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Daily Archives: September 20, 2020

How to track your ballot like a UPS package

Washington Post – “Want to make sure your ballot counts? Track it online like a UPS delivery. That’s now possible across much of America, in part because of the coronavirus pandemic. I don’t often get emails from my state government, so I was curious about one recently asking me to check out California’s new election website, Where’s My Ballot. There, I typed in my name, birthday and Zip code — and a minute later, I had signed up for personalized voting updates. Now I’ll get a text when my ballot is in the mail, as it’s on its way back to election officials and, eventually, counted.

New tool can detect COVID-19 outbreaks in U.S. counties

“A new machine learning-based online tool developed by researchers at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Georgia Tech and Boston Medical Center allows for early detection of COVID-19 outbreaks in different U.S. counties. The COVID-19 Outbreak Detection Tool, updated two to three times per week, predicts how fast an outbreak is spreading within a given county by… Continue Reading

This ambitious new plan could save monarch butterflies’ amazing annual migration

Fast Company: “…the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved a Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterflies. Under this plan, “rights-of-way” landowners—energy and transportation companies and private owners—commit to restoring and creating millions of acres of pollinator habitat that have been decimated by land development and herbicide use in the past half-century. The agreement was… Continue Reading

Visualizing COVID-19 Cases on College Campuses

“Thousands of new coronavirus cases continue to emerge on college campuses. A New York Times survey of more than 1,600 American colleges and universities — including every four-year public institution, every private college that competes in N.C.A.A. sports and others that identified cases — has revealed at least cases and at least deaths since the… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 20, 2020

VIA LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 20, 2020 – Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the… Continue Reading

How far does wildfire smoke travel? These maps will tell you

Fast Company – “As devastating wildfires continue to burn across the western states of California, Oregon, and Washington, hazy skies and smoke are being reported as far away as Toronto and New York. These hazy conditions are not mere annoyances. As Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist, wrote recently for Fast Company, air pollution from wood… Continue Reading

AstraZeneca Releases Blueprints for Virus Vaccine Trial Amid Safety Scrutiny

The New York Times – “Polls are finding Americans increasingly wary of accepting a virus vaccine. And scientists inside and outside the government are worried that regulators, pressured by President Trump for results before Election Day on Nov. 3, might release an unproven or unsafe vaccine. “The release of these protocols seems to reflect some… Continue Reading

FinCEN Files Show How Criminals Use Big-Name Banks To Manage Global Financial Corruption

BuzzFeedNews: “A huge trove of secret government documents reveals for the first time how the giants of Western banking move trillions of dollars in suspicious transactions, enriching themselves and their shareholders while facilitating the work of terrorists, kleptocrats, and drug kingpins. And the US government, despite its vast powers, fails to stop it. Today, the… Continue Reading

DOJ Releases New Material from Mueller Report in EPIC Case

EPIC – “The Justice Department, as part of an open government lawsuit brought by EPIC, has released another round of previously unpublished material from the Mueller Report. The newly disclosed passages are listed in the “Redaction” column of a DOJ spreadsheet—though outside of their original context from the Mueller Report. The spreadsheet was originally drafted… Continue Reading

Power and Status (and Lack Thereof) in Academe

Power and Status (and Lack Thereof) in Academe: Academic Freedom and Academic Librarians, In the Library with the Lead Pipe, September 16, 2020. “Academic librarians do not experience full academic freedom protections, despite the fact that they are expected to exercise independent judgment, be civically engaged, and practice applied scholarship. Academic freedom for academic librarians… Continue Reading

Fall Colors of DC

Via Cases Trees, this beautiful updated map which you may search by using the various colors on the map or by tree species/common name; by address or place/location. Scientific names for each tree are provided, as well as health/condition of each tree. This seasonal guide to urban forestry is a wonderful educational tool for all… Continue Reading