Thursday, September 2, 2021

University of Arkansas, Numéro Netherlands, Mental Health, More: Thursday Evening ResearchBuzz, September 2, 2021

University of Arkansas, Numéro Netherlands, Mental Health, More: Thursday Evening ResearchBuzz, September 2, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

University of Arkansas: New Digital Collection Celebrates History of Campus Buildings. “The Libraries Special Collections Division and Digital Services Department have teamed up to create the digital collection Campus Life and the Life of the Campus: 150 Years on ‘The Hill’ in celebration of the U of A’s sesquicentennial. The collection contains 114 digitized objects documenting the transformation of the U of A’s buildings and spaces over the last 150 years.”

PPA: Numéro Netherlands launches new digital edition with Exact Editions. “The Dutch magazine Numéro Netherlands, the counterpart of the French Magazine Numéro, focuses on features pieces on fashion, art, culture, and lifestyle. The magazine has created a digital edition in partnership with London based digital publishing company, Exact Editions.”

USEFUL STUFF

CNET: 13 suicide and crisis intervention hotlines to call or text when you need help. “This guide outlines many different organizations in the US (some service other countries as well) that can provide support, resources and counseling, whether you are in a crisis situation or not. This list is not exhaustive, and it’s worth Googling to find any local services available where you live as well.” Of course if you or someone are in immediate crisis, call 911, do not wait. And also: don’t feel bad if you need to call or text one of these services. These are unprecedented times and most of us need a boost. NO SHAME.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Business Mirror: Online forum crosses intersection between art and activism. “Artist groups pushing for social justice converged to examine how art and activism cross paths to rally and protest against oppressive regimes. In the recent online forum, titled ‘Intersections of Art, Activism and Social Justice in the Philippines,’ several art movements discussed their roles in critical discourse and protest movements from the Marcos dictatorship to the Duterte administration.”

Oil City News: Consultant Finds Western History Center Staffing ‘Unsustainable,’ Collection In ‘Disarray’ . “The report highlighted several issues with the WHC’s organization and collection, such as improper storage of archival materials, being limited to on-site visits to ‘research, discover and access collection materials,’ and the lack of resources — ‘human, financial, physical and intellectual’ — to best operate and preserve the archive.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Hartford Courant: Judge orders blogger who frequently criticizes Hartford Police Department to turn over laptop as part of civil suit . “A Connecticut judge has ordered blogger Kevin Brookman — a frequent critic of the Hartford Police Department — to turn over his laptop and cellphone as part of a police lieutenant’s quest to identify and sue anonymous commenters who disparaged him on Brookman’s site.”

BBC: WhatsApp issued second-largest GDPR fine of €225m. “WhatsApp has been fined €225m (£193m) by Ireland’s data watchdog for breaching privacy regulations. It is the largest fine ever from the Irish Data Protection Commission, and the second-highest under EU GDPR rules. Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has its EU headquarters is in Ireland, and the Irish regulator is the lead authority for the tech giant in Europe.” €225m is about $266.5 million USD.

RESEARCH & OPINION

EurekAlert: New archaeological discoveries highlight lack of protections for submerged Indigenous sites. “New archaeological research highlights major blind spots in Australia’s environmental management policies, placing submerged Indigenous heritage at risk. The Deep History of Sea Country (DHSC) project team have uncovered a new intertidal stone quarry and stone tool manufacturing site, as well as coastal rock art and engravings, during a land-and-sea archaeological survey off the Pilbara coastline in Western Australia.”

Future of Privacy Forum: FPF And Mobility Data Collaborative Release Resources To Help Organizations Assess The Privacy Risks Of Sharing Of Mobility Data. “The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and SAE’s Mobility Data Collaborative (MDC) have created a transportation-tailored privacy assessment that provides practical and operational guidance to organizations that share mobility data, such as data from the use of ride-hailing services, e-scooters, or bike-sharing programs. The Mobility Data Sharing Assessment (MDSA) will help organizations assess and reduce privacy risks in their data-sharing processes.”

OTHER STUFF I THINK IS COOL

BBC: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2021 finalists revealed. “A seal that appears to be giggling, a baboon that looks like it’s singing and a very angry starling – this year’s finalists show animals in comedy moments snapped by photographers from around the world. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards were founded by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers and passionate conservationists.” Good evening, Internet…

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September 3, 2021 at 05:25AM
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Western Visions Art Show, Pennsylvania Political Spending, Arkansas Agriculture, More: Thursday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, September 2, 2021

Western Visions Art Show, Pennsylvania Political Spending, Arkansas Agriculture, More: Thursday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, September 2, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Jackson Hole News & Guide: Western Visions art ready for online perusal. “The 2021 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival doesn’t start until Sept. 9, but the National Museum of Wildlife Art already has its 34th annual Western Visions Show and Sale hanging — at least virtually. All 140 or so paintings and sculptures for the museum’s signature FAF event, its biggest fundraiser of the year, can be viewed [online].”

The Morning Call: For the first time, Pa. Senate gives public online access to spending records. “The Pennsylvania Senate for the first time is giving the public online access to the way the chamber and its elected members spend millions in taxpayer money on themselves. Reports that show all 50 senators’ spending for the month of July were posted to the Senate’s website Wednesday morning, alongside spending information for the chief clerk and secretary. That information will be updated monthly going forward.”

Arkansas Department of Agriculture: Arkansas Department of Agriculture Launches Farm to School and Arkansas Grown Website. This link goes to a PDF. “Farmers and producers can search the multi-site platform to find contact information for school districts that buy local food. Alternatively, schools can find contact information for farmers and producers when searching the site for sources to buy local food. The website enables schools and farms to create profiles and customize listings to include information on the local products they buy or sell respectively. This is a free service for schools, farmers, and producers.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

CNET: Amazon reportedly building live audio business. “Amazon is reportedly building a live audio service for use with Alexa. The online retail giant is investing heavily in an effort led by its music division that would include paying podcast networks, musicians and celebrities to use the feature for live conversations, shows and events, according to a Tuesday report from Axios.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Times of Israel: Are online sales of pre-Holocaust communal records their doom or salvation?. “During and after the Holocaust, thousands of pinkasim collections were stolen, lost, or abandoned. Unlike real estate and artwork stolen by Nazi Germany, however, pilfered pinkasim never got much legal or media attention. But the lost communal books are ‘an untold chapter of the restitution story,’ said Gideon Taylor, who is chair of operations for the Claims Conference and WJRO. ‘They are the real treasures of Jewish memory because they capture everyday life and what these communities were really like,’ he told The Times of Israel.” I did not know what pinkasim were, but I was able to get an overview from the National Library of Israel.

