Tag: USA

Panel tackles lack of high-speed internet in Indian Country

libraryadvocates:

Librarians, policymakers and other experts gathered Thursday in Washington, D.C., for a panel discussion on the legislation and the needs of tribal communities.

Federal Communications Commissioner Mignon Clyburn told the group that investing in broadband infrastructure is critical because those investments increasingly determine which cities, towns and tribal nations thrive.

“Just like water, roads, railways and electricity, broadband is now fundamental when it comes to our community development,” Clyburn said.

Panel tackles lack of high-speed internet in Indian Country

nprfreshair:

First-Ever Evictions Database Shows: ‘We’re In the Middle Of A Housing Crisis’

For many poor families in America, eviction is a real and ongoing threat. Sociologist Matthew Desmond estimates that approximately 2.3 million evictions were filed in the U.S. in 2016 — a rate of four every minute.

“Eviction isn’t just a condition of poverty; it’s a cause of poverty,” Desmond says. “Eviction is a direct cause of homelessness, but it also is a cause of residential instability, school instability [and] community instability.”

Desmond won a Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for his book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. His latest project is The Eviction Lab, a team of researchers and students at Princeton University dedicated to amassing the nation’s first-ever database of eviction. To date, the Lab had collected 83 million records from 48 states and the District of Columbia.

“We’re in the middle of a housing crisis and that means more and more people are giving more and more of their income to rent and utilities,” Desmond says. “Our hope is that we can take this problem that’s been in the dark and bring it into the light.”

How Bill Russell stopped Charles Barkley from complaining about taxes

jkottke:

In a recent podcast interview with David Axelrod, former NBA star Charles Barkley talks about how NBA legend Bill Russell persuaded Barkley to stop publicly complaining about how much income tax he paid (transcription by Steven Greenhouse).

Bill Russell called me one time… He says, “Charles Barkley.” I said, “Yes, sir, Mr. Russell.”

“You grew up in Alabama. Right?” I said, “Yes, sir.”

He says, “Did you go to public school?” I said, “Yes, sir.”

He says, “Did the cops ever come to your neighborhood?” I said, “Yes sir.”

He said, “Any of the houses ever on fire and the firemen come?” I said, “Yes, sir.”

He said, “I don’t want to see your black ass on TV complaining about your taxes anymore.” I says, “What do you mean?”

He says, “So now that you got money you don’t want to help other people out, but when you were poor, other people took care of you.” And I says, “You know what, Mr. Russell, you will never hear me complain about my taxes again.”

And it was a very interesting lesson for me, because I do think rich people should pay more taxes. I’m blessed to be one of them, and we should pay more in taxes. I learned my lesson. I never complain about taxes.

I think Bill Russell needs to make a few phone calls to Congress…

Gearing up for the 2020 Census – District Dispatch

libraryadvocates:

The decennial count of all U.S. residents is a long tradition: required
by the U.S. Constitution to determine representation in Congress and the
Electoral College, the Census also is key
to the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funding to states
and localities and to the production of widely-used datasets. However,
each decade brings new innovations and challenges. In 2020, the Census
will be conducted primarily online for the first time.

Like past
e-government efforts, this likely will place additional demands on
library staff and technology resources to assist people in participating
in the Census online or via another method of their choosing. It also
presents an opportunity to increase public awareness and use of Census
data.

Gearing up for the 2020 Census – District Dispatch