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Monthly Archives: January 2017

Protecting Climate Data in Times of Political Turmoil

Via UCLA Center for Knowledge Structure: “The Southern California Climate Data Protection Project helps to build a refuge for climate change data and supports climate and environmental research and advocacy. We are committed to evidence-based arguments. Our goal is to preserve the research society needs at a time of ongoing climate change. This concern is… Continue Reading

Responses to immigrant ban include legal stay and legislation

The New York Times – Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration: What We Know – “The order caused widespread confusion on the immigration system and in airports, and prompted protests and legal action. Here is a quick guide.” The Executive Order signed by President Trump  on January 27, 2017 is no longer posted on WhiteHouse.gov. Copies… Continue Reading

Saving web pages for archiving on the Wayback Machine

Via the managing editor, TV News Archive/Internet Archive: “I want to remind folks — though I’m sure many here are well versed in this — that it’s possible to save web pages to be archived on the Wayback Machine: https://archive.org/web/ 1. You can download a handy chrome extension that will allow you to save from… Continue Reading

Lawsites – Lawsuit Challenging PACER Fees Certified As Class Action

Robert Ambrogi- Law Sites – January 25, 2017: “A federal lawsuit challenging as excessive the fees charged by PACER, the federal courts’ electronic records system, has been certified as a class action. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle in the District of Columbia approved the class of “[a]ll individuals and entities who have paid fees… Continue Reading

Pew – Americans and Cybersecurity

“Cyberattacks and data breaches are facts of life for government agencies, businesses and individuals alike in today’s digitized and networked world. Just a few of the most high-profile breaches in 2016 alone include the hacking and subsequent release of emails from members of the Democratic National Committee; the release of testing records of dozens of… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve Issues Progress Report on Efforts to Improve the US Payment System

“The Federal Reserve on Thursday, January 26, 2017 released a progress report outlining accomplishments and anticipated steps moving forward related to the ongoing initiatives to enhance the speed, efficiency and security of the U.S. payment system. The progress report highlights collaborative efforts in support of five strategies outlined in the January 2015 publication of Strategies… Continue Reading

Lorcan Dempsey on the reorganization of library collections in the networked environment

“Digital environments are changing the nature of research and learning, and the library collections and services that support research are being reorganized to meet the needs of researchers in these environments. Dempsey describes the expanding role of academic libraries in managing research outputs, as well as their expanding role in facilitating access to local, external… Continue Reading

Days of Remembrance – Why We Remember the Holocaust

United States Holocaust Museum: “The United States Congress established the Days of Remembrance as the nation’s annual commemoration of the Holocaust. Each year state and local governments, military bases, workplaces, schools, religious organizations, and civic centers host observances and remembrance activities for their communities. These events can occur during the Week of Remembrance, which runs from the… Continue Reading

ProPublica – How to Protect Your Digital Privacy in the Era of Public Shaming

Americans face unprecedented threats to the digital safety of their personal information. “We offer nine tips to foil hackers, ransomware, online trackers, data brokers and other menaces,” by Julia Angwin, ProPublica, Jan. 26, 2017. “We are living in an era of widespread hacking and public shaming. Don’t like your political rivals? Beg Russia to hack… Continue Reading

CRS – Executive Authority to Exclude Aliens: In Brief

Executive Authority to Exclude Aliens: In Brief, Kate M. Manuel, Acting Section Research Manager. January 23, 2017. “The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides that individual aliens outside the United States are “inadmissible”— or barred from admission to the country—on health, criminal, security, and other grounds set forth in the INA. However, the INA also… Continue Reading

CRS – Sentencing Reform at the End of the 114th Congress

CRS Reports & Analysis Legal Sidebar Sentencing Reform at the End of the 114th Congress 01/24/2017:  “On December 23, 2016, the House Judiciary Committee reported the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 (H.R. 3713). The Senate Judiciary Committee had previously reported a corresponding proposal, as Title I of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015… Continue Reading

GAO report on VA administration of human capital challenges

Veterans Health Administration: Management Attention Is Needed to Address Systemic, Long-standing Human Capital Challenges, GAO-17-30: Published: Dec 23, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 23, 2017: “The Veterans Health Administration is facing key human capital challenges that hamper its ability to effectively serve veterans—including skills gaps within medical centers’ HR offices and inadequate training for HR staff.… Continue Reading