Violent crime as old as the Bible: Boko Haram uses rape as a weapon of war

Days after Nigerian security forces freed 234 women from Boko Haram’s stronghold in Nigeria’s Sambisa forest it was reported that at least 214 (91%) of them were pregnant. The women were among nearly 700 rescued from the Islamic terrorist group in operations and have been taken to safe camps in Borno State where they will be offered medical and pre-natal care and counselling. It is not yet known whether any of the 230 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram from their school in the town of Chibok in April 2014 were among them

Farewell Terry Pratchett: a psychological analysis of Discworld

Terry Pratchett, the incredibly prolific fantasy author and creator of the bestselling Discworld series, has died aged 66. He was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease eight years ago. Pratchett set 40 of his novels in his most famous creation, Discworld. This is a place in which magic is the natural rule and the way to deal with life and its problems. Here, the “scientist” is held in either mild disdain or open disbelief

Are You There God? Whether we Pray Harder or Endure Wrath Depends on the Religious Doctrine of Providence

This article gives a Christian perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic, relating it to the apocalypse narrative found in the Book of Revelations, in addition to the doctrinal idea of Divine Providence. The article discusses providential fatalism, providential activism, providential exclusivism, providential punitivism, and providential interventionism

The centre cannot (always) hold:Examining pathways towards energy system de-centralisation

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record'Energy decentralisation' means many things to many people. Among the confusion of definitions and practices that may be characterised as decentralisation, three broad causal narratives are commonly (implicitly or explicitly) invoked. These narratives imply that the process of decentralisation: i) will result in appropriate changes to rules and institutions, ii) will be more democratic and iii) is directly and causally linked to energy system decarbonisation. The principal aim of this paper is to critically examine these narratives. By conceptualising energy decentralisation as a distinct class of sociotechnical transition pathway, we present a comparative analysis of energy decentralisation in Cornwall, South West UK, the French island of Ushant and the National Electricity Market in Australia. We show that, while energy decentralisation is often strongly correlated with institutional change, increasing citizen agency in the energy system, and enhanced environmental performance, these trends cannot be assumed as given. Indeed, some decentralisation pathways may entrench incumbent actors' interests or block rapid decarbonisation. In particular, we show how institutional context is a key determinant of the link between energy decentralisation and normative goals such as democratisation and decarbonisation. While institutional theory suggests that changes in rules and institutions are often incremental and path-dependent, the dense legal and regulatory arrangements that develop around the electricity sector seem particularly resistant to adaptive change. Consequently, policymakers seeking to pursue normative goals such as democratisation or decarbonisation through energy decentralisation need to look beyond technology towards the rules, norms and laws that constitute the energy governance system.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)European Structural and Investment FundINTERREG V FC

Gendering the careers of young professionals: some early findings from a longitudinal study. in Organizing/theorizing: developments in organization theory and practice

Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce – not even, in many cases, describing workers as assets! Describes many studies to back up this claim in theis work based on the 2002 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, in Cardiff, Wales

Whose travel is \u27essential\u27 during coronavirus: Hockey players or asylum-seekers?

Mentioned/quoted: Sean Rehaa

Ottawa steps into ‘Ring of Fire’ debate with Doug Ford

Author: Professor Dayna Scot

Cities must end homeless camp evictions during the coronavirus pandemic

Author: Estair Van Wagne