Links Roundup, 1 - 14 May 2013
First, some genuinely good news! Australia will release refugee families into the community on bridging visas while their claims are processed. It's being done for the right reasons - the toll on adults and children's mental health, and the enormous cost of detaining them.
Alas, this won't help families who are victims of the Pacific Solution, though at least Australia will be good enough to Australia to build them a new prison in Papua New Guinea to replace the current hell-hole on Manus Island. (We're not a bit racist or hysterical. Or in collusion with repressive regimes.)
Background Music Reduces Playground Bullying. Certainly cheaper and cleaner than my own suggested method of public executions during little lunch.
Treating gun violence as a disease. Taking guns away from people who are banned from owning them, such as those convicted of serious felonies, reduces the chance that they'll commit a gun crime by about a third.
The Geography of Hate is an analysis of tweets containing racist, homophobic, and ableist slurs in the US by where they occur.
After 9/11, reaction to Muslim Americans more nuanced - opinion piece in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. | Everything you know about burqas is probably wrong: once again, the difference between the hijab, burqa, niqab, and chador.
Science! Pig 26 holds out the promise of antibiotic-free, precision genetic engineering, with implications for influenza. Fingers crossed. | Global carbon dioxide levels hit landmark high | Measuring vaccine confidence online: new tool used to analyse public concerns
ETA: Missed one on financial stress, ie, not being able to pay your rent or bills. This is well worth reading, but briefly, the fixed costs of essentials such as power and food means that people on very low incomes can't put money aside for large or unexpected expenses. "Health reasons, including disability and mental illness, often prevented respondents from earning sufficient income." Once again, there but for the grace etc.
Alas, this won't help families who are victims of the Pacific Solution, though at least Australia will be good enough to Australia to build them a new prison in Papua New Guinea to replace the current hell-hole on Manus Island. (We're not a bit racist or hysterical. Or in collusion with repressive regimes.)
Background Music Reduces Playground Bullying. Certainly cheaper and cleaner than my own suggested method of public executions during little lunch.
Treating gun violence as a disease. Taking guns away from people who are banned from owning them, such as those convicted of serious felonies, reduces the chance that they'll commit a gun crime by about a third.
The Geography of Hate is an analysis of tweets containing racist, homophobic, and ableist slurs in the US by where they occur.
After 9/11, reaction to Muslim Americans more nuanced - opinion piece in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. | Everything you know about burqas is probably wrong: once again, the difference between the hijab, burqa, niqab, and chador.
Science! Pig 26 holds out the promise of antibiotic-free, precision genetic engineering, with implications for influenza. Fingers crossed. | Global carbon dioxide levels hit landmark high | Measuring vaccine confidence online: new tool used to analyse public concerns
ETA: Missed one on financial stress, ie, not being able to pay your rent or bills. This is well worth reading, but briefly, the fixed costs of essentials such as power and food means that people on very low incomes can't put money aside for large or unexpected expenses. "Health reasons, including disability and mental illness, often prevented respondents from earning sufficient income." Once again, there but for the grace etc.