Violent crime increases during warmer weather, no matter the season, study finds

Interesting. When I read about the rise in the rate of violent crime last year, although it was far from what it used to be, I wondered about changes in age distribution and the nasty political climate. But temperatures are rising and last year was also the hottest year on record.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-09/du-vci092517.php

Public Release: 25-Sep-2017
Violent crime increases during warmer weather, no matter the season, study finds
Drexel University

Among police officers, there's a maxim: Being a cop gets a whole lot busier when it's hot out. Now, a study by a pair of Drexel University researchers appears to back them up.

The research, conducted by Leah Schinasi, PhD, assistant research professor, and Ghassan Hamra, PhD, assistant professor, both of Drexel's Dornsife School of Public Health, was published in the Journal of Urban Health and used a decade's worth of crime data in Philadelphia (from 2006 until 2015) to find that rates of violent crime and disorderly conduct increased when daily temperatures are higher.

Overall, crime rates were highest in the warmest months of the year -- May through September -- and highest on the hottest days.

For example, when the heat index (a metric that uses temperature and humidity to represent human comfort) was 98 degrees, rates of violent crime were 9 percent higher compared to days when the temperature was 57 degrees. When it came to rates of disorderly conduct, they were 7 percent higher on 98-degree days than on 57-degree days.

During the year's colder months -- October through April -- the contrast of high versus low rates of crime on more comfortable versus cooler temperature days was more striking. When temperatures reached 70 degrees during that time period, daily rates of violent crime were 16 percent higher, on average, and disorderly conduct rates were 23 percent higher, compared to 43 degree days, the median heat index for that period.

The researchers also looked at deviations of daily temperatures from seasonal averages in trying to determine the effect of anomalies on crime rates. For example, during cool months, days that were 55 degrees warmer than the seasonal average were associated with 7 percent higher rates of disorderly conduct.

•••••

Internists reaffirm 'strongest possible opposition' to Graham-Cassidy proposal

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-09/acop-ir092517.php

Public Release: 25-Sep-2017
Internists reaffirm 'strongest possible opposition' to Graham-Cassidy proposal
ACP says revised bill is even more flawed and harmful to patients
American College of Physicians

•••••

ACP is alarmed by the anticipated impact of the new provisions of this version because they will do even more harm:

States will be able to more easily opt out of Essential Health Benefits and could also allow annual and lifetime limits on patient coverage, resulting in bare-bones coverage.

States will only have to submit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a broad, undefined statement that they "shall" provide access to affordable coverage with insufficient or non-existent guardrails of what that is or requirements to ensure that such coverage is truly affordable. States could offer plans with lower or no "actuarial equivalent" standards, meaning higher deductibles and out of pocket costs for patients.

GCHJ still has devastating cuts and caps on Medicaid and puts an end to the program's expansion. The bill also is a massive redistribution of funding from states that expanded Medicaid coverage to the most vulnerable to those that did not, resulting in billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid expansion states.

Any temporary increases in funding to a few states does not make up for the damage that will be done to their residents, and those of other states, resulting from eliminating essential patient protections and capping and cutting Medicaid.

The bill discriminates against Planned Parenthood and the right of patients to choose their own source of care, by denying Planned Parenthood access to federal funds, reducing access to primary and preventive care for millions of women.

ACP remains dismayed at the violation of regular order because the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will have no time to do a reasonable cost and coverage estimate of GCHJ impact by the time a vote is taken, there will be no committee mark ups, and no time for other independent analyses and meaningful input from patients, physicians, nurses, hospitals, and the states.

•••••

Generals Dub Climate Change a Security Risk

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/four-star-warning-generals-dub-climate-change-security-risk-n104751

BY BILL BRIGGS
5/13/2014

A new report from a panel of former Pentagon leaders calls climate change a direct threat to national security and the U.S. economy, as extreme weather stands to stretch troops thin, spark unrest in unstable regions, and unravel global networks of trade and resources.

The authors –- 16 retired three- and four-star generals and admirals who compose the CNA Corporation’s Military Advisory Board (MAB) -- blame a warming planet for, in part, aggravating tensions among some nations.

Their study, released Tuesday night, dubs climate change “a catalyst for conflict” against a backdrop of increasingly decentralized power structures around the world.

-----

Key findings include:

• “…climate change impacts are already accelerating instability in vulnerable regions," including the Arctic.

