“Stories about online harassment have captured headlines for years. Beyond the more severe cases of sustained, aggressive abuse that make the news, name-calling and belittling, derisive comments have come to characterize how many view discourse online – especially in the political realm. A Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults in September finds that 41%… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: January 2021
New Guide to Help Middle and High School Students Conduct Research with Library Resources
Teaching with the Library of Congress – This post is by Kaleena Black of the Library of Congress. “The research process can be fun and rewarding, but it can also present some challenges. For some students, the idea of research might not immediately bring to mind an exciting activity, filled with intrigue, suspense, and joy.… Continue Reading
News Use Across Social Media Platforms in 2020
Pew Report – News Use Across Social Media Platforms in 2020 Facebook stands out as a regular source of news for about a third of Americans – “As social media companies struggle to deal with misleading information on their platforms about the election, the COVID-19 pandemic and more, a large portion of Americans continue to… Continue Reading
Self-pardon? It might not go how Trump thinks.
Politico: “An unprecedented move by President Donald Trump to grant himself a pardon during his remaining days in office could divide his handpicked Supreme Court majority. Court-watchers are bracing for an epic, intra-Federalist Society clash that could determine whether Trump — and future presidents — can declare themselves immune from criminal investigations even after leaving… Continue Reading
The Capitol attack set off a raging debate on Wikipedia: what to call it?
Fast Company – “‘Storming’? ‘Insurrection’? ‘Riot’? ‘Attempted coup’? On Wikipedia, where neutrality is prized above all, volunteers are still searching for the words….As facts came in, as editors double-checked and pruned according to Wikipedia standards, the text grew and shrank and grew again, so that only the most relevant verifiable and neutral language remained. “Once… Continue Reading
National Archives – Presidential Elections & Inaugurations
“Every four years, on the first Tuesday (after the first Monday) of November, we cast our votes for President of the United States. The National Archives and Records Administration has a unique role in the election process: NARA’s Office of the Federal Register administers the Electoral College. On the following January 20, the President of… Continue Reading
The Capitol Rioters Weren’t ‘Low Class’
The Atlantic – The business owners, real-estate brokers, and service members who rioted acted not out of economic desperation, but out of their belief in their inviolable right to rule: “They were business owners, CEOs, state legislators, police officers, active and retired service members, real-estate brokers [one of whom arrived in DC via private jet],… Continue Reading
Still going to the grocery store? With new virus variants spreading, it’s probably time to stop.
Vox: “…More cases mean more really sick people, more strain on hospitals and health workers, more rationing of health care — and more deaths, including the entirely preventable ones now firmly linked to ICU bed shortages. More cases will also give the virus more opportunities to mutate further and potentially escape our vaccines, perpetuating the… Continue Reading
Coronavirus deaths climbing while country deals with political unrest
Axios: “Coronavirus deaths continue to reach tragic heights while the country grapples with a vaccine rollout, an impeachment and ongoing civil unrest. The state of play: States with the top-five death rates per 100,000 residents as of Thursday January 14, 2021 include… New Jersey, with 227 people dead per 100,000 residents Massachusetts — 196 Rhode Island —… Continue Reading
Domestic Terrorism: Definitions, Terminology, and Methodology
Via the FBI – Domestic Terrorism: Definitions, Terminology, and Methodology Continue Reading
This Baby Horse Was Cloned Using DNA That Was Frozen for 40 Years
SingularityHub: “Kurt the horse was born in Texas this past August. But he’s not just any horse; he’s a Przewalski’s horse, an endangered species of wild horse that comes from central Asia (primarily Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and western China). There hasn’t been one seen in the wild since 1969; in the second half of the 20th… Continue Reading
When FOIA Goes to Court: 20 Years of Freedom of Information Act Litigation by News Organizations and Reporters
“In 2020, news organizations and individual reporters filed 122 different Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to compel disclosure of federal government records—more than any year on record according to federal court data back to 2001 analyzed by the FOIA Project. In fact, the media alone have filed a total of 386 FOIA cases during… Continue Reading
