Category «Economy»

Why This Computer Scientist Says All Cryptocurrency Should “Die in a Fire”

Current Affairs, May 2022 – UC-Berkeley’s Nicholas Weaver has been studying cryptocurrency for years. He thinks it’s a terrible idea that will end in disaster. “Despite being hyped in expensive Super Bowl ads, cryptocurrency is now having a difficult moment. As the New York Times reports, “the crypto world went into a full meltdown this …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System

Drought in Numbers 2022 – restoration for readiness and resilience

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – Drought around the world (1900-2022) “More than 10 million people lost their lives due to major drought events in the past century, causing several hundred billion USD in economic losses worldwide, and the numbers are rising (Guha-Sapir, D. et al., 2021) Severe drought affects Africa more than any …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

Supply Disruptions and the U.S. Economy

CRS Insight: Supply Disruptions and the U.S. Economy, “The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the production of many goods and services. Although those disruptions have waned since spring 2020, some continue to constrain production, exacerbating inflationary pressures. The Biden Administration has announced a series of initiatives to address supply chain disruptions, which are detailed in CRS …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Atlantic Introducing an Expanded Books Section

The Atlantic: “…That quality of literature—and the criticism that helps make sense of it—is a large part of why we’re excited to be expanding books coverage at The Atlantic. Since its founding in 1857, this magazine “of Literature, Art, and Politics” has been home to great writing about the momentous books and literary debates of …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Libraries, Recommended Books

Revealed: the ‘carbon bombs’ set to trigger catastrophic climate breakdown

The Guardian, Exclusive: “The world’s biggest fossil fuel firms are quietly planning scores of “carbon bomb” oil and gas projects that would drive the climate past internationally agreed temperature limits with catastrophic global impacts, a Guardian investigation shows. The exclusive data shows these firms are in effect placing multibillion-dollar bets against humanity halting global heating. …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System

The Great Resignation: The toll taken on the legal field and what comes next

ABA Journal: “The pandemic has reshaped thinking around the value of work. The Thomson Reuters Stellar Performance: Skills and Progression Mid-Year Survey uncovered three specific priorities legal professionals are factoring into their career decisions. Balance: Young professionals are more in tune with work-life balance and place a higher value on mental well-being, leisure and other …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Health Care

‘Burnout tech’ seeks to identify signs of workers’ mental distress by reading Slack messages and email

Quartz: “Whether employees are griping about the background music before a virtual all-hands meeting, or spending their day gleefully sharing the dankest memes over Slack, these casual communications may contain within them the early warning signs of burnout, according to purveyors of new technology intended to monitor worker discontent. Just as technology exists to monitor …

Subjects: AI, E-Mail, E-Records, Economy, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

FY2023 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability

CRS Report – FY2023 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability Updated May 4, 2022: “Every year the President submits a series of volumes to Congress containing the President’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The President’s submission is required on or after the first Monday in January, but no later than the first Monday …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

Over 60 million Americans have taxes so simple the IRS could do them automatically

Vox: “For many Americans, doing your taxes isn’t all that complicated. It’s just data entry. The actual work of doing your taxes mostly involves rifling through various Internal Revenue Service forms you get in the mail. There are W-2s listing your wages, 1099s showing miscellaneous income like from one-off gigs, 1098s showing mortgage interest or …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents