Monthly archives: March, 2017

Forest dynamics in U.S. indicate disproportionate attrition in western forests, rural areas and public lands

Forest dynamics in the U.S. indicate disproportionate attrition in western forests, rural areas and public lands. Sheng Yang, Giorgos Mountrakis. PLOS. Published: February 22, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0171383 “Forests are experiencing significant changes; studying geographic patterns in forests is critical in understanding the impact of forest dynamics to biodiversity, soil erosion, water chemistry and climate. Few studies …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Government Documents

ACLU Seeks Documents from Administration on Plans for Permitting Discrimination Against Women, LGBT Community

“The American Civil Liberties Union has demanded documents from four federal agencies concerning a potential executive order that would sanction religiously motivated discrimination against LGBT people, members of minority faiths, women, and people seeking reproductive health care…The Freedom of Information Act requests were filed with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Justice, and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Privacy

Pence used personal email for state business – and was hacked

Indy Star – Pence used personal email for state business – and was hacked – “Vice President Mike Pence routinely used a private email account to conduct public business as governor of Indiana, at times discussing sensitive matters and homeland security issues. Emails released to IndyStar in response to a public records request show Pence …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research

CRS – Membership of the 115th Congress: A Profile

Membership of the 115th Congress: A Profile February 10, 2017 – February 17, 2017 R44762 “This report presents a profile of the membership of the 115th Congress (2017-2018) as of January 4, 2017. Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents

Announcing the new EDRM website

“EDRM, the leading standards organization for the e-discovery market, announced today the launch of a newly designed website at EDRM.net. The redesign was initiated to reflect the new relationship with and branding of Duke Law School. Duke Law acquired EDRM in August 2016. “As the home for e-discovery resources and education, the new website is …

Subjects: E-Records, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The Sharing Economy and the Law: Food for European Lawyers

Cauffman, Caroline and Smits, Jan M., The Sharing Economy and the Law: Food for European Lawyers (2016). Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law 23 (2016), pp. 903-907. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2925779 “Over the last five years, the sharing economy has enjoyed a real boom. One important example of this is the creation of numerous …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System

Agility in US national security

McKinsey – Book Excerpt – March 2017 -“The shift continues from the manufacturing economy of the industrial age to the digital economy of the information age, US national-security organizations need to transform as well. American military forces have been, and continue to be, the most capable in the world, but the national-security infrastructure, refined and …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Internet, Recommended Books

When Corrections Fail: The Persistence of Political Misperceptions

BusinessInsider: “As a rule, misinformed people do not change their minds once they have been presented with facts that challenge their beliefs. But beyond simply not changing their minds when they should, research shows that they are likely to become more attached to their mistaken beliefs. The factual information “backfires.” When people don’t agree with …

Subjects: Education, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

AG Sessions recuses himself from any Trump campaign investigations

Washington Post – Attorney general will step away from any probe related to 2016 campaign, including Russian interference. “The announcement comes a day after The Washington Post revealed that Jeff Sessions twice met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and did not disclose that fact to Congress during his confirmation hearing. Democrats had been calling for …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Rolling Stone – Inside Lou Reed’s Revelatory New Public Archive

Inside Lou Reed’s Revelatory New Public Archive – Laurie Anderson, archivist Don Fleming talk complete, career-spanning trove of late icon’s papers and recordings – “Today, on what would have been Reed’s 75th birthday, Anderson and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center announced the latter’s acquisition of Reed’s complete personal …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

One People’s Project – hate has consequences

“One People’s Project’s mission is simple: to research and report on who’s who and what’s what regarding right-wing groups, individuals and activities, and encourage society to be vigilant against them in an effort to diminish their ability to function and cause that society harm. We have been a go-to source for anyone wanting to learn …

Subjects: Civil Liberties

Large Majorities See Checks and Balances, Right to Protest as Essential for Democracy

77% say it would be ‘too risky’ to give presidents more power – “Large majorities of the public, Republicans and Democrats alike, say open and fair elections and a system of governmental checks and balances are essential to maintaining a strong democracy in the United States. However, there is less consensus about the importance of …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research

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