Vortex of the Web. Potentials of the online environment

This volume compiles international contributions that explore the potential risks and chances coming along with the wide-scale migration of society into digital space. Suggesting a shift of paradigm from Spiral of Silence to Nexus of Noise, the opening chapter provides an overview on systematic approaches and mechanisms of manipulation – ranging from populist political players to Cambridge Analytica. After a discussion of the the juxtaposition effects of social media use on social environments, the efficient instrumentalization of Twitter by Turkish politicans in the course of the US-decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is being analyzed. Following a case study of Instagram, Black Lives Matter and racism is a research about the impact of online pornography on the academic performance of university students. Another chapter is pointing out the potential of online tools for the successful relaunch of shadow brands. The closing section of the book deals with the role of social media on the opinion formation about the Euromaidan movement during the Ukrainian revolution and offers a comparative study touching on Russian and Western depictions of political documentaries in the 2000s

Can Law Improve Prevention and Treatment of Cancer?

The December 2011 issue of Public Health (the Journal of the Royal Society for Public Health) contains a symposium entitled: Legislate, Regulate, Litigate? Legal approaches to the prevention and treatment of cancer. This symposium explores the possibilities for using law and regulation – both internationally and at the national level – as the policy instrument for preventing and improving the treatment of cancer and other leading non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this editorial, we argue that there is an urgent need for more legal scholarship on cancer and other leading NCDs, as well as greater dialogue between lawyers, public health practitioners and policy-makers about priorities for law reform, and feasible legal strategies for reducing the prevalence of leading risk factors. The editorial discusses two important challenges that frequently stand in the way of a more effective use of law in this area. The first is the tendency to dismiss risk factors for NCDs as purely a matter of individual \u27personal responsibility\u27; the second is the fact that effective regulatory responses to risks for cancer and NCDs will in many cases provoke conflict with the tobacco, alcohol and food industries. After briefly identifying some of the strategies that law can deploy in the prevention of NCDs, we briefly introduce each of the ten papers that make up the symposium

Reflections on Equality, Adjudication, and the Regulation of Sexuality at Work: A Response to Kim Yuracko

I make three observations on Yuracko\u27s thesis to explain these ideas. First, in Part II, I argue that it is possible to explain the case law distinctions between various categories of BFOQ claims within the liberal model of antidiscrimination. Specifically, I turn to a more robust analysis of the antisubordination paradigm than Yuracko describes in her paper. I argue that we should consider the dangers of under-inclusion in one sector as the result of structural inequalities across the workforce. Because of the need to take a more macro approach in addressing the effects of discrimination on the market at large, I also argue that as a matter of policy, the courts are often not best situated institutionally to promote labor market gender equality. In particular, discrimination that stems from disparate impact, which requires a macro understanding of the current market, past wrongs, and the ongoing effects of social group hierarchies, would benefit from a more active administrative agency rather than a court-focused process. While Yuracko and many other commentators equate antidiscrimination regulation with adjudication, I argue that it is desirable to allow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) a greater role than it currently plays in the administration of antidiscrimination law

VALUE IN THE MASH: EXPLORING THE BENEFITS, BARRIERS AND ENABLERS OF OPEN DATA APPS

The open government paradigm relies on the provision and reuse of open government data (OGD) to improve transparency and create new sources of valu. This study aims to progress understanding of OGD beyond a theoretical commentary by exploring the perceived sources of valu of mashups (online services that combine diverse OGD), and to examine issus that impact on, and facilitate, the delivery of this valu from an ˜insider´ perspective. Based on open-ended interviews with 17 individuals actively involved in OGD application design, use, and advocacy in New Zealand (ranked fourth in the 2013 Global Open Data Barometer) nine key sources of valu were identified: Ease of discovery, improved data quality, bringing knowledge into relevant contexts, economic benefits, social benefits, cost reduction and efficiencies, predictive valu, transparency, and ability to explore and play. Twelve barriers to delivering this valu were found, ranging from change-related issus to problems relating to sustainability. Six facilitators were identified as helping to overcome these barriers and realise the valu of OGD