Articles and Columns for October 2020

• You have rights when you go to vote – and many people are there to help if there’s trouble at the poll – Despite all the challenges to this year’s election – long lines, calls for voter intimidation, baseless claims of fraud – voting is a fundamental civil right. As a political scientist who studies campaigns and elections, Daniel R. Birdsong has confidence in American democracy. Lots of people are working at the polls and behind the scenes to ensure election 2020 runs smoothly and safely. In this article Birdsong outlines your rights as a voter and explain where to turn if you encounter trouble at the polls.
• Why there’s so much legal uncertainty about resolving a disputed presidential election – As stated in this article by Richard Pildes, Professor of Constitutional Law, New York University – the Constitution does not create rules or an institutional structure for resolving a modern, disputed presidential election. It provides a fail-safe mechanism for only one situation, which has not happened since 1824: If no candidate gets the necessary majority of votes in the Electoral College, then the House picks the president from the top three Electoral College candidates. But that’s not the path the most disputed presidential elections have taken since 1824. Nor is it the likely path if this year brings us to that dark place.
• COVID-19 masks FAQs: How can cloth stop a tiny virus? What’s the best fabric? Do they protect the wearer? – Face masks reduce the spread of viruses passed on from respiratory secretions. While cloth masks are imperfect, widespread use of an imperfect mask has the potential to make a big difference in transmission of the virus. Professors Catherine Clase, Edouard Fu and Juan Jesus Carrero started reading the research on cloth masks and face coverings at the start of the pandemic, looking for ways to protect our vulnerable dialysis patients and our dialysis staff. We found a total of 25 studies, advocated for mask use and summarized our findings in a peer-reviewed publication. We also created an evidence-based, plain-language website to help people navigate this area. Although mask use has been widely adopted, many people still have questions about them, and we provide answers in this guide.
• Blogger-gamer-techie Chris Meadows mixed brains and kindness: “How can I make your day better?” – David Rothman, TeleRead Founder and Editor-Publisher has written as about his friend and colleague, Chris Meadows, who passed away from injuries sustained in a hit and run accident on October 8, while riding his electric bike. Rothman writes that “several people died later in the hospital – The blogger. The gamer. The documentation writer. And the ultimate tech support guy. Chris won a National Merit Scholarship in high school and read two books a day when in the mood, and he typed more than 120 words per minute. On deadline for the TeleRead blog on ebooks and related topics, he might race along at that speed or close to it. As “Robotech_Master,” Chris was internationally known to thousands in the games world. He wrote The Geek’s Guide to Indianapolis: A Tour Guide for Con Gamers and Other Visitors and hosted strangers who found themselves without another place to stay in Indy. But ten words from his life stand out most of all: “This is Chris. How can I make your day better?”…”
• Increased ebook lending popularity leaves publishers worried, librarians still dissatisfied – Chris Meadows was Editor and Senior Staff Writer at TeleRead, a site focusing on e-book and library news. It is with sadness that I share one of his last articles – he passed away on October 14, 2020 after being struck by a hit-and-run driver as he rode his bicycle. Chris was an expert on all facets of digital content issues, and the son of two librarians.
• Until a coronavirus vaccine is ready, pneumonia vaccines may reduce deaths from COVID-19 – Prof. Robert Root-Bernstein is an immunologist and physiologist interested in the effects of combined infections on immunity vaccines. Two vaccines – pneumococcal vaccine and the Hib vaccine – protect against bacterial pneumonias. These bacteria complicate both influenza and COVID-19, often leading to death. Root-Bernstein’s examination of disease trends and vaccination rates leads him to believe that broader use of the pneumococcal and Hib vaccines could guard against the worst effects of a COVID-19 illness.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 31, 2020 – Four highlights from this week: Trump Administration Develops Governmentwide Office Reopening Guidelines, With Contractor Help; USPS looks to monetize its mapping data; Amazon Faces Allegations It Harvested Sensitive Voice Data; and Google: Chinese Hackers Are Posing as McAfee to Install Malware
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 25, 2020 – Four highlights from this week: How to Blur Your House in Google Maps’ Street View; USPS Phishing Texts Are Flooding Phones Across The Country; Creepy ‘Geofence’ Finds Anyone Who Went Near a Crime Scene; and Weather Apps Continue To Share Data With Third Parties.Trump Administration Develops Governmentwide Office Reopening Guidelines, With Contractor Help; USPS looks to monetize its mapping data; Amazon Faces Allegations It Harvested Sensitive Voice Data; and Google: Chinese Hackers Are Posing as McAfee to Install Malware.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 18, 2020 – Four highlights from this week: Amazon’s Latest Gimmicks Are Pushing the Limits of Privacy; Data Security: Recent K-12 Data Breaches Show That Students Are Vulnerable to Harm; How to Implement implement zero trust without impacting productivity; and ‘So hard to prove you exist’: Flawed fraud protections deny unemployment to millions.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 10, 2020 – Four highlights from this week: Google is giving data to police based on search keywords; IRS under investigation for buying Americans’ smartphone location data; Why You Should Stop This ‘Hidden’ Location Tracking On Your iPhone; and Privacy of biometric data in DHS hands in doubt, inspector general says.
• Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, October 3, 2020 – Four highlights from this week: CISA Releases Telework Essentials Toolkit; A New Tool for Detecting Deepfakes Looks for What Isn’t There: an Invisible Pulse; Collection and Use of Biometrics by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; and What to do when someone steals your identity.

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