SECURITY & LEGAL

Bloomberg: US DOJ readying Google antitrust lawsuit over ad-tech business. “U.S. antitrust officials are preparing a second monopoly lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s Google over the company’s digital advertising business, according to a person familiar with the matter, stepping up the government’s claims that Google is abusing its dominance.”

Lexology: Federal Circuit Takes Judicial Notice of Wayback Machine Evidence of Prior Art. “In its Aug. 17 decision in Valve Corporation v. Ironburg Inventions Ltd., the Federal Circuit appears to have cleared the way for district courts to take judicial notice of Wayback Machine captures as evidence of prior-art printed publications.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

University of Alabama at Birmingham: Plant AI project aims to bring food to tables and students into science. “With a new four-year, $1 million-plus grant from the National Science Foundation, [Shahid] Mukhtar and his research partner and wife, Karolina Mukhtar, Ph.D., associate professor and associate chair in the biology department, are doing something big. The researchers are using machine learning and other high-tech approaches to identify fresh ways to squeeze extra growing power out of the world’s crops.”

Carnegie Mellon University: Machine Learning Algorithm Revolutionizes How Scientists Study Behavior. “As a behavioral neuroscientist, Yttri studies what happens in the brain when animals walk, eat, sniff or do any action. This kind of research could help answer questions about neurological diseases or disorders like Parkinson’s disease or stroke. But identifying and predicting animal behavior is extremely difficult. Now, a new unsupervised machine learning algorithm developed by [Professor Eric] Yttri and Alex Hsu, a biological sciences Ph.D. candidate in his lab, makes studying behavior much easier and more accurate.”

Der Spiegel: How High-Tech Tools Are Helping Combat Climate Change. “AI is helping researchers, urban planners, activists and even companies prevent damage to the climate. Algorithms can be used to detect forest destruction, reduce emissions – or even eavesdrop on animals in the ocean.” Deepish dive. Good afternoon, Internet…

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September 2, 2021 at 11:37PM
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New Jersey Overdose Data, India FPOs, Airplane Laser Strikes, More: Thursday ResearchBuzz, September 2, 2021

New Jersey Overdose Data, India FPOs, Airplane Laser Strikes, More: Thursday ResearchBuzz, September 2, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

The Press of Atlantic City: New state overdose database, increased naloxone access on Overdose Awareness Day. “…the New Jersey Overdose Data Dashboard… displays information about naloxone administrations, substance use treatment admissions, neonatal abstinence syndrome cases, viral hepatitis cases, opioid prescriptions and drug-related hospital visits. Data can be viewed by race/ethnicity, age, gender and county.”

Mint: Tata-Cornell Institute (TCI) launches hub housing database of over 4,400 Indian FPOs. “Tata-Cornell Institute (TCI) for Agriculture and Nutrition on Wednesday launched a hub for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) within its Center of Excellence in New Delhi. The hub, which features a first-of-its-kind database of Indian FPOs, has been created with a USD 1 million grant from the Walmart Foundation.” You can get an overview of FPOs here.

Federal Aviation Administration: FAA Releases Data Showing Trends in Dangerous Laser Strikes. “Shining a laser at an aircraft poses a serious safety threat and can result in large fines and criminal penalties. Working to identify trends in laser strikes, the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed a visualization tool that analyzes laser strike data from 2010 to 2020. Using the Tableau software platform, the tool identifies trends that include geographic area, per capita data, time of day and year.”

Associated Press: New Online Site Launched to Help People Get Child Tax Credit. “The government has collaborated on a new internet site to help more Americans apply for and receive the expanded child tax credit, a monthly payment of as much as $300 per child that was part of the coronavirus relief package.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

CNET: Twitter’s Safety Mode will automatically block harmful accounts for 7 days. “Twitter is rolling out a new way to try to limit ‘unwelcome interactions’ in your feed, the company said Wednesday. Safety Mode will impose a seven-day block on accounts that use what Twitter called potentially harmful language. This could include insults or repeated replies and mentions.” Useful or not? Depends on how good the algorithm is, I guess!

Engadget: Twitter opens Super Follow subscriptions for some creators. “Twitter is finally flipping the switch on “Super Follows,” its new subscription feature that allows creators to charge their followers for exclusive content. Starting today, the company is making the feature available to a ‘small group’ of creators, with plans to expand the lineup in the coming weeks (Twitter has been taking applications for Super Follows since June).”

USEFUL STUFF

Fossbytes: Best Sites To Read Comics And Manga Online For Free. “We have provided options for the manga, manhwa (webtoons), and American comics altogether in this list. Each website has something different to offer, and not one is similar to another. If you are a fan of anime, you might want to check out how to watch anime free on YouTube.” Excellent annotation.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Jamaica Observer: Widow reveals plans for Black Ark museum to honour Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry . “Mireille Perry, the widow of Grammy-winning reggae legend Lee Scratch’ Perry, has revealed plans to transform the iconic Black Ark studio in Washington Gardens, St Andrew into a museum.”

Burlington Free Press: ‘A catalyst for community-building’: Tiny Museum of Vermont Music History set to open . “When the South End Art Hop fires up next month in Burlington, so will a new museum dedicated to Vermont’s rich musical heritage. Photographs, posters, instruments and even menus from long-shuttered venues will be featured at the Tiny Museum of Vermont Music History when it opens Sept. 10.” An online gallery is in the works for next year.

SECURITY & LEGAL

NBC DFW: Another 15 TB of Data Lost From Dallas Police, City Secretary Archives, City Says. “The city of Dallas confirms Monday another 15 terabytes of data is missing from police and city secretary archive computers. That’s on top of the 8 terabytes reported missing earlier this month. City officials confirmed to NBC 5 Monday afternoon that Dallas police discovered the additional loss while conducting an audit of the lost data.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

University at Buffalo: UB receives grant to turn pre-K assessment tool into digital game. “To help teachers determine if their pre-kindergarten students are ready to transition to formal schooling, a UB-led team of researchers will create augmented reality and mobile game versions of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) assessment, a tool used primarily by researchers to measure skills necessary for success in school.”

The Conversation: Personalised gambling adverts: a troubling new trend. “There’s a new type of gambling advert being used online and on social media to try and appeal to viewers, recent research has shown. Unlike on television, these online advertisements can be more personalised, interactive and may be harder to distinguish from other content. For example, gambling companies will use methods like taking polls on the winning team of a football match to entice users to engage with them. Although the effect of these advertisements is relatively unknown, early research suggests that it is likely they will increase consumer engagement with gambling.” Good morning, Internet…

Do you like ResearchBuzz? Does it help you out? Please consider supporting it on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment on the blog, or @ResearchBuzz on Twitter. Thanks!



