Records Obtained by The Times After Years of Secrecy “The Times has obtained tax-return data for President Trump extending over more than two decades. It tells a story fundamentally different from the one he’s sold to the public – revealing struggling properties, vast write-offs, an audit battle and hundreds of millions in debt coming due.… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
How to blur your house on Google Street View
Mashable – (and why you should) – “Google Street View offers up a window to the world in all its bizarre, intimate, and often raw glory. That window just so happens to peek into your home, as well. What that peek reveals may be more than you’ve bargained for — think views into bedroom windows,… Continue Reading
Why you should read this out loud
BBC Future: “Most adults retreat into a personal, quiet world inside their heads when they are reading, but we may be missing out on some vital benefits when we do this…Today, silent reading is the norm. The majority of us bottle the words in our heads as if sitting in the hushed confines of a… Continue Reading
It Took COVID Closures to Reveal Just How Much Libraries Do Beyond Lending Books
Observer “Since the early 19th Century, public libraries in the United States and throughout the world have thrown open their doors to people from all backgrounds, offering the gift of reading, supporting education and encouraging a sense of community. Sadly, some of the services offered have been undervalued in recent years—with budget cuts both in… Continue Reading
Pandas, bald eagles, airplanes: D.C. area’s best webcams, ranked
Washington Post – “Zoom fatigue, we hear you. Skyrocketing smartphone usage, been there. And yet: When you’re missing your favorite D.C. spots, there’s an easy way for them to still come to you. Local webcams can provide hours of distraction and amusement, plus a status update on the crowded places where we used to casually… Continue Reading
COVID-19 Liability: Tort, Workplace Safety, and Securities Law
CRS report via LC – COVID-19 Liability: Tort, Workplace Safety, and Securities Law, September 24, 2020: “Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still unfolding, a number of plaintiffs have already filed lawsuits seeking compensation for COVID-19-related injuries. Some stakeholders have expressed concern that the risk of COVID-19-related lawsuits threatens a range of businesses and other entities… Continue Reading
This website lets you look for patterns in COVID-19 data
Fast Company – “Ask COVID19questions.org a question about the disease—how many patients in the ICU were put on a ventilator?—and it will look through 12 hospital systems’ records and find an answer. Months into the pandemic, there are still so many unknowns about COVID-19. Does age or ethnicity affect how likely a COVID patient is… Continue Reading
A is for Automation: A book to prepare your children for the future of work
Quartz – Here’s how it works, kid: “When you’re young, you just play, / But things will start changing, / You’ll start working one day / Sure, the future is murky, / The job market’s unclear, / But if you can stay nimble, / You have nothing to fear / Let’s review the future of… Continue Reading
5 Calls – easiest and most effective way for citizens to make an impact in national and local politics
How do I use 5 Calls? Type in your ZIP code (or let your browser or the app find your location for you). Choose an issue that’s important to you. Make calls! You have three members of Congress – two senators and a House rep. Some issues need calls to all three (we’ll tell you… Continue Reading
Sites for Real-Time COVID Travel Restrictions
Lifehacker: “Let’s first acknowledge that if you don’t have to travel right now, you should definitely stay home. But if you absolutely must travel, it’s important to have up-to-date information about what’s going on with COVID-19 at your planned destination. This can be confusing, as the pandemic situation and related travel restrictions seem to change… Continue Reading
Internal USPS documents link changes behind mail slowdowns to top executives
Washington Post includes the 16 page presentation – “A senior executive at the U.S. Postal Service delivered a PowerPoint presentation in July that pressed officials across the organization to make the operational changes that led to mail backups across the country, seemingly contradicting months of official statements about the origin of the plans, according to… Continue Reading
Substantial underestimation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States
CDC COVID-19 Science Update released September 22, 2020 – “Key Findings: By April 18, 2020, the estimated cumulative SARS-CoV-2 incidence in the US was ~2%. The number of estimated cumulative SARS-CoV-2 infections was 8.6 times the number of confirmed infections: 6,454,951 vs 751,245. 84% of the difference between estimated cumulative and reported confirmed cases was… Continue Reading
