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Monthly Archives: July 2017

National Archives Begins Online Release of JFK Assassination Records

[At 8am on July 24, 2017] “the National Archives released a group of documents (the first of several expected releases), along with 17 audio files, previously withheld in accordance with the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The materials released today are available online only.  Access to the original paper records will occur at… Continue Reading

Marshall Project Investigation Yields Details on Pentagon Weapons-for-Cops Giveaway

This piece was reported and written by Tom Meagher and Gabriel Dance for The Marshall Project and by Shawn Musgrave of MuckRock, an independent investigative news site.: “You may have heard that the image-conscious Los Angeles Unified School District chose to return the grenade launchers it received from the Defense Department’s surplus equipment program. You… Continue Reading

RAND Report: The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model

The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model – Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It, by Christopher Paul and Miriam Matthews, RAND Corporation “Since its 2008 incursion into Georgia (if not before), there has been a remarkable evolution in Russia’s approach to propaganda. The country has effectively employed new dissemination channels and messages… Continue Reading

Memory Hole posts Tweets deleted by Scaramucci

MemoryHole2: “Immediately after Anthony Scaramucci was named White House communications director on July 21, 2017, Josh Billinson discovered two tweets critical of Trump. After Billinson tweeted about them, Scaramucci blocked him (temporarily) and deleted the tweets. Soon after, it became apparent that Scaramucci was deleting more tweets, leading numerous outlets to report on this. I’ve… Continue Reading

Digital Counties Survey 2017: Winners Focus on Knowing When, How to Introduce New Tech

“County government is increasingly leading the way when it comes to deploying technologies that matter to everyday citizens. Where innovation and out-of-the-box thinking used to fall to bigger, better-funded state IT agencies and the private sector, regional governments have turned their focus to being more adaptable and responsive to the technology needs of their constituents.… Continue Reading

The Fragile States Index

“The Fragile States Index is based on a conflict assessment framework – known as “CAST” – that was developed by FFP nearly a quarter-century ago for assessing the vulnerability of states to collapse. The CAST framework was designed to measure this vulnerability in pre-conflict, active conflict and post-conflict situations, and continues to be used widely… Continue Reading

Salmon caught in Puget found to contain cocaine, antidepressants, pain relievers

81 drugs and personal-care products were detected in the flesh of salmon caught in the Puget Sound. “Salmon is purported to be one of the healthiest foods due to its high omega-3 content, protein, and essential fatty acids, but if the fish is obtained from the Puget Sound, it is anything but healthy. According to… Continue Reading

Science concurs with librarians about value of reading actual books

Mic.com – “It’s no secret that reading is good for you. Just six minutes of reading is enough to reduce stress by 68%, and numerous studies have shown that reading keeps your brain functioning effectively as you age. One study even found that elderly individuals who read regularly are 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than their peers. But not… Continue Reading