September 2, 2021 at 05:25PM
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Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home, Spotify, Google Photos, More: Wednesday Evening ResearchBuzz, September 1, 2021

Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home, Spotify, Google Photos, More: Wednesday Evening ResearchBuzz, September 1, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Digital Library of Georgia: Birth Registers From Historically Endangered Georgia Nursing Home For Expectant African American Mothers Now Available Freely Online. “The Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home in Camilla, Georgia, and the Digital Library of Georgia have worked together to digitize and present online the birth registers of the mothers and babies born at the Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home between 1949-1971.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

MobileSyrup: Spotify’s Blend playlists are here to combine your music taste with your friend’s. “Spotify introduced Blend Playlists (beta) in early June as a new way for two users to combine their musical interests into a single shared playlist created specifically for them. Now, the feature has rolled out to all users and includes some improvements over its beta. The experience also includes updated cover art to help you quickly identify each of your Blend playlists.”

9to5 Google: Google Photos adds ‘Best of Summer 2021’ Memory collection I don’t know whether to be appalled by or admire the optimism. “There isn’t any rhyme or reason to the ‘Best of Summer 2021’ collection, save plenty of sunshine in my own case, but there are plenty of flowers and sunny days in my own Google Photos library as it stands. Good weather appears to be a catalyst, but there are plenty of flowers and greenery included too, but a recent visit to a museum is also included in my own photo-taking exploits as of late.”

CNET: Facebook adds fantasy gaming to its iOS, Android apps. “Facebook is getting into fantasy gaming on iOS and Android, it revealed Wednesday. It launched Facebook Fantasy Games on the Facebook app in the US and Canada, letting you make predictions about sports and TV shows.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

I LOVE this. TechRadar: Timothée Chalamet used Google Alerts to land lead Dune role. “Dune star Timothée Chalamet has explained how setting up a Google alert eventually helped him to land the movie’s lead role. In an interview with Deadline ahead of the Venice Film Festival, Chalamet confirmed that he used Google Alerts to follow the film’s early development.”

U.S. Army: Coming soon: Army real estate dot mil. “The Army will soon pilot an online real estate tool, akin to commercial marketplaces like Zillow or Redfin, to help installations match the supply of available facilities with the demand from units and organizations around the globe, an installation expert said earlier this month.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

AFP: Google to appeal 500 mn euro French fine in copyright row. “Google on Wednesday said it is appealing a decision by France’s competition watchdog to hand it a 500-million-euro ($590 million) fine in a row with news outlets over the use of their content under EU copyright rules.”

Wall Street Journal: Ben Dugan Works for CVS. His Job Is Battling a $45 Billion Crime Spree.. “Retailers are spending millions to combat organized rings that steal from their stores in bulk and peddle goods online, often on Amazon.”

The Markup: Should Doxing Be Illegal?. “The doxing laws that have passed, or are under consideration, allow people to hold the doxers accountable for releasing their information and the consequences of doing so. So far, states have taken three approaches: laws that allow victims to sue doxers, laws that make doxing criminal, and laws that protect certain groups of people, such as health care workers, from online harassment. Each approach has its quirks.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Indiana University Bloomington: Choi part of IMLS grant to develop AI literacy program for youth in underserved communities. “Kahyun Choi, an assistant professor of information and library science at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, has been awarded a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop an artificial intelligence literacy program for youth in underserved communities.” Good evening, Internet…

Do you like ResearchBuzz? Does it help you out? Please consider supporting it on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment on the blog, or @ResearchBuzz on Twitter. Thanks!



September 2, 2021 at 05:32AM
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Cross-Cultural Dance Resources, Northwest Arkansas Crafters, Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, More: Wednesday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, September 1, 2021

Cross-Cultural Dance Resources, Northwest Arkansas Crafters, Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, More: Wednesday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, September 1, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Arizona State University: Cross-Cultural Dance Resources Collections announces online access to rare archival media. “The CCDR Collections, in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, collects, preserves and provides access to an aggregation of research materials to support the interdisciplinary study of dance as a human universal practiced in many different ways around the globe and to enrich understanding of dance in all its societal functions and cultural contexts.”

Fayetteville Flyer: New website showcases items created by NWA makers. “A new website launched recently featuring products made exclusively by makers in the Northwest Arkansas area. The new site… features works of local art, jewelry, furniture and other products for the home, toys, t-shirts, and all types of items in between.”

National Film Archive of Japan: “Films of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923″ is now available.. “With the aim of sharing knowledge about the historic disaster and its impact on society via moving images, this website offers a selection of films of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 which have survived over the century and now part of the collection of the National Film Archive of Japan.” The site is in Japanese, but Google Translate handled it.

USEFUL STUFF

The Daring Librarian: Do You Know About Secret Bitmoji’s?. “Did you know about Secret Bitmoji’s? Well, I just stumbled over them this summer and WOW! Cool! Are these new features or something we just missed? Since Bitmoji never talks to me — and I’ve Tweeted and Instagrammed them over and over for years and nothing……I guess this is a new feature?”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Politico: Thousands of posts around January 6 riots go missing from Facebook transparency tool. “The lost posts — everything from innocuous personal updates to potential incitement to violence to mainstream news articles — have been unavailable within Facebook’s transparency system since at least May, 2021. The company told POLITICO that they were accidentally removed from Crowdtangle because of a limit on how Facebook allows data to be accessed via its technical transparency tools. It said that the error had now been fixed. Facebook did not address the sizeable gap in its Crowdtangle data publicly until contacted by POLITICO, despite ongoing pressure from policymakers about the company’s role in helping spread messages, posts and videos about the violent insurrection, which killed five people.”

Digital Trends: Ambitious graveyard project ‘looks a bit like Ghostbusters’. “In a massive project dubbed ‘the Google Maps for graves,’ some 19,000 churchyards across England will have their headstones digitally mapped. The plan is to create a free online database that will help people research local history or learn more about their family tree. The gathered information should also help to improve the overall management of such sites.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

TechCrunch: A majority of tech workers support antitrust legislation enforcement. “The survey ran from July 26-30, 2021, to determine how employees in the field feel about antitrust laws. The survey asked professionals: Do you believe antitrust legislation should be used to break up Big Tech companies like Amazon and Google? There were 11,579 verified professionals on the Fishbowl app who participated in the survey, and they were given the option to answer either yes or no. The survey was broken down into state and professional industries such as law, consulting, finance, tech, marketing, accounting, human resources, teachers and others.”

