http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/ Government Executive Staff Correspondent Alyssa Rosenberg takes a look at news affecting the management and operations of the massive federal bureaucracy. en Copyright 2009 Thu,02 Jul 2009 20:43:18 GMT http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Apparently, the State Department is working on building the infrastructure to help scientists in North and South America communicate with each other. The Department's providing space for conversations on the Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau's website, hosting webchats, and looking at... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/networked.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/networked.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Thu,02 Jul 2009 20:43:18 GMT From science-fiction blog io9 comes a delightful reminder of the crazy things countries can get themselves into when they go in big for self-improvement: apparently, Russian engineers spent about 40 years trying to build a flying-car system in Moscow. Washington,... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/capitol_cities.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/capitol_cities.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Thu,02 Jul 2009 20:00:10 GMT The Post has an interesting story today, suggesting that even growing federal employment in the greater Washington, D.C. area isn't enough to offset job losses in other industries. Combined with the report of higher-than-expected job losses across the country today,... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/unemployment.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/unemployment.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Thu,02 Jul 2009 15:56:03 GMT It's worth noting that Brown spoke highly of Berry as recently as last week, saying he and other NFFE officials had positive meetings with Berry and were willing to work with him on issues like pay reform. Brown was definitely... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/berrys_statement_on_nffe_presi.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/berrys_statement_on_nffe_presi.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Wed,01 Jul 2009 16:17:55 GMT Neil Armstrong was a GS-13 when he walked on the moon.... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/fact_of_the_day.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/fact_of_the_day.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Wed,01 Jul 2009 15:10:04 GMT To the family of Richard Brown, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, and to his co-workers at the union. Brown passed away unexpectedly yesterday at 47. I've reproduced NFFE's announcement below the jump.... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/condolences.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/condolences.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Wed,01 Jul 2009 14:08:18 GMT The folks at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board weren't kidding when they said provisions of the tobacco legislation that made changes to the Thrift Savings Plan could be implemented as early as July. The Board published the regulation starting... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/automatic_agency_contribution.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/07/automatic_agency_contribution.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Wed,01 Jul 2009 12:56:12 GMT One of the questions Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry was asked at yesterday's work-life town hall was whether folks could contribute money instead of food through the food drive OPM is currently sponsoring in federal agencies. Berry... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/the_food_drive_and_the_combine.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/the_food_drive_and_the_combine.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Tue,30 Jun 2009 22:23:03 GMT I've received a lot of questions in comments about how the State Department and other agencies are going to define "domestic partners" for the purposes of extending benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian federal employees. Here's the language... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/defining_domestic_partners.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/defining_domestic_partners.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Tue,30 Jun 2009 20:25:49 GMT By Robert Brodsky Sen. Claire McCaskill's influence in the watchdog/auditing community continues to grow. On Monday, one of the McCaskill's top aides, Peggy Gustafson, was nominated as inspector general for the Small Business Administration. Gustafson currently serves as general counsel... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/mccaskill_aide_nominated_as_sb.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/mccaskill_aide_nominated_as_sb.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Tue,30 Jun 2009 15:41:47 GMT Over at Wired Workplace, Brittany checks in with some of our sources from the piece we wrote on the generational shift in the workplace. The point Brittany's making in the post, and that the folks she's referencing is trying to... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/across_the_divide.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/across_the_divide.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Tue,30 Jun 2009 15:01:01 GMT The New York Times is inveighing against Senatorial holds on Obama administration nominees today, thundering that "Good governance requires Republicans to drop groundless holds." I think there's no question that Senatorial process is, um, deeply if not irretrievably broken, and... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/hold_on_for_one_more_day.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/hold_on_for_one_more_day.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Tue,30 Jun 2009 14:23:29 GMT I'm over at the Office of Personnel Management where director John Berry is holding a town hall meeting on work-life balance with his employees. Back in May, Berry said he hoped to create an innovation zone for work-life balance programs... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/work-life_pilot_zone_to_become.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/work-life_pilot_zone_to_become.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Mon,29 Jun 2009 17:13:27 GMT Admittedly, State had a heads-up on other departments and agencies in equalizing benefits for the domestic partners of gay and lesbian employees and for the spouses of heterosexual workers, since Secretary Hillary Clinton ordered a review of department policies long... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/the_state_department_implement.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/the_state_department_implement.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Mon,29 Jun 2009 15:08:13 GMT Marc Ambinder reports that Joe Biden will mediate a beef between the CIA and the Directorate of National Intelligence. He's got good details about how the dispute is impacting the viability of each institution, but what I want to know... http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/mediation.php http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/06/mediation.php webmaster@govexec.com (Alyssa Rosenberg) Fri,26 Jun 2009 17:18:03 GMT