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| == Post news items waiting to be sorted on this page[https://wikidemocracy.us/index.php?title=Posting&action=edit Edit source] == | | == Post news items waiting to be sorted on this page[https://wikidemocracy.us/index.php?title=Posting&action=edit Edit source] == |
| =====America's largest power grid is struggling to meet demand from AI=====
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| [https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/americas-largest-power-grid-is-struggling-meet-demand-ai-2025-07-09/ by Laila aaaaakearney 9/7/25 Reuters]
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| Electricity bills are projected to surge by more than 20% this summer in some parts of PJM Interconnection's territory, which covers 13 states - from Illinois to Tennessee, Virginia to New Jersey - serving 67 million customers in a region with the most data centers in the world.
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| ====='Harmless' virus might trigger Parkinson's disease, researchers say=====
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| [https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-harmless-virus-trigger-parkinson-disease.html#google_vignette by Dennis Thompson 9/7/25 Medical x press]
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| "HPgV is a common, symptomless infection previously not known to frequently infect the brain," lead researcher Dr. Igor Koralnik, chief of neuroinfectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said in a news release. "We were surprised to find it in the brains of Parkinson's patients at such high frequency and not in the controls."
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| =====Lesotho declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertainty=====
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| [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8re5el87o.amp by Khanyisile Ngcobo 9/7/25 BBC NEWS]
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| Lesotho has declared a national state of disaster over the country's "high rates of youth unemployment and job losses" as uncertainty over US tariffs hits the landlocked nation.
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| =====Climate change and aerosol pollution made drought inevitable in the US Southwest: Study=====
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| [https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/5392107-climate-change-aerosol-pollution-southwest-drought/amp/ by Sharon Udasin 7/9/25 THE HILL]
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| The combined effects of climate change and air pollution have led to direct declines in precipitation in the U.S. Southwest, making drought inevitable, a new study has shown.
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| =====Climate change poses mounting threat to India’s data centres, warns global report=====
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| [https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/climate-change-poses-mounting-threat-to-indias-data-centres-warns-global-report/article69800200.ece by PURNIMA SAH 11/7/25 THE HINDU]
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| As global demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services accelerates data centre development, a new report has warned that these critical infrastructures face escalating physical risks from climate change. The 2025 Global Data Centre Physical Climate Risk and Adaptation Report, released by the Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI), offers a comprehensive assessment of climate vulnerabilities across nearly 9,000 operational and planned data centres worldwide.
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| =====A look at Pope Francis’ legacy and focus on social justice=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-look-at-pope-francis-legacy-and-focus-on-social-justice by Stephanie Sy 21/4/25 PBS NEWS]
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| Francis' 12-year papacy was a remarkable one, working in service to the church until the very day before he died. He sought to focus more explicitly on social justice, on climate change and addressing the most marginalized in society. But he was also criticized for actions that fell short of his public remarks, undercut commitments or went too far for some Catholics. Stephanie Sy reports.
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| =====Right-Wing Campaign to Block Teaching for Social Justice=====
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| [https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/gop-campaign-to-block-teaching-for-social-justice/ by Barbara Miner 30/1/25 ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT]
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| Lawmakers in at least 47 states have attempted (and in some cases succeeded) to pass legislation that would require teachers to lie to students about the role of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression throughout U.S. history.
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| =====How Catholicism shaped Cesar Chavez’s social justice=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/how-catholicism-shaped-cesar-chavezs-social-justice-religion/29335/ by Mario T. Garcia 12/10/23 PBS]
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| There is good reason for this. Chavez occupies a major place in U.S. history. As the leader of the farmworkers’ struggle for unionization and dignity beginning in the 1960s, Chavez accomplished what had never been done. He successfully organized farmworkers—mostly Mexicans and Filipinos—and achieved historic labor contracts with the big growers of California’s San Joaquin Valley. At the same time, Chavez inspired and encouraged the Chicano Movement’s civil rights struggles throughout the Southwest and Midwest.
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| =====Equitable Justice=====
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| [https://nul.org/justice by National Urban Language]
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| About Equitable Justice & Strategic Initiatives
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| The National Urban League knows that America has the potential to fulfill its promise of being the land of liberty and justice for all. However, significant work is still required to fully realize a truly equitable nation.
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| =====Native American tribes land buybacks start a commercial approach to social justice=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/native-american-tribes-land-buybacks-start-a-commercial-approach-to-social-justice by Kira Kay 17/10/21 PBS NEWS]
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| In part two of a two-part series, Special Correspondent Kira Kay reports on the Nez Perce tribe and its efforts to regain control of part of the 7.5 million acres of land granted to it by the U.S. government in the mid 19th century. Reclaiming that land, which was almost all taken after the tribe was violently driven away, has meant taking a more commercial approach to social justice.
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| =====What do we mean by racial justice?=====
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| [https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/discrimination/racial-justice/ by Matthew Hatcher 23/11/20 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL]
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| When it comes to human rights, racial justice work means going beyond preventing individual cases of racial discrimination and combating structural oppression. It involves working towards systemic change and solutions, by targeting the root causes of racial oppression as it intersects with patriarchy, colonialism and slavery as well as economic inequality.
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| =====To End Systemic Racism, Ensure Systemic Equality=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/ending-systemic-racism-requires-ensuring-systemic-equality by ReNika Moore 8/2/21 ACLU]
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| To begin to heal and move toward real racial justice, we must address not only the harms of the past four years, but also the harms tracing back to this country’s origins. Racism has played an active role in the creation of our systems of education, health care, ownership, and employment, and virtually every other facet of life since this nation’s founding.