Legal Cheek: Museums legal threats to Pornhub are an ‘exhibition of hypocrisy’. “As Burcu Günay points out, throughout history museums have progressed from merely exhibiting collections to being centres for observation, learning and questioning. Attempts to restrict access to these culturally important artworks goes against this trend. It also contravenes the values espoused by International Council of Museums (ICOM), where both France and Italy are influential. Although debate has recently become fraught over the extent to which museums should play an active role in society, the ICOM agrees that museums have a core social public function. Accessibility is therefore key to achieving these goals.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Abigail Spanberger; Without major changes, more Americans could be victims of online crime. “If signed into law, the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act would improve our cybercrime metrics, anticipate future trends, and make sure law enforcement has the tools and resources they need. Our bill would require federal reporting on the effectiveness of current cybercrime mechanisms and highlight disparities in reporting data between cybercrime data and other types of crime data.”

New York Times: How Far Can You Go to Resist Being the Subject of a Viral Video?. “We aren’t forcing Zoomers to spend their childhoods watching and shooting videos; we’re just giving them the opportunity. Some kids will resist, but most will indulge that opportunity, and those who do will make a little more money for Google, for Apple, for TikTok — all the far-off companies chartered to do business with the digital natives in their new world. It is a world we call barbarous, even as we devote more and more resources to colonizing it.” Wow. This is going to be sitting in my head for a while. Good afternoon, Internet…

Do you like ResearchBuzz? Does it help you out? Please consider supporting it on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment on the blog, or @ResearchBuzz on Twitter. Thanks!



September 2, 2021 at 12:04AM
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Wednesday CoronaBuzz, September 1, 2021: 66 pointers to updates, health information, research news, and more.

Wednesday CoronaBuzz, September 1, 2021: 66 pointers to updates, health information, research news, and more.
By ResearchBuzz

Ivermectin now has its own sub-category. Sigh. Please get vaccinated. Please wear a mask when you’re inside with a bunch of people. Much love.

USEFUL STUFF

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: The CDC eviction moratorium has ended: Learn your options . “On August 26, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision ending the CDC eviction moratorium. If you’re unable to make your rent payments, you’re not alone — here are options and resources to help you get back on your feet.”

(For a given value of “useful”) LifeSavvy: Krispy Kreme’s Vaccination Freebie Deal Just Got Even Better. “Given the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Krispy Kreme has decided to celebrate by sweetening its existing freebie deal. Since early this year, the chain has been giving free doughnuts to customers who present their proof-of-vaccination cards. However, between Aug. 30-Sept. 5, everyone who brings in proof of at least one vaccination shot (of any brand) will get not one, but two free doughnuts!”

UPDATES

CNN: What the data reveals about children and Covid-19 in the US. “Contrary to research early in the pandemic, children are just as likely to become infected as adults. According to the CDC, Covid-19 infection rates for adolescents aged 5 to 17 were as high as in adults 18 to 49, and higher than rates in adults over 50. There have been 4.8 million cases of Covid-19 in children since April 2020, according to the American Association of Pediatrics, making up about 15% of all documented cases in the United States. In the last month, the number of new weekly cases has surged to near-peak levels.”

Daily Yonder: Rural Vaccinations Climb by Fastest Rate in Six Weeks. “In the past three weeks, the weekly number of new vaccinations of rural residents has climbed by more than two thirds, an indication that concerns about the current spike in new infections are affecting vaccination uptake. Last week, 292,898 rural residents completed their Covid-19 vaccinations. In late July, only 150,000 new vaccinations were being completed each week in rural counties.”

MISINFORMATION / FACT-CHECKING

CNET: Coronavirus ‘doomsday variant’ headlines are wrong — and dangerous. “In short, there’s no reason to panic. There’s no doomsday variant (we don’t name variants this way) and there’s little evidence this new mutant strain is worse than delta. ‘There is no evidence it is particularly transmissible and it has not been flagged as a variant under interest so far,’ says Francois Balloux, a computational biologist at University College London.”

University of Utah Health: Kids, Masks And Mental Health: Navigating The Myths. “Addressing the misinformation about the mental and physical barriers that wearing a mask in school may bring – University of Utah Health experts weigh in. Face masks have been identified as one of the crucial tools to help stop the spread of COVID-19 yet the debate over whether they work or are necessary has been ongoing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. ”

Wired: ‘Prebunking’ Health Misinformation Tropes Can Stop Their Spread. ” If we can anticipate what tropes will be used to construct conspiracy narratives in the future, it’s possible that we can preempt them. Instead of addressing and fact-checking specific claims reactively, what if we instead discussed their underpinnings preemptively?”

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County calls medical misinformation a health crisis after 15-hour debate. “After a 15-hour-long, sometimes rancorous meeting, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a measure declaring medical misinformation a public health crisis. The board voted 3-2 after more than 250 people signed up and most spoke against the motion, saying it would lead to restrictions on free speech and other violations of personal freedoms.”

MISINFORMATION / FACT-CHECKING – IVERMECTIN

CBC: Alberta feed stores inundated with calls for ivermectin over false claims livestock dewormer treats COVID. “Alberta feed stores say they’re receiving a deluge of callers asking to buy ivermectin due to misinformation that suggests the livestock dewormer can be used to treat COVID-19 in humans. Lance Olson, manager of Lone Star Tack & Feed Inc., located just outside of Calgary, said false claims circulating about the animal medication have brought the wrong kind of attention to his business.”

KTNV: Las Vegas feed store sells out of Ivermectin, blames customers trying to treat COVID-19. “At V & V Tack and Feed, they normally stock and sell Ivermectin for use on horses. But right now, they’re completely sold out of the horse dewormer, and store associate Shelly Smith suspects a lot of her customers aren’t using it as intended.”

Winona Daily News: Wisconsin doctors to Sen. Johnson: Stop pushing Ivermectin as COVID-19 cure. “Wisconsin physicians today gathered virtually to share a message with Sen. Ron Johnson: ‘Please stop pushing Ivermectin as a cure for COVID-19, and stop discouraging trust in the safe, effective vaccine that actually prevents COVID-19.'”

New York Times: Demand Surges for Deworming Drug for Covid, Despite Scant Evidence It Works. “Prescriptions for ivermectin have jumped to more than 88,000 per week, some pharmacists are reporting shortages and people are overdosing on forms of the drug meant for horses.”

