New study shows that drought could shut down the biggest US Hydro Plants in the next few years

“According to newly-released projections from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations, there’s a significant chance that both Lake Powell and Lake Mead — the largest hydroelectric power sources in the country — will stop working in the next few years.”  “Five-year projections of future conditions, currently through 2026, in the Colorado River system are typically updated …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents

Publishers hope fact-checking can become a revenue stream. Right now, it’s mostly Big Tech who is buying.

Washington Post: “…The fact-checking operations at the German Press Agency (dpa) and Agence France-Presse (AFP) count some of the world’s biggest tech companies as clients — er, partners — but said that for their departments to become contributing revenue streams for their news agencies, they’d have to find more people and organizations willing to compensate them for …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

EPA Envirofacts

“The preliminary 2020 TRI dataset is now available. The dataset is approximately 99% complete, and will be updated several times in response to data quality analyses and revisions submitted by facilities. For more information, visit https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/tri-preliminary-dataset. The Envirofacts database is now RESTful service-enabled. See the services tab below for documentation and examples, or visit: Envirofacts …

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

Poison of misinformation still threatens the electoral process

Washington Post – “Arizona audit debunks Trump’s false claims, but the poison of misinformation still threatens the electoral process. Another door slammed shut Friday on the ceaseless and fraudulent campaign by Donald Trump to claim fraud about the 2020 election. The fact that the door closed will not stop Trump from continuing to make his …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 25, 2021

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 25, 2021 – 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 increasingly complex …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Housing, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Companies are hoarding personal data about you

Washington Post – Here’s how to get them to delete it [many caveats here…this may not be possible even in a limited manner] – “Companies are hoarding personal data about you. Here’s how to get them to delete it. Data deletion is complicated, and some companies mishandle requests. But it doesn’t hurt to ask…”

Subjects: E-Mail, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

what is the third place? (pt.1)

Patricia Mou:”…Recently I learned that there’s a name for this sacred place: the third space. And it was defined in 1989 by Professor Ray Oldenburg, an American urban sociologist who studied  the importance of informal public gathering places for a functioning civil society. In this 3-part series, I want to share my thoughts on: Part …

Subjects: Knowledge Management, Libraries

8 important and overlooked questions to ask before buying a home

Washington Post: “…A Flood Factor score, which assesses the likelihood of a flood on a scale of one to 10, is available on Redfin listings and directly from First Street Foundation, which produced the score. Consumers can check Free Home Risk for an assessment of both natural and manmade property risks or a free Home …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Housing, Legal Research

Lockdown made cities friendlier for some birds

PopSci: “When much of the world went into lockdown in the spring of 2020, traffic disappeared and pollution levels dropped. Under these conditions, dozens of bird species across North America seem to have flourished, scientists reported this week. The researchers analyzed observations from experienced bird watchers of more than 4.3 million birds representing 82 species …

Subjects: Environmental Law