Sunday Funday: “Britney Spears vs Somali pirates?”

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Sunday Funday: “Britney Spears vs Somali pirates?”

There was a story this week about how Britney Spears’ songs are being played to deter Somali pirates attacks, and two “words” came to mind: Sunday Funday.  CNN’s Fareed Zakaria discussed this important development on his Sunday show Fareed Zakaria GPS. Here is how the segment began:

The U.N. has released a report suggesting that piracy off the coast of Somalia has dropped to the lowest level in seven years. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon credited the decline to improving international policing and prosecution as well as better security and information sharing.

One Scottish merchant Navy officer reported last week that there might be additional reasons for the drop – Britney Spears. The officer told a U.K. paper that blasting songs like Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and “Oops, I Did It Again,” is effective in deterring approaching pirates.

For more public policy related video/audio, be sure to check out the SLACE Archive.

Sunday Funday: “Britney Spears vs Somali pirates?”

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Sunday Funday: “Britney Spears vs Somali pirates?”

There was a story this week about how Britney Spears’ songs are being played to deter Somali pirates attacks, and two “words” came to mind: Sunday Funday.  CNN’s Fareed Zakaria discussed this important development on his Sunday show Fareed Zakaria GPS. Here is how the segment began: 

The U.N. has released a report suggesting that piracy off the coast of Somalia has dropped to the lowest level in seven years. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon credited the decline to improving international policing and prosecution as well as better security and information sharing.

One Scottish merchant Navy officer reported last week that there might be additional reasons for the drop – Britney Spears. The officer told a U.K. paper that blasting songs like Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and “Oops, I Did It Again,” is effective in deterring approaching pirates.

“Genetics and Education”

/ Matthew Clemente / 2 Comments

“Genetics and Education”

In a recent book, G is for Genes: The Impact of Genetics on Education and Achievement, Robert Plomin and Kathryn Asbury explore the science of genetics and the potential impact of genetics on education policy.  Plomin and Asbury argue against the taboo (*eugenics*) surrounding use of genetics to inform education.  G is for Genes is the basis of  recent BBC Moral Maze debate.  

 

Here is a description of the podcast: 

For centuries philosophers and theologians have wrestled with the question of nature versus nurture. Increasingly and for some controversially, the science of behavioural genetics is starting to come up with some of the answers. The argument is perhaps at its most sensitive when applied to education. When it was revealed that Education Secretary, Michael Gove’s outgoing special advisor, Dominic Cummings, called for education policy to incorporate the science behind genes and cognitive development he broke a modern taboo and there was a predictable outcry. In a wide ranging paper Mr Cummings cited the work of Professor Robert Plomin who’s about to publish a book with psychologist Dr Kathryn Asbury which calls for “genetically sensitive” schooling. It’s based on a study of how genes and environment have shaped the development of over 10,000 twins who were studied from birth to early adulthood. The scientists say their work is about probability not prophecy and can be used to personalise education and create better outcomes for all, but fears of genetic determinism are deeply ingrained. How should we use genetics in education? Science is a very long way from knowing exactly which genes influence individual differences in learning but as knowledge in this field advances that time will surely come. We already use genetics to screen for various medical conditions, so why not for learning abilities? And what happens if, or when, the science of genetics becomes so powerful that we can identify different populations that are endowed with different genetic make-ups that we believe are more or less desirable? Is that just a scientific inevitability that we have to come to terms with, or does it open the door to eugenics? How should we use the science of genetics?

An Effect of the Syrian Conflict: Polio

/ Uzma Gulamali / Leave a comment

A polio outbreak that most likely originated in Pakistan has now hit children in Syria. The Minister of Social Affairs Kindah al-Shammat told the AP that jihadis from Pakistan were to blame in the rebel-controlled north. Though she did not offer any evidence or elaborate.

As of October 17th, 10 out of 22 children in Deir al-Zor have become paralyzed. The remaining 12 most likely have disease. And most of these children are under the age of two. They probably have never been vaccinated or only received one of the three doses to ensure protection.

Polio enters the nervous system causing irreversible paralysis within hours. This can spread rapidly among children under the age of five, especially in the unsanitary conditions among the displaced or crowded refugee camps in neighboring countries.

Before the conflict 91% of Syrian children were vaccinated against diseases, including polio. Since the civil war the rate has fallen to about 68%. This outbreak puts the Middle East at great risk. Not only has the same strand of polio has been found in Israel, West Bank, and Gaza as of April 2013. But about 4,000 Syrian refugees flee to Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey.

The UN is mobilizing to vaccinate the 2.5 million children in Syria to prevent any potential outbreak of this incurable viral disease. They are also disappointed as progress has not been what they have hoped to see and that they are seeing a deeper crisis, as stated by the top relief official at the United Nations

The World Health Organization is aiding to lead the new vaccination effort. The WHO is working with UNICEF and other aid groups to organize a plan to administer repeated oral doses of the polio vaccine starting with the children, not only in Syria but also throughout the region. The campaigns are likely to begin in early November and to last at least six to eight months.

Read more on the details of the polio outbreak from my sources below:

Reuters

CBS

NYTimes

Stemming the School to Prison Pipeline

/ Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Stemming the School to Prison Pipeline

One of the consequences of “zero tolerance” school discipline is what critics call a “school to prison pipeline.” Under zero-tolerance polices, when students who commit even minor misdemeanors school officials are rqeuired to contact the police.  However, the Broward County, Florida school district, one of the largest school districts in the United States, recently announced that it will be ending zero-tolerance and handling minor crimes in house.  

Here is how the podcast began: 

In Florida, one of the nation’s largest school districts has overhauled its discipline policies with a single purpose in mind — to reduce the number of children going into the juvenile justice system.

It’s a move away from so-called “zero tolerance” policies that require schools to refer even minor misdemeanors to the police. Critics call it a “school to prison pipeline.”

Civil rights and education activists say the policy can be a model for the nation.

Under a new program adopted by the Broward County School District, non-violent misdemeanors — even those that involve alcohol, marijuana or drug paraphernalia — will now be handled by the schools instead of the police.