Courier Journal: Kentucky Poison Control sees sharp jump in calls about people taking ivermectin for COVID. “Eight months into 2021, the Kentucky Poison Control Center has seen a big increase in intentional misuse of ivermectin, a treatment mostly used for parasites in animals, as some ignore health guidance and use it to treat COVID-19. In 2020, there was one call for ivermectin misuse, but as of Tuesday, there have been 13 misuse calls this year, center director Ashley Webb said, adding that ‘most of those have been because people are trying to treat COVID.'”

SOCIETAL IMPACT

The Enterprise: Bridgewater photographer, social worker documents seniors’ isolation during COVID pandemic. “When most nursing homes closed their doors to family members and other members of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, photographer and social worker Melinda Reyes was able to get a look inside.”

Computerworld: What’s going on with the ‘Great Resignation’?. “A recent Harvard Business Review poll found ’employees want to work from home 2.5 days per week on average.’ As time goes on, people find they like working from home more than ever. Zoom chats, Slack conversations, and other remote work interactions used to be weird, but people have gotten comfortable with virtual meetings. Workers who think the boss is going to insist on a return to the old ways are going to quit. Indeed, they’ve already started.”

ACTIVISM / PROTESTS

The Guardian: ‘Open season on media’: journalists increasingly targeted at Los Angeles protests. “Attacks on the press are just one part of escalating rightwing street violence in the city, which has included multiple stabbings, people being sprayed in the face with bear Mace, an assault on a breast cancer patient outside a clinic, and repeated physical brawls with leftwing protesters in the streets. In another sign of growing tensions, protesters rallying against vaccine mandates showed up at the homes of two Los Angeles city council members on Sunday.”

HEALTH CARE / HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

NOLA: Generator failure during Hurricane Ida at Thibodaux hospital prompts scramble to move ICU patients. “Patients at Thibodaux Regional Health System in Lafourche Parish were bagged by hand, meaning hospital staff manually pushed air in and out of their lungs in place of mechanical ventilation, while they were transported to another floor, according to officials with the Louisiana Department of Health. Other generators in the hospital are still in working order, according to Dr. Joe Kanter, the state’s chief health officer, as workers and patients there continue to ride out the storm. ”

Wired: Are Off-Label Prescriptions a Backdoor to Giving Kids Covid Vaccines?. “With schools opening, mask-wearing unenforced (and in many places forbidden), and the Delta variant cresting everywhere, the question of being able to vaccinate kids feels like a synecdoche for the whole Covid response: a landscape of unclear risk in which policy is insufficient to clarify how much danger people—or their kids—are in. The vaccine approval for adults but not for children leaves pediatricians and pharmacists in an uncomfortable position.”

NBC News: At least 15M Covid vaccine doses have been wasted in the U.S. since March, new data shows. “Pharmacies and state governments in the United States have thrown away at least 15.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines since March 1, according to government data obtained by NBC News — a far larger number than previously known and still probably an undercount.”

HEALTH CARE – PEDIATRICS

NBC Washington: Children’s National Hospital Sees Increase in COVID Patients. “Doctors are urging everyone to get vaccinated to protect our most vulnerable populations; that includes children under age 12, who aren’t yet eligible for the shots. The urgent message comes as Children’s National Hospital in D.C. says they’re just as busy now as they were during the peak of the pandemic last winter.”

New York Times: Children’s hospitals around the country are seeing a surge in Covid-19 patients, including this two-month-old baby in New Orleans.. “As children’s hospitals in many parts of the United States admit more Covid-19 patients, a result of the highly contagious Delta variant, federal and state health officials are grappling with a sharp new concern: children not yet eligible for vaccination in places with substantial viral spread, now at higher risk of being infected than at any other time in the pandemic. Nowhere is that worry greater than in Louisiana, which has among the highest new daily case rates in the country and only 40 percent of people are fully vaccinated, putting children at particular risk as they return to school.”

BUSINESS / CORPORATIONS

WSB-TV: Coronavirus: McDonald’s, other restaurants closing dining rooms amid surging caseloads. “As coronavirus cases continue to surge fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, McDonald’s and other restaurants have or are considering temporarily closing their dining rooms.”

Los Angeles Times: Behind Hollywood glamour, an Instagram account highlights darker side for workers. “Hollywood’s return to production, after pandemic-induced closures caused thousands of job losses has been welcome to many in the industry. But the scramble to make up for lost time — combined with soaring demand for content from new streaming platforms — is taking a toll on crews. Below-the-line workers are putting in increasingly long hours, with the added pressure of making up for delays caused by COVID-19 outbreaks, [Ben] Gottlieb and other union representatives said.”

CNN: Some Princess Cruises ships not sailing until 2022. “A cruise line is delaying two ships’ return to sea due to the pandemic. Princess Cruises is abandoning plans to sail its Diamond Princess and Island Princess ships this year.”

New York Times: Flight Attendants’ Hellish Summer: ‘I Don’t Even Feel Like a Human’. “For cabin crews, the peak travel season has turned into a chronic battle involving frequent delays, overwork and unruly passengers that leaves them feeling battered by the public and the airlines.”

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

WTOP: State mask bans face federal civil rights inquiries. “The Education Department announced Monday that it’s investigating five Republican-led states that have banned mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.”

CNN: CDC adds 7 destinations to ‘very high’ Covid-19 travel risk list, including Puerto Rico and Switzerland. “Switzerland and Puerto Rico are now among the highest-risk destinations for travelers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s regularly updated travel advisories list. People should avoid traveling to locations designated with the ‘Level 4: Covid-19 Very High’ notice, the CDC recommends. Anyone who must travel should be fully vaccinated first, the agency advises.”

CNN: CDC asks the unvaccinated not to travel this weekend and says even vaccinated need to weigh the risk. “Due to the surge of Covid-19 cases, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking unvaccinated Americans not to travel during the Labor Day holiday weekend. The US is surpassing an average of 160,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. With the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and many students returning to the classroom for a new academic year, the rise is concerning officials and health experts.”

WORLD/COUNTRY GOVERNMENT

New York Times: Unvaccinated U.S. visitors could soon face new restrictions on travel to Europe.. “The European Union on Monday recommended that its member countries reintroduce travel restrictions for visitors from the United States who are unvaccinated against the coronavirus, a fresh blow to the continent’s ailing tourism sector and a sign that potential measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus might remain in place for months.”