• “Projected climate change impacts within the United States will place key elements of our National Power at risk and threaten our homeland security.”

• “The projected impacts of climate change will threaten major sectors of the U.S. economy.”

The panel –- a non-government group -- offered a 2007 forecast predicting a collision between climate change and U.S. security interests.

-----

The latest analysis is an update to their 2007 findings: “We gather again because of our growing concern over the lack of comprehensive action by both the United States and the international community to address the full spectrum of projected climate change issues.”

-----

The group pointed specifically to the Artic as one region already prompting U.S. national security experts to gaze northward.

The vast polar sea will see increased traffic from international fleets as glaciers shrink. With the ice disappearing, the region presents a potential, watery turf battle: The Arctic may account for as much as 20 percent of the world’s untapped oil and natural gas resources.

-----

“Accelerated melting of ice is already opening the area," Kern said. "The U.S. and international community are not ready to respond to disasters or to resolve territory and resource disputes. We see this as not only a risk to the environment, but a risk to security of the area.”

General warns climate change refugee wars are coming

Actually, they are already happening.
Generals in the U.S. military have also warned of this.

http://www.chinchillanews.com.au/news/general-warns-climate-change-refugee-wars-are-comi/3104913/

Oct. 27, 2016

Climate change is threatening to force millions of people to become refugees and spark major wars that could "completely destabilise" the world, a leading general has warned.

And countries which attempted to deal with the coming crisis by resorting to "narrow nationalistic instincts" - for example, by building walls to keep out refugees - will only make the problem worse, according to Major General Munir Muniruzzaman, chairman of the Global Military Advisory Council On Climate Change (GMACCC).

He added that, while countries had talked a lot about the problems posed by global warming and how to address them, there did not seem to be "much action" on the ground.

•••••

Speaking ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Marrakesh next month, General Muniruzzaman said it was time to make good on the promises made at last year's historic meeting in Paris with global warming already contributing to flooding and droughts, threatening financial security and affecting people's health.

"In our analysis, we are seeing the risk is now becoming all-pervasive from climate change in the sense that it is touching multiple sectors … many of the sectors are being gravely challenged," he said.

"In some areas of the world, some of the issues we are touching on are becoming so severe they hold tremendous conflict potential."

He pointed to the recent diplomatic row between bitter regional rivals India and Pakistan, which both have large militaries and nuclear weapons, over water supplies.

"There was a possibility of a break down [of diplomacy] … which could have led to the first major water conflict of the world," he said.

The events of the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war were also connected to unrest caused by droughts and crop failures.

General Muniruzzaman pointed to projections that sea-level rise could result in the loss of 20 per cent of Bangladesh's territory as early as 2050, which would force up to 30 million people to look for a new home.

"Imagine, with an international community unable to cope with a few thousand Syrian refugees, what will happen when millions of people are on the move," he said.

•••••

"People have moved before. Environmental changes have forced people to relocate themselves historically," he said.

"What has become more difficult now is we have boxed ourselves into the Westphalian system of states.

"That is in conflict with nature, with the movement of people … we need to find a common ground.

"We need leaders with vision … we have to have a global solution to the problem, this is a civilisational problem.

•••••

Major wars and mass migration had the potential to "completely destabilise" not just countries and regions, but the entire world, the general said.

But he warned that most countries and most armed forces were "ill-prepared to meet the challenge for which they will be called upon to meet somebody and not too long away".

"We have to understand and meet the challenge, so we are not completely overwhelmed when they happen on the ground," General Muniruzzaman said.

"We don't have the proper strategies and policies in place to meet the security impacts of climate change.

"I would like to warn everybody we are way behind schedule to trying to find a solution to the problems we can see. In most cases we have been shying away from the problems we can absolutely identify and see.

"For a long time, we have been talking about the issues, but on the ground we don't see much action. As a soldier, I have a more action-orientated approach."

46 Republicans Join Dems in Backing Military Study on Climate Change Threat

https://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2017/07/14/46-Republicans-Join-Dems-Backing-Military-Study-Climate-Change-Threat

By Eric Pianin
July 14, 2017

President Trump has been highly dismissive of the long-term threat of climate change, to the point of recently pulling the U.S. out of the Paris international climate change accord. But not so Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis and many other defense experts.