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| =====The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S.=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/the-long-history-of-racism-against-asian-americans-in-the-u-s by Adrian De Leon 9/4/20 PBS NEWS]
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| In the face of rising anti-Asian racist actions – now at about 100 reported cases per day – Yang implores Asian Americans to “wear red, white, and blue” in their efforts to combat the virus.
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| =====Racism by Design: The Building of Interstate 81=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/racism-by-design-the-building-of-interstate-81 by Jay A. Fernandez 10/8/23 ACLU]
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| The United States' interstate highway system is structural racism in action: an intentional government program that damaged Black lives and communities for generations.
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| =====9 ways racism impacts maternal health=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/9-ways-racism-impacts-maternal-health by Roberta K. Timothy 12/5/19 PBS NEWS]
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| The struggle for our maternal health and motherhood includes daily resistance against anti-Black racism, anti-indigeneity, sexism, classism and other forms of intersectional violence.
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| =====Celebrate Women’s Suffrage, but Don't Whitewash the Movement's Racism=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/voting-rights/celebrate-womens-suffrage-dont-whitewash-movements-racism by Tammy L. Brown 24/8/18 ACLU]
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| My 94-year-old great-aunt, Paralee Wilmer — we call her Aunty Lee — voted for the first time after moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1944. Born to no-nonsense, small farmers in Millers Ferry, Alabama, and the youngest daughter of 12 children, Aunty Lee was one among many African Americans who moved from the South to the North in search of better job opportunities and greater freedoms during the The Great Migration. These freedoms included the right to vote without intimidation or any other hindrance.
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| =====Visualizing the Racial Wealth Gap=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/visualizing-the-racial-wealth-gap by Katie Duarte 10/8/23 ACLU]
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| Homeownership has been one of the most effective ways that Americans build wealth, which can be passed down from generation to generation. And although equal access to housing is a civil right, systemic racism within our housing institutions has long kept communities of color from accessing fair housing opportunities.
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| =====To Address Systemic Racism, We Must Dismantle Housing Discrimination and Segregation=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/to-address-systemic-racism-we-must-dismantle-housing-discrimination-and-segregation by Jennifer Bellamy 4/5/21 ACLU]
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| The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was a key part of Congress’ response to a report commissioned by President Johnson to investigate civil unrest in Black and Brown communities between 1965 and 1967. The Kerner Commission’s report warned Congress that “America is dividing into two societies, Black and White, separate and unequal.”
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| =====How infrastructure has historically promoted inequality=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-infrastructure-has-historically-promoted-inequality by Candice Norwood 23/4/21 PBS NEW]
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| It’s no secret that U.S. infrastructure is struggling. This year’s report from the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country a C-, citing public roadways in “poor or mediocre” condition, “structurally deficient” bridges and aging power grids.
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| =====As U.N. Report Sounds Alarm on Environmental Racism in Cancer Alley, Community Faces Further Pollution with Proposed Grain Elevator
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| [https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/un-report-sounds-alarm-environmental-racism-cancer-alley-community-faces-further by ACLU of Louisiana 3/3/21 ACLU]
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| NEW ORLEANS – With international human rights experts sounding the alarm over environmental racism in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, the ACLU of Louisiana is joining other grassroots organizations in opposing proposed construction of a new grain terminal in St. John the Baptist Parish. The proposed Greenfield Louisiana project, which would involve clearing land and building a grain elevator, poses life threatening health and safety consequences to residents of an area so polluted by oil refineries, petrochemical plants, and waste dumps that it is now known as “Cancer Alley.”
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| =====How this poet shows the way ‘racism hits the body’=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/how-this-poet-shows-the-way-racism-hits-the-body by Courtney Vinapal 29/7/20 PBS NEWS]
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| In her book “Citizen,” the poet Claudia Rankine aims to show readers how Black people experience racism in their everyday lives. And to help tell that story, she reached out to visual artists.
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| =====How social media is helping students of color speak out about racism on campus=====
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| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/how-social-media-is-helping-students-of-color-speak-out-about-racism-on-campusby Christian Pena 8/9/20 PBS NEWS]
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| On social media, students are sharing their experiences at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), calling for the end of the implicit and explicit racial biases they face, and demanding accountability from administrators. To some, accountability means sparking discussions about race and the inequalities present in college. For others, it means that students who act in racist ways would face consequences such as suspension, having their Greek organization closed, or even expulsion from the institution.
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| =====France’s Anti-Racism Action Plan Ignores Institutional Racism=====
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| [https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/02/06/frances-anti-racism-action-plan-ignores-institutional-racism by AlmazTeffera 6/2/23 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH]
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| On January 30, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne launched the National Plan Combating Racism, Antisemitism and Discrimination Linked to Origin 2023-2026. While this new action plan on racism is welcome, it leaves huge gaps.
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| =====How Artificial Intelligence Can Deepen Racial and Economic Inequities=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/how-artificial-intelligence-can-deepen-racial-and-economic-inequities by Olga Akselrod 13/7/21 ACLU]
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| Proponents of expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) often point to its potential to stimulate economic growth — increased productivity at lower costs, a higher GDP per capita, and job creation have all been touted as possible benefits.
