Politics Archives | PONDERWALL

RORY STEWART: SPIES HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF BECOMING POLITICIANS

One of the surprises of the contest to become leader of the Conservative Party – and with it prime minister – has been the candidacy of Rory Stewart.

MOST OF US DRUG ARRESTS INVOLVE A GRAM OR LESS

Politics

Roughly two out of every three arrests by state and local law enforcement target small-time offenders who are carrying less than a gram of illegal drugs.

TESTING OF BACKLOGGED RAPE EVIDENCE LEADS TO HUNDREDS OF CONVICTIONS

Politics

Hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits, also known as sexual assault kits (SAKs), languish in evidence storage facilities across the U.S.

GETTING POORER WHILE WORKING HARDER: THE CLIFF EFFECT

Politics

There is no place in the country where a family supported by one minimum-wage worker with a full-time job can live and afford a 2-bedroom apartment at the average fair-market rent.

U.S. LAWS PROTECT POLICE, WHILE ENDANGERING CIVILIANS

Politics

U.S. Laws Protect Police While Endangering Civilians. The ritual of an unnecessary police killing with no real accountability has become painfully familiar.

HOW UK POPULATION WILL LOOK LIKE BY 2061 UNDER HARD, SOFT OR NO BREXIT SCENARIOS

Politics

What the UK population will look like by 2061 under hard, soft or no Brexit scenarios DeymosHR/Shutterstock Nik Lomax, University of Leeds; Paul Norman, University of Leeds; Philip Rees, University of Leeds, and Pia Wohland,

NEW ZEALAND TO PRIORITIZE WELL BEING OVER GDP IN NEW ‘WELL BEING’ BUDGET

Politics

The Wellbeing Budget signals a new approach to the way governments work, by placing the wellbeing of New Zealanders at the heart of what we do.

INDIANA BECOMES 34TH STATE TO PAY EXONEREES FOR WRONGFUL INCARCERATION

Politics

Indiana governor signed legislation to provide state compensation for innocent Hoosiers who were exonerated of crimes they did not commit.

GENETICS EXTENDS THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW

Politics

Genealogists help solve crimes, sometimes identifying suspects with the DNA of distant relatives they’ve never met. Concerns about privacy issues persist.

THROUGH HIS ART, A FORMER PRISONER DIAGNOSES THE SYSTEMIC SICKNESS OF FLORIDA’S PENITENTIARIES

Politics

While imprisoned, he made a series of pencil drawings on the back of stray sheets of paper to document the brutality of his time spent behind bars.

EUROPEAN ELECTIONS GUIDE: HOW SHOULD REMAINERS USE THEIR VOTE

Politics

what are the options for Remainers in the European Elections? With so many options, the vote is likely to be split across several parties.

DECLASSIFIED ARCHIVES SHOW US HELPED ARGENTINE MILITARY WAGE DIRTY WAR THAT KILLED 30,000

Politics

Newly declassified United States military and intelligence documents recently delivered to Argentina offer new details about the country’s brutal military.

NEW DATA PAINT AN UNPLEASANT PICTURE OF POVERTY IN THE US

Politics

The annual cost of child poverty comes to around $1 trillion. Meanwhile, every dollar spent reducing child poverty is estimated to yield $7 in the future.

SOMERVILLE ANNOUNCES LAWSUIT AGAINST BIG PHARMA OPIOID COMPANIES

Politics

The suit alleges these companies deceptively and illegally promoted opioids and that they failed to investigate, report, maintain effective control, and take steps to terminate suspicious orders of the highly addictive prescription drugs.

CHEATING WORKERS OUT OF WAGES IS EASIER THAN EVER

Politics

Workers timekeeping software was the focus of a study that documents how it could be used to facilitate wage theft. And it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

HE HELPED WRONGFULLY CONVICT A VEGAS MAN. TWO DECADES LATER, HIS DAUGHTER WORKED ON A LAW TO MAKE AMENDS

Politics

Nevada bill will compensate men and women wrongfully convicted in the state for the years they spent behind bars and grant them certificates of innocence.

APRIL 15 IS THE DAY TOBACCO COMPANIES PAY $9 BILLION COMPENSATION, BUT IS IT ENOUGH?

Politics

April 15 is the day when the five largest tobacco companies pay US$9 billion dollars to state governments, each and every year, forever.

STUDY SHOWS HOW SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS IN GERMANY AND ENGLAND PRESENT EUROPE IN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WAYS

Politics

Europe is seen more expansively and positively in the German textbooks. Unlike the English books, German materials presented clear loyalties to Europe.

FORMER BOXER PUNCHES POLICE DURING PARIS YELLOW VESTS PROTESTS

Politics

Video of a former French boxer punching a group of policemen and pushing them back during the yellow vests protests in Paris.

PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULDN’T HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A JOB AND A HEALTHY BABY

Politics

Pregnant women in low-income work often face an unappealing choice: lose their job or perform duties that endanger their health and that of their baby.

CANADA AND MEXICO GET RICH TRADING MARIJUANA

Politics

Medical Marijuana industry was worth about US$7.2 billion in 2016, according to Forbes, and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 17%.

WHY ARE AMERICANS GETTING THEIR MEDICAL DEGREES IN CUBA? HIGHER QUALITY AND DEBT-FREE SYSTEM

Politics

Cuba medical degrees have become popular among American students. The Cuban education system is debt-free and the medical program is very advanced.

US ACCUSED OF FEEDING DEAD KITTENS TO HEALTHY ONES IN ANIMAL CANNIBALISM EXPERIMENTS SINCE 1982

Politics

In a long animal cannibalism experiment, the US is accused of feeding dead kittens to healthy ones since 1982. The experiment used over 3000 cats.