BBC: Japan finds black particles in Moderna vaccine. “Japan has put a batch of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine on hold after a foreign substance was found in a vial. A pharmacist saw several black particles in one vial of the vaccine in Kanagawa Prefecture, according to authorities. Some 3,790 people had already received shots from the batch. The rest of the batch has now been put on hold.”

Midland Daily News: New Zealand wages high-stakes effort to halt virus outbreak. “Since the pandemic began, New Zealand has reported only 26 deaths from the virus in a population of 5 million. The death rate per capita in Britain and the U.S. is about 400 times higher. Remarkably, life expectancy for New Zealanders actually rose in 2020 as virus measures helped reduce other seasonal ailments like the flu.”

The Guardian: Denmark to lift all remaining Covid restrictions on 10 September. “Denmark is to lift all its remaining Covid-19 restrictions by 10 September after the health ministry declared the virus ‘no longer a critical threat to society’ because of the country’s high level of vaccination.”

STATE GOVERNMENT

KVUE: Travis County judge issues injunction against Gov. Abbott mask mandate ban. “A Travis County judge has issued a temporary injunction order against Gov. Greg Abbott and his ban on mask mandates, according to court documents obtained by KVUE. KVUE’s media partners at the Austin American-Statesman reported that lawyers say Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already appealed Judge Catherine Mauzy’s ruling.”

WABC: Coronavirus NY: Vaccine or weekly testing for school staff, Hochul says. “Mandatory vaccinations in all state-run congregate facilities are being explored, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced during her first COVID briefing on Tuesday. But New York will not implement a vaccination mandate for school employees, and will instead opt to require weekly testing for the unvaccinated.”

The Hill: Idaho governor activates National Guard to combat surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. “Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) on Tuesday said he would be deploying additional National Guard personnel to assist state hospitals overwhelmed by recent surges in COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated communities. The move comes just two months after the Republican governor announced a timeline for drawing down the state National Guard’s COVID-19 Task Force as the situation had begun to improve.”

ABC 7: Some doctors say California should reinstate outdoor mask mandate. Here’s why. “The California Dept. of Public Health told San Francisco’s KGO-TV masking outdoors is currently recommended in high-risk settings when in packed crowds or concerts. No announcement indicating a potential outdoor mask mandate in California has been made public — But some doctors argue wearing masks outdoors should be mandated in certain situations, not just recommended.”

STATE GOVERNMENT – FLORIDA

Reuters: Florida Withholds Funds From Two School Districts Over Mask Mandates. “The Florida Department of Education said on Monday it has withheld funds from two school districts that made masks mandatory in classrooms this fall.”

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

NBC News: ‘Hell no’: Some police officers and their unions oppose vaccination mandates. “The battle brewing in Chicago is playing out in cities and towns across the country. Police unions in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Seattle; and Syracuse, New York, have pushed back against vaccination requirements, as has the union representing state police in Massachusetts.”

INDIVIDUALS / BANDS / GROUPS

The New Daily: Kiss singer Gene Simmons catches COVID-19. “Rock band Kiss have cancelled four tour dates after co-lead singer Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19. The chart-topping group was forced to axe a performance in Pennsylvania last week after frontman Paul Stanley also contracted the virus.”

Religion News Service: NRB spokesman Dan Darling fired after pro-vaccine statements on ‘Morning Joe’. “Daniel Darling, senior vice president of communications for the National Religious Broadcasters, was fired Friday (Aug. 27) after refusing to admit his pro-vaccine statements were mistaken, according to a source authorized to speak for Darling.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘I just can’t go through this again’: Why mom changed her mind on COVID vaccine. “Sherry Clements Wilmot has worked as a teacher in Ocilla, Ga., for 38 years. In an interview with staff writer Tamar Hallerman, she explained how her attitude about the COVID-19 vaccine shifted from hope to fear and how discussions with a trusted doctor, family and friends this summer helped her overcome her hesitancy — all in the nick of time. This interview was edited for length and clarity.”

SPORTS

Associated Press: US Open COVID protocols changed: Fans need vaccination proof. “The U.S. Tennis Association announced Friday that the New York City mayor’s office decided to require proof of vaccination to go into Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main arena at the National Tennis Center. The USTA then opted to extend that rule to cover all ticket-holders who are 12 and older and enter the grounds during the two-week Grand Slam tournament that begins Monday. ”

Yahoo Sports: Taking their shot: NBA referees to be vaccinated this season. “NBA referees will all be vaccinated against the coronavirus this season. The NBA announced Saturday that it has struck a deal with the National Basketball Referees Association on that requirement. Part of the referees’ agreement with the NBA also says that those working games will receive booster shots once they become recommended.”

K-12 EDUCATION

Washington Post: Fairfax County Public Schools will require a coronavirus vaccine for high school student-athletes. “Fairfax County Public Schools will require students who play winter and spring high school sports this academic year to get a coronavirus vaccine, officials announced Monday — marking one of the first such student vaccine mandates nationwide. The rule will go into effect Nov. 8, school officials wrote in a message to principals Monday. Starting that date, any student who wishes to participate in a Virginia High School League winter or spring sport during the 2021-2022 academic year must provide proof of vaccination.”

The Oregonian: Rural Oregon school superintendent fired after enforcing state mask mandate. “Kevin Purnell was fired Monday as superintendent of the Adrian School District just one week after students returned to school. The Adrian School Board, convening in an emotionally charged special meeting, voted 4-1 Monday evening to terminate Purnell after meeting in an executive, or closed door, session for less than half an hour to consider the matter.”

Bellingham Herald: Teacher who posted meme comparing mask opponents and KKK placed on leave in Nebraska. “A teacher who posted a meme on Facebook comparing mask critics to Ku Klux Klansmen has been placed on administrative leave by her Nebraska school district.”

BBC: Covid-19: The Indian children who have forgotten how to read and write. “Like everywhere else in India, schools have remained shut since March last year when the country went into lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. Affluent private schools and their students switched to online classes seamlessly, but government-run schools have struggled. And their students – often with no laptops or smartphones and patchy access to the internet – have fallen behind.”

Waco Tribune-Herald: Connally Junior High to close after second teacher dies of COVID-19. “Connally Independent School District is mourning the second Connally Junior High death from COVID-19 in one week and is closing the campus for the rest of the week starting Tuesday. Natalia Chansler, a sixth-grade social studies teacher who had joined the district in the 2020-21 school year, died on Saturday, said Jill Bottelberghe, assistant superintendent of human resources….David McCormick, 59, died on Aug. 24 of COVID-19. He was the seventh-grade social studies teacher and was last on campus on Aug. 18.”

