The Law Commission of Ontario, which operates independently of the government to recommend law reforms, makes its home at Osgoode. Osgoode students sweep the mooting competitions and bring home the Arnup Cup, the Sopinka Cup, and the Wilson Cup. Shabir Amlani '07, Jennifer Brent '07, and Daniel Cole '07 become the first non-American team to walk away with first place prizes at the Fifth Annual National Law School Mediation Tournament. ; https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/image125/1078/thumbnail.jpg
Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report presents the General Accounting Office's (GAO) Performance Plans for Fiscal Year 2007. In the spirit of the Government Performance and Results Act, this annual plan informs the Congress and the American people about what we expect to accomplish on their behalf in the coming fiscal year. It sets forth our plan to make progress toward achieving our strategic goals for serving the Congress and the American people. This framework not only shows the relationship between our strategic goals and strategic objectives, but also show major themes that could potentially affect our work."
The past year saw a dramatic surge of economic growth in India. Despite this rapid spurt of growth, significant political problems continue to hobble the country partially because the coalition government in New Delhi seems unable to make hard policy decisions. Consequently, it remains unclear if India can surmount many of the obstacles that still stand in the way of sustained economic growth and even increased international political stature.
This article appeared in Homeland Security Affairs (January 2008), v.4 no.1 ; As New York City and the nation prepared to remember the sixth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the talk started about September 11th fatigue: 'a weariness of reliving a day that everyone wishes had never happened.' 'I may sound callous, but doesn'۪t grieving have a shelf life?' one person asked. 'We'۪re very sorry and mournful that people died, but there are living people. Let'۪s wind it down.' That gets my vote for 2007's most startling homeland security story. One gets startled when something happens one was not expecting. Perhaps I should not have been so surprised. I spoke with a lot of thoughtful homeland security professionals last year. [''_] Their responses present a snapshot of Homeland Security 2007 as captured by people who work with and think about these issues all year. Their ideas remind us of the continuing debate about the meaning, scope, and effect of homeland security. Not every important topic or trend is mentioned. What is cited, however, outlines the still emerging terrain of homeland security. Intelligence-arguably the core of preventing another major attack-was a significant issue in 2007. Several national intelligence estimates and related products revealed more information about 'the threat' and about how the intelligence community does its work. Unsurprisingly, the more one knows about this element of the nation's security, the more questions are raised. Can we rely on the accuracy and objectivity of intelligence generated by government? How does intelligence actually help the nation be better prepared? ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Presented is GAO's performance and accountability report for fiscal year 2007. In the spirit of the Government Performance and Results Act, this annual report informs the Congress and the American people about what we have achieved on their behalf. The financial information and the data measuring GAO's performance contained in this report are complete and reliable."
Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "This report presents the highlights of GAO's fiscal year 2007 Performance and Accountability Report. In fiscal year 2007 we exceeded the targets for five of our six key performance measures--financial benefits, nonfinancial benefits, past recommendations implemented, new products with recommendations, and testimonies--that gauge how well we produced results and served our client, the Congress. With this level of performance we were able to achieve a return on investment for the American people of about $94 for every dollar the Congress gave us. We also met or exceeded five of the eight targets we set for our people measures--new hire rate, acceptance rate, retention rate with retirements, retention rate without retirements, and staff development. While these measures were largely similar to last year's results, we missed the performance targets for staff utilization, leadership, and organizational climate by 5, 1, and 2 percentage points, respectively, in spite of the challenges we faced internally. While supporting the Congress's oversight efforts with more than 1,200 reports and testimonies we issued during the fiscal year, in November 2006, we sent a letter to the incoming leadership of the new Congress suggesting three dozen areas for additional oversight. The challenge before us in serving the Congress and the nation is to help maintain a government that is effective, transparent, and relevant for this generation and generations to come. GAO will continue to "lead by example" in transforming government while providing the most professional, objective, fact-based, nonpartisan, nonideological, fair, and balanced information possible to the Congress and the American people."
Russia in 2007 moved further away from a constitutional order governed by the rule of law as President Vladimir Putin's second term drew to a close and the country prepared for parliamentary and presidential elections. High oil and gas prices buoyed the economy, but little progress was made in addressing Russia's serious social problems. In foreign policy, confrontation with the West was balanced by excellent relations with most of Asia.