Awareness

Meteorite discovery: unusual finds by South African farmer add to space rock heritage

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Meteorites are therefore rightly classified by many countries as an integral part of communal natural heritage and are sought after by museums and private collectors.

Key Points: 
  • Meteorites are therefore rightly classified by many countries as an integral part of communal natural heritage and are sought after by museums and private collectors.
  • Gideon Lombaard, a farmer in the Northern Cape province, reached out to us because he suspected that he had found two meteorite fragments.
  • Mr Lombaard’s double discovery raises South Africa’s tally of confirmed meteorites to 51 – the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • But, compared with the over 14,000 meteorites recovered from the Sahara desert, the number of recovered southern African meteorites is extremely small.

What is a meteorite?

    • Meteorites are usually discovered by someone who notices an unusual rock while out walking (called a “find”).
    • However, around 2% of meteorites are classified as “falls” because they are retrieved after witnessed meteor fireball events.

Discovery and forensics

    • It is thus not surprising that nearly 80% of all meteorites have been found where arid climates aid their preservation, namely Antarctica and the Sahara desert.
    • Meteorites typically become coated in a dark fusion crust during their fiery passage through the atmosphere.
    • That makes the white Antarctic ice and the pale-coloured Sahara bedrock and sand perfect backdrops for searchers.
    • We then used the greater oxidation (rust) of the Wolfkop stone to suggest that its fall predated that of the Brierskop meteorite.

South Africa’s meteorite heritage

    • The South African Heritage Act No.
    • 25 of 1999 classifies South African meteorites as national heritage items that cannot be damaged, removed, exported or traded without a permit issued by the South African Heritage Agency.
    • Prior to the two recent discoveries, the Meteoritical Bulletin Database listed 49 meteorites as having been satisfactorily proved to be from South African sites.

The silence around vulval cancer means people are missing the signs that they have it

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Most people have heard of cervical, ovarian, and perhaps womb cancer, but there is one gynaecological cancer that is seldom mentioned: vulval cancer.

Key Points: 
  • Most people have heard of cervical, ovarian, and perhaps womb cancer, but there is one gynaecological cancer that is seldom mentioned: vulval cancer.
  • According to Cancer Research UK, 69% of vulval cancers are considered preventable.
  • In late-stage cancer, the treatment may be devastating and in extreme cases can involve removing the entire vulva, so increasing awareness is vital.
  • The other main condition linked to vulval cancer is LS, a chronic skin condition which typically causes intense itching and white or ashy patches.

Delayed diagnosis

    • In one Danish study comparing the diagnosis time of all gynaecological cancers, vulval cancer was found to have the longest delay.
    • If you are concerned you have symptoms of vulval cancer or LS, you may need to insist on being examined.
    • To this end, the University of Manchester has produced a resource to teach women how to do a vulval self-examination.
    • Resources such as the Great Wall of Vulva can help women understand that vulvas come in all shapes and sizes.

Treatment for vulval cancer

    • However, treatment for later stage vulval cancer can be brutal.
    • In England, vulval cancer incidence rates are 74% higher in the most deprived groups.
    • Increased awareness could save some women from being diagnosed with later stage vulval cancer and improve survival rates.
    • We should be taking vulval itching and pain seriously, talking about vulval cancer and emphasising the importance of the HPV vaccine.

Philly undercounts students who are homeless – here's what parents need to know to advocate for their child

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

During the 2021-2022 school year, the most recent data available, the School District of Philadelphia identified 4,675 children as homeless.

Key Points: 
  • During the 2021-2022 school year, the most recent data available, the School District of Philadelphia identified 4,675 children as homeless.
  • Pennsylvania lags other states in identifying youth who are homeless, and data collected for the 2018-2019 school year suggests Philadelphia in particular underreports.
  • Schools struggle to identify students who are homeless for a variety of reasons, as a recent study in Detroit makes clear.

Know your rights

    • In Pennsylvania, 65% of students experiencing homelessness live in doubled-up situations – sharing housing temporarily with other people.
    • This includes living in cramped apartments with other families, or regularly moving between friends’ or relatives’ houses.
    • They can receive free transportation to and from their current school even if they move out of the district.
    • The Philadelphia school district has an Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities specifically designed to help students understand their rights, including supporting students experiencing homelessness.

What parents can do

    • To increase the likelihood for a successful school year, parents can take these steps: 1.
    • Contact the school’s homeless liaison: It’s important for parents to inform the school’s liaison of their family’s housing status and if they have moved.
    • Decide who else should know: Liaisons will keep information about students’ housing status confidential unless parents want them to inform the child’s teachers or other school personnel.
    • They can connect parents and students with the homeless liaison and resources within the school and in the community.
    • Request electronic records: Parents should try to save all emails that contain educational records from any school their child attended each year.

Share information to protect children and young people at risk, urges UK Information Commissioner

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Organisations will not get in trouble if they share information to protect children and young people at risk of serious harm, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has promised.

Key Points: 
  • Organisations will not get in trouble if they share information to protect children and young people at risk of serious harm, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has promised.
  • The need to improve data sharing practices has been highlighted in recent serious case reviews in the UK where children have died or been seriously harmed through abuse or neglect.
  • Poor information-sharing among organisations and agencies was identified as one of the factors contributing to failures to protect the children.
  • “My message to people supporting and working with children and young people is clear: if you think a child is at risk of harm, you can share information to protect them.

Environmental disasters and climate change force people to cross borders, but they're not recognised as refugees – they should be

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

In response to these challenges, many individuals and communities have no choice but to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere.