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| =====What 100 Years of History Tells Us About Racism in Policing=====
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| [https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/what-100-years-of-history-tells-us-about-racism-in-policing by ACLU 11/12/20]
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| In the middle of the 2020 pandemic, America was shaken by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the protests that erupted in the aftermath. But the disturbing trends we see today in police violence are the same patterns we’ve seen over the last 100 years. Again and again, commissions convened to examine why police brutality sparks unrest have come to the same conclusion: We must address the poverty and systemic racism that go hand in hand with policing communities of color.
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| =====Exploring the Impact of Racism on the Health of Communities of Color=====
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| [https://nul.org/event/racism-untold-public-health-crisis by National Urban League 27/10/20]
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| The virtual series that accompanied the release of the National Urban League’s 2020 State of Black America Report included a panel on the dual pandemics of racism and COVID-19, where public health experts and activists discussed the unique set of circumstances Black Americans face while confronting systemic racism and the novel coronavirus. This briefing continues that conversation with a panel that builds the case for why racism should be addressed as a public health crisis, what power such declarations hold, and what actions should accompany them.
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| =====Dominican Republic: The fight against racism must be respected and protected by the authorities=====
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| [https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/03/republica-dominicana-la-lucha-contra-el-racismo-debe-ser-respetada-y-protegida-por-las-autoridades/ by AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 26/3/25]
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| “The authorities must act decisively in the face of the increasing threats against those defending the human rights of Haitian migrants, Dominicans of Haitian descent affected by statelessness and Afro-descendants. Failure to do so could result in physical violence and the permanent silencing of a part of Dominican civil society.”
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| =====Tunisia: President’s racist speech incites a wave of violence against Black Africans=====
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| [https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/03/tunisia-presidents-racist-speech-incites-a-wave-of-violence-against-black-africans/ by Yassine Gaidi 10/3/23 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL]
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| Tunisian authorities should ensure an immediate end to the wave of attacks against Black African migrants across Tunisia which started in early February and accelerated following racist and xenophobic comments made by President Kais Saied on 21 February, Amnesty International said today.
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| =====Europe's illegal pesticide trade surges as farmers cut costs=====
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| [https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/europes-illegal-pesticide-trade-surges-farmers-cut-costs-2025-07-10/ by Karolina Tagaris 10/7/25 Reuters]
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| THESSALY, Greece, July 10 (Reuters) - As the cost of spraying crops with pesticides becomes increasingly expensive, farmers in Greece's agricultural heartland have turned to a cheaper alternative: liquids in unlabeled plastic bottles smuggled over land and sea.
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| =====Models of electoral system change=====
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| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379403000209 by Kenneth Benoit 9/04 ScienceDirect]
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| Electoral systems are commonly treated as exogenous determinants of political party systems, yet our theoretical understanding remains limited as to how these institutions themselves are determined. Part of the problem lies with the subject matter itself: electoral system change is frequently idiosyncratic, often occurring during episodes of exceptional political change. Yet another aspect of the problem is that explanations of electoral system change frequently occur piecemeal in application to specific cases, without systematic or comparative development.
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| =====Proportionality, disproportionality and electoral systems=====
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| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/026137949190004C by Michael Gallagher 3/91 ScienceDirect]
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| Different PR methods should be seen not as being more proportional or less proportional than each other but as embodying different ideas as to what maximizing proportionality means and, by extension, what minimizing disproportionality means. Each of the main methods of PR (d'Hondt, Sainte-Laguë, largest remainders) generates its own index of proportionality and, thus, its own way of measuring disproportionality. Applying these indices to competitive elections of the period 1979–1989 shows a high correlation between the rankings produced by the various methods, but the ordering of countries is sufficiently different to require a choice to be made between the indices.
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| =====Women’s representation in politics: The effect of electoral systems===== | | |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272721000359 by Martin Gonzalez 6/21 ScienceDirect] | | |
| Women are underrepresented in politics. For example, they hold only 25% of legislative seats in national assemblies.1 This situation has attracted much attention in the media and in the academic literature. Perhaps the most important reason behind this interest is that having women in public office may have an impact on policy.2 In addition, women in public office may serve as role models, improving women’s self-confidence and affecting attitudes towards them both within politics and in society at large (Beaman et al., 2009, Beaman et al., 2012). | | =====Trump Wants to Cut Tribal College Funding by Nearly 90%, Putting Them at Risk of Closing===== |
| =====The Electoral Sweet Spot: Low-Magnitude Proportional Electoral Systems===== | | [https://www.propublica.org/article/tribal-colleges-universities-trump-cuts-funding by Matt Krupnick 3/6/25 PROPUBLICA] |
| [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2010.00495.x by John M Carey 1/2/11 AJPS
| | The Trump administration has proposed cutting funding for tribal colleges and universities by nearly 90%, a move that would likely shut down most or all of the institutions created to serve students disadvantaged by the nation’s historic mistreatment of Indigenous communities. |
| A glance at the electoral systems of new democracies, or reforms to electoral systems in established democracies, suggests that electoral engineers regularly seek to soften the representation-accountability trade-off and achieve both objectives. For example, some electoral systems have small multimember districts, others have high legal thresholds below which parties cannot win seats, while others have “parallel” mixed-member systems, where the PR seats do not compensate for disproportional outcomes in the single-member seats. These types of systems sacrifice pure proportionality for the specific purpose of increasing accountability. | | |
| =====Elusive indeed – The mechanical versus psychological effects of electoral rules at the district level===== | | [[Education-Schools]] |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379417304079 by Philipp Harfst 6/18 ScienceDirect] | | =====Scenic forest trails near Santa Cruz to open to the public for the first time===== |
| While electoral research has become one of political science’s most fertile areas, to date no empirical contribution has addressed the three mechanisms of the electoral chain – strategic entry, strategic voting, and the electoral system’s mechanical effect – in a unified analytical framework. This paper addresses this shortcoming by analysing the effect of electoral systems on party system size, accounting for all three mechanisms. Our study yields three major findings drawing on constituency-level data covering 462 electoral districts in Finland and Portugal between 1962 and 2011.
