AP – “The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make vaccines for COVID-19 available for free to all Americans when proven safe and effective, though a top public health official made clear that widespread vaccination of millions of Americans couldn’t come until well into next year. In a report to Congress and an accompanying… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: September 2020
Interactive Maps Track Western Wildfires
The Dirt: “California, Oregon, and Washington, along with nine other states in the West are now experiencing record-breaking wildfires. According to experts, there are a number of reasons: climate change is creating the underlying conditions for more extreme weather events. Heat waves over the summer dried out much of Western forests, which were already impacted… Continue Reading
Patent Law – A Handbook for Congress
CRS via LC – Patent Law: A Handbook for Congress, September 16, 2020: “A patent gives its owner the exclusive right to make, use, import, sell, or offer for sale the invention covered by the patent. The patent system has long been viewed as important to encouraging American innovation by providing an incentive for inventors… Continue Reading
Climate Change Is Now Killing Birds in Midair
Gizmodo: “Since this year hasn’t been spooky enough, thousands of migratory birds are now dropping dead across the Southwest. In late August, biologists got word about dozens of birds falling from the sky at the White Sands Missile Range and White Sands National Monument, both in southern New Mexico. Since then, people throughout Colorado, Texas,… Continue Reading
A Secret Diary Chronicled the ‘Satanic World’ That Was Dachau
The New York Times – A Secret Diary Chronicled the ‘Satanic World’ That Was Dachau – “For two years, a prisoner in the German concentration camp kept a journal that would later be used to convict those who had persecuted him and killed his fellow prisoners. The final article from “Beyond the World War II… Continue Reading
How far does wildfire smoke travel? These maps will tell you
Fast Company – “…To get a sense of how far smoke from the current wildfires is traveling, you can turn to a number of interactive maps and data tools that let you track smoke conditions in real time. I’ve rounded up some useful options below: AirNow: This fire and smoke map is “designed to provide… Continue Reading
COVID-19 spreading rates
“Get an intuitive ‘feel’ of new COVID-19 cases spreading rates. “This simulation shows you the average rate of newly reported COVID-19 cases between September 7, 2020 and September 14, 2020 for each country.” Customize your view by selecting one or more countries. Continue Reading
A new public health tool to understand COVID-19 spread in a community
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with agencies throughout the federal government, are initiating the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data generated by NWSS will help public health officials to better understand the extent… Continue Reading
Library of Congress Launches New Tool to Search Historical Newspaper Images
Library of Congress – “The public can now explore more than 1.5 million historical newspaper images online and free of charge. The latest machine learning experience from LC Labs, Newspaper Navigator allows users to search visual content in American newspapers dating from 1789-1963. The user begins by entering a keyword that returns a selection of… Continue Reading
Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources
CRS Report via LC – Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources, September 15, 2020: USAspending.gov, available at http://www.USAspending.gov, is a government source for data on federal awards by state, congressional district (CD), county, city, and zip code. The awards data in USAspending.gov are provided by federal agencies and represent contracts, grants, loans, and other… Continue Reading
The Great Climate Migration Has Begun
The New York Times Magazine: “…For most of human history, people have lived within a surprisingly narrow range of temperatures, in the places where the climate supported abundant food production. But as the planet warms, that band is suddenly shifting north. According to a pathbreaking recent study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy… Continue Reading
Jared Diamond: Why Nations Fail Or Succeed When Facing A Crisis
The following interview, between Noema Magazine Editor-in-Chief Nathan Gardels and author (previously of “Guns, Germs, and Steel”) Jared Diamond, has been edited for clarity and length. “Nathan Gardels: In assessing how nations manage crises and successfully negotiate turning points — or don’t — you pass their experience through several filters. Some key filters you use… Continue Reading
