Politics Archives | PONDERWALL

WHO OWNS THE MOON? A SPACE LAWYER ANSWERS

Countries such as Russia and somewhat less explicitly Brazil and Belgium hold that the moon and asteroids belong to humanity as a whole.

THE JOKER’S ORIGIN STORY COMES AT A PERFECT MOMENT: CLOWNS DEFINE OUR TIMES

Arts, Politics

One of the most famous jester figures of the modern age is the Joker, who made his debut in the first issue of Batman comics in 1940.

IF IMPEACHMENT COMES TO THE SENATE – 5 QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Politics

If the House of Representatives concludes its impeachment inquiry by passing articles of impeachment of President Trump, attention will turn to the Senate.

OPIUM, RAT HAIR, BEAVER ANAL SECRETIONS – AND OTHER SURPRISING THINGS YOU MIGHT FIND IN FOOD

Politics

For example, a natural flavoring called castoreum is a thick, odorous secretion obtained from the anal glands of beavers.

ON GERMANY’S NATIONAL SOCCER STAGE, WHY HAVE EAST GERMANS GONE MISSING

Politics, Sports

Why is German soccer so dominated by players and clubs from the West? And what does this imbalance say about the state of the German reunification?

FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY SEES THE FUTURE IN HARD-TO-RECYCLE PLASTIC

Economics, Politics

How will they adapt as fossil fuel demand wanes with the rise of renewable energy and battery power? The answer is plastic.

POLICE PHOTO LINEUPS: HOW BACKGROUND COLORS CAN SKEW EYE WITNESS IDENTIFICATION

Politics, Science

Identification parades can be powerful evidence in securing convictions in criminal cases. But eyewitness evidence is notoriously prone to errors.

HOW ONE NHS ANAESTHETIST IS FIGHTING INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH FRAUD

Politics, Science

Consultant anaesthetist at Torbay Hospital on England’s south coast has developed statistical methods to help spot signs of fraud in medical research.

WEBCAMS IN NURSING HOME ROOMS MAY DETER ELDER ABUSE – BUT ARE THEY ETHICAL?

Politics

Papp’s fight to monitor her mother’s care reflects a reasonable fear. About 1.3 million Americans live in nursing homes, and elder abuse can be a killer.

JUSTICE STEVENS, BABE RUTH AND THE BEST LAW CLERK ASSIGNMENT EVER

Politics, Sports

Babe Ruth’s famous, and controversial, “called shot” home run during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs

HOW MULTINATIONALS CONTINUE TO AVOID PAYING HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAX – NEW RESEARCH

Economics, Politics

New research estimates that $420 billion in corporate profits is shifted out of 79 countries every year. This equates to $125 billion in lost tax revenue.

HOW SWEDISH LITERATURE REFLECTS THE BENEFITS OF A SHORTER WORKING DAY

Arts, Economics, Geography, Politics

The world should be inspired by Swedish culture, with more fika, more time for leisurely reading about non-work topics, and more lagom towards jobs.

MORE THAN A MILLION UK SMALL BUSINESSES SEE BREXIT AS MAJOR OBSTACLE TO SUCCESS

Economics, Politics

Over one million UK SMEs, around a quarter of the total, were concerned about how Brexit would affect the success of their business.

WHY THE GERMAN LANGUAGE HAS SO MANY GREAT WORDS

Geography, Politics

Backpfeifengesicht may join other German words that have found a place in English, like Weltschmerz (world-weariness) and Zeitgeist (spirit of the time).

SOUTH AMERICA’S SECOND-LARGEST FOREST IS ALSO BURNING – AND ‘ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY’ CHARCOAL IS SUBSIDIZING ITS DESTRUCTION

Geography, Politics

The fires raging across the Amazon have captured the world’s attention. Meanwhile, the second-largest forest, Gran Chaco, is disappearing in plain sight.

HOW EDWARD SNOWDEN COULD LOSE HIS BOOK ROYALTIES TO THE US GOVERNMENT.

Politics

Instead of trying to ban Snowden book, the US authorities have tried something else. They are suing the publisher Macmillan, seeking to seize any profits.

ZERO-HOURS CONTRACTS HAVE A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON CAREER PROGRESSION – LABOUR IS RIGHT TO BAN THEM

Economics, Politics

Labour has reaffirmed its plans to rid the UK of zero-hours contracts, said shadow chancellor John McDonnell at the Labour Party conference.

MANUFACTURING STILL MATTERS: FIVE REASONS WHY THE IMF IS WRONG

Economics, Politics

According to new IMF research, countries need no longer rely on manufacturing for productivity growth. Here are five reasons why IMF is wrong.

THESE THREE FIRMS OWN CORPORATE AMERICA

Economics, Politics

Vanguard, BlackRock and State Street are the largest shareholders in 90% of S&P 500, including Apple, Microsoft, ExxonMobil, General Electric and Coca-Cola.

