“At the heart of the story is the fact that the Louisiana coastline loses land at a rate equivalent to a football field each hour. That comes to 16 square miles per year. The land south of New Orleans has always been low-lying, but since the Army Corps of Engineers built levees along the Mississippi after the huge 1927… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: August 2014
NOAA lists 20 coral species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
News release: “NOAA announced [August 27, 2014 that] it will afford Endangered Species Act protections to 20 coral species. All 20 species will be listed as threatened, none as endangered. Fifteen of the newly listed species occur in the Indo-Pacific and five in the Caribbean. “Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems… Continue Reading
The executive order that led to mass spying, as told by NSA alumni
Cyrus Farivar – Ars Technica: [Executive Order] 12333 is used to target foreigners abroad, and collection happens outside the US,” whistleblower John Tye, a former State Department official, told Ars recently. “My complaint is not that they’re using it to target Americans, my complaint is that the volume of incidental collection on US persons is unconstitutional.” The document, known in… Continue Reading
World Water Week Seeks Solutions to Water and Energy Challenges
World Bank: “Water is needed in almost all energy generation processes. At the same time, the water sector needs energy to extract, treat and transport water. These inextricable connections between water and energy – and how best to manage them for the benefit of the poor – will be the focus of this year’s World… Continue Reading
The Troubled State of America’s Nursing Homes
Moran, Albert, The Troubled State of America’s Nursing Homes (August 24, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2488514 “Even the most cursory search of news coverage involving nursing homes reveals that horror stories are not difficult to come by. Although the grisly details of each individual horror story vary, most of them share the same general… Continue Reading
Collections of Distinction: Ice Cream Parlors, Gandy Dancers, Ragga and More
Via OCLC, Collections of Distinction: Ice Cream Parlors, Gandy Dancers, Ragga and More: “This grouping of preeminent collections represents just a sample of the unique resources available in public libraries. These rich and varied collections include a mix of books, pamphlets, manuals, photographs, music and more. The public libraries listed have the distinction of holding the greatest… Continue Reading
Why Aren’t Women Advancing At Work? Ask a Transgender Person.
Jessica Nordell, New Republic: “Trans people are bringing entirely new ways of approaching the discussion. Because trans people are now staying in the same careers (and sometimes the very same jobs) after they change genders, they are uniquely qualified to discuss the difference between how men and women experience the workplace. Their experience is as… Continue Reading
Visualization of US data on race and income
“Visualize race and income data for your community, county, and country. Includes tools for data journalists, bloggers and community activists.” Continue Reading
Tenth Annual Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report
“Allstate is committed to helping people across the nation protect their cars and families. Allstate America’s Best Driving Report® is an annual ranking that identifies which of the 200 largest U.S. cities has the safest drivers. Sharing this data every year can highlight the importance of educating people about the importance of safe driving.” Washington, DC… Continue Reading
Sliding Rocks on Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park: First Observation of Rocks in Motion
Via PLOS: “The engraved trails of rocks on the nearly flat, dry mud surface of Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, have excited speculation about the movement mechanism since the 1940s. Rock movement has been variously attributed to high winds, liquid water, ice, or ice flotation, but has not been previously observed in action. We… Continue Reading
The 2014 Ebola Outbreak: International and U.S. Responses
CRS – The 2014 Ebola Outbreak: International and U.S. Responses, Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, Specialist in Global Health. August 26, 2014. “Ebola virus disease (Ebola or EVD) is a severe, often fatal disease that was first detected near the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1976. Originating in animals, EVD is spread to and among humans… Continue Reading
World Bank Report: Digital Payments Vital To Economic Growth
News release: “Integrating digital payments into the economies of emerging and developing nations addresses crucial issues of broad economic growth and individual financial empowerment, according to a new report by the World Bank Development Research Group. The report, The Opportunities of Digitizing Payments, examines, for the first time, growing evidence from around the world about how… Continue Reading
