South Carolina Government Agency Hacked!
“Just one look: That’s all it took for an attacker to compromise South Carolina state systems.”[1] In what appears to be the largest cyber attack yet against a state government agency, hackers stole millions of documents from the South Carolina State Department of Revenue this summer. The stolen bounty includes almost four million social security numbers and over three million bank account numbers. Hackers stole the information by placing a 21st … Read More
Tracing the Origins of the “Fiscal Cliff”
Shortly after the re-election of President Barack Obama, there was an immediate and pressing concern to address the termination of tax cuts by January 1, 2013. The expiration of several tax cuts worth billions of dollars—the Bush tax cuts, the payroll-tax holiday, the alternative minimum tax, and tax credits—would result in raised expenses across the board, from the middle class to the affluent “one-percent.” The phrase used to define this … Read More
Presidential Election 2012: Obama Re-elected (Op-Ed)
Last night and early this morning, it was clear America had spoken. President Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term in office, despite the delayed rescindence of Governor Mitt Romney and the very disappointed Karl Rove as seen on Fox News. The president won the Northeast, the West Coast, and most of the swing states–Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. President Obama was earned votes … Read More
EPA Grant Encourages Students to Develop Green Technology
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting applications for Phase I of the “P3” Grant Competition, which provides funding to teams of college students who design sustainable technologies. The People, Prosperity and the Planet (“P3”) Grant has two phases: Phase I awards $15,000 to winning teams to develop their idea. Then, in order to reach Phase II, they must complete their design and share it at The … Read More
Author James Carroll on Rhode Island’s and America’s Moral Charter
On Thursday October 18, 2012, Boston Globe columnist and author James Carroll spoke at the kick-off a multi-day planning session organized by the Pell Center, the Newport Historical Society, the John Carter Brown Library, the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, Brown University, and Bryant University. Carroll, author of Jerusalem, Jerusalem offered a blend of historical context and contemporary political reflection, weaving the legacy of Roger Williams and Rhode Island’s … Read More
The FEMA Debate: Hurricane Sandy Raises Questions about FEMA’s Role
Since Hurricane Sandy’s departure from the East Coast of the United States, 6.6 million people in 15 states and the District of Columbia are still without electricity—1.9 million New Yorkers alone are without power. All of the sights and sounds of The Big Apple—the subways, the trains, the city’s skyline—are either submerged underwater or shut off. In light of the hurricane’s aftermath, there have been discussions about how the federal … Read More
The Significance of “Faithful Citizenship” in the Voting Booth and Presidential Debate Watch II
On Tuesday evening, Oct. 17, 2012, the Pell Center co-hosted a lecture and presidential debate watch with The Mercy Center of Spiritual Life and the Religious & Theological Studies Department in Bazarsky Lecture Hall. The featured lecturer, Dr. Peter Steinfels of Fordham University, discussed Faithful Citizenship in a Partisan World. Dr. Steinfels defined the meaning of faithful citizenship; explored the conflict between religious faith and political affairs; and connected the … Read More
Event: Campaign 2012 Lecture and Debate Watch II
Campaign 2012 October 16, 2012 7:30 PM Bazarsky Lecture Hall – O’Hare Academic Center Salve Regina University Ochre Point Avenue (at the intersection with Shepard Avenue) Newport, RI RSVP to [email protected] or call (401) 341-2927 7:30 PM Lecture: Faithful Citizenship in a Partisan World with Peter Steinfels, Ph.D. (co-sponsored by the Religious & Theological Studies Department and Mercy Center) Since the 1970s, Catholics have been urged by church leaders to be … Read More
Afghanistan End Game: Event Report
On Wednesday, August 1, the Pell Center and Newport CIV jointly hosted an evening conversation with two prominent experts on the course of the war in Afghanistan. Dr. Bernard Finel of the National War College and Dr. Mark Jacobson of the German Marshall Fund of the United States engaged an audience of more than 100 people with assessments of where we stand after nearly 11 years of fighting. America’s war … Read More
Statement on the 40th Anniversary of the Pell Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Newport, RI—To mark the 40th anniversary of the Pell Grant, Dr. Jim Ludes, executive director of the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, issued the following statement: Forty years ago, in the middle of the Nixon Administration, the United States Congress created Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, later renamed Pell Grants. This bipartisan investment in America’s young has provided a remarkable return on its investment. The Pell Grant … Read More