During his Senate confirmation hearing in January, Mattis described global warming as a “driver of instability” requiring a broader, “whole-of-government response.”

So it was significant that the House on Thursday defeated an amendment to national defense authorization legislation that would have blocked a detailed Department of Defense study into the 20-year impacts of climate change on national security and the military.

Like many other current and former military brass and defense experts, Mattis views the effects of climate change and rising sea levels as a grave threat to U.S. military operations and bases around the world. Mattis said in written testimony that it was essential that the military consider how changes like open-water routes in the thawing Arctic and drought in international trouble spots can present challenges for troops and defense planners, as ProPublica reported in March.

“Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today,” Mattis said in a written response to a question posed by a Democratic member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “It is appropriate for the Combatant Commands to incorporate drivers of instability that impact the security environment in their areas into their planning.”

•••••

Indeed, extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels already are posing problems or many military facilities. Military installations on waterfront properties are facing hundreds of floods a year, and in some cases could be mostly under water by 2100, according to a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

•••••

Military stretched thin by hurricane relief efforts

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/352003-military-stretched-thin-by-hurricane-relief-efforts?platform=hootsuite

By Ellen Mitchell - 09/24/17

The Pentagon is taking steps to prevent burnout among military personnel working rescue and recovery missions following a string of devastating hurricanes.

Due to a "significantly higher storm season," it is common for military rescue and recovery personnel "to fly out of one hurricane and into the other," deputy to the chief of Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen. Derek Rydholm told reporters Friday.

Rydholm, who spoke at the Pentagon alongside U.S. Army Corps of Engineers division commander Brig. Gen. Diana Holland, gave reporters an update on the rescue and recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria's battering of Puerto Rico.

"We do have a lot going on, but we're always mindful that we have to balance the different tasks and make sure that we are ready to respond to the next one," Holland said.

It's been a long month for the military's rescue personnel. Maria was the third major storm to hit the U.S. mainland or a territory in recent weeks, following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

At least 10 people were reported killed in Puerto Rico because of Maria, which passed over the island early Wednesday. The U.S. territory — which has roughly 3.4 million residents — is now 95 to 100 percent without power.

About 90 percent of the U.S. Virgin Islands are also without power.

In response, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened an air bridge from the mainland, flying three to four military planes laden with water, food and generators to Puerto Rico daily.

•••••

Military personnel have already been working nonstop to respond to various parts of the United States devastated by a series of storms since August.

Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida and Georgia earlier this month, causing more than 50 deaths. Before that, Hurricane Harvey flooded counties across Texas and Louisiana when it hit in late August.

At its most severe, Harvey reached a peak of Category 4, while Irma became a Category 5. Maria was declared a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday, but was a Category 4 when it struck land.

•••••

The National Guard has activated thousands of members in recent weeks to help with rescue and recovery efforts during and after the storms. Puerto Rico activated its 5,200 National Guard troops, while the U.S. Virgin Islands activated its nearly 700-member unit.

Holland said the Army Corps of Engineers has been steadily redeploying personnel out of Texas to Florida, the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico.

•••••

More funding for the recovery efforts will also be needed.

Congress approved $15 billion in disaster recovery aid earlier this month for victims of Harvey.

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Wednesday that he expects Congress will approve additional emergency aid in October.

tags: military, extreme weather

Portuguese children to crowdfund European climate change case

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/25/portuguese-children-crowdfund-european-climate-change-case-sue-47-countries

Sandra Laville
Sunday 24 September 2017

Portuguese schoolchildren from the area struck by the country’s worst forest fires are seeking crowdfunding to sue 47 European countries, alleging that the states’ failure to tackle climate change threatens their right to life.

The children, from the Leiria region of central Portugal, where fires this summer killed more than 60 people and left hundreds injured, are being represented by British barristers who are experts in environmental and climate change law.

Supported by the NGO Global Legal Action Network (Glan), they are seeking an initial £35,000 to mount the case in the European court of human rights.

The crowdfunding bid was published on Monday on the platform CrowdJustice, which has raised millions to help bring citizen-led cases to court.

Lawyers will seek a ruling from the court that the countries being sued must significantly strengthen their emissions reduction policies and commit to keeping the majority of their existing fossil fuel reserves in the ground.

