“A few months back DemandProgress launched a website containing new Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports – https://www.everycrsreport.com. There are ~8,400 reports on the site, with more coming each week. We get the reports straight from Congress, there is no charge for access, and we make the reports available for bulk download. We also have a… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2017
NYT – In a Mere 6 Weeks, Trump Alters More Than 90 Regulations
The Trump administration has pushed a flurry of deregulations, giving more freedoms to gun sellers, bankers and miners, and corporate lobbyists are clamoring for more. Automakers Near a Victory on Rollback of Fuel Standards Continue Reading
The Secret Life of Trees: The Astonishing Science of What Trees Feel and How They Communicate
Brain Pickings: “Trees dominate the world’s the oldest living organisms. Since the dawn of our species, they have been our silent companions, permeating our most enduring tales and never ceasing to inspire fantastical cosmogonies. Hermann Hesse called them “the most penetrating of preachers.” A forgotten seventeenth-century English gardener wrote of how they “speak to the… Continue Reading
White House proposes steep budget cut to leading climate science agency
Washington Post: “The Trump administration is seeking to slash the budget of one of the government’s premier climate science agencies by 17 percent, delivering steep cuts to research funding and satellite programs, according to a four-page budget memo obtained by The Washington Post. The proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would also… Continue Reading
Supporting Open Access
Open Access publishing—both Green and Gold varieties—are gaining greater acceptance. Librarians need to focus on ways to promote and improve the process. – “In light of last month’s political turmoil over Federal agency communications, Open Access may take on new significance. In response to a 2013 White House request, NASA announced in August that space… Continue Reading
Comey Asks Justice Dept. to Reject Trump’s Wiretapping Claim
New York Times – F.B.I. Chief Urges Justice Dept. to Reject Wiretap Claim – “The F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, asked the Justice Department this weekend to publicly reject President Trump’s assertion that President Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Mr. Trump’s phones, senior American officials said on Sunday. Mr. Comey has argued that the… Continue Reading
Will Democracy Survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence?
Will Democracy Survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence?, Scientific American: “We are in the middle of a technological upheaval that will transform the way society is organized. We must make the right decisions now… The digital revolution is in full swing. How will it change our world? The amount of data we produce doubles every… Continue Reading
The Declining Fortunes of Women at The Times
New York Times’ Public Editor Iz Spayd: The Declining Fortunes of Women at The Times: “Men accounted for 61 percent of the bylines that appeared in the front section of The Times last year, according to data soon to be published by the Women’s Media Center, a group that analyzes thousands of bylines across 10… Continue Reading
Survey – Climate Control: Gender and Racial Bias in Engineering
“Over 3,000 respondents completed the Workplace Experiences Survey launched by the Society of Women Engineers and the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Around one-third (897) of respondents left comments—a strikingly high number. The number and tone of comments show engineers’ intense interest in, and strong reaction… Continue Reading
HHS Report – Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2015
Key findings Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality – Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2015 ●The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2015 (16.3 per 100,000) was more than 2.5 times the rate in 1999 (6.1). ●Drug overdose death rates increased for all age groups, with… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Introduce Three Bills to Improve Consumer Cybersecurity
“Today, Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee introduced three bills to update U.S. cybersecurity policies and protect consumers. In recent years, millions of Americans have had their personal data stolen and high profile attacks—like the denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Dyn last year—have raised serious questions about our cybersecurity laws and our ability to… Continue Reading
DHS document undermines Trump case for travel ban
MSNBC: “The Rachel Maddow Show has obtained, exclusively, a Department of Homeland Security intelligence assessment document. The document, from the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, makes the case that most foreign-born, U.S.-based violent extremists are likely not radicalized when they come to the U.S., but rather become radicalized after living in the U.S. for a… Continue Reading
