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Daily Archives: February 7, 2017

Making The Met’s Collection More Accessible

Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CE, February 7, 2017.

“This morning, we announced a major update to the Museum’s policy governing the use and reuse of images in our collection: all images of public-domain artworks in the Museum’s collection are now available for free and unrestricted use under Creative Commons Zero (CC0). This updated policy, known as Open Access, enables everyone to utilize more than 375,000 images of public-domain artworks in The Met’s collection in any media without permission or fee. Increasing access to the collection and scholarship is a central tenet of The Met’s mission. In making images of our public-domain artworks, as well as select data about them, available with Creative Commons Zero, the Museum is adapting its practice to meet the needs of 21st-century audiences. The Metropolitan Museum of Art now becomes one of the largest and most diverse open-access museum collections in the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks Creative Commons, an international leader in open access and copyright, for being its partner in this effort. The Museum also thanks its other partners in this initiative including Artstor, the Digital Public Library of America, Google Cultural Institute, Pinterest, and Wikimedia communities, as well as The Met’s first Wikimedian-in-Residence, Richard Knipel. Partnerships with allied communities, institutions, and organizations are vital demonstrations of the Museum’s openness in practice. We are excited to share with the public new pathways to creativity, knowledge, and ideas as manifest in the greater utility of its collection spanning 5,000 years of art. Learn more about the project in a blog post on Digital Underground by Chief Digital Officer Loic Tallon.”

CRS – Supreme Court Appointment Process: President’s Selection of a Nominee

CRS Report via FAS – Supreme Court Appointment Process: President’s Selection of a Nominee, Barry J. McMillion, Analyst on the Federal Judiciary. February 6, 2017. “The appointment of a Supreme Court Justice is an event of major significance in American politics. Each appointment is of consequence because of the enormous judicial power the Supreme Court… Continue Reading

CRS – What Is Manufacturing? Why Does the Definition Matter?

CRS report via FAS – What Is Manufacturing? Why Does the Definition Matter? Marc Levinson, Section Research Manager, February 6, 2017. “Numerous provisions in federal law are intended to support manufacturing in the United States. Almost without exception, these provisions define manufacturing as the process of physically transforming goods. Physical transformation involves what might be… Continue Reading

A Network Anatomy of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises

Lin, Li-Wen, A Network Anatomy of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (February 2017). Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies Research Paper No. RSCAS 2017/07. Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2912818 “This Article provides an anatomy of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by unpacking their various relations with different types of state organs. It shows that Chinese SOEs are… Continue Reading

Education Week – Black Students More Likely to Be Arrested at School

Evie Blad and Alex Harwin, January 24, 2017: “In 43 states and the District of Columbia, black students are arrested at school at disproportionately high levels, an analysis of federal data by the Education Week Research Center finds. And one reason may be that black students are more likely than students in any other racial… Continue Reading

Deleted APHIS Annual Reports From Animal-Experimentation Facilities

Follow up to posting this week – Animal welfare information wiped from USDA website – via the MemoryHole – Russ Kick – “On February 3, 2017, with absolutely no warning, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) deleted its database of reports concerning animal welfare at zoos, circuses, aquariums, puppy mills, etc., as… Continue Reading

A Crack in an Antarctic Ice Shelf Grew 17 Miles in the Last Two Months

The New York Times – February 7, 2017: “A rapidly advancing crack in Antarctica’s fourth-largest ice shelf has scientists concerned that it is getting close to a full break. The rift has accelerated this year in an area already vulnerable to warming temperatures. Since December, the crack has grown by the length of about five… Continue Reading

Immigrants Do Not Increase Crime, Research Shows

Follow up to series of postings on the recent battle over the immigration ban – see Scientific American – But, what does research say about how immigration impacts crime in U.S. communities? Across 200 metropolitan areas, Robert Adelman, University at Buffalo, and Lesley Reid, University of Alabama “Research has shown virtually no support for the… Continue Reading

Amnesty International – Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya prison, Syria

Report – Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya prison, Syria: “One former judge from a Syrian military court told Amnesty International the “court” operates outside the rules of the Syrian legal system. “The judge will ask the name of the detainee and whether he committed the crime. Whether the answer is yes or… Continue Reading