| | [https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/scenic-forest-trails-santa-cruz/3884608/?amp=1 by Joe Rosalito 4/6/25 NBC] |
| =====The political consequences of the electoral system in the Republic of Ireland
| | The one-time dairy-turned-national monument sits nine miles north of Santa Cruz at the edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains overlooking the ocean. Its opening this summer will cap years of fundraising and labor to convert the scenic landscape into a public recreational destination. |
| Author links open overlay panel
| | [[Environment-Habitat Preservation]] |
| ===== | | |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0261379486900144 by Michael Gallagher 12/86 ScienceDirect] | | =====We Saw Medicaid Work Requirements Up Close. You Don’t Want This Chaos.===== |
| The single transferable vote electoral system, popular with many electoral reformers, has been used for parliamentary elections in the Republic of Ireland since 1922. Examination of its impact shows that it has delivered as high a degree of proportionality as most PR systems despite the unavoidable use of relatively small district magnitudes. It has not produced either a fragmented party system or unstable governments. Critics have blamed it for contributing to a weak parliament, but these criticisms remain unproven. Suggestions are made for the wider use of STV, especially in countries currently employing preferential list systems. | | [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/opinion/medicaid-work-requirements-arkansas.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NU8.wJE1._9ddBnCcgVCO&smid=url-share by Kevin De Liban 8/6/25 The New York Times] |
| =====The best of both worlds? The Danish electoral system 1915–20 in a comparative perspective===== | | Many of the Republicans pushing for Medicaid work requirements — permanent program cuts that will strip up to 14 million people of their health care coverage — likely have no idea what it takes to comply with them. We do. As legal aid lawyers, we were on the front lines helping low-income people in Arkansas keep their health care coverage when the state rolled out work requirements in 2018. |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/026137949290014W by Jorgen Elklit 3/9/92 ScienceDirect]
| | [[Health Care-Insurance]] |
| The Danish 1915–1920 Lower House electoral system combined a traditional plurality system and a PR system with multi-stage compensatory seats in two provincial regions, and closed party list PR in the third, metropolitan, region. This complex system is presented and its effects on the distribution of seats in the Folketing are analysed. It was an early—and now neglected—case of personalized PR which calls for comparisons with later cases of this kind of electoral system, notably the post-1949 German electoral system and the 1990 electoral systems in Hungary and Bulgaria. In order to assess if such comparisons are appropriate, the paper also asks if these four electoral systems are genuine ‘mixed’ systems or PR systems in disguise. | | |
| =====Who controls the wealth? Electoral system design and ethnic war in resource-rich countries=====
| | =====‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines===== |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379414000663 by Natasha S. Neudorfer 9/14 ScienceDirect] | | [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/12/mrna-vaccine-cancer-research-trump-administration by Melody Schreiber 12/7/25 The Guardian] |
| Given that both natural resource wealth and electoral system design are frequently investigated factors in the civil wars literature (see e.g. Fearon and Laitin, 2003, Fjelde, 2009, Horowitz, 2002, Reilly, 2001), it is surprising that there is no well-known study which explicitly considers the interaction effect between these two factors on the risk of violent ethnic conflict. We seek to fill this gap in the academic debate by highlighting the impact of electoral systems for the legislature on the risk of ethnic civil war in resource-rich countries | | Amid Trump cuts and state-level backlash, experts worry that progress in messenger RNA vaccines could stall |
| =====Democratic electoral systems around the world, 1946–2000===== | | [[Health Care-Prevention]] |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379404000034 by Matt Golder 1/3/05 Science Direct] | | |
| This article describes a new data set that covers the electoral institutions used in all of the democratic legislative and presidential elections in 199 countries between 1946 (or independence) and 2000. A clear and consistent classification of the electoral institutions used in these elections is followed by a concise geographical and temporal analysis. The worldwide focus of the data set reveals several striking patterns. For example, there have been almost as many elections under dictatorship as there have been under democracy. Other patterns include the fact that presidential regimes nearly always employ proportional electoral formulas, absolute majority rule has become the worldwide norm for electing presidents, and non-majoritarian systems have become more complex due to the increasing use of multiple tiers and mixed electoral formulas. | | =====The Texas way: why the most disaster-prone US state is so allergic to preparing for disasters===== |
| =====Public support for electoral reform: The role of electoral system experience===== | | [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/13/texas-disaster-weather-preparations-us by Ed PilKington 13/7/25 The Guardian] |
| [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261379421000676 by Abigail L. Heller 8/21 Science Direct] | | It faces hurricanes, heat, drought, rising seas and – as last week showed – deadly floods. But despite the clear need for preventive action, that is not the political mood |
| What affects citizen preferences about electoral rules and under what conditions will they support changes to those rules? These questions are critical because in established democracies, citizens increasingly directly influence electoral rules through initiatives or referenda. For example, in New Zealand in 1993, voters overrode the preferences of political elites in two referenda, leading to the introduction of a mixed member proportional (MMP) system for national legislative elections (Vowles 2005). | | [[Doing Nothing]] |
