often – Page 2

Disaster work is often carried out by prisoners – who get paid as little as 14 cents an hour despite dangers

16Sep

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Disaster work is often carried out by prisoners – who get paid as little as 14 cents an hour despite dangers

Efforts to beat back wildfires ravaging Western states in the U.S. have been hampered this year by depleted numbers of “orange angels” – incarcerated workers deployed as firefighters. Their lower numbers coincide with the early release for eligible prisoners and the quarantining of others to combat the spread of COVID-19. The potential impact that having fewer prisoners to draw upon highlights the crucial role that incarcerated workers play in disaster response. While many people are aware that prisoners work to help contain wildfires in California and elsewhere, less well known is the role incarcerated workers play as a labor source across a variety of disasters throughout the country. As a social scientist, I study the impact of disasters on incarcerated populations. I recently co-aut...

The WHO often has been under fire, but no nation has ever moved to sever ties with it

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, VIDEO REELS

The WHO often has been under fire, but no nation has ever moved to sever ties with it

In the midst of a surge of new cases of COVID-19, the United States this week gave formal notice of its intention to withdraw from the World Health Organization. The move, to take effect next year, will at once deprive the WHO of one of its major sources of funding and marginalize the United States within the field of global health. The Trump administration had been threatening this unprecedented pullout for several weeks, criticizing WHO for its handling of the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The WHO is a United Nations agency that coordinates a wide range of international health efforts. The United States typically contributes more than US$400 million per year to the organization, roughly 15% of its annual budget. The U.S. already had suspended funding in May. In an...

Police officers accused of brutal violence often have a history of complaints by citizens

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

VIDEO REELS

Police officers accused of brutal violence often have a history of complaints by citizens

As protests against police violence and racism continue in cities throughout the U.S., the public is learning that several of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville share a history of complaints by citizens of brutality or misconduct. Decades of research on police shootings and brutality reveal that officers with a history of shooting civilians, for example, are much more likely to do so in the future compared to other officers. A similar pattern holds for misconduct complaints. Officers who are the subject of previous civilian complaints – regardless of whether those complaints are for excessive force, verbal abuse or unlawful searches – pose a higher risk of engaging in serious misconduct in the future. A study published in...

AI algorithms intended to root out welfare fraud often end up punishing the poor instead

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

AI, TECHNOLOGY

AI algorithms intended to root out welfare fraud often end up punishing the poor instead

President Donald Trump recently suggested there is “tremendous fraud” in government welfare programs. Although there’s very little evidence to back up his claim, he’s hardly the first politician – conservative or liberal – to vow to crack down on fraud and waste in America’s social safety net. States – which are charged with distributing and overseeing many federally funded benefits – are taking these fraud accusations seriously. They are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and other automated systems to determine benefits eligibility and ferret out fraud in a variety of benefits programs, from food stamps and Medicaid to unemployment insurance. Of course, government agencies should ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively. The problem is these automated decision...

School resource officers aren’t arrested often – but when they are, it’s usually for sexual misconduct

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

School resource officers aren’t arrested often – but when they are, it’s usually for sexual misconduct

The presence of law enforcement in schools – better known as school resource officers – has become increasingly common. These officers, who have full law enforcement powers, are supposed to keep students safe. Earlier this year, however, a former Michigan school resource officer – Matthew Priebe – was convicted and sentenced to one year in jail for doing just the opposite. Instead of protecting students from threats, Officer Priebe had been sexually preying on female students, using his power as a school police officer to engage in inappropriate and nonconsensual sexual acts with students. This latest headline is not a singular event. Within the past year, several other school resource officers have been arrested or convicted of sexual misconduct with students. The good news is this kin...

Deaf Christians often struggle to hear God’s word, but some find meaning in the richness of who they are

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

Deaf Christians often struggle to hear God’s word, but some find meaning in the richness of who they are

For years, my husband would say after we returned from the church, “I thought the sermon was good.” To that, I would reply, “I didn’t hear the sermon, as usual.” As a person with a severe to profound hearing loss, I nearly left the church out of frustration and anger. In addition to hymns, spoken readings and testimonies, Christian worship focuses on the spoken word. As scripture says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I am not alone in feeling discouraged by so much focus on the word of God and spoken words in Christian tradition. Many people with hearing loss leave or disengage from their Christian faith. But that doesn’t have to happen. As a theologian, I study how adults with hearing loss worldwide engage with their Christian faith thr...