Author archives

A little good goes an unexpectedly long way: Underestimating the positive impact of kindness on recipients.

Kumar, A., & Epley, N. (2022). A little good goes an unexpectedly long way: Underestimating the positive impact of kindness on recipients. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001271 “Performing random acts of kindness increases happiness in both givers and receivers, but we find that givers systematically undervalue their positive impact on recipients. …

Subjects: Health Care

Librarians and Lawmakers Push for Greater Access to E-Books

Pew Trusts: “Librarians and their legislative allies are pushing publishers of electronic books to lower their prices and relax licensing terms, an effort that could make it easier for millions of library users to borrow the increasingly popular digital versions of books. Supporters say the e-book lending legislation in several states would allow libraries to …

Subjects: Copyright, Economy, Legal Research, Libraries

The Elder Index

“The Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index (Elder Index), was developed by the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The Elder Index is a measure of the income that older adults need to meet their basic needs and age in place with dignity. The Elder Index is specific to household size, location, housing tenure, …

Subjects: Economy, Food and Nutrition, Health Care, Housing, Transportation

Politico’s new German owner has a ‘contrarian’ plan for American media

Washington Post: “Months after his company bought Politico, Mathias Döpfner stood atop Axel Springer’s 19-story headquarters, gazing out at the double row of cobblestones that mark the outline of the demolished Berlin Wall, and explained his global ambitions. “We want to be the leading digital publisher in democracies around the world,” he said. A newcomer …

Subjects: Congress, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

U.S. bank regulator warns of crisis risk from fintech proliferation

Reuters: “The rise of fintech services and digital banking could spur financial risks and potentially a crisis over the long term, Michael Hsu, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, a major U.S. bank regulator, warned on Wednesday. “I believe fintechs and big techs are having a large impact and warrant much more of our attention,” Hsu …

Subjects: Cryptocurrency, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

Politics Americans are terrible at taking vacations

Grid – Why are U.S. workers so bad at taking time off? – The United States still has no federal paid vacation policy, making it one of only a handful of countries without guaranteed paid annual leave. Canada and Japan are also among the countries with the least paid annual leave, the report said, at …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Health Care

NARA Lesson Plans

National Archives: “These lesson plans are designed to assist teachers with using primary source materials to integrate Congress into history, government and civics classes. They are suitable for junior high and high school students.” [This page was last reviewed on February 7, 2022.]

Subjects: Education, Government Documents, Legal Research

This Hot Summer Is One of the Coolest of the Rest of Our Lives

Scientific American: “Extreme heat has been a constant in the news this past summer: In July a punishing heat wave in Europe pushed temperatures across parts of the U.K. above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) for the first time in history. That same month was viciously hot across China, including in Shanghai—home to 26 …

Subjects: Climate Change, E-Government, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Health Care

Omicron boosters are the future of COVID vaccines in the US

Popular Science: “Over Labor Day weekend, pharmacies across the country began receiving shipments of new Omicron- specific mRNA booster shots against COVID-19, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed off on their use last week. The updated formulas, which will become the standard booster for almost …

Subjects: Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

The Making of Modern Ukraine: A Free Online Course from Yale Professor Timothy Snyder

Open Culture: “This fall, historian Timothy Snyder is teaching a course at Yale University called The Making of Modern Ukraine. And he’s generously making the lectures available on YouTube–so that you can follow along too. The first lecture appears above. Subsequent lectures will be available on Yale’s YouTube Channel. And you can find the syllabus …

Subjects: Defense, Education, Knowledge Management

These sites offer thousands of free online classes on just about everything

Fast Company: “…here’s a shortlist of thousands of free online courses from some of the big-name education waypoints around the web. You’ll find everything from straightforward college courses to professional development to learning new hobbies…”

Subjects: Education, Internet

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