| =====Can We Fire the Electoral College? Probably Not, but We Can Put It Under New Management===== | | |
| [https://www.aclu.org/news/voting-rights/can-we-fire-electoral-college-probably-not-we-can-put-it-under-new-management by Susan N. Herman 19/12/16 ACLU] | | =====Colville Tribes confirms first salmon sighting in Kettle River eight years after reintroducing salmon near Coulee Dam===== |
| The electors of the Electoral College met this afternoon in their respective states and anointed as president the candidate who won the popular vote in a larger number of states — Donald Trump — regardless of the fact that another candidate — Hillary Clinton — won the larger number of votes by several million. | | [https://www.yoursourceone.com/columbia_basin/colville-tribes-confirms-first-salmon-sighting-in-kettle-river-eight-years-after-reintroducing-salmon-near/article_5a29f663-bcba-4c83-b106-69dc3c9410aa.html by ONE News Staff 11/7/25 SOURCEONE] |
| =====The voting system we use can determine the winner. Here's how===== | | NESPELEM — A juvenile Chinook salmon was recently photographed in the Kettle River near Cascade Falls in British Columbia, marking the first confirmed sighting of a Chinook in the river since the Colville Tribes began reintroduction efforts upstream of Grand Coulee Dam in 2017. |
| [https://www.npr.org/2024/11/04/1257825207/election-2024-vote-results-voting-system-winners by Hannah aaaaaaaaaaachinn 5/11/24 npr] | | [[Environment-Habitat Preservation]] |
| It's Election Day in the United States! Across the nation, millions of ballots are being cast. But what would happen if the rules of our electoral system were changed? | | |
| =====1970s Backlash: Counter-Revenge in Plain Sight=====
| | =====Why the Southwest megadrought is here to stay===== |
| [https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/11/2332815/-1970s-Backlash-Counter-Revenge-in-Plain-Sight?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web by KirkLC 11/7/25 DAILY KOS] | | [https://www.earth.com/news/why-the-southwest-megadrought-is-here-to-stay/ by Jordan Joseph 13/7/25 earth.com] |
| The 1960s upended longstanding norms around race, gender, sexuality, war, and authority. Civil rights legislation, feminist demands, sexual freedom, environmental activism, youth rebellion, antiwar protests, and increased government programs for the marginalized challenged traditional hierarchies. While these movements energized progressives and the marginalized, they also unsettled millions of Americans who felt left behind or disoriented. For them, the 1960s were not an era of liberation, but one of moral collapse, lawlessness, and cultural decline. | | Snowpack once reliably fed water into the Colorado River, yet winter precipitation across the Four Corners has dropped by roughly 23 percent since 1980. Reservoirs and ranchers feel the strain each spring. |
| =====Enduring confusion is the only certainty amid Trump’s latest tariff threats===== | | [[Heat and Drought]] |
| [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/11/donald-trump-latest-tariff-threats-analysis-us-economy by Heather Stewart 11/7/25 The Guardian] | | |
| “There has been no change to this date, and there will be no change,” Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform this week. “All money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 – no extensions will be granted.” | | =====The deepening water shortage row between the US and Mexico===== |
| =====How extreme rainfall in New Mexico is linked to wildfires===== | | [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0epzp21z47o by Will Grant 13/7/25 BBC] |
| [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jul/11/how-extreme-rainfall-in-new-mexico-is-linked-to-wildfires by James Michelin 11/7/25 The Guardian]
| | After the thirtieth consecutive month without rain, the townsfolk of San Francisco de Conchos in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua gather to plead for divine intervention. |
| In the town of Ruidoso, 35 homes were swept away and three people died. The National Weather Service attributed the extreme event to the wildfires that devastated the same area in 2024.
| | [[Heat and Drought]] |
| =====Is Lebanon’s New Electoral System a Path Out of Sectarianism?===== | | |
| [https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/is-lebanons-new-electoral-system-a-path-out-of-sectarianism by Elias Muhanna 29/6/17 THE NEW YORKER] | | |
| On Friday, June 16th, Lebanon quietly ended one of the longest stretches of government paralysis in post-Second World War history. The parliament met to ratify a new electoral law that will govern national elections next year, nearly a decade after the last parliamentary polls were held. The law’s proponents claim that it will improve representation for the many sects that compose the country’s religiously diverse population. | | =====There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, according to new research===== |
| =====How does the UK's voting system affect smaller parties?===== | | [https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/07/02/health/processed-meats-sweet-drinks-disease-wellness by Madeline Holcombe 2/7/25 CNN] |
| [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977m09v60go by Chas Geiger 1/7/24 BBC]
| | There is strong evidence that there is “no safe amount” of processed meat to eat, nutrition experts say in response to a new study on the connection between diet and the risk of major diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The researchers also found elevated risks from the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and trans fatty acids. |
| Winning a healthy share of votes in Thursday's election does not necessarily mean securing a similar proportion of seats in Parliament, smaller parties have complained. | | [[Diet]] |
| =====Russian Hacks on U.S. Voting System Wider Than Previously Known=====
| | |
| [https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-13/russian-breach-of-39-states-threatens-future-u-s-elections by Michael Riley 13/6/17 Bloomberg]
| | |
| Russia’s cyberattack on the U.S. electoral system before Donald Trump’s election was far more widespread than has been publicly revealed, including incursions into voter databases and software systems in almost twice as many states as previously reported.
