This year 2019 will mark for many towns in Bergen County their 125th anniversary; that year saw many newly incorporated towns/villages being created. To read up on this, please consult this most informative research; this brief newspaper article summarizes the events.
Archive for June, 2019
Climate Change is a Priority Health Issue
Against a background of soaring temperatures in northern Europe (100+ degrees), rainfall that has flooded parts of southern New Jersey, hail the size of golf balls in France, and in light of the upcoming UN Climate Action Summit, a number of United States medical /health groups have joined together to issue U.S. Call to Action on Climate, Health, and Equity: A Policy Action Agenda that states “Climate change is the ‘greatest public health challenge of the 21st century’.” This brief but cogent document outlines steps that must be taken to address this most pressing problem. Since climate change more adversely affects those already in dire straits, a social justice component in battling climate change is introduced.
Anti-vaxxers Are Not Just Limited to the United States
The Wellcome Global Monitor 2018 report has just been released, and it reveals that many high-income countries, including the United States, have significant segments of the population that do not believe in the efficacy of vaccines, while conversely, low-income countries recognize the benefits of vaccines. In fact, “In France, one in three people disagree that vaccines are safe, the highest percentage for any country worldwide.” (Consult Chapter 5 of the report) Voluminous country data is contained in the appendix.
GAO Report On Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
This report – Education Should Take Immediate Action to Address Inaccuracies in Federal Restraint and Seclusion Data – echoes yesterday’s posting on educational equity in that this procedure “…disproportionately affects students with disabilities and boys in general.”(1) This brief report lists school districts with more than 100,000 students and the occurrences of restraint/seclusion. So many districts report zero instances that the GAO lists four recommendations to ameliorate the dismal reporting system.
A Call for a National Plan To Measure Educational Equity
This report from the National Academies – Monitoring Educational Equity – calls for a nationwide system that “…can help convey why disparities arise, identify groups most affected by them, and inform policy and practice measures to improve equity in pre-K through 12th grade education.” (news release) Sixteen indicators are listed, many of which deal with student outcomes. This report traces developments from pre-k through 12 grade in an attempt to find out why the educational system fails so many of its students.
This document mirrors the 2018 UNESCO title – Handbook on Measuring Equity in Education – that stated “Greater equity and inclusion in education cannot be achieved without increased efforts to collect and analyse data on the most excluded segments of the population.”(11)
How Much Do Congressional Staffers Earn?
There are two reports recently issued from CRS: one for the House and one for the Senate. Titles range from press secretary to caseworker to scheduler; median salaries are given with comparisons to previous years included. Numerous tables add to the efficacy of these documents.
Archival Publications Online
Back in the day when I was pursuing a doctorate in medieval history, my “C” field was archival studies. I was involved in various field operations, among them were American Irish Historical Society and the Archives of American Art. I was so enthralled with this field that I seriously considered following it as my career path, but library science presented a stronger calling. But the inclinations of an archivist are never far from the surface, and that is why I am so glad to point out that many of the Society of American Archivists publications are freely available online, from the classics authored by Posner and Schellenbach to multiple issues of The American Archivist. For those grounded in historical research, these resources will provide an introduction to this ever-evolving and fascinating field.
The “Digital Divide” Is Still a Major Problem
This Associated Press analysis of Census Bureau numbers reveals that more than three million school children still have no reliable internet access to complete homework assignments, leaving them more academically underprepared than their counterparts who have access to what many of us think as a basic tool. And this lack is felt more in certain socioeconomic levels: “Students without internet at home are more likely to be students of color, from low-income families or in households with lower parental education levels.”
The latest figures from the National Center for Education Statistics show the wide range of access to internet or broadband or the availability of computers in the home.
Guide To Brexit Abbreviations and Phrases
What is a hard Brexit? The term “alternative agreement”means what? What is “Article 50 TEU”? These and other terms are explained (along with embedded links where necessary) in this Brexit Glossary recently published by the UK Parliament Library.
The First Associated Press Report on D-Day
We have covered this monumental event previously. Here is the original AP report on the landings as filed by Don Whitehead, aka “Beachhead Don”.
Jersey City’s Population Estimates Show Great Growth
Based on the data contained in the Census Bureau’s 2018 population estimates found in its American Factfinder, Jersey City’s population has increased by over 17,000 since the 2010 census; it has increased by 2,000 since 2017. Newark, on the other hand, has seen its population rise by 5,000 since the 2010 census; its rise from 2017 tallies at a little more than 1,000. Every city, state, county, congressional district, etc can be tracked among the many metrics offered by the above site.
National Security Reports – May 2019 Update
Revealed: The U.S. military’s 36 code-named operations in Africa (Yahoo News); The New Revolution in Military Affairs(Foreign Affairs); The China Challenge (Reuters); Internet Health Report 2019 (Mozilla); Planning for Natural Disaster Debris (EPA); A Conversation With [FBI Director] Christopher Wray (Council on Foreign Relations); Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2018 (SIPRI); Evaluating UK natural hazards: the national risk assessment (UK Parliament Library); Cybersecurity, cybercrime and cybersafety: a quick guide to key internet links (Australia Parliament Library); Beyond the Ballot: How the Kremlin Works to Undermine the U.S. Justice System (CSIS); The BSA Framework for Secure Software (BSA Software Alliance); Securing Edge Devices (Cyber ThreatAlliance); Internet Risk Surface Report (RiskRecon; free registration required); Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2019 (DOD); 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report (Verizon); Doxing and Defacements: Examining the Islamic State’s Hacking Capabilities (CTC Sentinel); Science and Security Resources (AAU); and Proscribed Terrorist Organisations (UK Parliament Library).
Terrorism, Violent Extremism, and the Internet: Free Speech Considerations; Iran Sanctions; Digital Trade and U.S. Trade Policy; Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Gun-Launched Guided Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress; Military Personnel and Extremism: Law, Policy, and Considerations for Congress; The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS); U.S. Airborne Electronic Attack Programs: Background and Issues for Congress; Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status; and Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies. (all CRS)
Congressman Frank J. Guarini Library Blog 