ARRESTS OF 6-YEAR-OLDS SHOW THE PERILS OF PUTTING POLICE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Politics

The arrest of two six-year-olds in a Florida school in October has shown, sometimes one threat to the students is the officers themselves.

FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES REACH US$87 BILLION IN EU COUNTRIES – AND THEY’RE GROWING

Economics, Politics

In 2017, EU countries spent US$87 billion subsidizing the cost of fossil fuels. This is nearly 2.5 times more than they spent in 2010.

NO, IT’S NOT OK FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO USE YOUR PRESCRIPTION DETAILS TO RECRUIT YOU FOR A STUDY

Politics

People providing their personal information to the government, to access government services, are doing so through necessity, not choice.

DRUG USE IN ENGLAND AND WALES IS UP FOR THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW

Politics

One of the most striking elements of the data is the ease with which people, especially young people, can obtain controlled drugs.

NOW THAT CANNABIS IS LEGAL, LET’S USE IT TO TACKLE THE OPIOID CRISIS

Politics

There’s growing evidence for the use of cannabis in treating opioid addiction. A study of found that those who used cannabis used opioids less often.

MILLENNIALS ARE $1 TRILLION IN DEBT BUT THEY’RE BETTER AT SAVING THAN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS

Economics, Politics

Millennials have racked up over US$1 trillion of debt. Yet, in comparison to previous generations this group is significantly more fiscally conservative.

NEW YORK’S NEW RENTAL PROTECTIONS WON’T END THE OUTSIZE INFLUENCE OF BIG DEVELOPERS WHO PAY THE CITY’S BILLS

Politics

New York has the second most expensive rental market in the United States. More than half of all New Yorkers spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

SUPERBLOCKS: BARCELONA’S CAR-FREE ZONES COULD EXTEND LIVES AND BOOST MENTAL HEALTH

Geography, Politics

Barcelona’s urban superblocks are neighborhoods of nine blocks, where traffic is restricted to major roads, opening up streets to pedestrians.

RADICAL REFORMS TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE GONE UNNOTICED AND UNCHALLENGED AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF BREXIT

Politics

Reforms to the way local authorities are funded are the most radical and least discussed changes made by conservative governments since 2010.

5 CHARTS SHOW HOW YOUR HOUSEHOLD DRIVES UP GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Politics, Science

Household consumption – food, housing, transportation, apparel and other personal services – is an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

WE ASKED PEOPLE TO DO CLIMATE CHANGE MATHS. THEIR ANSWERS DEPENDED ON THEIR POLITICS

Politics, Science

We asked people to do climate change maths. Their answers depended on their politics Will J Grant, Australian National University In an ideal world, people would look at issues with a clear focus only on

HOW BREXIT UNCERTAINTY IS HURTING THE UK ECONOMY – IN FOUR CHARTS

Politics

Each day brings with it new drama in United Kingdom’s politics and the course of Brexit – and it’s playing havoc with the UK economy.

SUSPENDING PARLIAMENT COULD BE THE ACT OF A CREDIBLE MADMAN OR MASTER BLUFFER – TOP GAME THEORIST ON BORIS JOHNSON

Politics

Boris Johnson has adopted what the late Nobel laureate game theorist, Thomas Schelling called the “madman theory” in his parliament suspension.

POLAND INVITES NATIONALISM IN ITS COMMEMORATION OF WWII BY MOVING LOCATION AND INVITING TRUMP

Politics

Poland changed the site of the usual WWII commemoration ceremony from Westerplatte to Warsaw and, for the first time, invited a U.S. president to speak.

SHOULDN’T THERE BE A LAW AGAINST RECKLESS OPIOID SALES? TURNS OUT, THERE IS

Politics

The number of Americans who died each year from a drug overdose while taking prescription painkillers soared from 3,500 in 1999 to more than 17,000 in 2017.

FACEAPP’S FINE PRINT MEANS YOU EFFECTIVELY CAN’T SUE THEM, UNLESS YOU SEND A LETTER TO THEIR RUSSIAN OFFICE

Politics, Technology

Faceapp can do whatever it likes with your photos. More concerning is the range of disturbing conditions users unwittingly sign up to.

WHY FEWER AND FEWER AMERICANS ARE GETTING DIVORCED

Politics

The number of divorced persons per 1,000 Americans fell from 4.7 in 1990 to 2.9 in 2016. Who is driving this downward trend?

WE FOUND RESERVOIRS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT BACTERIA ACROSS LONDON

Politics, Science

antibiotics resistant bacteria found in london reservoirs

Out of the 600 bacteria we found, nearly half were MRSA and multidrug resistant, meaning they were immune to treatment from several types of antibiotics.

GERMANY’S DEEP ROOTED OBSESSION WITH SAVING – A BRIEF HISTORY

Economics, Politics

Germans not only save more than their UK counterparts, but the deep rooted national habit has more implications for Germany than those numbers would reveal.