| | =====Six-hour ‘undo’ button: GAI-17 rewinds stroke damage and may beat Alzheimer’s===== |
| =====Voting Restrictions Are Further Politicizing U.S. Electoral System, Journalist Says===== | | [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250715043357.htm by Osaka Metropolitan University 15/7/25 Science Daily] |
| [https://www.npr.org/2021/05/27/1000869614/voting-restrictions-are-further-politicizing-u-s-electoral-system-journalist-say by Terry Gross 27/5/21 npr] | | Protein aggregation inhibitor shows lower levels of cell death and paralysis in mice with acute strokes. |
| This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. My guest, Nick Corasaniti, has been reporting on what he describes as how the Republican Party is attempting to lock in political control for years to come by pushing through new laws to restrict voting access, limit ballot initiatives that could undermine Republican goals and stiffen penalties for poll workers and election officials who make even minor mistakes. | | [[Health Care-Illness]] |
| =====Commentary: Why the Electoral College System Makes Little Sense Today===== | | |
| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/commentary-why-the-electoral-college-system-makes-little-sense-today by Politics 1/11/12 PBS NEWS] | | =====Agroecological farming promotes yield and biodiversity but may require subsidy to be profitable===== |
| Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, center, carries a ballot box containing the 12 Massachusetts electoral votes for Vice President Al Gore during the Electoral College voting at the Statehouse Dec. 18, 2000, in Boston. Is the Electoral College system outdated? | | [https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.70079 by B.A Woodcock 1/7/25 BTITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY] |
| =====AN ISRAELI ELECTORAL SYSTEM THAT FRUSTRATED EVEN BEN-GURION===== | | The intensification of global agriculture has devolved reliance on natural ecosystem services to agrochemicals and crop breeding, while simultaneously losing semi-natural habitats (Priyadarshana et al., 2024; Pywell et al., 2015; Stoate et al., 2009). In the short term this has increased yields at a level inconceivable in previous centuries but has come with negative externalities like biodiversity loss, nutrient losses and pollution burdens (Defra, 2023; Stoate et al., 2009; |
| [https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/05/opinion/l-an-israeli-electoral-system-that-frustrated-even-ben-gurion-109080.html by The New York Times Archives THE NEW YORK TIMES] | | [[Environment-Agriculture]] |
| This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. | | |
| Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.
| | =====#290 ReWilding our Water: From Rain to River to Sewer and back with Tim Smedley, author of The Last Drop===== |
| =====Here’s how US presidents get elected (it’s not by winning the most votes)===== | | [https://accidentalgods.life/rewilding-our-water-from-rain-to-river-to-sewer-and-back-with-tim-smedley-author-of-the-last-drop/ by Tim Smedley The Last Drop] |
| [https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/10/here-s-how-a-us-president-gets-elected-it-s-not-by-winning-the-most-votes/ by John Letzing 1/10/20 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM] | | If you listen to this podcast for any length of time, you’ll know that I believe the way forward is predicated on our finding shared values—I’d go for integrity, compassion, courage and generosity of spirit as the baselines—and then a suite of clear asks in the outer world and needs in the inner world. |
| The Electoral College is a mostly winner-take-all system that delivers a set number of electoral votes per state to the winner of the popular vote there. That set number is based on a state’s headcount in Congress – the minimum is three (as in Alaska and Wyoming, for example), and the maximum is 55 (California). There are 538 in total, and 270 are needed to win. | | [[Environment-Habitat Preservation]] |
| =====How to Fix America’s Confusing Voting System===== | | |
| [https://www.propublica.org/article/improve-voter-turnout-solutions-accessibility by Aliyya Swaby 12/9/22 PROPUBLICA] | | =====First-of-its-kind wildlife overcrossing in Northern California officially in progress===== |
| Faye Combs used to enter the voting booth with trepidation. Unable to read until she was in her 40s, she would struggle to decipher the words on the ballot, intimidated by how quickly the people around her finished and departed. | | [https://krcrtv.com/news/local/first-of-its-kind-wildlife-overcrossing-in-northern-california-in-progress by Timea Horvath 18/7/25 KRCR] |
| =====voting system failures: | | Wildfire Crossing Structure Project includes construction of a single-span, approximately 100-foot long by 140-foot wide wildlife overcrossing bridge at Post Mile 19.77. Caltrans crew will also install approximately two miles of 8-foot-high wildlife exclusion fencing on both sides of the highway, jump-outs every half mile to allow wildlife to escape the roadway corridor, cattle guards at private road access points and a reinforced concrete box culvert to enhance wildlife undercrossing opportunities. |
| a d ata b a s e s o l u t i o n =====
| | [[Environment-Biodiversity]] |
| [https://motherjones.com/wp-content/uploads/norden_report.pdf by Lawrence Norden BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE] | | |
| The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a non-partisan public policy and law | | =====Named after a historic dairy ranch that still stands today, Wilder Ranch covers a staggering 7,000 acres, from the treelined ridges of Ben Lomond Mountain to rugged cliffs overlooking a particularly untamed expanse of the Pacific Ocean. A testament to the area's rich agricultural history, farmers still grow artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and other fog-loving crops on the land between the ocean and Highway 1. |
| institute that focuses on fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Our work ranges from voting rights to
| | |
| campaign finance reform, from racial justice in criminal law to presidential power in the fight against terrorism.