K-12 EDUCATION – FLORIDA

Miami Herald: Anti-mask parent arrested on a child abuse charge at a Fort Lauderdale high school. “As the Broward County school district kept its mask mandate, a father trying to bring his maskless daughter to Fort Lauderdale High School Wednesday morning wound up in Broward County Jail. Police say Dan Bauman, 50, grabbed and twisted the arm of a girl trying to stop him from using his cellphone to video-record students walking into the school.”

HIGHER EDUCATION

NBC News: Liberty University in Virginia orders campus-wide quarantine amid Covid spike. “There were 159 active Covid-19 cases among students and staff as of Saturday, according to the school’s coronavirus dashboard. The university has about 15,000 students and 5,000 faculty or staff members on campus. The majority of infections, 124 cases, are among students. Last week, 40 students and staff members had tested positive for Covid. The current spike surpasses the previous high of 141 cases last September when nearly 1,200 people connected with the campus were quarantined.”

Newswise: Dust collected from campus buildings will help track COVID-19. “Researchers are collecting dust from 50 buildings on The Ohio State University campus this fall to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 and track the virus’s variants. Their analyses and experiments are designed to help the university understand where COVID-19 pockets might exist as the campus opens to near-pre-pandemic levels this fall.”

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Effective Immediately – Embry-Riddle Expects Everyone to Wear a Mask Indoors, No Exceptions. “Excitement marked the first day of the fall 2021 semester at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s residential campuses, but there was also cause for disappointment. Although we have repeatedly and strongly encouraged everyone to wear face masks indoors, compliance with that recommendation was low yesterday. Many Eagles simply did not step up to help protect themselves and others who may face higher risks. This is unacceptable. From this moment forward, in light of the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Embry-Riddle leadership expects everyone – whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated – to wear a mask over your nose and mouth at all times whenever you are inside any university facility or aircraft.”

RESEARCH

Washington Post: Massive randomized study is proof that surgical masks limit coronavirus spread, authors say. “The authors of a study based on an enormous randomized research project in Bangladesh say their results offer the best evidence yet that widespread wearing of surgical masks can limit the spread of the coronavirus in communities. The preprint paper, which tracked more than 340,000 adults across 600 villages in rural Bangladesh, is by far the largest randomized study on the effectiveness of masks at limiting the spread of coronavirus infections.”

Indiana University: Professor pursues patent for origami-inspired face mask design. “When Indiana University artist and designer Jiangmei Wu started folding origami face masks in early 2020, it was, in her words, a ‘DIY project’ to get better personal protective equipment to her brother in China to help combat COVID-19. Eighteen months later, Wu has filed a U.S. patent application for her origami mask design, now called ‘Oricool,’ with help from the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office.”

University of California: LGBTQ+ youth face increased anxiety amid COVID-19 pandemic. “While a life-altering pandemic has caused a substantial uptick in anxiety and depression symptoms among adults and children alike, LGBTQ+ youth have turned to peers in anonymous online discussion forums for support. New research from the University of California, Davis, suggests these LGBTQ+ teenagers — who already experience disproportionate levels of psychological adversity — exhibited increased anxiety on the popular r/LGBTeens subreddit throughout 2020 and the start of 2021.”

Phys .org: Mutation rate of COVID-19 virus is at least 50 percent higher than previously thought. “The virus that causes COVID-19 mutates almost once a week—significantly higher than the rate estimated previously—according to a new study by scientists from the Universities of Bath and Edinburgh. Their findings indicate that new variants could emerge more quickly than thought previously.”

PUBLIC OPINION

Axios: Axios-Ipsos poll: Vaccine hesitancy may be crumbling. “Fewer adults than ever now say they won’t take the shot, and in the past two weeks there has been a sharp increase in the share of parents who plan to get their younger kids vaccinated as soon as it’s allowed.”

OUTBREAKS

New York Times: 180 cases are traced to a church camp and conference that didn’t require vaccinations or testing, the C.D.C. says.. “At least 180 coronavirus infections in three states have been traced to an Illinois church camp for teenagers and an affiliated men’s conference that did not require attendees to be vaccinated or tested for the virus, according to an investigation published on Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

FUNNY

New York Post: New Zealand COVID-19 minister’s x-rated gaffe goes viral. “New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown is really heating up. The country’s pandemic response minister unintentionally gave Kiwis some x-rated advice during a live COVID-19 press briefing Sunday — reminding residents to social distance when they get outside to ‘spread their legs.'”

CRIME / SECURITY / LEGAL

Washington Post: A judge asked a mother if she got the coronavirus vaccine. She said no, and he revoked custody of her son.. “When Rebecca Firlit joined a virtual court hearing with her ex-husband earlier this month, the Chicago mother expected the proceedings to focus on child support. But the judge had other plans. ‘One of the first things he asked me … was whether or not I was vaccinated,’ Firlit, 39, told the Chicago Sun-Times. She was not, she said, explaining that she has had “adverse reactions to vaccines in the past” and that a doctor advised her against getting inoculated against the coronavirus…. Cook County Judge James Shapiro then made what the parents’ attorneys called an unprecedented decision: He said the mother could not see her 11-year-old son until she got a coronavirus vaccine.”

ABC News: Feds warn of alarming rise in reports of fake vaccine cards sold and used. “The Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General tells ABC News exclusively that they are receiving ‘increasing reports of individuals creating, purchasing, and using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards,’ warning that the proliferation of sham cards can leave victims’ personal identity vulnerable — and threaten the nation’s hard-fought gains against the virus.”

Ars Technica: Vaccine mandates work, especially when they’re done right. “Vaccine mandates and other rules that limit personal behavior in the service of societal well-being are super-legal. Just ask Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who reaffirmed that notion two weeks ago with a terse not-gonna-happen in response to a lawsuit brought by students at Indiana University against their school’s vaccine mandate. Barrett’s hard nope upheld an appeals court decision that was in turn based on Jacobson v. Massachusetts, the 1905 Supreme Court decision that gave the OK to requirements for smallpox vaccinations, among other public health regulations.”

New York Times: Instagram User @AntiVaxMomma Charged With Selling Fake Vaccine Cards. “The allegations against the woman, Jasmine Clifford, 31, were unveiled in Manhattan criminal court. Prosecutors said that Ms. Clifford sold about 250 forged cards over Instagram. She also worked with another woman, Nadayza Barkley, 27, who is employed at a medical clinic in Patchogue, N.Y., to fraudulently enter at least 10 people into New York’s immunization database, prosecutors said.”

