1
N.Y. / Region
With Bus Strike, Fragile Students Face Hard Trips
More than 110,000 children have had to find new ways to class since most New York City school bus drivers walked out, and none have been more profoundly affected than those with special needs.
2
Opinion
Obama's Chance for a Fresh Start on a Climate-Smart Energy Quest
President Obama's inaugural address stresses the need to press on energy frontiers and cut climate risks."Releases in the environment
Natural sources, such as volcanoes, are responsible for approximately half of atmospheric mercury emissions. The human-generated half can be divided into the following estimated percentages:[86][87][88]
- 65% from stationary combustion, of which coal-fired power plants are the largest aggregate source (40% of U.S. mercury emissions in 1999). This includes power plants fueled with gas where the mercury has not been removed. Emissions from coal combustion are between one and two orders of magnitude higher than emissions from oil combustion, depending on the country.[86]
- 11% from gold production. The three largest point sources for mercury emissions in the U.S. are the three largest gold mines. Hydrogeochemical release of mercury from gold-mine tailings has been accounted as a significant source of atmospheric mercury in eastern Canada.[89]
- 6.8% from non-ferrous metal production, typically smelters.
- 6.4% from cement production.
- 3.0% from waste disposal, including municipal and hazardous waste, crematoria, and sewage sludge incineration.
- 3.0% from caustic soda production.
- 1.4% from pig iron and steel production.
- 1.1% from mercury production, mainly for batteries.
- 2.0% from other sources.
Recent atmospheric mercury contamination in outdoor urban air was measured at 0.01–0.02 µg/m3. A 2001 study measured mercury levels in 12 indoor sites chosen to represent a cross-section of building types, locations and ages in the New York area. This study found mercury concentrations significantly elevated over outdoor concentrations, at a range of 0.0065 – 0.523 μg/m3. The average was 0.069 μg/m3.[90]
Mercury also enters into the environment through the improper disposal (e.g., land filling, incineration) of certain products. Products containing mercury include: auto parts, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, medical products, thermometers, and thermostats.[91] Due to health concerns (see below), toxics use reduction efforts are cutting back or eliminating mercury in such products. For example, the amount of mercury sold in thermostats in the United States decreased from 14.5 tons in 2004 to 3.9 tons in 2007.[92] Most thermometers now use pigmented alcohol instead of mercury, and galinstan alloy thermometers are also an option. Mercury thermometers are still occasionally used in the medical field because they are more accurate than alcohol thermometers, though both are commonly being replaced by electronic thermometers and less commonly by galinstan thermometers. Mercury thermometers are still widely used for certain scientific applications because of their greater accuracy and working range.
Historically, one of the largest releases was from the Colex plant, a lithium-isotope separation plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The plant operated in the 1950s and 1960s. Records are incomplete and unclear, but government commissions have estimated that some two million pounds of mercury are unaccounted for.[93]
3
Technology
How M.I.T. Ensnared a Hacker, Bucking a Freewheeling Culture
M.I.T.’s decision to catch a person illegally downloading content led to charges of computer and wire fraud against Aaron Swartz, who died of an apparent suicide.The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works. It also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself. In addition, the DMCA heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. Passed on October 12, 1998, by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 1998, the DMCA amended Title 17 of the United States Code to extend the reach of copyright, while limiting the liability of the providers of on-line services for copyright infringement by their users.
The DMCA's principal innovation in the field of copyright, the exemption from direct and indirect liability of internet service providers and other intermediaries, was adopted by the European Union in the Electronic Commerce Directive 2000. The Copyright Directive 2001 implemented the 1996 WIPO Copyright Treaty in the EU.
Contents
- 1 Provisions
- 1.1 Title I: WIPO Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act
- 1.2 Title II: Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act
- 1.3 Title III: Computer Maintenance Competition Assurance Act
- 1.4 Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions
- 1.5 Title V: Vessel Hull Design Protection Act
- 2 Anti-circumvention exemptions
- 3 Linking to infringing content
- 4 Notable court cases
- 4.1 Edelman v. N2H2
- 4.2 RealNetworks, Inc. v. DVD Copy Control Association, Inc.