| | Read More: https://www.islands.com/1911800/california-coastal-wilder-ranch-state-park-near-downtown-santa-cruz-uncrowded-beach-trails/===== |
| A singular institution – part think tank, part public interest law firm, part advocacy group – the Brennan Center
| | [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/20/trump-energy-environment-agenda by Peter Stone 20/7/25 The Guardian] |
| combines scholarship, legislative and legal advocacy, and communication to win meaningful, measurable change
| | Ever since Donald Trump began his second presidency, he has used an “invented” national energy emergency to help justify expanding oil, gas and coal while slashing green energy – despite years of scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels has contributed significantly to climate change, say scholars and watchdogs. |
| in the public sector.
| | =====California's Hidden Coastal State Park Near Downtown Santa Cruz Offers Uncrowded Beach Access And Ethereal Trails |
| =====Could the Electoral College system ever change?===== | | |
| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/electoral-college-system-ever-change by PBS News Hour 13/11/16 PBS NEWS] | | Read More: https://www.islands.com/1911800/california-coastal-wilder-ranch-state-park-near-downtown-santa-cruz-uncrowded-beach-trails/===== |
| President-Elect Donald Trump captured the White House by winning the Electoral College, even as Hillary Clinton won about half a million votes more than Trump. In response, some are calling for a national popular vote to decide the election. Josh Tucker, a politics professor at New York University, joins Alison Stewart to discuss. | | [https://www.islands.com/1911800/california-coastal-wilder-ranch-state-park-near-downtown-santa-cruz-uncrowded-beach-trails/ by Eva Johnstone 19/6/25 Islands] |
| =====In Georgia, primary election chaos highlights a voting system deeply flawed | | Named after a historic dairy ranch that still stands today, Wilder Ranch covers a staggering 7,000 acres, from the treelined ridges of Ben Lomond Mountain to rugged cliffs overlooking a particularly untamed expanse of the Pacific Ocean. A testament to the area's rich agricultural history, farmers still grow artichokes, Brussels sprouts, and other fog-loving crops on the land between the ocean and Highway 1. |
| Jun 22, 2020 6:35 PM EDT
| | |
| ===== | | Read More: https://www.islands.com/1911800/california-coastal-wilder-ranch-state-park-near-downtown-santa-cruz-uncrowded-beach-trails/ |
| [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-georgia-primary-election-chaos-highlights-a-voting-system-deeply-flawed by Miles O'Brien 22/6/20 PBS NEWS] | | =====Only 3 years left – new study warns the world is running out of time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change===== |
| Georgia experienced major problems with its voting processes during a primary election earlier in June. People waited in line up to eight hours to cast ballots, and poll workers struggled with new machines on which they hadn’t been trained due to the pandemic. What do Georgia’s election issues mean for other state primaries -- and for American democracy more broadly? | | [https://theconversation.com/only-3-years-left-new-study-warns-the-world-is-running-out-of-time-to-avoid-the-worst-impacts-of-climate-change-261229 by Piers Forster 20/7/25 THE CONVERSATION] |
| =====The real reason we have an Electoral College: to protect slave states===== | | Bad climate news is everywhere. Africa is being hit particularly hard by climate change and extreme weather, impacting lives and livelihoods. |
| [https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/12/13598316/donald-trump-electoral-college-slavery-akhil-reed-amar by Sean Illing 12/11/16 Vox] | | |
| There’s too much news and too little context. At Vox, we’ll help you understand what really matters. We report urgently on the most important stories shaping our world, but we also spend time on issues the rest of the media neglects. | | We are living in a world that is warming at the fastest rate since records began. Yet, governments have been slow to act. |
| =====Republican bid to alter Nebraska's electoral system to boost Trump stymied=====
| | =====“Remarkable” Results – Scientists Say This Supplement Reversed Heart Damage===== |
| [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-bid-alter-nebraskas-electoral-system-boost-trump-fails-2024-09-23/ by Joseph Ax 23/9/24 Reuters]
| | [https://scitechdaily.com/remarkable-results-scientists-say-this-supplement-reversed-heart-damage/ by THE UNIVERSITY OF OSAKA 19/7/25 SciTechDaily] |
| Sept 23 (Reuters) - A last-minute Republican effort to award Nebraska's five Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis - a change that would help Donald Trump's odds of winning the White House - appeared doomed on Monday, after a key Republican lawmaker said he opposed the proposal despite lobbying from Trump's allies.
| | Japanese researchers have uncovered that tricaprin, a dietary supplement, triggered a dramatic reversal of heart disease symptoms in two patients with a rare, treatment-resistant condition. After years of chest pain and failed therapies, the patients experienced relief and even regression of artery-clogging fat deposits. The key wasn’t lowering cholesterol, but breaking down triglycerides inside heart cells—a novel and potentially groundbreaking approach to cardiac care. |
| =====Lebanese candidates push for change in a corrupt electoral system=====
| | =====Can cannabis impact aging? Study shows marijuana could alter 'genetic code'===== |
| [https://www.npr.org/2022/05/14/1098942947/lebanese-candidates-push-for-change-in-a-corrupt-electoral-system by Arezou Rezvani 14/5/22 npr]
| | [https://komonews.com/news/offbeat/can-cannabis-impact-aging-study-shows-marijuana-could-alter-genetic-code-pot-weed-smoke-smoking-smokers-epigenetic-research-effect-impact-body-health-healthy-lungs-brain-drugs-substance-abuse-addiction-tobacco-disorders-infections-cincinnati by WKRC 20/7/25 KOMONEWS] |
| Lebanon is going through one of the worst economic crises in recent history. Food and fuel prices are way up. Certain medicines are hard to find. Power outages sometimes drag on for days. Tomorrow, voters have a chance to hold the ruling establishment to account in parliamentary elections. But NPR's Arezou Rezvani in Beirut explains, it won't be easy for new candidates to break through a system that's built to keep the same usual parties in charge.