Key Points: 
  • In response to these challenges, many individuals and communities have no choice but to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere.
  • The challenge, however, is that people crossing borders due to weather don’t qualify as refugees under key laws and conventions.
  • It’s predicted that the number of people displaced due to weather shifts or disasters will reach as many as 1.2 million people by 2050.
  • I recommend that international laws and conventions be amended to explicitly include people forced by weather shocks to move across borders.

Lack of protection

    • Refugees in Africa are also protected by the 1969 Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Convention.
    • These laws provide them with a safe haven, access to fair asylum procedures and protection from discrimination.
    • This means that people forcibly displaced only by environmental disasters are not entitled to refugee status, although deserving of temporary protection.
    • It has raised awareness of climate change as a driver of displacement and the need to address protection for people displaced in the context of disasters.

What needs to change


    People displaced by adverse weather developments should be given more than temporary protection. This will require changes to international regulations and national laws. For instance, a protocol regarding climate-induced displacement should be added to the 1969 OAU convention so that displaced people who cross international borders are legally covered.

Tyson Fury's Netflix series highlights the mental health challenges faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Mental health issues within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities have long been described as being at crisis point due to a combination of complex factors that are not fully understood because of a lack of research.

Key Points: 
  • Mental health issues within Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities have long been described as being at crisis point due to a combination of complex factors that are not fully understood because of a lack of research.
  • It is a situation which impacts housing, education, employment, and crucially, mental health and access to healthcare.
  • My team and I conducted a study on the mental health support needs of people from GRT communities.
  • We interviewed nine people from across the UK about their mental health and their experiences with getting support: four women, four men and one non-binary individual.
  • One participant said: “We face a lot of racism and discrimination in our daily lives which affects our mental health.
  • We identified issues in terms of awareness of mental health support services, especially the challenges of knowing what support is available while travelling.

Digital platform regulators make joint submission on AI

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

11 September 2023

Key Points: 
  • 11 September 2023
    In a joint submission to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources consultation on the Safe and responsible AI in Australia discussion paper, members of the Digital Platform Regulators Forum (DP-REG) have outlined the opportunities and challenges presented by rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI).
  • In its submission, DP-REG highlighted the potential impacts of AI in relation to each member’s existing regulatory framework.
  • The submission also flags that coordination between DP-REG members and other arms of government to leverage complementary strengths and expertise will remain crucial to Australia’s response to AI.
  • Through DP-REG, members engage in ongoing collaboration, information sharing and coordination on digital platform regulation.

Remote workers are more aware of cybersecurity risks than in-office employees: new study

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

We found that remote workers, on average, were more mindful of cybersecurity threats and could better recognize safe cybersecurity practices and protection measures compared with office-based employees.

Key Points: 
  • We found that remote workers, on average, were more mindful of cybersecurity threats and could better recognize safe cybersecurity practices and protection measures compared with office-based employees.
  • Similarly, our data showed that remote workers were more likely to take cybersecurity precautionary measures than their in-office counterparts.
  • In contrast, the lack of an institutional cybersecurity framework forces remote workers to become more mindful of the risks they may be exposed to.
  • It is important to know how long the increased cybersecurity awareness will enable precaution-taking behavior and how remote workers can renew and sustain this vigilance.

Entrepreneurs are facing a mental health crisis — here's how to help them

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

These demands can take a significant toll on someone’s mental health.

Key Points: 
  • These demands can take a significant toll on someone’s mental health.
  • Since entrepreneurship is the backbone of economic growth, the importance of mental health support for entrepreneurs cannot be overstated.
  • Recognizing and addressing mental health is not just a matter of compassion, but also an essential investment in society at large.

The ‘founder’s dilemma’

    • Many are drawn to entrepreneurship, but few manage to thrive commercially.
    • Out of financial self-preservation, some founders fall into a cycle of constant fundraising to get them out of debt.
    • The quixotic drive to balance short-term financing with long-term operational excellence can drive any entrepreneur into distress.

Mounting pressure

    • The pressure that startup founders face today is more intense than it has been for two decades.
    • During the first half of 2023, global venture capital funding slid by 48 per cent compared to last year.
    • In this high-interest rate, scarce money, no-exit environment, startup founders are facing a financial and mental health crisis.

Addressing mental health challenges

    • First, outside investors in private ventures need to be qualified not only in terms of net income or net worth, but also on the basis of their commitment to population health in general, and mental health in particular.
    • The pledge aims to de-stigmatize mental health and treat it as a business expense, including therapy, coaching and group support.
    • This strategy can build investor awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health challenges.
    • This would be another important step in the uphill battle to de-stigmatize mental illness and steer founders toward mental health supports.

The many reviews of the public service miss one vital problem - the language used to communicate ideas

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

While these reviews triggered reform processes to improve how policy advice is built, a glaring gap remains largely unexplored: the language of policy advice itself.

Key Points: 
  • While these reviews triggered reform processes to improve how policy advice is built, a glaring gap remains largely unexplored: the language of policy advice itself.
  • Read more:
    After robodebt, here's how Australia can have a truly 'frank and fearless' public service again

Policy advice needs the right language

    • Yet reviews of the Australian Public Service (APS) have not explicitly focused on the language used in policy advice.
    • The language used to communicate policy directions must understand the needs of these audiences.
    • If policy language remains inaccessible and opaque, public trust erodes – not just in governments but within departments.
    • Addressing the language used in policy advice is not a surface concern – it is a crucial factor in strengthening democratic participation and accountability.

How it can be fixed

    • This might spark a cultural transformation, where language becomes a cornerstone of policy advising rather than the afterthought it so often is.
    • The public service also needs to explore why its language is as weak and ambiguous as it is.
    • From here, professional development focused on finding and distilling complex ideas into accessible language is also key.
    • The public service’s effectiveness hinges on its willingness to stare into the abyss of policy language.