain feedback from them more effectively. Whole agencies, he said, are in the process of changing as Washington increasingly takes a shine to adaptability inherent in start-up culture.

A Dash to Open Government

That Dash – a man with serious information-superhighway-credibility – would heap such praise upon Washington's attitude towards technology has shown the leaps and bounds the Federal Government has made since the Web 1.0 days, when Al Gore thought he could get away with claiming to have invented the Internet.

One of the first bloggers, Dash said that he envisions new information systems to revolutionize the way we think about government just as blogging pioneers begun to change the way we think about the media ten years ago. “A small group of like-minded people can change the world,” he said.

The White House's Open Government initiative is a good start, but lasting change, he believes, will occur on a grassroots level, at events like hackathons hosted in living rooms and coffee shops in DC and other places where people are enthusiastic about their politics.

Courtesy: ClearedJobs.net

Existing social networks and tech firms can offer a platform for change, he added, but this participatory spirit must be seized by programmers in order to make government more accessible for the non digerati. (Would it be truly be Open Government if a handful of contractors were in charge of making data available to the public?) It may be difficult to attract some of the top talent – it's hard to say no to a Google salary and ping pong tables. But already there are programmers poised to take whatever data governments publish and turn them into useful apps in their spare time. Applications can be submitted to the government for official use on www.apps.gov.

And while Dash may have said that "the Googles and the Facebooks of the world don't care about improved policy," --- his point being that their bottom line is of their utmost concern --- Google, at least, is getting in on the action. The California-based software giant is looking to submit their own apps to the government, who in turn will compensate the company.

Size Matters

Whoever and whatever is helping drive the movement, it is a sign of progress that it is growing. The more feedback the government gets on policy issues – not unlike the way users rate YouTube videos – the truer the government can be to the will of the people.

Moreover, expanding the circle of who a decision maker -- in this case, the government -- asks for input can give added insight to problems.

For example, Dash once crowdsourced the question “What cell phone should I buy?” to his Twitter followers. While most told him to get an iPhone or a Google Phone (“because my friends are nerds”), one sent him data on the radiation output of various cell phone models. It wasn't what he asked, yet the information helped him arrive at a decision that he may have not made without it.

Encouraging participation, after all, will make social media more effective which, in turn, can revolutionize Washington. “The most potential and the most exciting uses for social media,” Dash claimed, “will change how we interact with the government.”

The event was part of the Sweets and Tweets series hosted by Debbie Weil.

[EVENT] AmEx OPEN Government Contracting Procurement

Samuel Knight — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:57:00 GMT

A workshop for entrepreneurs who want to learn about doing business with the government. Keynote speakers include Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and American Express Open President, Susan Sobbott.

When: March 31, 2010. 9:30 AM - 2:45 PM.

Cost: $695 (Free to American Express OPEN Cardmembers and partner affiliates)

Location: Grand Hyatt New York, New York City

Register: Sign up/more info here.

Fla. proposes extra tax credits for 'family values' entertainment

Alex Salta — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:11:00 GMT

State and local tax credits for film and television productions are one of those things where no one is quite sure what they are, but everyone with a camera wants one. Who exactly qualifies for these coveted credit slips is usually cut and dry: any production with a certain minimum budget (say, $625,000) that opts to film within a city or state's borders can use the credit to offset production costs. Seems simple enough... until you decide to film your little magnum opus in the state of Florida.

Some legislators in the Sunshine State, a place where everything seems to get more complicated, recently have expressed support for a plan that would award a bonus 5% tax credit to productions that promote "family-friendly values." Just whose family these values would have to be friendly towards is of course up for debate.

The proposal, placed in a $75 million omnibus spending bill currently being debated before the Florida State Legislature, is the brainchild of Orlando-area Representative Stephen Precourt. According to the Palm Beach Post, the bill would prohibit productions with "non-traditional family values" from being eligible for the tax credit. Such productions would still be eligible for the state's standard 15% tax credit.

When asked by the Post what exactly constitutes "non-traditional family values," Precourt took the opportunity to offer his thoughts on a wide range of topics stretching from Donald Duck to Floyd the Barber. "Think of it as like Mayberry," Precourt said. "That's when I grew up - the '60's. That's what life was like. I want Florida to be known for making those kinds of movies: Disney movies for kids and all that stuff. Like it used to be, you know?"

Asked whether or not productions featuring gay characters would be eligible for the credit, Precourt explained "that would not be the kind of thing I'd say that we want to invest public dollars in."