•••••

Links

Exxon Loses Bid to Keep Auditor Files Secret in Climate Fraud Investigation
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12092017/exxon-loses-pwc-auditor-ruling-climate-fraud-investigation-new-york-schneiderman-court


Your chances of making a successful mobile app are almost nil
https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/24/your-chances-of-making-a-successful-mobile-app-are-almost-nil/


Price traveled by private plane at least 24 times
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/21/tom-price-private-charter-plane-flights-242989


Tom Price, who reportedly used costly private jets, once slammed government planes as 'fiscal irresponsibility run amok'
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/20/hhs-sec-tom-price-once-slammed-congress-private-jets.html


Healthcare.gov to Shut Down During Parts of Enrollment Period for Maintenance
https://www.wsj.com/articles/healthcare-gov-to-shut-down-during-parts-of-enrollment-period-for-maintenance-1506175525

Question: Can People Use Rooftop Solar Power During An Emergency? Answer: It Depends

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/09/22/question-can-people-use-rooftop-solar-power-emergency-answer-depends/

September 22nd, 2017 by Steve Hanley

A controversy is brewing in Florida following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. Many people in the state thought their rooftop solar systems would keep the lights on and the air conditioning running even after Irma knocked out power to millions of customers in the state. But it didn’t quite turn out that way.

In fact, many were shocked — SHOCKED! — to find out they are prohibited from operating their solar systems when grid power is not available by both state law and various policies put in place by local utility companies. Many were outraged to discover this, having assumed their solar panels would continue to supply power when their less fortunate neighbors had none.

•••••

As Florida Power and Light points out, it can’t very well send its crews out to fix downed wires if electricity is still coursing through the system. In general, utility workers do not take kindly to being electrocuted, regardless of their high wages.

Verify, a service of TV10 News in the Tampa Bay area, reached out to several utility companies to find out what’s what when it comes to solar power in an emergency. TECO, the utility company in the Tampa area, sent this response. “Any issues or ‘restrictions’ would be related to technology, not regulatory. If a customer’s solar system is connected to the power grid, it requires power from the grid to be operable. Inverters shut down when the power grid goes down. If the array has batteries, it can operate while the grid is down when isolated.”

•••••

The definitive answer appears to be that only solar systems that incorporate in-home storage batteries and a properly connected inverter can supply power in the event of a grid outage. Somehow, this state of affairs seems to have been lost for many solar customers who simply don’t understand how electricity works. They assumed their solar panels would still be available, but we all know about the word “assume” by now, don’t we?

None of which is to say that Florida’s utility companies aren’t bitterly opposed to rooftop solar systems, having just ponied up millions of dollars prior to the last election to back an amendment to the state’s constitution that would have virtually outlawed them permanently. What it does mean is that if you want your rooftop solar system to be there for you in an emergency, you need to make sure it has a storage battery — or two — included in the system.

Health experts warn travelers after meth found in 7-Up in Mexico

http://wwlp.com/2017/09/24/health-experts-warn-travelers-after-meth-found-in-7-up-in-mexico/

WCMH Published: September 24, 2017

Medical professionals are warning individuals traveling to Mexico to be vigilant about eating and drinking after several people were poisoned by drinking contaminated bottles of 7-Up.

According to a press release from Banner Health in Arizona, several reports last week indicated that some 7-Up bottles in Mexicali, Baja California, contained methamphetamine. Baja California’s Secretary of Health of the State said one person died from poisoning after drinking the contaminated soft drink and seven more were hospitalized after showing symptoms of poisoning.

•••••

According to KSAZ, the Dr Pepper Snapple Group said in a statement that no 7-Up products in the United States are affected by the contamination.

Experts say vigilance is the best course of action to prevent consuming contaminated beverages.

“It is important to check that the seal for any food and drink consumed is still intact and show no signs of tampering,” said Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director Dr. Daniel Brooks. “If you notice any difference in color, taste or smell, throw it out.”

Soft drink contamination could be life-threatening. Symptoms of contamination may include:

•••••

‘Catastrophic’ lack of sleep in modern society is killing us, warns leading sleep scientist

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sleep-deprivation-epidemic-health-effects-tired-heart-disease-stroke-dementia-cancer-a7964156.html

‘I take my sleep incredibly seriously because I have seen the evidence,’ says Professor Matthew Walker

Ian Johnston
Sept. 24, 2017

A “catastrophic sleep-loss epidemic” is causing a host of potentially fatal diseases, a leading expert has said.

