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Monthly Archives: December 2016

WaPo – Russian operation hacked a Vermont utility – updated

Correction to WaPo story via Washington Post – Russian government hackers do not appear to have targeted Vermont utility, say people close to investigation – “U.S. officials are continuing to investigate the laptop. In the course of their investigation, though, they have found on the device a package of software tools commonly used by online criminals to deliver malware. The package, known as Neutrino, does not appear to be connected with Grizzly Steppe, which U.S. officials have identified as the Russian hacking operation. The FBI, which declined to comment, is continuing to investigate how the malware got onto the laptop.”

Related – The Washington Post published a false story, but it’s not fake news – It’s ok to criticize the newspaper for wrongly reporting that Russia hacked the U.S. power grid, just don’t confuse it with fake news.

Follow up to update my previous lengthy posting on resources related to the Russian hacking of the US election, via the Washington Post today By Juliet Eilperin and Adam Entous: “A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials. While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations, according to officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a security matter, the discovery underscores the vulnerabilities of the nation’s electrical grid. And it raises fears in the U.S. government that Russian government hackers are actively trying to penetrate the grid to carry out potential attacks. Officials in government and the utility industry regularly monitor the grid because it is highly computerized and any disruptions can have disastrous implications for the country’s medical and emergency services. Burlington Electric said in a statement that the company detected a malware code used in the Grizzly Steppe operation in a laptop that was not connected to the organization’s grid systems. The firm said it took immediate action to isolate the laptop and alert federal authorities….According to the report by the FBI and DHS, the hackers involved in the Russian operation used fraudulent emails that tricked their recipients into revealing passwords.”

Wharton – Why the Coming Jobs Crisis Is Bigger Than You Think

Podcast and Transcript via Wharton – “The incoming Trump administration has made job creation a national priority. But here is a sobering prediction: No matter which political party holds the White House or Congress, over the next 25 years, 47% of jobs will likely be eliminated by technology and globalization, according to WorkingNation. It’s a… Continue Reading

ABA Journal – Erasing the News: Should some stories be forgotten?

Erasing the News: Should some stories be forgotten? By Terry Carter – this is an extensive and well researched article. I have snipped a small portion to invite you to read it in its entirety online. Note – This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of the ABA Journal with this headline: “Erasing… Continue Reading

SHARIAsource – Portal to Islamic Law at Harvard

“SHARIAsource is a team of advisors, scholars, and editors dedicated to providing content and context on Islamic law in a collective mission to organize the world’s information on Islamic law in a way that is accessible and useful. Find out more about our advisory board, editorial board, and regional editors. SHARIAsource is a flagship research… Continue Reading

Paper – Moral Grandstanding

Moral Grandstanding, Justin Tosi, University of Michigan; and Brandon Warmke. 2016. Philosophy & Public Affairs. 44: 3, pp. 197-217. Final publisher’s version: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/papa.12075/full “Kurt Baier wrote that “moral talk is often rather repugnant. Leveling moral accusations, expressing moral indignation, passing moral judgment, allotting the blame, administering moral reproof, justifying oneself, and, above all, moralizing—who can… Continue Reading

Over 1,000 American communities have four times the lead poisoning that Flint does

Sarah Lazare – Salon.com. December 30, 2016:  “Flint’s lead-poisoned water crisis, which erupted in 2014, shined a global spotlight on the dangerous confluence of austerity, poverty and environmental racism. A new in-depth investigation by Reuters finds that Flint is far from alone, with nearly 3,000 areas nationwide facing lead poisoning rates “at least double those… Continue Reading

New on LLRX – College Students and Critical Thinking

Via LLRX.com – College Students and Critical Thinking – Stacy Nykorchuk, an experienced Program Manager and Ethics/Compliance Manager, discusses efforts to advocate on behalf of and to promote critical thinking when Googling and using Wikipedia are often the go-to sources for college students throughout the country. Continue Reading

New on LLRX – What is RSS and How to Use it Effectively

Via LLRX – What is RSS and How to Use it Effectively – This guide by Pete Weiss – expert listserv manager, communication device integrator, and newswire publisher/editor – provides researchers with an overview of why you should use RSS, along with step by step examples of how to implement this application which should be… Continue Reading

Pew – Health issues topped the list of scientific studies reaching wide audiences in 2016

Pew Research Center: “About 2.5 million scientific journal articles are published annually, and the growth of social media and online news outlets have given scientists powerful ways to share their findings – so much so that new measures are being developed to help capture the impact these outlets have on scientific work. A Pew Research… Continue Reading

DHS/FBI issue joint report on Russian hacking of US election and subsequent govt sanctions

ABC News – Obama Issues Sanctions for Alleged Russian Hacking – “President Obama has expelled 35 Russian nationals and sanctioned five Russian entities and four individuals for an alleged cyber assault on Democratic political organizations during the 2016 presidential campaign, the White House announced today. “I have ordered a number of actions in response to… Continue Reading