• Mass violence
Is it possible to forecast mass violence? New research from criminologist Richard Berk and public health expert Susan B. Sorenson of the University of Pennsylvania found that applying algorithms to police data can not only predict perpetrators who are likely to commit intimate partner violence more than once but also those who are likely to re-offend in a way that causes severe injury. Because they are a minute fraction of all perpetrators who commit acts of intimate partner violence, they may represent a useful test case for forecasting mass violence. “Before people commit mass shootings, there’s a period of preparation,” Berk said. “We need to get better at spotting these immediate warning signs.” (: Additional information)
• Hospital closings
Consolidation in hospital systems is leading to the shuttering of hospitals nationwide, especially in rural areas. It's a decades-long gradual decline indicative of larger problems facing the ailing health care system, said Lawton Burns of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “The future growth of the hospital business is not in inpatient care; it’s outpatient care. So, this is just part of a wider trend,” said Burns, adding that lower-tier facilities, which serve the poorest and sickest populations, are particularly vulnerable. ( Additional information)
• Artificial cells
New research at the University of Pennsylvania has found a new way to study cells by crafting artificial vesicles, called dendrimersomes, that mimic the real thing. Other types of vesicles, small lipid-lined sacs that transport instructions between cells and carry molecular cargo throughout the body, are difficult to study and engineer for new purposes because of their complexity and low stability. Dendrimersomes, however, are stable in the long-term and can even transport certain types of molecules better than commercially-available vesicles. This research could be used to improve drug delivery systems or to study the complex biology of how cells function. (Additional information)
We fall, divided
by Wim Laven
911 words
On Sunday July 28th“the world’s greatest summer food fair” came to a tragic end. A “really angry” 19 year-old-white-supremacist snuck into the Gilroy Garlic Festival and committed a mass shooting, killing three people and injuring 15 more. I followed closely as the events were reported; I had flashbacks to the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history; I knew two people who were shot and survived in Las Vegas, and I was completely outraged.
When I wroteabout the Vegas shooting in 2017 I started by referencing The Onion, a satire site, that posted: “NRA Says Mass Shootings Just The Unfortunate Price Of Protecting People’s Freedom To Commit Mass Shootings” and “‘No Way To Prevent This, Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.” Light hearted humor will not mitigate our crisis.
I am still infuriated. I have a young niece, and I cherish the time I get to spend with her, so every-time children are targeted by extremist violence it cuts even deeper. In Gilroy a six-year-old boy was murdered; I cannot write that without tears running down my cheeks. As a doctor of peace and conflict, however, sadness is not good enough. Thoughts and prayers have not kept a single child safe. We have an epidemic: U.S. citizens are 20 times more likely to die of gun violence than those of other developed nations. Beautiful young children—our collective future—are among the causalities.
We should also focus on the children at the border. It relates to the anger and divisiveness just the same.
The American Psychological Association says: "The administration’s policy of separating children from their families as they attempt to cross into the United States without documentation is not only needless and cruel, it threatens the mental and physical health of both the children and their caregivers.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics says: “Separating children from their parents contradicts everything we stand for as pediatricians – protecting and promoting children’s health. In fact, highly stressful experiences, like family separation, can cause irreparable harm, disrupting a child's brain architecture and affecting his or her short- and long-term health."
We may never come to know the true and complete motivations that enable or push a person to murder a child, but some shooters leave their manifestos. Trump’s xenophobia was heavily cited in the manifesto left behind after children were murdered in Churchill New Zealand earlier this year. People are whipped up into frenzies over many divisive issues; “send her back” was recently a chant at a Trump rally. The sentiment that foreigners are not welcome is not hidden in these attacks on Somali refugee-turned-Rep. Ilhan Omar. A Department of Homeland Security officer said he would “put a bullet in” Omar, a law enforcement officer says Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez “needs a round… not like she used to serve,” and all of the hatred and extremism are connected by underlying bigotry of white-supremacy and social-Darwinism.
