CRS Legal Sidebar, Supreme Court Ruling May Affect the Fate of Climate Change Liability Suits, June 4, 20201: “On May 17, 2021, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that could delay climate liability suits—that is,lawsuits seeking damages for alleged climate change-related injuries that result from selling and producing fossil fuel products. In BP p.l.c. v.… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: June 2021
Washington DC named best city park system in US
From the Trust for Public Land: “The Trust for Public Land announced today that Washington, DC, ranked 1st on the annual ParkScore® index, improving from last year’s second-place finish. Washington climbed ahead of defending champion Minneapolis, which finished third. Saint Paul placed second and Arlington, VA, finished fourth. Washington performed strongly on all ParkScore rating… Continue Reading
Google and MIT prove social media can slow the spread of fake news
Fast Company: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, the public has been battling a whole other threat: what U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has called a “pandemic of misinformation.” Misleading propaganda and other fake news is easily shareable on social networks, which is threatening public health. As many as one in four adults has claimed they will not… Continue Reading
How is your website impacting the planet
“Website Carbon Calculator. The new data shows carbon impacts being roughly one third of those reported by the V1 carbon calculator, partly thanks to more robust data and partly due to the efficiency of web technology increasing rapidly over the past few years. V1 used data from 2012 whereas V2 uses data from 2017/18. The… Continue Reading
Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium
“The Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium is a coalition of gun violence researchers and practitioners from seven states and territories that aims to inform policymakers and the public by providing evidence-based, data-driven policy recommendations to disrupt the cycle of firearm-involved homicides, suicides, and injuries. The Consortium approaches the study of gun violence with the belief… Continue Reading
The 2021 Milky Way photographer of the year
Capture the Atlas: “Photographing the Milky Way is an otherworldly experience. There aren’t many events as moving as seeing our galaxy rising and illuminating the night sky. However, at night, many things are invisible to the naked eye. When you use a camera to capture the Milky Way, a whole new world of details, colors, and light… Continue Reading
Maryland Is First State to Expand Equitable Access to E-books through Libraries
Association of Research Libraries: “In a win for libraries and their users, Maryland is the first in the nation to enact a state law ensuring that libraries can license e-books and audiobooks under the same terms available to consumers. The new law (Maryland House Bill 518) requires that publishers offer reasonable terms to public libraries… Continue Reading
Key findings: How Americans’ attitudes about climate change differ by generation, party and other factors
“Majorities of Americans say the federal government, businesses and other actors are doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change and express support for a variety of policy approaches aimed at addressing the issue. At the same time, the public has limited appetite for some of the more dramatic proposed changes to energy… Continue Reading
Mobile Technology and Home Broadband 2021
“Smartphone ownership (85%) and home broadband subscriptions (77%) have increased among American adults since 2019 – from 81% and 73% respectively. Though modest, both increases are statistically significant and come at a time when a majority of Americans say the internet has been important to them personally. And 91% of adults report having at least… Continue Reading
Zoom could be letting your boss spy on you
CNET – “Zoom makes video chatting with colleagues easy, but you might be giving away more than you bargained for. Here are some of the privacy vulnerabilities in Zoom that you should watch out for while working remotely…” Continue Reading
Puppies born ready to communicate with people
Cosmos: “In a result that won’t come as a surprise to dog lovers, US researchers have found that puppies are born with an innate ability to interact with humans.The team studied eight-week-old puppies to see how they responded to human gestures without much (if any) training by giving 375 dogs the exact same tasks. They… Continue Reading
What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws
“All EEOC materials related to COVID-19 are collected at www.eeoc.gov/coronavirus. The EEOC enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act (which include the requirement for reasonable accommodation and non-discrimination based on disability, and rules about employer medical examinations and inquiries), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (which… Continue Reading