In an interview with the Guardian, Professor Matthew Walker, director of the Centre for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, said that sleep deprivation affected “every aspect of our biology” and was widespread in modern society.

And yet the problem was not being taken seriously by politicians and employers, with a desire to get a decent night’s sleep often stigmatised as a sign of laziness, he said.

Electric lights, television and computer screens, longer commutes, the blurring of the line between work and personal time, and a host of other aspects of modern life have contributed to sleep deprivation, which is defined as less than seven hours a night.

But this has been linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity and poor mental health among other health problems. In short, a lack of sleep is killing us.

Professor Walker, who is originally from Liverpool, said: “No aspect of our biology is left unscathed by sleep deprivation.

“It sinks down into every possible nook and cranny. And yet no one is doing anything about it. Things have to change: in the workplace and our communities, our homes and families.

•••••

“Once you know that after just one night of only four or five hours’ sleep, your natural killer cells – the ones that attack the cancer cells that appear in your body every day – drop by 70 per cent per cent, or that a lack of sleep is linked to cancer of the bowel, prostate and breast, or even just that the World Health Organisation has classed any form of night-time shift work as a probable carcinogen, how could you do anything else?”

•••••

And there is a tendency to boast about needing little sleep to function. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were said to survive on a few hours a night. Both developed dementia in later life.

“We have stigmatised sleep with the label of laziness,” Professor Walker said.

•••••

The NHS warns sleep deprivation can have “profound consequences on your physical health”.

“One in three of us suffers from poor sleep, with stress, computers and taking work home often blamed,” its website says.

“However, the cost of all those sleepless nights is more than just bad moods and a lack of focus.

“Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy.

“It’s now clear that a solid night’s sleep is essential for a long and healthy life.”

2 new quakes shake southern Mexico, already coping with disasters

By Jason Hanna, CNN
Updated 8:24 AM ET, Sun September 24, 2017

Two more earthquakes shook southern Mexico on Saturday, further rattling a country still coming to grips with the devastation from stronger temblors earlier this month.
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake Saturday morning was centered in Oaxaca state near Matias Romero, a town about 275 miles southeast of Mexico City, the US Geological Survey said. Roughly speaking, the epicenter was between the centers of this month's two more violent earthquakes -- the 7.1 magnitude temblor that hit Tuesday closer to the capital, and the 8.1 magnitude quake that struck September 8 off the southern Pacific coast, near Chiapas state.

•••••

In Oaxaca, some highways and a bridge that had been damaged during the September 8 earthquake collapsed, Mexico's federal police said.

•••••

Links

Assumed safety of pesticide use is false, says top government scientist
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/21/assumed-safety-of-widespread-pesticide-use-is-false-says-top-government-scientist


Land defenders call on UN to act against violence by state-funded and corporate groups
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/21/land-defenders-call-on-un-to-act-against-violence-by-state-funded-and-corporate-groups


Safety board: Undiagnosed sleep apnea involved in two NY train crashes
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/351778-safety-board-undiagnosed-sleep-apnea-involved-in-two-train-crashes

EPA head met with a mining CEO -- and then pushed forward a controversial mining project

By Drew Griffin, Scott Bronstein and John D. Sutter, CNN
Updated 7:51 PM ET, Fri September 22, 2017

Within hours of meeting with a mining company CEO, the new head of the US Environmental Protection Agency directed his staff to withdraw a plan to protect the watershed of Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the most valuable wild salmon fisheries on Earth, according to interviews and government emails obtained by CNN.

The meeting between EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Tom Collier, CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, took place on May 1, Collier and his staff confirmed in an interview with CNN. At 10:36 a.m. that same day, the EPA's acting general counsel, Kevin Minoli, sent an email to agency staff saying the administrator had "directed" the agency to withdraw an Obama-era proposal to protect the ecologically valuable wetland in southwest Alaska from certain mining activities.
In 2014, after three years of peer-reviewed study, the Obama administration's EPA invoked a rarely used provision of the Clean Water Act to try to protect Bristol Bay after finding that a mine "would result in complete loss of fish habitat due to elimination, dewatering, and fragmentation of streams, wetlands, and other aquatic resources" in some areas of the bay.
"All of these losses would be irreversible," the agency said.