- 4.3 Viacom Inc. v. YouTube, Google Inc.
- 4.4 IO Group, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc.
- 4.5 Vernor v. Autodesk, Inc.
- 4.6 Lenz v. Universal Music Corp.
- 4.7 Flava Works Inc. v. Gunter
- 4.8 Ouellette v. Viacom International Inc.
- 4.9 Sony v. George Hotz
- 5 Criticisms
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
4
U.S.
Part 6: Answers to Your Questions About the Fafsa
Mark Kantrowitz, an expert on financial aid, answers select reader questions about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Part 6.
5
Science
Strange Transplants, Genomes Made Public and More
A new column highlights the week’s developments in health and science news and glance at what’s ahead. This week: fecal transplants, a new flying frog and not-so-private genomes.
6
U.S.
At Stanford, Clinical Training for Defense of Religious Liberty
Students at the Religious Liberty Clinic are taking cases focused on free expression of religion and will avoid the other side of the issue — challenging government endorsement of faith.
7
Opinion
Universities Teaming Up to Assess Health Impacts of Gas Drilling
Universities announce a collaborative effort to assess any health risks from fracking.
8
U.S.
Speech Gives Climate Goals Center Stage
Democrats said the president would begin an aggressive campaign to address the issue, using his executive powers to sidestep Congressional opposition.
9
Science
Dinosaurs of the Rewa River
In the dark waters of the Guiana Shield, dinosaurs lurk -- dinosaurs with scales larger than poker chips. An expedition begins to track them, with the hopes of contributing to management plans for future protected areas that the species needs.
10
Arts
A Timeless View From the Cloisters Faces a Modern Intrusion
Environmental groups and others are concerned about a corporate headquarters that is to rise across the Hudson River from the Cloisters, altering the scenic view from that museum of medieval treasures.
11
U.S.
A Day of Celebration for a Diverse Crowd Savoring a Moment in History
The faces of Inauguration Day 2013 were the faces of those left behind by the political process in decades and centuries past.
12
Opinion
A Plan to Cut Social Security Benefits
Senator Bernard Sanders, the Vermont independent, and other readers respond to an editorial.
13
Business Day
At La Guardia, Delta Uses iPads to Fill the Wait Time
Delta has upgraded the dining and shopping areas in its terminals at La Guardia, and iPads in the waiting areas give travelers easier access to it all, leading to greater spending per passenger.
14
Opinion
Notes on Camps
China may be abolishing labor re-education camps, but expect it to continue silencing the outspoken.
15
World
Italy Often Turns Back Asylum Seekers Arriving Illegally From Greece, Report Says
A Human Rights Watch report says Italian authorities are not following international standards on how to treat asylum seekers and unaccompanied migrant children who arrive illegally.
16
Business Day
In Budget Talks, Getting to ‘Yes’
Negotiating experts consider how President Obama and Republican leaders might achieve goals without subjecting the markets, the American people and the global economy to a game of chicken.
17
Health
The Brutal Truth of 'Amour'
It has been a few days since I left the movie theater in a bit of a daze, and I'm still thinking about "Amour."
18
Books
It’s a Sadistic Story, and France Wants It
France’s National Library is negotiating to buy the manuscript of “The 120 Days of Sodom,” the Marquis de Sade’s tale of rape, murder and torture, which Sade believed was lost in the storming of the Bastille.
19
Opinion
Better Reporting for Abortions
Wherever we stand on abortion, we can agree that we ought to have high-quality, up-to-date statistics on the procedure.
20
U.S.
Ohio: Girl Killed as Dozens of Cars Crash on Highway
A 12-year-old girl was killed and at least 20 people were injured on Monday in a highway crash near the Cincinnati suburb of Colerain Township.Amazing that the toll was so slight.
Snow in Ohio is not a novelty.
It does not read as though plowing was required.
These desperate drivers must have come up from the deep south.
Mexico?
On to last night.
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