The kind of sociopathy required to murder children or separate them from their families and keep them in cages is quite rare. During genocidal campaigns many people have found ways to deny or ignore the undeniable. I (as have others) received significant pushback from people on the Right for correctly using the term “concentration camp” to describe what the Trump Administration has created at the border.
The New York Times has reported of the detention center in Clint, Texas:
Outbreaks of scabies, shingles and chickenpox were spreading among the hundreds of children who were being held in cramped cells, agents said. The stench of the children’s dirty clothing was so strong it spread to the agents’ own clothing—people in town would scrunch their noses when they left work. The children cried constantly. One girl seemed likely enough to try to kill herself that the agents made her sleep on a cot in front of them, so they could watch her as they were processing new arrivals.
Moral people must be uncomfortable about such cruelty being inflicted on innocent children. It is a call to consciousness like Martin Luther King Jr. champions “where do we go from here?” and his answer is “community.” But it is a struggle; researching the responses on the recent episodes of violence like what happened in Gilroy or the extremist violence of the Poway synagogue and Churchill mosque shootings earlier this year present serious gaps. On conservative site Breitbartblame is placed on the prohibitions against weapons at the festival, and more extremists sites praise attacks like these.
When shooters can praise Trump as a symbol of renewed white identity; when officers sworn to protect and serve can shamelessly express a desire to murder those they disagree with; when citizens of border cities can turn their noses up to the stink of the brown children being held captive, etc. there is nothing else that can be said but that we have failed and we are divided.
If political leadership really wanted to unite people, they could. If Trump listened to conscience, he would stop preaching divisiveness and resist catalyzing such tragedies. We can all seek more opportunities for inclusion, and this includes looking for common ground and values, shared interests and goals, and opportunities for collaboration. We don’t have to focus on, or exaggerate, differences. Respect and agreement are not, and should not be, synonymous. Ask questions, honestly listen to answers, and engage in respectful dialogue. Shaming people will push them away, and we really need to get united. The six-year-olds need us.
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Wim Laven, Ph.D., syndicated by PeaceVoice, teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution.
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ASA Insurance provides competitive car insurance rates in the Salt Lake City area.
Utah is listed as the fourth most affordable for buying home insurance.
Don’t just look at the cost, but consider how much coverage you need to protect your family if something bad should happen.”
— Creed Anderson
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, UNITED STATES, July 30, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Utah is listed as the fourth most affordable state for home insurance, according to new data provided by www.insurance.com. The average annual cost of home insurance in Utah is $642, as stated by the website whose information is regularly relied upon by homeowners across America.
ASA Insurance — a provider of home insurance for Utah residents as well as for those contemplating a move to the state — says this is positive news for homeowners.
Utah came in fourth place, right behind Idaho, whose average annual home insurance rate is just $20 less. In first place was Hawaii, whose residents pay an average of only $337 for home insurance annually. In last place was Florida, where residents pay almost $2350 more than the national average each year for their home insurance policies.
Among the many factors that influence the price of a home insurance policy include a policyholder’s previous claims, the type of coverage they choose, the rebuild cost of their home, the condition of the home, common weather events near the home, and crime rates in their area.
Creed Anderson of ASA Insurance (a leading provider of home and auto insurance in Salt Lake City) encourages homeowners to look beyond the cost of a home insurance policy in Salt Lake City and throughout the rest of Utah. In addition to price, homeowners will also want to ensure they have the right amount of coverage for their needs: “Don’t just look at the cost, but consider how much coverage you need to protect your family if something bad should happen.” He recommends that homeowners think about where they live and the kind of incidents that could lead to a claim, like heavy winds or high crime rates.
Anderson also suggests talking to an insurance agent who will review each situation and make suggestions based on their specific budget and needs. Homeowners should not always settle for the cheapest home insurance. Instead, they must also consider their specific needs, lifestyle, and situation to ensure adequate coverage in the event of a home insurance claim.
Creed Anderson
ASA Insurance
+1 801-486-7463
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