Year: 2019

Australia (Conversation) – If the Religious Discrimination Bill passes into law, women may find it harder to get an abortion. That’s because health practitioners with an objection to performing the procedure on religious grounds may have stronger legal protection and may not be compelled to refer women to an alternative provider. This may lead women to consult multiple services, if available, before finding a doctor willing to perform the procedure. Who does the bill cover and where? In the new bill, the term “health practitioner” has a broad meaning. It…

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Mexico (Conversation) – In recent weeks, hundreds of women have taken to the streets of Mexico City protesting against murder, rape and other violence against women in Mexico. Many commentators blame “macho culture” for the violence they are so furious about. In the first half of 2019 alone, 1,835 women were murdered in Mexico, according to Mexican geophysicist María Salguero, who is mapping the violence. In these accounts, macho culture seems to refer to a social climate which facilitates or rewards macho attitudes and behaviours. Following the stereotype, in a…

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United States (CD) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency which carries out the bulk of President Donald Trump’s war on immigrants, is building a “hyper-realistic” urban training ground in Fort Benning, Georgia. The information was revealed in a poorly redacted acquisition form document posted online that was copy and pasted by Newsweek, revealing the camp’s location and details. “They really are the moron fascists,” tweeted podcast host Michael Brooks. The proposal calls for  the construction of realisitic “residential houses, apartments, hotels, government facilities and commercial buildings.” “ICE is specifically interested…

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United Kingdom (Conversation) – Spending time in outdoors, taking time out of the everyday to surround yourself with greenery and living things can be one of life’s great joys – and recent research also suggest it’s good for your body and your brain. Scientists have found that spending two hours a week in nature is linked to better health and well-being. It’s maybe not entirely surprising then that some patients are increasingly being prescribed time in nature and community gardening projects as part of “green prescriptions” by the NHS. In…

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United States (News21) – Katrina. Sandy. Harvey. Maria. Each was a disaster of shattering magnitude, battering America’s shores over the past two decades. But between these pivotal storms lie hundreds of smaller disasters that garner a fraction of the national attention and the billions of federal dollars that accompany them. A News21 analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data shows those smaller disasters accounted for more than 60 percent of all federally declared disasters between 2003 and 2018. Yet they received at least $57.3 billion less in public assistance from FEMA….

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Texas, United States (TexasTribune) – It was going to be his last shift at the Velvet Lounge, and all Marvin Wilford felt was relief. It was November 11, 2017 — Veterans Day — and as he got dressed for work, Wilford put on his scarlet-colored Marine Corps cap. The Velvet Lounge, a strip joint in North Austin, billed itself on Facebook as “the official afterparty for the city,” but Wilford couldn’t say he had fun: As a doorman, he collected cover charges from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and did a…

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World Wide (Conversation) – The planet’s far North is burning. This summer, over 600 wildfires have consumed more than 2.4 million acres of forest across Alaska. Fires are also raging in northern Canada. In Siberia, choking smoke from 13 million acres – an area nearly the size of West Virginia – is blanketing towns and cities. Fires in these places are normal. But, as studies here at the University of Alaska’s International Arctic Research Center show, they are also abnormal. My colleagues and I are examining the complex relationships between…

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United Kingdom (Conversation) – Attempts to ban swearing in public places, in the workplace and even in the home appear to be on the rise. The common thinking seems to be that people swear more and swear worse than they used to – and that this is a recent phenomenon. The apparent rise of profanity is easily ascribed to our language, interactions and society deteriorating under the bad influence of social media. This has to be stopped, the appalled guardians of “polite” behaviour argue, and the way to stop it…

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