Regardless of whether or not you think American life in the 1960's was best defined by a fictional southern town with a perpetually under-funded police department is beside the point. The real point is that even Precourt seems to be having some difficulty explaining who would be eligible for this publicly funded tax credit.

It is worth noting that the Florida Film Commission already provides a 2% tax credit for productions deemed to have "cross-generational appeal" and a "responsible resolution of issues." Precourt's proposal would broaden the credit eligibility to the aforementioned "traditional family values" productions and bump the amount up to 5%.

Naturally the plan has its fair share of both supporters and detractors. John Stemberger, President of the Florida Family Policy Council, has lauded Precourt's efforts. "It's a good concept to encourage people to produce more quality family entertainment in the state," he said. "It's a good thing." Stemberger went on to stress that he sees the bill as being "pro-family, not anti-gay."

Brian Winfield, spokesman for Equality Florida, doesn't quite see it that way. "There are millions of families led by single parents, there are millions of families led by gay couples, or families with children being raised by an aunt or uncle or grandparent. Every one of these fits into what has been offered as a possible definition of ‘non-traditional family values.' Who knows who it would discriminate against?"

The dilemma over these kinds of subsidies comes down to the simple fact that by approving Precourt's measure the state would be awarding public funds to productions that promote a certain social, and ultimately political, agenda. Chances are some segment of the Florida taxpaying public is going to come away from this unhappy, and that kind of endgame is about as traditional as it gets... no matter what state you live in. Life in Mayberry never seemed so complicated.

A Gold Medal for Better Government

Edmund Adam Zagorin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:47:00 GMT

On Monday the White House released guidelines for the use of contests and prizes to encourage innovation in federal agencies. These guidelines are both welcome and overdue. While some federal agencies such as the Dept. of Veterans Affairs have already held contests to identify bureaucratic bottlenecks and craft expedient solutions, many federal agencies have yet take advantage of such an incentives system. Now that these guidelines are in place, there are good reasons why federal bureaucracies across the board should find it worthwhile to experiment with innovation competitions to improve the quality and speed of their operations.

Any way you slice it, we're competitive animals. Whether you're talking to an Olympic gold medalist or kids taping stunts in the hopes of getting their bloody noses on television, the promise of a prize has been a crucial symbol in harnessing human aspiration. We may be competing for glory or honor, for ourselves or others, our future or our past. Or we may just be trying our hardest because we want someone else to lose, badly.

The Obama administration recognized the value of this social competitive drive and has even recommended using contests to foster accountability and transparency in its Open Government Directive. Tucked away behind the centerpieces of the open government initiative like the publishing more high-value datasets and reducing the FOIA backlog, the contests program may be easy to miss.

The White House has tried to lead by example here. Through its SAVE Award contest, in which Feds were asked to put forth ideas "to save taxpayer dollars and make the government perform more effectively and efficiently," innovative solutions were crowdsourced. The results were startling: 84,670 submissions from Feds vying for the grand prize meeting with President Obama, and a final four posted online that all represent common-sense proposals for reducing waste and improving efficiency.

The SAVE contest also underscored an important problem, not in terms of the mechanics of their incentives systems, but with how they become translated into real results. At its core, the contest was run just like any other contest might; winnowing the field to a select few and then picking a winner. Except that ostensibly the prize was a presidential audience and implementation of the reform proposal. But to what extent should innovative suggestions really be thinned out?

If the goal of the contest, from the federal government's perspective, is to maximize the number of commonsense innovative changes, then while having an incentive for the cream of the crop makes a lot of sense, implementing only the cream doesn't. The SAVE Award represented thus represents a missed opportunity to create a more collaborative dialogue among federal employees of diverse agencies, perhaps by setting up a forum using blog-aggregators such as reddit or digg, or using a platform such as the now-defunct ideablob, which would allow the more popular ideas to generate discussion and critical mass for implementation. While using a contest to solicit bottom-up suggestions for innovative procedure changes is certainly a step in the right direction, using a similarly market-based method of sifting out the really good ideas would be a way to aggregate even more dispersed institutional wisdom.

These guidelines will allow federal agencies of all shapes and sizes to experiment with their own designs for innovation contests, and make use of outside contest design consultants, without running the risk of accidentally violating the Administration's stringent ethics rules. Just as the fifty states are often thought of as "laboratories for policy," different federal agencies may become laboratories for these innovation incentive-systems, over time developing unique best practices for how to motivate diverse populations, both of federal employees and the general public.