The area is regarded as one of the world's most important salmon fisheries, producing nearly half of the world's annual sockeye salmon catch. Its ecological resources also support 4,000-year-old indigenous cultures, as well as about 14,000 full- and part-time jobs, according to the EPA's 2014 report.

Pruitt's move to rescind the plan to protect the area, if finalized, would allow Pebble to submit plans to mine there, but does not guarantee that those plans would be approved.

•••••

Federal Government Tells 21 States Election Systems Targeted by Hackers

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hacking-of-america/federal-government-tells-21-states-election-systems-targeted-hackers-n804031

Sept. 22, 2017

The federal government on Friday told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems last year, although in most cases the systems were not breached.

•••••

The AP contacted every state election office on Friday. While not all of them responded immediately, those that said they were targeted were Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The government did not say who was behind the hacking attempts or provide details about what had been sought. But election officials in three states said Friday the attempts could be linked to Russia.

The Wisconsin Election Commission, for example, said the state's systems were targeted by "Russian government cyber actors."

Federal officials said that in most of the 21 states, the targeting was preparatory activity such as scanning computer systems. The targets included voter registration systems but not vote tallying software. Officials said there were some attempts to compromise networks but most were unsuccessful.

Only Illinois reported that hackers had succeeded in breaching its voter systems.

Colorado said the hacking wasn't quite a breach.

"It's really reconnaissance by a bad guy to try and figure out how we would break into your computer," said Trevor Timmons, a spokesman for the Colorado secretary of state's office. "It's not an attack. I wouldn't call it a probe. It's not a breach, it's not a penetration."

•••••

Links

[I wonder if his brain damage from football could have been made worse by childhood abuse? I'm not trying to make his
family feel bad, I don't know anything about them, but I do want to raise awareness of what happens to some children.]
Advanced stages of CTE found in Aaron Hernandez's brain
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20777856/lawyer-says-aaron-hernandez-had-advanced-stages-cte


'He can't hear you': Officers shoot, kill deaf man after giving verbal orders
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/21/us/police-shoot-deaf-man-oklahoma-city-trnd/index.html


Hack of Wall St regulator rattles investors, lawmakers
http://www.reuters.com/article/legal-sec-cyber/hack-of-wall-st-regulator-rattles-investors-lawmakers-idUSKCN1BW2AY


Flint’s lead-poisoned water had a ‘horrifyingly large’ effect on fetal deaths, study finds
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/21/flints-lead-poisoned-water-had-a-horrifyingly-large-effect-on-fetal-deaths-study-finds/?utm_term=.74804d5a41a9


Political reporter beaten to death in north-east India
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/21/shantanu-bhowmick-reporter-beaten-to-death-india-agartala


Frida Sofía, age 12: the Mexico City quake 'survivor' who was never there
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/21/mexico-city-earthquake-frida-sofia-enrique-rebsamen-school


Federal Government Tells 21 States Election Systems Targeted by Hackers
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hacking-of-america/federal-government-tells-21-states-election-systems-targeted-hackers-n804031

Links

A pattern I have noticed in these hurricanes is that they weaken at night, when it's cooler, strengthen back up during the day, when it's warmer. So it would be surprising if global warming didn't lead to stronger hurricanes.


National Guard chief cites ‘bigger, larger, more violent’ hurricanes as possible evidence of climate change
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/09/19/national-guard-chief-cites-bigger-larger-more-violent-hurricanes-as-possible-evidence-of-climate-change/?utm_term=.a6eaba2ed52e


Before the breach, Equifax sought to limit exposure to lawsuits
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/before-the-breach-equifax-sought-to-limit-exposure-to-lawsuits/2017/09/19/8e6c8020-9d47-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html?utm_term=.8ff8cf0d9289


Interior’s ‘unusual’ transfer of senior executives spurs official probe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/09/12/interiors-unusual-transfer-of-senior-executives-spurs-official-probe/?utm_term=.a0282b453338


Undercover With the Alt-Right
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/opinion/alt-right-white-supremacy-undercover.html


On the Road With the Casualties of the Great Recession
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/books/review-nomadland-jessica-bruder.html


Decoding the resistance to climate change: Are we doomed?
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/decoding-the-resistance-to-climate-change-are-we-doomed-1.4288483


