“Americans just aren’t picking up the phone much anymore. Eight-in-ten Americans say they don’t generally answer their cellphone when an unknown number calls, according to newly released findings from a Pew Research Center web survey of U.S. adults conducted July 13-19, 2020…The majority of Americans (67%) say their general practice is to not answer the… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2020
How to avoid buying counterfeits online
The New York Times – “2020 has changed the way we shop. As more and more people commit to online purchasing for items big and small, the unfortunate truth is that you’re far more likely to run into scammers and scalpers. And the last thing you want after spending your hard-earned money and dealing with numerous shipping delays is… Continue Reading
U.S. Copyright Office launched a new Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot to the public
“The U.S. Copyright Office launched a new Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot to the public. The new portal will provide access to the same copyright records for both registration and recordation data that exist in the Copyright Public Catalog but with enhanced search capabilities and improved interfaces for internal and external users. With these… Continue Reading
Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources
CRS report via LC – Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources, Updated December 16, 2020: “USAspending.gov, available at https://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,… Continue Reading
Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending
CRS report via LC – Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending, Updated December 16, 2020: “Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with supplemental appropriations measures providing relief and assistance to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care providers, and other entities. For more information, see CRS Report R46474,… Continue Reading
What Writing a Pandemic Newsletter Showed Me About America
Wired – Patrice Peck: “In April, I started Coronavirus News for Black Folks. It gave me a kind of second sight. I could see where the country is headed—and how blind it’s been….I shut myself in my Brooklyn apartment, binge-reading about virology and venturing out only for groceries and a brisk walk now and then.… Continue Reading
What are your chances of dying from COVID? This calculator gives you a hint
Maimi Herald via Yahoo News – “What are your chances of dying from COVID? This calculator gives you a hint..Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health developed an online calculator that can answer these questions. The tool, which is updated on a weekly basis, incorporates information on mortality risks and statistics from… Continue Reading
How Effective Is the Mask You’re Wearing?
The New York Times – You May Know Soon A C.D.C. division is working with an industry standards group to develop filtration standards — and products that meet them will be able to carry labels saying so: “More than 100,000 varieties of face masks are currently for sale. They come in silk, cotton and synthetics;… Continue Reading
How scarce will coronavirus vaccines be in the US? It depends on where you live.
Vox: “With a record number of Americans dying of Covid-19 every day, immunizing the public against the virus is more urgent than ever. But hundreds of millions of people in the US are simply going to have to wait — probably several months — to get a vaccine. Instead of the 300 million doses the… Continue Reading
COVID-19 Reported Patient Impact and Hospital Capacity by Facility
The Accountability Project: “This dataset provides facility-level data for hospital utilization overall, and for COVID patients, on a weekly basis (Friday to Thursday) since July 31. The data come directly from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We have not reviewed the data for accuracy. The data is released each Monday with data… Continue Reading
Introducing the Open Library Explorer
Open Library Blog: “At the Library Leaders Forum 2020 (demo), Open Library unveiled the beta for what it’s calling the Explorer: an immersive digital library which powerfully recreates and enhances the experience of navigating a physical library. If the tagline doesn’t grab your attention, wait until you see it in action. Get Ready to Explore… Continue Reading
“Court Packing”: Legislative Control over the Size of the Supreme Court
CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress – “Court Packing”: Legislative Control over the Size of the Supreme Court, December 14, 2020: “In the past year, legal commentators, policymakers, and the national press have devoted significant attention to proposals to increase the size of the Supreme Court, sometimes colloquially called“court packing.” Many… Continue Reading
