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Daily Archives: June 25, 2017

UN-WHO Global Abortion Policies Project Database – Laws and Policies

“The Global Abortion Policies Project (GAPP) has been designed to strengthen global efforts to eliminate unsafe abortion by producing a global, open-access repository of current abortion laws, policies, and national standards and guidelines. The purpose of the Project is to increase both the transparency of abortion laws and policies and to foster accountability among governments as they adopt and implement such policies. The Project has been structured to facilitate comparative analyses of countries’ abortion laws and policies by placing them in the context of the WHO guidance on safe abortion. Current laws and policies on abortion can be used as benchmarks to monitor and evaluate national progress in creating an enabling policy and regulatory environment for eliminating unsafe abortion. The Project Database is a collaborative effort by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations and the Department of Reproductive Health and Research of the World Health Organization.”

Commentary – Here’s Why You Should Simply Give In to Google

Here’s Why You Should Simply Give In to Google, Gavin Phillips, June 19, 2017: “Google powers internet search for just under two-thirds of U.S. adults. Google produces routers, installs fiber connections, and is working on driverless vehicles. Google’s Android is now the mobile operating system of choice for 86 percent of all smartphone users, and well… Continue Reading

Sideways Dictionary makes tech jargon more accessible

Engadget – ‘Sideways Dictionary’ simplifies tech jargon for the masses The Google/Washington Post venture uses analogies to explain “DDoS,” “cookie” and other terms. If you ever get confused about tech jargon (or want to clear up said confusion), a new tool from Google’s Jigsaw incubator and the Washington Post may help. The “Sideways Dictionary” uses… Continue Reading

WH Historical Assoc. Leverages Amazon Web Services to Expand Digitization of Historical Assets

News release: “The White House Historical Association [a private, non-profit organization founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy]…announced [on June 21, 2017] a new innovative and strategic use of Amazon Web Services (AWS), expanding the Association’s digital archive and making educational materials more accessible to the public through the power of the AWS Cloud. … Continue Reading

The Stanford Open Policing Project

The Stanford Open Policing Project – “On a typical day in the United States, police officers make more than 50,000 traffic stops. Our team is gathering, analyzing, and releasing records from millions of traffic stops by law enforcement agencies across the country. Our goal is to help researchers, journalists, and policymakers investigate and improve interactions… Continue Reading

Free tool allows users to locate and analyze curated public datasets from around the world

Caroline Scott’s article – “Data released by official agencies and government bodies provides transparency and insight, and can often highlight trends or anomalies that are in the public interest. However, some of these datasets are often difficult to access, while in other instances it is not clear whether they even exist, making it harder for… Continue Reading

Great Barrier Reef valued at $56B by Deloitte economists

Great Barrier Reef Foundation – “A new Deloitte Access Economics report has calculated the total asset value of the Great Barrier Reef to be $56 billion, assessing the World Heritage site’s economic, social and iconic brand value together in one study for the first time. In the report commissioned by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation… Continue Reading

Supreme Court Establishes A First Amendment Framework For Social Media

Benton Foundation – Andrew Jay Schwartzman, June 21, 2017: “On June 19, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States used an unlikely vehicle to expand the scope of First Amendment protection for Internet users. In Peckingham v. North Carolina, speaking for five members of the Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy started with the general principle… Continue Reading

ABA – Cloud Ethics Opinions Around the U.S.

ABA Law Practice Division – “Cloud Ethics Opinions – There’s a compelling business case for cloud computing, but can lawyers use it ethically? We’ve compiled these comparison charts to help you make the right decision for your practice. What is Cloud Computing? About This Map Broadly defined, cloud computing (or “Software as a Service”) refers to… Continue Reading

Paper – The Unforeseen Costs of Extraordinary Experience

It may be that the focus on creating and fulfilling a “bucket list” of experiences meant to make your life more meaningful has another significant facet:  “People seek extraordinary experiences—from drinking rare wines and taking exotic vacations to jumping from airplanes and shaking hands with celebrities. But are such experiences worth having? We found that… Continue Reading