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Daily Archives: December 8, 2020

GPO and Library of Congress Release Ten Years of Legislative Data on Govinfo

Library of Congress: “The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) in partnership with the Library of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate has released 10 additional years of bill status XML bulk data on govinfo. Bill status information, created by the Library of Congress and Congress, describes the activities and status steps for each legislative measure. The original project started at the direction of the House Committee on Appropriations and supports the Legislative Branch Bulk Data Task Force. The new data, which includes bill status information from 2003–2012 (108th Congress to the 112th Congress), has been populated on GPO’s govinfo bulk data repository and adds to previously available data from 2013–2020 (113rd Congress to 116th Congress). View GPO’s bulk data repository at govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS. The bill status bulk data page on Congress.gov provides additional background information regarding congressional bulk data from the House and Senate…”

Spam calls grew 18% this year despite the global pandemic

TechCrunch: “Despite several efforts from carriers, telecom regulators, mobile operating system developers, smartphone makers and a global pandemic, spam calls continued to pester and scam people around the globe this year — and they only got worse. Users worldwide received 31.3 billion spam calls between January and October this year, up from 26 billion during… Continue Reading

Here’s Why Vaccinated People Still Need to Wear a Mask

The New York Times – “The new Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna seem to be remarkably good at preventing serious illness. But it’s unclear how well they will curb the spread of the coronavirus. That’s because the Pfizer and Moderna trials tracked only how many vaccinated people became sick with Covid-19. That leaves open… Continue Reading

Want Vaccines Fast? Suspend Intellectual Property Rights

The New York Times Opinion: “Otherwise, there won’t be enough shots to go around, even in rich countries. As some reports would have it, this is the beginning of the end. Three coronavirus vaccines have posted excellent results, with more expected to come. But this is not the beginning of the end; it is only… Continue Reading

FDA Briefing Document Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting – December 10, 2020 – FDA Briefing Document Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: “On November 20, 2020, Pfizer and BioNTech (the Sponsor) submitted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) request to FDA for an investigational COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) intended to prevent COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2… Continue Reading

Over 1500 Attorneys Press Bar Authorities to Condemn & Investigate Trump’s Campaign Lawyers

Lawyers Defending American Democracy: “More than 1500 attorneys – including former ABA and state Bar presidents, retired federal judges and state Supreme Court justices, and former leaders of lawyer disciplinary bodies – have signed an Open Letter urging Bar Associations to condemn President Trump’s campaign attorneys and urging Bar disciplinary authorities to investigate the attorneys’… Continue Reading

COVID-19 Vaccines: Global Health Issues

CRS report via LC – COVID-19 Vaccines: Global Health Issues, December 8, 2020 – “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to severe health and economic consequences across the globe, with country governments struggling to contain the spread of the disease through physical lockdown and quarantine measures, while working towards vaccines, to prevent further… Continue Reading

The Paralegal and The Pandemic: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Your Day-to-Day Work

Athennian – “This year has changed our lives in many ways. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to roll across the world, many of us have been coming to grips with working remotely, mainly from home. Paralegals and their peers are no exception. The days of walking over to a lawyer’s desk for clarifications are gone;… Continue Reading

7 YouTube secrets: How to make a GIF, get a transcript, and more

Fast Company: “…while many people never do more than open up a video, watch it, and then move on, YouTube has a surprisingly rich set of features. Here are some cool tricks you can use to make your viewing experience more engaging, efficient, and fun…If you’re looking to achieve true YouTube-watching mastery, then keyboard shortcuts… Continue Reading

25 wildlife photos that show nature at its most beautiful, weird, and brutal

Mashable: “The Wildlife Photography Awards really is the gift that keeps on giving. A couple of months back we had the contest’s highly commended entries, then we had the overall winners, and now it’s time for the People’s Choice category. On Tuesday, London’s Natural History Museum — the organisation behind the competition — released a… Continue Reading