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Daily Archives: October 14, 2021

Biden Administration Roadmap to Build an Economy Resilient to Climate Change Impacts

U.S. Climate-Related Financial Risk Executive Order 14030 A Roadmap to Building a Climate-Resilient Economy, October 14, 2021 – 40 page PDF

White House Fact Sheet: “Agency Actions Will Protect Retirement Plans, Homeowners, Consumers, Businesses and Supply Chains, Workers, and the Federal Government from Financial Risks of Climate Change. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration released a comprehensive, government-wide strategy to measure, disclose, manage and mitigate the systemic risks climate change poses to American families, businesses, and the economy – building on actions already taken by the Biden-Harris Administration including just this week: a redesigned National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate.gov site to better connect Americans to climate explainers, data dashboards, and classroom-ready teaching resources; the Department of Labor’s new proposed rule to safeguard life savings and pensions from climate risk; as well as the Federal Acquisition Council’s advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to consider greenhouse gas emissions when making procurement decisions. This year alone, extreme weather has upended the U.S. economy and affected one in three Americans. Both international and domestic supply chains have been disrupted by climate change – whether it’s floods in China and Texas, or wildfires that have burned nearly six million acres of land, supply chains across critical industries including housing, construction, semiconductors, and agriculture have been affected, causing delays and shortages for both consumers and businesses. American families are paying the costs. Extreme weather has cost Americans an additional $600 billion in physical and economic damages over the past five years alone. Climate-related risks hidden in workers’ retirement plans have already cost American retirees billions in lost pension dollars. Climate change poses a systemic risk to our economy and our financial system, and we must take decisive action to mitigate its impacts…”

Court Says Google Translate Isn’t Reliable Enough To Determine Consent For A Search

TechDirt: “The quickest way to a warrantless search is obtaining consent. But consent obtained by officers isn’t always consent, no matter how it’s portrayed in police reports and court testimony. Courts have sometimes pointed this out, stripping away ill-gotten search gains when consent turned out to be [extremely air quotation marks] “consent.” Such is the… Continue Reading

Hacks and data breaches are all too common. Here’s what to do if you’re affected.

Washington Post: “An unexplained Amazon charge on your credit card bill. An email asking you to confirm a password change request. A moment of confusion when your usual Google log-in details don’t work. These are all-too-common signs that someone has gained — or is trying to gain — access to your accounts. Hacks and data… Continue Reading

Amazon Puts Its Own “Brands” First Above Better-Rated Products

TheMarkUp – “The online giant gives a leg up to hundreds of house brand and exclusive products that most people don’t know are connected to Amazon… An investigation by The Markup found that Amazon places products from its house brands and products exclusive to the site ahead of those from competitors—even competitors with higher customer… Continue Reading

This Zoom alternative makes video calls more informal—and maybe even wacky

Fast Company: “Mmhmm, a startup that launched during the coronavirus pandemic to make presenting in Zoom and other videoconferencing services less boring, is now launching its own platform for video discussions. Called OOO—pronounced like “ooh!” but also a reference to being out of the office—the new tool accessible in a web browser and on mobile… Continue Reading

Clinical Legal Education during a Global Pandemic – Suggestions from the Trenches: The Perspective of the Nelson Mandela University

Welgemoed, Marc, Clinical Legal Education during a Global Pandemic – Suggestions from the Trenches: The Perspective of the Nelson Mandela University (December 15, 2020). How to cite this article Welgemoed M “Clinical Legal Education during a Global Pandemic – Suggestions from the Trenches: The Perspective of the Nelson Mandela University” PER / PELJ 2020(23) –… Continue Reading

Government Secretly Orders Google To Identify Anyone Who Searched A Sexual Assault Victim’s Name, Address And Telephone Number

Forbes: “The U.S. government is secretly ordering Google to provide data on anyone typing in certain search terms, an accidentally unsealed court document shows. There are fears such “keyword warrants” threaten to implicate innocent Web users in serious crimes and are more common than previously thought…It’s a rare example of a so-called keyword warrant and,… Continue Reading