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Daily Archives: October 24, 2018

Bomb scares and the politics of the apocalypse

The Washington Post – Dan Balz: “America is a country on edge. Days ahead of crucial midterm elections, the talk is not of better days or a brighter future. Instead, the climate is one of fear, of threat and of division, of caravans from Central America and angry mobs. And now, of explosive devices sent to two former Democratic presidents and others. The devices sent to the home of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, to former president Barack Obama, to CNN and to others may be the act of a lone individual, perhaps someone isolated and unbalanced. What is known is that all of the packages were sent to critics of President Trump, or people criticized by the president. But no one knows at this point the political leanings, if any, and motivations of the person who sent them. Teams of law enforcement officials will seek to answer those questions.

…This is a time of the politics of the apocalypse — an all-or-nothing view of the difference between winning and losing an election and of holding power or not holding it. There is no middle ground on what winning or losing means. This has been on the rise for a long time. But it has intensified of late. No one really knows how to roll it back. Politicians say that it is time for the country to come together. But on whose terms? Political rhetoric has escalated dramatically, spurred by the ideological divisions and aided by social media. This has created two Americas, and turned those in one America against those in the other. Forces that not that long ago had been suppressed, though not eliminated, have been emboldened and unleashed. Racial antagonism, anti-Semitism and a more general fear of the opposition permeate at least a part of many political conversations…”

Law ‘Reviews’? The Changing Roles of Law Schools and the Publications They Sponsor

Francis, Leslie P., Law ‘Reviews’? The Changing Roles of Law Schools and the Publications They Sponsor (2018). Marquette Law Review, Vol. 101, No. 4, 2018; University of Utah College of Law Research Paper. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3263040 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3263040 – “The current structure of law reviews is deeply problematic. It does not serve students, law… Continue Reading

Women in the Workplace 2018

“Women in the Workplace 2018 is the largest comprehensive study of the state of women in corporate America. Since 2015, LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company have published this report annually to give companies and employees the information they need to advance women and improve gender diversity within their organizations. McKinsey & Company also conducted similar… Continue Reading

Amazon Pushes ICE to Buy Its Face Recognition Surveillance Tech

POGO – Amazon employees are up in arms about possible collaborations with law enforcement. “That hasn’t stopped Amazon reps from pitching ICE on its face-scanning tech. “Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement met with Amazon this summer and the corporate giant pitched the government agency on its controversial technology that can identify people in… Continue Reading

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

“Journalists in the United States face hostility from local and federal governments, along with a number of legal threats to themselves and their sources. This nonpartisan website aims to be the first to provide reliable, easy-to-access information on the number of press freedom violations in the United States—from journalists facing charges to reporters stopped at… Continue Reading

8 facts about Americans and Facebook

“Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms among adults in the United States. At the same time, it has attracted scrutiny in recent years because of concerns over its ability to keep users’ personal information private and its role in the 2016 presidential election. Here are eight facts about Americans and Facebook,… Continue Reading

Google Is Teaching Children How to Act Online. Is It the Best Role Model?

The New York Times: “The tech giant is positioning itself in schools as a trusted authority on digital citizenship at a moment when the company’s data-handling practices are under growing scrutiny – “Google is on a mission to teach children how to be safe online. That is the message behind “Be Internet Awesome,” a so-called… Continue Reading

Art Institute of Chicago Is Latest Museum to Offer Open Access to Thousands of Images in Its Archive

Artnet: “The Art Institute of Chicago is now offering unrestricted access to thousands of images—44,313 to be exact—from its digital archive. The release is part of the museum’s website redesign and the images have been made available under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. The Art Institute has also enhanced the image viewing capabilities on the… Continue Reading

Counties Where ICE Arrests Concentrate

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “More than a quarter (28%) of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of immigrants living and working in communities across America took place in just ten counties in the United States, along with their immediate surrounding locales. During the eight-month period from October 2017 through May 2018, fully half of… Continue Reading

Older People Are Worse Than Young People at Telling Fact from Opinion

Younger Americans are better than older Americans at telling factual news statements from opinions – “While some say wisdom comes with age, younger Americans are better than their elders at separating factual from opinion statements in the news, according to a new analysis from Pew Research Center. In a survey conducted Feb. 22 to March… Continue Reading