However, at the beginning some agencies may be confused or nervous about how to structure these incentives: how long the period between the announcement and the prize should be, how to promote the contest and define eligibility and a host of other questions. In bureaucracy, uncertainty frequently breeds inertia. That's why it will be important going forward for different agencies which have long sponsored successful innovation contests, such as DARPA, to post information about contest-design that can be accessible to other federal agencies. If one agency hires a consultant, as much information for designing contests should be made available to other federal agencies.

It is also crucial to recognize that different contests motivate different types of innovative behavior. "Competition" is not a generic panacea, but is itself a value that can be efficiently optimized or bungled just as easily as easily as anything else. For example, contests between individuals work differently than contests between institutional entities. As economists at Singapore National University have found, whereas innovation contests between individuals are effectively motivated to innovate by private rewards or "prizes", in the case of companies bidding for a procurement contract, an initial subsidy to develop the research may be more effective than a reward at the end of the day. While individuals can expend their personal cognitive resources and time competing for a prize "to do their best" regardless of their chances of winning, a company is much more likely to conservatively calculate the expenditure of resources versus the likelihood of reward. Hence, expanding the resource base in the initial stage through a subsidy may be more effective on a company than offering a prize at the end.

Contests may be designed to solicit suggestions, identify problems, design solutions or do a combination of the three. However, the knowledge base that they may draw on may be limited by institutional constraints. If the real problem in your office is that senior employees frequently preferentially consider vendors who have given them or their family valuable gifts over those who are better qualified, then the personal politics of such a decision override the institutional ones. It might not be an option to broach such a subject to any superior, and any attempt to do so is fraught with discomfort and misadventure.

This is why a key part of fostering innovation and transparency in the federal bureaucracy will have to include meaningful whistleblower protection reform. As the Project on Government Oversight has noted: "...whistleblowers are almost always reprimanded, fired, and/or harassed instead of fêted, even if they have not "gone public" and even after their allegations are proven to be true." But the federal government and public in general has a strong interest in reforms and exposures that whistleblowers bring, and thus in creating an incentives program that both protects and rewards their courage. As civil servants adjust to a new era of accountability, these novel incentive designs hold out the promise for agencies to eliminate unnecessary red tape and innovate more efficient procedures that will transform the current bureaucratic landscape for the public good.

Guidance on the Use of Challenges and Prizes to Promote Open Government

News stories with numbers attract attention on Facebook

Evan Morier — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:04:00 GMT

Social media marketing expert Dan Zarrella recently analyzed news stories shared via Facebook, finding that stories with digits in their titles tend to be shared more often.

It is difficult to isolate the cause of this phenomenon, but it is useful to note it as a possible factor in the choice to share articles on Facebook.

New study reveals surprising data on Twitter demographics

Evan Morier — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:26:00 GMT

A new study on Twitter usage includes some statistics that may surprise you. For example, only 21% of Twitter users are considered "active" (10 tweets, 10 followers, following 10). Also, a significant 73% of Twitter users have less than 10 tweets. It appears that high visibility from celebrities prompted a rapid growth in Twitter accounts last winter, followed by a leveling out (and a possible source of all those inactive accounts).

The study also notes that the percentage of active users on Twitter has been going up as of late, and we take an optimistic view of the data here. Twitter is maturing, its power users are highly engaged, and it is great for public affairs and PR teams looking to communicate to influencers and decision makers.

In addition, the Twitter users with the most followers are not the ones who tweet the most. Note that the middle ground of the twittersphere (not those with 10 followers or 100,000, but the orders of magnitude in between) is very active and dominates the medium.

[EVENT] How to Craft Your Agency's Open Gov Plan

Samuel Knight — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:25:00 GMT

An executive breakfast sponsored by Adobe, Federal Computer Week invites senior government officials and open government specialists to discuss the White House's Open Government Directive.

When: March 18, 2010. 8:00 - 11:00 AM.

Cost: Free

Location: Willard Hotel, Washington DC

Register: Sign up/more info here.

[EVENT] Open Government in the Digital Age Summit

Samuel Knight — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:05:00 GMT

The New York State Chief Information Office and the Office for Technology, and the New York State Archives invite you to attend Open Government in the Digital Age Summit.

When: March 19, 2010. 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Location: New York State Cultural Education Center - Clark Auditorium, Albany NY

Register: Sign up here. More info here.

[EVENT] Security by Collaboration: Social Media and Security

Samuel Knight — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:35:00 GMT

What are the security barriers that are preventing more government workplaces from encouraging their personnel to adopt a more collaborative approach by engaging in online social networking? Find out what the answer is from an HR and management perspective at this event. Cyber security enthusiasts may want to mark their calender for this one.

When: March 31st, 2010. 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

Cost: Free

Location: Washington DC

Register: Sign up/more info here.