Political Interference with Climate Change Science under the Bush Administration: United States House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, December 2007 [Final Report]

"For the past 16 months, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been investigating allegations of political interference with government climate change science under the Bush Administration. During the course of this investigation, the Committee obtained over 27,000 pages of documents from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Commerce Department, held two investigative hearings, and deposed or interviewed key officials. Much of the information made available to the Committee has never been publicly disclosed. This report presents the findings of the Committee's investigation. The evidence before the Committee leads to one inescapable conclusion: the Bush Administration has engaged in a systematic effort to manipulate climate change science and mislead policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming."

(Links to the full report and supporting documents are available at the bottom of the web site.)

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will offer a special Web cast, ?Clarity Moves Innovation: A USPTO Webinar on the New Rules for Claims and Continuations,? this Thursday, August 23rd, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

The webinar will present information on new claims and continuations rules that will allow the agency to continue to make the patent examination process more effective and efficient by encouraging applicants to use greater precision in describing the scope of their inventions. The new rules will be published in the Federal Register August 21 and will be effective on November 1, 2007. During this live, two-hour webinar, USPTO officials will explain the new rules and answer questions.

The presentation and audio for this event will be streamed over the Internet. All participants need is a computer with an Internet connection, sound card, speakers and the ability to view Windows Media presentations. Participants must register using the link from the USPTO?s website at http://www.uspto.gov/

Nature 448, 239 (19 July 2007)

Article reviewing "'Peer to Patent', the patent office's pilot project launched on 15 June to bring patent evaluation to the masses...The US Patent and Trade Office has cracked open the door on its normally closed patent evaluation process. Heidi Ledford looks at how its peer-review project is faring."

See http://www.peertopatent.org for detailed program information.

"The biggest search for America's best new invention is currently taking place in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Orlando and Houston...Each week during the first six episodes, one winner from each city will be given $50,000 seed money to further develop and refine their product for the semifinal round. In the end, it will be up to the American viewing audience to call in and vote for the one invention they feel is worthy of the $1 million dollar grand prize and the chance to mass produce their product." (This is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as an endorsement of this show or the network airing it.)

By William Jackson
04/02/07
Gov Computer News

The government is taking some cautious steps toward what has been called Web 2.0, letting users contribute to rather than merely browse agency Web sites. The Patent and Trademark Office is piloting a program to invite online comment on patent applications. And the Federal CIO Council's Semantic Interoperability Community of Practice uses wiki software so that attendees and presenters can post material about the group's monthly meetings. But these efforts represent only a drop in the federal online ocean, and that caution probably is a good thing.