LINUS TORVALDS WAS APPROACHED BY THE NSA FOR BACKDOOR IN LINUX

Politics

Linus Torvalds was approached by the National Security Agency for backdoor in Linux, according to his father Nils Torvalds.

THE FED WON’T LET GERMANY INSPECT ITS OWN GOLD

Politics

The Federal Reserve refused in 2013 to let Germany inspect its own gold stored in the US. This raised questions about whether it still in the vaults or not.

AMAZON HQ: TEXAS EXPERIENCE SHOWS WHY NEW YORKERS WERE RIGHT TO BE SKEPTICAL

Politics

New York offered Amazon US$3 billion to build a second HQ on the promise of 25k jobs. Later, Amazon backed out, citing political opposition to its plans.

DRUG AND DEVICE MAKERS PAY THOUSANDS OF DOCTORS WITH DISCIPLINARY RECORDS

Politics

Critics of industry payments to doctors say they can influence recipients to prescribe drugs that cost more, may not be necessary or are similar to cheaper generics.

HOW BIG PHARMA IS HINDERING TREATMENT OF THE OPIOID ADDICTION EPIDEMIC

Politics

Drugs do exist to reverse opioid overdoses or treat long-term opioid addiction. But while opioids have become easier and easier to obtain through illicit markets and sellers on the dark web, a drug that could save countless lives has become increasingly out of reach.

BARRACKING, SHEILAS AND SHOUTS: HOW THE IRISH INFLUENCED AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH

Politics

Irish influence on Australian English and on Australians is less than you’d expect on the surface, but everywhere once you start looking.

POTENT PAINKILLER MAKER EXPLORED EXPANDING INTO OPIOID ADDICTION TREATMENT MARKET

Politics

Not content with billions of dollars in profits from a potent painkiller, its maker explored expanding into the treatment of opioid addiction.

LONG-LOST RECORDS SURFACE IN WRONGFUL CONVICTION CASE

Politics

When the lawsuit went to trial in 2010, the judge granted a request by attorneys to disallow questioning about the officer’s disciplinary history.

FACT CHECK: HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ENSLAVED IN THE WORLD TODAY?

Politics

In 2017, a coalition of states and non-government organizations estimated that there were some 40 million people enslaved worldwide.

HOW CIA’S SECRET TORTURE PROGRAM SPARKED PUBLIC RECKONING IN NORTH CAROLINA

Politics

In 2005, The New York Times reported that two planes used in the CIA torture program were operated by a contractor based in North Carolina.

CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE COULD SAVE TRILLIONS – BUT HOW TO FUND IT?

Politics

Adapting to climate change will be a big challenge for cities and citizens around the world. The good news is that investing in it can be cost-effective.

IN DEFENSE OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES (AND WHY THE TERM IS A MISNOMER)

Politics

Conspiracy is a common form of human behavior across all cultures throughout recorded time, and it has always been particularly widespread in politics.

The EU steps up action against disinformation

Briefs, Politics

The EU steps up action against disinformation European Commission – Press release Brussels, 5 December 2018 To protect its democratic systems and public debates and in view of the 2019 European elections as well as

The EU awards 12,000 travel passes for 18 year-olds to explore Europe in 2019

Briefs, Politics, Sidebar

The EU awards 12,000 travel passes for 18 year-olds to explore Europe in 2019 European Commission – Press release Brussels, 29 November 2018 The European Commission is launching a second DiscoverEU competition. From today (12:00

OIL AND GAS EXECS OUT-EARN THEIR PEERS THANKS TO THE PAY-FOR-LUCK PROCESS

Politics

Oil prices are highly variable and completely out of the control of individual executives. So why do executives earn more when oil prices go up?

WHY DO INNOCENT SUSPECTS CONFESS TO CRIMES THEY DID NOT COMMIT?

Politics

The Reid technique can even convince some innocent suspects that they are guilty. Suspects will sometimes reenact a crime they did not commit.

IT’S HARDER THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT FOR CHARITIES TO GIVE BACK TAINTED MONEY

Politics

When these scandals strike, charities face a dilemma – keep the money given by the now-tarnished donor or return the tainted funds.

WHAT BIG PHARMA PAYS YOUR DOCTOR

Politics

Receiving money from opioid makers in one year is associated with doctors prescribing more opioids the next year, according to disclosed data.

TRUCK DRIVERS ARE OVERTIRED, OVERWORKED, AND UNDERPAID

Politics

Research shows that economic pressure pushes drivers to work extremely long hours, contributing significantly to truck crashes.

RACE OF MASS SHOOTERS INFLUENCES HOW THE MEDIA COVER THEIR CRIMES, NEW STUDY SHOWS

Politics

Media tend to cast the violent acts of white criminals as unfortunate anomalies of illness. For black shooters they render them as inherent criminality.

GERMAN GOVERNMENT FACES A CONSTITUTIONAL COMPLAINT FOR ILLEGAL HACKING OF MOBILES PHONES

Politics

Digitalcourage filed a complaint at the Constitutional Court against the German government for using Trojan spyware to illegally read encrypted messages.

POLICE KILL ABOUT 3 MEN PER DAY IN THE US, ACCORDING TO NEW STUDY

Politics

Police in the U.S. kill on average more than 1,000 men per year, or about three men per day, about 8 percent of all adult male homicide deaths.

AN EARLY EXPRESSION OF DEMOCRACY, THE US PATENT SYSTEM IS OUT OF STEP WITH TODAY’S CITIZENS

Politics

The American patent system was designed to stimulate innovation, but some citizens argue that it’s hurting innovation and limiting access to technology.