Peter Sheridan Dodds, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1411678112 – Human language reveals a universal positivity bias “Using human evaluation of 100,000 words spread across 24 corpora in 10 languages diverse in origin and culture, we present evidence of a deep imprint of human sociality in language, observing that (i) the words of natural human language possess a universal… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2015
EEOC Enforcement and Litigation Statistics 2014
EEOC Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Enforcement and Litigation Data – Percentage of Claims Alleging Retaliation Reaches Record High, While Number of Charges Decrease “The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released a comprehensive set of fiscal year 2014 private sector data tables providing detailed breakdowns for the 88,778 charges of workplace discrimination the agency received. The… Continue Reading
Exposure to mercury, seafood associated with risk factor for autoimmune disease
Emily C. Somers, Martha A. Ganser, Jeffrey S. Warren, Niladri Basu, Lu Wang, Suzanna M. Zick, Sung Kyun Park. Mercury Exposure and Antinuclear Antibodies among Females of Reproductive Age in the United States: NHANES. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2015; DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408751 Science Daily: “One of the greatest risk factors for autoimmunity among women of childbearing age… Continue Reading
Markey Report Reveals Automobile Security and Privacy Vulnerabilities
“New standards are needed to plug security and privacy gaps in our cars and trucks, according to a report released today by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). The report, called Tracking & Hacking: Security & Privacy Gaps Put American Drivers at Risk and first reported on by CBS News’ 60 Minutes, reveals how sixteen major… Continue Reading
Learning Communities: A New Model for Legal Education
Knauer, Nancy J., Learning Communities: A New Model for Legal Education (February 8, 2015). 6 Elon L. Rev. (2015), Forthcoming. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2562086 “This article makes the case that learning communities can improve legal education through their unique ability to integrate the three core apprenticeships: theory, practice, and professionalism. They offer students… Continue Reading
CFPB Report Highlights Consumer Frustration Around Reverse Mortgages
“Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report highlighting the top complaints for reverse mortgages. According to the report, consumers are frustrated with their loan terms, servicer runarounds, and foreclosure problems. To help consumers who already have a reverse mortgage, the CFPB is issuing an advisory with tips on how to plan ahead… Continue Reading
Consumers Report Stable Inflation Expectations, Lower Spending Growth Expectations
“The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released results from its January 2015 Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE), which provides insight into Americans’ views on inflation, prices, the labor market and household finance. Median consumer inflation expectations were largely unchanged at both the one-year and the three-year ahead horizons at 2.9 percent and 3.0… Continue Reading
Speech by Governor Powell on Audit the Fed and other proposals
Governor Jerome H. Powell At the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Washington, D.C. February 9, 2015 – “Audit the Fed” and Other Proposals: “It has been a little more than six years since the fall of 2008, when the peak of a severe financial crisis presented the very real threat of a… Continue Reading
Sunlight gets U.S. to release indexes of federal data
“For the first time, the United States government has agreed to release what we believe to be the largest index of government data in the world. On Friday, the Sunlight Foundation received a letter from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) outlining how they plan to comply with our FOIA request from December 2013… Continue Reading
Government agencies enable HTTP Strict Transport Security for public websites
Ashkan Soltani, Chief Technologist, FTC: “I’m pleased to announce that the FTC has joined a number of other federal agencies in deploying additional security best practices for our public consumer websites: donotcall.gov, ftccomplaintassistant.gov, and hsr.gov.: ” The websites, which already employ HTTPS encryption, have enabled a feature known as HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) which… Continue Reading
IRS Launches Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers; Online Tool Offers New Option to Help Taxpayers
“The Internal Revenue Service announced [February 5, 2015] the launch of a new, online public directory of tax return preparers. This searchable directory on IRS.gov will help taxpayers find a tax professional with credentials and select qualifications to help them prepare their tax returns. “This new directory will be a practical tool for the millions… Continue Reading
Geospatial Resolution of Human and Bacterial Diversity with City-Scale Metagenomics
Afshinnekoo et al, Geospatial Resolution of Human and Bacterial Diversity with City-Scale Metagenomics, CELS (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cels.2015.01.001 “The panoply of microorganisms and other species present in our environment influence human health and disease, especially in cities, but have not been profiled with metagenomics at a city-wide scale. We sequenced DNA from surfaces across the entire New… Continue Reading
