New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced guidance for restaurants planning to provide comfort heating for customers dining outdoors during the fall and winter months. Max Zhang an expert in sustainable energy systems says although electric heaters emit no pollutants onsite compared to natural gas and propane heaters, electric heating actually causes more pollution in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

New York City

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Engineering

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Noliwe Rooks, professor of American studies at Cornell University, says the discovery of 11 coffins in Tulsa represents our past and present but does not have to represent our future.

Arts & Humanities

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have not been able to visit family and friends as they normally do, so this holiday season sending traditional homemade specialties and foods can be especially meaningful. Robert Gravani, emeritus professor of food science and a food safety expert, says in order to assure food arrives in good condition and is safe to consume, it’s important to avoid perishable and fragile foods, to properly package items and to ship early to avoid delays.

Food & Agriculture

Agriculture and Life Sciences

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Next week, the Commerce Department will release GDP figures for the third quarter. Analysts expect the number to reflect a considerable growth in the U.S. economy overall, with projections putting the increase at about 30%. But Cornell University experts, Daniel Alpert and Steven Kyle, explain why that number fails to provide a true picture of what the country is experiencing.   

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Peter Enns, professor of government, and Landon Schnabel, assistant professor of sociology, comment on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court ahead of the 2020 election. 

Law and Policy

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George Hay, professor of law at Cornell University, an expert on antitrust and a former member of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, comments on a new DOJ antitrust lawsuit filed against Google.

Law and Policy

Law, Government & Public Policy

Law School

Economics and Business

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Lara Skinner, the executive director of the Worker Institute at Cornell University and an expert on labor and employment issues related to sustainability, comments on a global effort to cut emissions from the shipping industry.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Industrial and Labor Relations

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While conspicuous consumption is ever present in many aspects of people’s lives in the U.S. there are fewer holidays that exemplify consumers’ willingness to “show off” their wealth as Halloween. This year COVID-19 restrictions may hamper some of that spending, but Ori Heffetz, associate professor of strategy and business economics at the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, says that “socially visible” consumption will continue to be at play in celebrating Halloween in 2020. 

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Sarah Kreps, a surveillance systems and cybersecurity expert at Cornell University, comments on a new system designed to link national COVID-19 tracing apps across the European Union.

Arts and Sciences

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Gustavo Flores-Macias is an associate professor of government at Cornell University and says the arrest of General Cienfuegos in Los Angeles this week is significant because it opens the door for López Obrador to pursue charges against other Mexican officials, including former president Enrique Peña Nieto.

Law and Policy

International

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