According to GRID Real Estate’s “City of Jersey City Development Trends – Early 2019” report, NJCU with its PPP-sponsored housing/retail construction is trending hot and has been labeled a “halo development” signifying that this building activity is considered to have a positive impact on the surrounding community.
Archive for November, 2019
We Now Live in a “Post-antibiotic” Era
According to this newly-released CDC report – Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States 2019 – “Antibiotic resistance is not only a U.S. problem—it is a global crisis. Resistance has been identified across the world. New forms of resistance emerge and can spread with remarkable speed between continents through people, goods, and animals. Inappropriate antibiotic use and inadequate infection prevention can increase the chance that resistance develops, spreads, and puts the world at risk”(8)
The report identifies 18 types of germs that have become/or will become antibiotic- resistant. These pathogens are directly responsible for 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections a year along with 35,000 deaths. (3) The report contains a glossary (7), threat assessments (16-17), and pathogen summaries (63-108). This is a call for more action, from developing newer drugs to combating the spread of these germs on the international stage.
This CDC section – Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Resistance – has additional information.
Jersey City Ranks #3 Among Cities That Best Integrate Immigrants
The 2019 New American Economy Cities Index examines how cities integrate immigrants into their communities; it utilizes various evaluative metrics to highlight policies and socioeconomic outcomes for this group. Overall, Jersey City ranks #3 out of the 100 cities highlighted; Newark comes in at #8.
The 100 Best English-Language Novels
Divided into several categories, these novels were judged by a literary panel as to be the tomes that have shaped our world. I am gratified to see that the Jack Aubrey novels authored by Patrick O’Brian made the cut; here is an interview with this author from The Paris Review.
Watch the Impeachment Hearings Live
C-SPAN is providing complete coverage of the impeachment inquiry; it also will permanently archive the entire proceedings so they can be consulted at a later date.
Recent Climate Change Reports
One Disaster Away (Center for Public Integrity) is a report series that will do deep dives into the four states most adversely affected by climate change, and how these states were instrumental in de-fanging the Obama-era Clean Power Plan; Ten Facts about the Economics of Climate Change and Climate Policy (from the Hamilton Project and Stanford University) investigates how climate change can have a deleterious effect on economic growth; Sea-level rise could flood hundreds of millions more than expected (MIT Technology Review); and Climate Change and Ecosystems (National Academies Press).
Facts About Veterans Day
A little history and some background on this hallowed day are here; many additional facts and figures can be gleaned from this Census Bureau site.
Hearing on Modernizing the Library of Congress
Courtesy of C-SPAN. This hearing falls in line with the Library’s digital strategy plan.
Forensic Science – OSAC
The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science is a federal entity tasked with the development and promulgation of science-based standards/procedures that inform the field of forensic science. To that end, OSAC has disseminated various approved standards, established a 4000+ item lexicon to facilitate communication among the various agencies working in this sector, and has compiled a listing of research and development needs, highlighting areas in which further work is necessary. In addition, OSAC provides links to other organizations’ forensic science standards as well as publishing its own Standards Bulletin, a quarterly newsletter, and an annual report.
Can I Take Time Off To Vote?
It depends on the state in which you reside, and the details vary widely state to state.To see if you are legally allowed time off to vote, please consult these sites: Taking Time Off To Vote (Nolo); and States where you can get time off to vote (Business Insider). It looks like New Jersey does not provide this service.
Who’s Who, What’s What in the Impeachment Process
NPR has crafted an informative guide to the impeachment process, delivering biographies, primary documents, and a timeline. The Washington Post also has a site well worth visiting, replete with information including a timeline. Both sites will be updated as this inquiry moves forward.
The First Redacted Transcripts of the Closed Door Impeachment Hearings Made Public. More to Follow.
In an effort to provide transparency in a contentious atmosphere, the first transcripts of the closed meetings have been made public. The first released is that of the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch; the second released is that of Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State Ambassador P. Michael McKinley. Further releases will be available at this site – House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
National Security Reports – October 2019 Update
NIST Cybersecurity Practice Guide SP 1800-23, Energy Sector Asset Management (draft version); Online Trust Audit – 2020 U.S. Presidential Campaigns (Internet Society); Securing the Industrial Internet of Things (NIST); Cybersecurity Insights: Director’s Corner (NIST); Reports on Russian Election Interference and Russian Use of Social Media (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence); Why Climate Change Is a National Security Issue (JSTOR); Drone Databook (Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College); and The New Geopolitics (Brookings).
Impeachment Investigations: Law and Process; Ukraine: Background, Conflict with Russia, and U.S. Policy ; Military Space Reform; FY2020 NDAA Legislative Proposals, American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics;
Defense Primer: Defense Support of Civil Authorities; and Diplomatic Security and the Role of Congress; Defense Primer: Emerging Technologies. (all CRS)
California Wildfires in Pictures
This feature is from The New York Times. A picture can be worth a thousand words.
Congressman Frank J. Guarini Library Blog 