| | The study highlighted the importance of understanding marijuana's effects on the body, as it remains one of the most widely used drugs globally. While some effects are well-known, the research indicated a broader impact than previously anticipated. |
| =====US election: how does the electoral college voting system work?=====
| | =====Stop telling us it’s not about that===== |
| [https://theconversation.com/us-election-how-does-the-electoral-college-voting-system-work-242283 by Richard Hargy 4/11/24 THE CONVERSATION]
| | [https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/23/2334876/-Stop-telling-us-it-s-not-about-that?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web by MurielVieux 23/7/25 DAILY KOS] |
| On November 5, millions of Americans will cast their votes for president, with the vast majority deciding between Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump. This historic election, however, is not determined by a singular national poll, but rather a state-by-state contest. Many people outside the US, and some inside, do not understand how this complicated system works.
| | Deny the truth to yourselves all you want people, but stop telling us Black folks that what’s going on today, what won the 2024 election is not white supremacy. |
| =====How has the Electoral College survived, despite being perennially unpopular?=====
| | =====The 5 Best Drinks for Kidney Stones (Plus 3 to Avoid)===== |
| [https://www.npr.org/2024/11/04/nx-s1-5173568/electoral-college-explained by Bill Chappell 4/11/24 npr]
| | [https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/kidney-stones/best-drink-for-kidney-stones?srsltid=AfmBOor1LT8uh3L5QL8wWUjNkhhr98fzsrGgsTkJ98A-9iN8PcID1ern by Tracy Norfleet 13/3/24 GoodRx] |
| A majority of Americans — more than 60% — support abolishing the Electoral College, according to a September report by the Pew Research Center. But the system has survived an unprecedented number of attempts to change it.
| | If you’ve ever had a kidney stone, you know that they can be incredibly painful. And about half of people with kidney stones end up having more in the future. But there are things you can do to lower your risk of kidney stones, like drinking the right things. |
| =====Making elephants dance - a guide to Germany's electoral system=====
| | =====What to do about gallstones===== |
| [https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-germany-election-electoral-system-exp/explainer-making-elephants-dance-a-guide-to-germanys-electoral-system-idUKKBN2GJ0KC/ by Thomas Escritt 23/9/21 Reuters]
| | [https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/what-to-do-about-gallstones by Harvard Health Publishing 20/7/23] |
| BERLIN (Reuters) - Sixty million voters, casting twice as many votes for 47 parties, leading to a parliament that could have anywhere from 700 to as much as 1,000 legislators - the German electoral system is baffling even to Germans.
| | Gallstones begin with bile, a substance that helps with the digestion of fats and the absorption of certain vitamins. Bile is made in the liver and carried to the gallbladder, a small, pear-shaped organ that concentrates and stores it. The fat in food triggers the release of a hormone that causes the gallbladder to contract and release bile into the intestine. |
| =====Fox News settles blockbuster defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems=====
| | =====Where the next deadly flood wave could strike===== |
| [https://www.npr.org/2023/04/18/1170339114/fox-news-settles-blockbuster-defamation-lawsuit-with-dominion-voting-systems by David Folkenflik 18/4/23 npr]
| | [https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/24/climate/flash-flood-risk-hot-spots by Andrew Freedman 24/7/25 CNN] |
| Judge Eric Davis of the Delaware Superior Court announced the settlement from the bench on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the trial's scheduled start.
| | The ingredients that led to the Hill Country disaster — steep terrain, swollen rivers and unsuspecting people in harm’s way — are not unique to Texas. Across the United States, there are pockets of vulnerability where geography, weather and human nature converge in ways that heighten the risk of flash flooding. |
| =====All politicians “game” the system. The question is how?=====
| | =====Why the U.S. is leading the world in extreme weather catastrophes===== |
| [https://www.vox.com/polyarchy/2018/5/14/17352208/ranked-choice-voting-san-francisco by Lee Drutman 14/5/18 Vox]
| | [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/why-the-u-s-is-leading-the-world-in-extreme-weather-catastrophes by Seth Borenstein 2/4/23 PBS NEWS] |
| There’s too much news and too little context. At Vox, we’ll help you understand what really matters. We report urgently on the most important stories shaping our world, but we also spend time on issues the rest of the media neglects.
| | The United States is Earth’s punching bag for nasty weather. |
| =====Election system needs an overhaul, but it's not that easy=====
| | |
| [https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us-politics/election-system-needs-an-overhaul-but-its-not-that-easy-idUSBRE8A71F9/ by Deborah Charles 8/11/12 Reuters]
| | Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts said. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, jutting peninsulas like Florida, clashing storm fronts and the jet stream combine to naturally brew the nastiest of weather. |
| Election Day problems have become commonplace in the United States in recent general elections. But a comment by President Barack Obama offered a glimmer of hope that problems that have dogged voting for years might finally be addressed.
| | =====It is one of the deadliest chemicals on Earth – but even Mexico’s cartels can’t resist the lure of mercury===== |
| | [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jul/24/mexico-toxic-mercury-smugglers-gold-rush-poisoning-amazon by Luke Taylor 24/7/25 The Guardian] |
| | An undercover investigation reveals 200 tonnes of the deadly substance is being smuggled across South America, where it is poisoning rivers, soil and air |
