Saturday, December 21

Tag: legal

The Legal Age For Purchasing Assault Weapons Does Not Make Sense There Are Historical And Psychological Reasons Why
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IMPACT

The Legal Age For Purchasing Assault Weapons Does Not Make Sense There Are Historical And Psychological Reasons Why

The Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings in May 2022 had at least two things in common: The shooters were 18 years old, and they had both legally purchased their own assault rifles. The shooters’ young age was not an aberration. The average age of school shooters is 18, when tracking incidents since 1966. The relatively young age of most mass shooters has ignited conversations about the minimum legal age for purchasing firearms. When it comes to gun laws, there is clearly a legal debate about how to define adulthood. But there is also a complex history of how societies determine adulthood, as I’ve examined in my work on the age of marriage and sexual consent. Considering someone an adult once they turn 18 is a relatively recent trend, and it’s not clear that it can stand up to public scru...
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In Any Way Is Drinking Good For You? If Not, Why Is Alcohol Legal For Adults?
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HEALTH & WELLNESS, Journalism

In Any Way Is Drinking Good For You? If Not, Why Is Alcohol Legal For Adults?

Margie Skeer, Tufts University Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Is alcohol consumption of any benefit to humans? If not, why aren’t we thinking about banning it forever? – Lamiah S., Kerala, India Scientists have been trying to figure out whether alcoholic beverages can be good for your health for a long time, often reaching contradictory conclusions. What is clear is that wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages can be bad for you for many reasons. That’s especially true for people who frequently drink heavily. The effects of drinking alcohol, which is made by fermenting the sugars found in grapes, barley, potatoes and other plants, vary according to how much som...
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A Bitter Taste: Are Starbucks’ Caffeinated Anti-Union Efforts Legal
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BUSINESS, IN OTHER NEWS

A Bitter Taste: Are Starbucks’ Caffeinated Anti-Union Efforts Legal

Good news greeted Starbucks workers on May 3, 2022, in the shape of a promise of new pay increases. But there was a catch: Employees at unionized stores – or those planning to unionize – shouldn’t expect to see a dime of this hike. As far as efforts to discourage workers from supporting union drives go, the move by Starbucks appears pretty blatant. And it comes as the coffee chain sees a massive surge of union activity. Since its first victory at two stores in Buffalo in December 2021, Starbucks Workers United has now filed for union elections at over 250 stores – comprising over 6,600 employees – in over 30 states, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Moreover, the union has won 54 of the 64 elections conducted to date, many by overwhelming margins. As a scholar of organize...
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Cellphones Might Be A Safety Risk – Cellphone Bans In The Workplace Are Legal And More Common Among Blue-Collar Jobs
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BUSINESS

Cellphones Might Be A Safety Risk – Cellphone Bans In The Workplace Are Legal And More Common Among Blue-Collar Jobs

Cellphone bans in the workplace are legal and more common among blue-collar jobs – they also might be a safety risk. Cellphones in the workplace can be a distraction – but they could also save your life. In the aftermath of a devastating tornado ripping through an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Dec. 10, 2021 – killing six employees – the online retailer is reportedly reviewing its policy over mobile phone bans during working hours. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it was common for Amazon to require its employees to leave phones at home or in vehicles before setting foot on the factory floor. The policy was relaxed during the pandemic but was due to be reintroduced in January. Amazon has indicated that a ban was not in effect at the factory at the time the tornado hit, ...
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As Many Others Remain Shackled By The Easily Abused Legal Arrangement – Britney Spears Gets Free Of Father’s Conservatorship
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CELEBRITY NEWS

As Many Others Remain Shackled By The Easily Abused Legal Arrangement – Britney Spears Gets Free Of Father’s Conservatorship

Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia Britney Spears finally got her wish: A judge suspended her dad as conservator, about two and a half months after she told the court that he was ruining her life. During the Sept. 29, 2021, hearing, Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, described Jamie Spears as a “cruel, toxic and abusive man” and cited a recent report in The New York Times that he established an intense surveillance apparatus to monitor and control his daughter. Earlier, Britney Spears claimed her father even prevented her from having a baby. Whether or not the conservatorship is ended entirely won’t be decided until November. To terminate a conservatorship, California law simply requires the filing of a petition demonstrating that it is no longer required. Spears’ case is unusual: Conse...
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Great For Anyone In Need Of Cheap Legal Assistance But Bad For Tomorrow’s Attorneys – Robots Are Coming For The Lawyers
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BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Great For Anyone In Need Of Cheap Legal Assistance But Bad For Tomorrow’s Attorneys – Robots Are Coming For The Lawyers

Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon and Charlotte Alexander, Georgia State University Imagine what a lawyer does on a given day: researching cases, drafting briefs, advising clients. While technology has been nibbling around the edges of the legal profession for some time, it’s hard to imagine those complex tasks being done by a robot. And it is those complicated, personalized tasks that have led technologists to include lawyers in a broader category of jobs that are considered pretty safe from a future of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence. But, as we discovered in a recent research collaboration to analyze legal briefs using a branch of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, lawyers’ jobs are a lot less safe than we thought. It turns out that you don’t ne...
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Legal Protections For Black People’s Hair Are Still Gaining Momentum, 2 Years Later
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CULTURE

Legal Protections For Black People’s Hair Are Still Gaining Momentum, 2 Years Later

Advocates of the CROWN Act reflect on its impact and the many remaining challenges on changing beauty standards. Candice Norwood Originally published by The 19th Two years ago, California became the first state to sign a bill expanding anti-discrimination protections to hair textures and styles like afros, braids and locs that reflect Black identity, turning a national spotlight on hair restrictions affecting Black people in workplaces and schools. The Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act, or CROWN Act, has since been passed in 12 other states and 29 municipalities. Legal experts and champions for such policies told The 19th that the new laws have led to important discussions about how White-centric standards of professionalism and beauty harm people of color. Stil...
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Policies That Encourage Workers To Show Up Sick Are Legal – Meatpacking Plants Have Been Deadly COVID-19 Hot Spots
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ENVIRONMENT, VIDEO REELS

Policies That Encourage Workers To Show Up Sick Are Legal – Meatpacking Plants Have Been Deadly COVID-19 Hot Spots

Working in meatpacking plants has always been dangerous. A recent study shows that it became deadlier in the era of COVID-19, even as company profits soared. This analysis, published in December 2020, estimates that 6%-8% of all COVID-19 cases and 3%-4% of all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. were tied to meat and poultry plants. Workers in these facilities stand close together on processing lines, which makes social distancing difficult. At the same time, companies like Tyson, which produces chicken, beef and pork, and JBS, which produces beef and pork, are reporting high earnings despite COVID-related challenges such as plant closures. I am a law professor and have written about links between lax state and federal enforcement of health and safety laws and increased rates of COVID-19 infect...
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