Tag Archives: United States

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Film & Movies, Libraries, Memories & History, Music, Television, Web & Technology

Welcoming 1927 to the Public Domain – Internet Archive Blogs | Internet Archive

Welcoming 1927 to the Public Domain


Posted on January 1, 2023 by Alexis Rossi

From article…

This year we are welcoming works from 1927 into the public domain in the United States, including books, periodicals, sheet music, and movies.

Big events of 1927 include the first transatlantic phone call from New York to London, the formation of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the first successful long distance demonstration of television, the release of the first popular “talkie,” The Jazz Singer, and the first nonstop transatlantic solo airplane flight, from New York to Paris, by Charles Lindbergh.

Source: Welcoming 1927 to the Public Domain – Internet Archive Blogs

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Libraries, Memories & History, Politics, Times They Are A-Changing

Banned and Challenged: Restricting access to books in the U.S. : NPR

A series on books that are facing challenges to their placement in libraries in some areas around the U.S.

Special Series

Banned and Challenged: Restricting access to books in the U.S.

First in series…

Author George M. Johnson: We must ensure access to those who need these stories most

All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir for teens and young adults about growing up Black and queer, appeared on many “best books” lists when published in 2020. It’s being challenged in some U.S. counties.

Source: Banned and Challenged: Restricting access to books in the U.S. : NPR

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Libraries, Pleasures, Politics, Science & Health

This year I’m thankful for US public libraries – beautiful icons of a better civic era | The Guardian

The US can often be cruel to its citizens, but the public library is a sanctuary and a vision of what our country might one day be

By Moira Donegan, Wed 28 Dec 2022 10.13 EST

‘The public library does not understand its patrons as mere consumers, or as a revenue base. Instead, it aspires to encounter people as minds.’ Photograph: BA E Inc./Alamy

If you proposed it now, at any town council or city hall meeting, you would be laughed from the room. The concept is almost unthinkably indulgent, in our austere times: an institution, open for free to anyone, that sells no products, makes no money, is funded from public coffers, and is dedicated solely to the public interest, broadly defined. And it’s for books.

If the public library did not already exist as a pillar of local civic engagement in American towns and cities, there’s no way we would be able to create it. It seems like a relic of a bygone era of public optimism, a time when governments worked to value and edify their people, rather than punish and extract from them.

In America, a country that can be often cruel to its citizens, the public library is a surprising kindness. It is an institution that offers grace and sanctuary, and a vision of what our country might one day be.

Source: This year I’m thankful for US public libraries – beautiful icons of a better civic era | Moira Donegan | The Guardian

Current Affairs, Politics, Science & Health, Times They Are A-Changing

The 16 numbers that shaped 2022

A snapshot of 2022 in federal spending, elections, crime rates and more.

Published by USA Facts on Mon, December 12, 2022 4:20PM PST | Updated Wed, December 14, 2022 1:20PM PST

From article…

2022 has been a year of rising prices, war in Ukraine, landmark Supreme Court decisions, and delayed flights. The nation still averages thousands of new daily COVID-19 infections, but the numbers are closer to summer 2020 levels. However, the US also hit a grim milestone for coronavirus deaths this year.

Here’s a numbers-driven, all-angles look back at 2022.

111.7 million

The estimated number of votes cast nationwide in the 2022 midterm election, based on a USAFacts analysis of state election data[1].

Source: The 16 numbers that shaped 2022

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Current Affairs, Science & Health

Which states are the most educated? – USAFacts

Of the top 10 most educated states, nine are located on the east coast.

Published on Mon, November 14, 2022 12:39PM PST | Updated Mon, November 14, 2022 3:08PM PST

Over the past decade, Americans have become more educated. The rate of residents receiving a high school diploma or GED is on an upward trend.

In 2011, 28% of Americans had not graduated high school or received a GED – the same percentage that had received a bachelor’s degree or higher. As of 2021, 35% of Americans have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 26% of Americans without a high school diploma or GED.

Data from the US Census Bureau’s American Communities Survey collects information on maximum educational attainment by age group, location and gender. The data used here highlights the maximum educational attainment of the population 25 and older.

Source: Which states are the most educated? – USAFacts

Current Affairs, Memories & History, Pleasures, Science & Health, Times They Are A-Changing

These are the best places to retire in the U.S. – CBS News | Moneywatch

By Megan CerulloNovember 1, 2022 / 12:01 AM /

daughter explaining elderly mother how using smartphone
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

The state of Florida no longer has a lock on having the most cities ranked in the top 10 best places to retire in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report.

Instead, metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania dominated the top spots on the list, with Lancaster earning the number one slot for its quality health care for seniors, retiree tax rates and overall happiness of residents. Last year, the city was ranked the fifth best place to retire. The shift towards Pennsylvania comes as Americans increasingly prioritize housing affordability in their golden years, making it the most heavily weighted category in the retirement rankings. For most retirees, housing is the largest expense. …

Here are the top 10 place to retire for 2022-2023:

  1. Lancaster, PA 
  2. Harrisburg, PA 
  3. Pensacola, FL 
  4. Tampa, FL 
  5. York, PA 
  6. Naples, FL 
  7. Daytona Beach, FL 
  8. Ann Arbor, MI 
  9. Allentown, PA 
  10. Reading, PA

To be sure, Florida remains a highly desirable state for retirees, with a total of nine areas ranking in the top 25 places to retire, according to U.S. News and World report. More than two-thirds (68%) of the top 25 metro areas to retire are either in Florida or Pennsylvania. 

Editor’s Note: Read more, see link below for original item…

Source: These are the best places to retire in the U.S. – CBS News