Trump judicial nominee said transgender children are part of 'Satan's plan', defended 'conversion therapy'
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/20/politics/kfile-jeff-mateer-lgbt-remarks/index.html


14% of LGBT people voted for Donald Trump and other loathsome election facts
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2016/11/14-lgbt-people-voted-donald-trump-loathsome-election-facts/


Meet the LGBTQ Voters Who Backed Trump
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/meet-lgbtq-voters-who-backed-trump-n684181


Someone Made a Fake Equifax Site. Then Equifax Linked to It.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/20/business/equifax-fake-website.html


Alligators Attack and Eat Sharks, Study Confirms
He also uncovered some historical accounts of sharks preying upon American alligators, suggesting that the two carnivores square off more often than thought.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/09/american-alligator-sharks-predators-stingrays/


Melting Arctic ice cap falls to well below average
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/20/melting-arctic-ice-cap-falls-to-well-below-average


Trump's pick for chemical safety chief called 'voice of the chemical industry'
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/20/trump-epa-michael-dourson-chemical-safety


tags: extreme weather

Groundbreaking study finds rigid gender stereotypes in children tied to higher depression, violence, suicide risk

http://www.ajc.com/news/science/groundbreaking-study-finds-rigid-gender-stereotypes-children-tied-higher-depression-violence-suicide-risk/cKtqpD3wFV2nlgfgmH6gVO/

Fiza Pirani The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1:12 p.m Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017

New research from the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows exposure to rigid gender norms can be established in children by age 10 or 11, norms that can lead to damaging consequences in adolescence and beyond.

•••••

After conducting the interviews, researchers found that gender roles are generally first introduced to children in the home and are further reinforced as they grow up by siblings, classmates, coaches, clergy and others.

And no matter where children grow up, gender stereotypes prevail and have significant implications for both girls and boys, according to researchers.



“The myth that girls are weak and boys are strong, that girls are vulnerable and boys are aggressive, was so globally pervasive we saw it play out over and over again in 15 countries and across five continents,” Robert Blum, the study’s lead researcher, told Market Watch.

Additionally, he told Huffington Post, girls are often told that their bodies are a target and if they don’t “cover up and stay away from boys,” the “sanctions they experience are pretty profound.”

“Girls pay a very high price,” Blum said.

•••••

For boys, the hegemonic myth of being strong and independent generally puts them at a higher risk of falling victim to physical violence, according to researchers.

In countries such as China, India and the U.S., it has become increasingly acceptable for girls to challenge gender stereotypes, but boys can still deal with physical bullying for defying gender norms.

Researchers also found that not only do boys die more frequently than girls from unintentional injuries, and not only are they more prone to substance abuse and suicide, but as adults, their life expectancies are also shorter compared to women.

“Such differences are socially not biologically determined,” study authors concluded.

•••••

Links

More than 40 million people were estimated to be victims of modern slavery in 2016 -- and one in four of those were children.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/19/world/global-slavery-estimates-ilo/index.html


How America's 'ground-zero' for modern slavery was cleaned up by workers' group
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/30/world/ciw-fair-food-program-freedom-project/index.html


Children who take up American football early 'at greater risk of brain impairment'
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/19/children-football-brain-study-boston-university


Strong earthquake shakes Mexico, killing at least 119 people
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/strong-earthquake-shakes-mexico-damaging-buildings-and-causing-panic/2017/09/19/d2b044f6-9d6a-11e7-b2a7-bc70b6f98089_story.html?utm_term=.ce9e994049a2

Hurricanes May Cause Earthquakes
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hurricanes-may-cause-earthquakes-38447485/


People who were at the vigil for Scout Schultz, on the Georgia Tech campus, say the violence appeared to be due to non-students.
http://robert.butera.org/?p=450

Links

Sainsbury's slimline toilet roll to wipe 140 tonnes from carbon emissions
What may look like a minor change to a consumer makes a significant difference when scaled up across many thousands of products."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/apr/20/sainsburys-toilet-roll-carbon-emissions


March of Dimes, American Heart Association oppose new Senate repeal-and-replace bill
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/351166-patient-groups-come-out-against-new-obamacare-repeal-bill


Global warming reduces protein in key crops
https://phys.org/news/2017-08-millions-protein-deficiency-result-human-caused.html


High CO2 Makes Crops Less Nutritious
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140507-crops-nutrition-climate-change-carbon-dioxide-science/