Traverse City Record-Eagle: Sheriff investigating attack on R-E reporter. ” The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of an attack on a Record-Eagle reporter while covering an anti-mask, anti-vaccine event at a township park Thursday evening.”

OPINION

Slate: Why I Finally Had to Quit Working in a COVID Ward. “Nobody from other specialties wanted to come into a COVID unit. You’d have people crying in the morning, ‘I need cardiology and neurology.’ And they’d be like, ‘Is that patient positive? We can’t see him. Do this.’ It was like you were out there on an island all by yourself. One of the most amazing things I saw—we had a patient dying, had the family come up. They had to be careful; they had to make sure they were negative. And we called the chaplain up. And the chaplain comes up, and he’s like, ‘Oh, is this patient COVID positive?’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah.’ And he’s like, ‘I can’t go in there.’ And three of the NPs just broke down. It was unreal.”

Washington Post: Opinion: For Navajo, crowded homes have always been a lifeline. The pandemic threatens that.. “Kay Atene’s family lives together on the same red earth in Oljato-Monument Valley in Utah that her great-grandparents returned to after surviving the ‘Long Walk’ more than 150 years ago. Generations living together is central to how the Navajo have navigated crises for centuries. But the coronavirus has put that in jeopardy: Crowded homes have become one of the deadliest places to be during the pandemic.”

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September 1, 2021 at 10:47PM
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Humanitarian Response, MIT Open Documentary Lab, Flipboard, More: Wednesday ResearchBuzz, September 1, 2021

Humanitarian Response, MIT Open Documentary Lab, Flipboard, More: Wednesday ResearchBuzz, September 1, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

ReliefWeb: UN launches online tool to help humanitarians assess environmental risks in urban areas. “The free, cloud-based Urban-Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (U-NEAT+) offers an easy way to assess a range of potential environmental threats and sensitivities and suggests how to mitigate them. Assessments are recorded in an online questionnaire that can be completed with a smartphone. The tool’s special features dive deeper into specific response areas such as shelter, food security, health, livelihoods, and water, sanitation and hygiene.”

I had heard of this but I had no idea it was so extensive. MIT News: Transformative truth-telling at the MIT Open Documentary Lab. “When he was convicted, his twin children were 45 days old. Now, they’re 21. This father’s voice is one of dozens collected in the ongoing documentary project ‘A Father’s Lullaby’ by current MIT Open Documentary Lab Fellow Rashin Fahandej. It comprises a compilation of recorded lullabies and oral histories from incarcerated fathers separated from their young children…. This inventive and moving inventory of lost lullabies is one of many examples of the boundary-pushing creative works that are found in the MIT Open Documentary Lab (ODL) archive — a deep archive known as the Docubase.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechCrunch: Flipboard rolls out newsfeed personalization tools to save you from doomscrolling. “The company announced this morning the launch of a new controller on the cover of its own main newsfeed, aka the ‘For You’ feed, which now allows users to select new topics to follow and deselect those they no longer want to hear about. The feature, which Flipboard dubs ‘an antidote to doomscrolling,’ allows users to customize their For You feed to deliver a wider selection of stories related to their various interests, instead of focusing their home page on breaking news and politics.” Personalizing is always great but I’m getting Excite flashbacks. Remember when everything was Portal?

Google Blog: Testing new ways to explore and share through Chrome. “Flags and experiments in Chrome Beta let you choose which in-development features you want to test out before they hit the main stage. With our latest Chrome Beta release, you can try out some upcoming features that can help you more easily explore, keep track of, and share the things you find on the web.”

USEFUL STUFF

Mashable: 10 TikTok accounts to follow if you love to cook . “There are lots of amazing cooking accounts on TikTok, so this is by no means comprehensive. But the ones to make this list were chosen for their genuine usefulness, diversity of cuisines, and unique voice. Bon appétit!”

SatelliteJournalism: Best practices for working with satellite data — what I learned from the experts. “Satellites orbiting the earth are collecting vast amounts of data about our planet — much of it openly available to the public. For reporters, this offers unique opportunities for original investigations and visual storytelling. But how do you get started? And what should you be looking out for? I spoke to four journalists who regularly work with satellite data about how to start, best practices and most importantly — mistakes to avoid.”

Search Engine Journal: How to Successfully Promote Your Facebook Page Everywhere. “Today, we’re going to hone your Facebook skills. If you’re not already promoting your Facebook page and you run a business, you need to start. Facebook isn’t just a site for friends to stay in touch anymore. Many utilize it to search for basic information about companies before they make a purchase. That’s why it’s essential that you learn to promote your Facebook Page where and whenever possible.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: The Silent Partner Cleaning Up Facebook for $500 Million a Year. “For years, Facebook has been under scrutiny for the violent and hateful content that flows through its site. Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, has repeatedly pledged to clean up the platform. He has promoted the use of artificial intelligence to weed out toxic posts and touted efforts to hire thousands of workers to remove the messages that the A.I. doesn’t. But behind the scenes, Facebook has quietly paid others to take on much of the responsibility. Since 2012, the company has hired at least 10 consulting and staffing firms globally to sift through its posts, along with a wider web of subcontractors, according to interviews and public records.”

CNET: Biden administration to launch US Digital Corps. “In a bid to bring more technology talent to federal agencies, the White House is launching a fellowship program called the US Digital Corps, geared toward improving government responses to shifting IT challenges. Announced Monday, the corps will be located within the General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services division and will launch this fall with 30 successful applicants filling the two-year fellowships.”

The Verge: After Weeks Of Hate Raids, Twitch Streamers Are Taking A Day Off In Protest. “On Wednesday, September 1st, a number of channels on Twitch will go dark as streamers participate in #ADayOffTwitch, a walkout designed to bring attention to the ongoing hate and harassment that’s plagued the platform for the last several weeks.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Reuters: Google, Facebook, Microsoft Top EU Lobbying Spending – Study. “Alphabet Inc’s Google unit, Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp are the three biggest lobbying spenders in Europe in a battle against tough new laws aimed at curbing U.S. tech giants’ powers, a study released on Tuesday showed.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Northern Arizona University News: Astronomer recruiting volunteers in effort to quadruple number of known active asteroids. “The study of active asteroids is a relatively new field of solar system science, focusing on objects that have asteroid-like orbits but look more like comets, with visual characteristics such as tails…. Through funding from a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award in 2018, doctoral student Colin Orion Chandler in Northern Arizona University’s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science launched an ambitious new project, Active Asteroids, which is designed to engage volunteers in the search for more of these enigmatic objects.” Good morning, Internet…

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September 1, 2021 at 05:25PM
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