Law360: ” Virginia on Wednesday [July 14, 2020] became the first state to adopt an emergency workplace safety standard addressing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which Gov. Ralph Northam said is necessary to fill a gap created by federal inaction Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said the state’s new COVID-19 workplace safety standard comes “in the absence of federal… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2020
Your Car Is Spewing Microplastics That Blow Around the World
Wired – “When you drive, tiny bits of plastic fly off your tires and brakes. Now scientists have shown how all that road muck is blowing into “pristine” environments like the Arctic. “…Today in the journal Nature Communications, researchers model how microplastics from our cars are traveling from densely populated regions into the environment. These… Continue Reading
America Should Prepare for a Double Pandemic
The Atlantic – COVID-19 has steamrolled the country. What happens if another pandemic starts before this one is over? – Ed Yong – “…Certain traits increase a pathogen’s pandemic potential. Those that spread via bodily fluids (Ebola), contaminated food and water (norovirus), or insect bites (Zika) are slower to spread around the world. By contrast,… Continue Reading
The growing scientific evidence for masks to fight Covid-19, explained
Vox – It’s true the evidence for masks was weak before. That’s changed. “…The research increasingly favors both individual mask-wearing and policies requiring universal masking. It suggests that masks not only help stop the spread of the coronavirus — by preventing the spread of virus-containing droplets that people spit out when they talk, sing, laugh,… Continue Reading
Trump Administration Strips CDC of Control of Coronavirus Data
The New York Times – “The Trump administration has ordered hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all Covid-19 patient information to a central database in Washington beginning on Wednesday. The move has alarmed health experts who fear the data will be politicized or withheld from the public. The new… Continue Reading
Socio-economic, environmental impacts of coronavirus quantified
University of Syndey: “How is COVID-19 impacting people and the planet and what are the implications for a post-pandemic world? This world-first study led by the University of Sydney quantifies the socio-economic losses and environmental gains. The first comprehensive study of the pandemic shows consumption losses amount to more than US$3.8 trillion, triggering full-time equivalent… Continue Reading
Do kids need face masks? Yes, and here are the 8 best options we found
FastCompany: “Masks are an incredibly easy way to help prevent the spread of disease (namely, COVID-19)—but it’s not always easy to get everyone in your household to wear one. We’re looking at you, kiddos. The CDC advises that children over the age of 2 wear a mask when they cannot maintain adequate distance from another person—because… Continue Reading
Presidential Succession: Perspectives and Contemporary Issues for Congress
CRS report via LC – Presidential Succession: Perspectives and Contemporary Issues for Congress, July 14, 2020: “Succession to the office of President of the United States is provided for by the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Title 3, Section 19 of the U.S. Code (3 U.S.C. §19). The Twenty-Fifth Amendment states in Section… Continue Reading
Masks offer much more protection against coronavirus than many think
LA Times via Yahoo News: “There’s a common refrain that masks don’t protect you; they protect other people from your own germs, which is especially important to keep unknowingly infected people from spreading the coronavirus. But now, there’s mounting evidence that masks also protect you. If you’re unlucky enough to encounter an infectious person, wearing… Continue Reading
The CDC has always been an apolitical island
Statnews – That’s left it defenseless against Trump: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country’s top public health agency, is being kicked around by the White House. And it doesn’t have much power to kick back. As President Trump spars with nearly all of the federal agencies that have a hand in his… Continue Reading
Enigma code-breaking machine rebuilt at Cambridge
TechXplore: “Cambridge Engineering alumnus Hal Evans has built a fully-functioning replica of a 1930s Polish cyclometer—an electromechanical cryptologic device that was designed to assist in the decryption of German Enigma ciphertext. The replica currently resides in King’s College, Cambridge. Work on the hardware-based replica began in 2018, as part of Hal’s fourth year Master’s project… Continue Reading
Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news
NiemanLab – This map shows if there’s one near you. “The growth of partisan media masquerading as state and local reporting is a troubling trend we’ve seen emerge amid the financial declines of local news organizations. But what do these outlets mean for journalism in American communities? Using previous research and news reports as a… Continue Reading
