Political biases are omnipresent, but what we don’t fully understand yet is how they come about in the first place. In 2014, Michele J. Gelfand , a professor of psychology at the Stanford Graduate School of Business formerly at the University of Maryland, and Jesse R. Harrington , then a PhD. candidate , conducted a study designed to rank the 50 states on a scale of “tightness” and “looseness.” Appropriately titled “ Tightness-Looseness Across the 50 United States ,” the study calculated a catalog of measures for each state, including the incidence of natural disasters, disease prevalence, residents’ levels of openness and conscientiousness, drug and alcohol use, homelessness and incarceration rates. Gelfand and Harrington predicted that “‘tight’ states would exhibit a higher incidence of natural disasters, greater environmental vulnerability, fewer natural resources, greater incidence of disease and higher mortality rates, higher population density, and greater degrees … [Read more...] about Do You Live in a ‘Tight’ State or a ‘Loose’ One? Turns Out It Matters Quite a Bit.
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Democrats See a Path to Victory in 2020: Ignore Trump
A week out from a midterm election that saw the Democratic Party gain the majority in the House of Representatives, two Senate seats in the Southwest, and governorships across the nation, candidates, party officials, and the party’s largest super PAC took away a clear message going into 2020: Focusing time and attention on President Trump and the activities of the White House alone is not going to cut it. “To succeed in 2020, a Democrat will need to have the skill and discipline to deftly pivot from Trump’s BS to the issues that matter,” Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama , told The Daily Beast. “If you are trying to get retweets and social engagement, you are going to optimize for all things Trump and in doing so, you are playing his game.” It’s a necessary word of caution from operatives who are keenly aware of Trump’s ubiquity given the mainstream media’s fascination with every twist and turn of his presidency. They point to cable news segments … [Read more...] about Democrats See a Path to Victory in 2020: Ignore Trump
Ovo Energy set to bid for Shell’s 1.4 million domestic customers
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Ovo Energy is reportedly planning to take over the UK arm of Shell’s domestic energy supplier weeks after the oil giant said it was reviewing the future of the business. Sky News reported that Ovo is eyeing Shell Energy UK, which supplies around 1.4 million homes across Great Britain with gas and electricity. It also has a significant broadband arm, which supplies around half a million customers. The business employs around 2,000 people in the UK. Ovo – which itself has around four million customers – could table a bid for Shell Energy as soon as Wednesday, Sky reported. Recommended Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The broadcaster added that Ovo would want to offload the broadband … [Read more...] about Ovo Energy set to bid for Shell’s 1.4 million domestic customers
Home-Care Workers Aren’t Just ‘Companions’
NOT long after announcing his candidacy in 2007, Barack Obama spent a day working alongside Pauline Beck, a home health care aide in Oakland, Calif. Together, they cooked breakfast and lunch, cleaned house and did the laundry. Last December, the president mentioned his day with Ms. Beck when he proposed placing most home-care employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act , from which many of them have long been excluded. Mr. Obama proposed revising a Labor Department rule so that it would give home attendants and aides the protections, like overtime pay, that most American workers take for granted. The department opened an extended comment period and received some 26,000 statements, two-thirds of them positive. It is now deliberating on a final rule. With a work force of about 2.5 million, two-thirds of whom would be affected by the proposed rule, home health and personal care is the second-fastest-growing job category in the country, projected to double by 2018. As women, … [Read more...] about Home-Care Workers Aren’t Just ‘Companions’
Virtual Meets Reality: Inside NBA 2K and Pro Basketball
Sports Video games NBA Gamers The cramped room in Midtown Manhattan was packed wall-to-wall with YouTubers—a relentlessly cheery bunch—the lot of them excitedly live-streaming, likes and comments bobbing across their screens. It was August, and the crowd was previewing the latest product from the NBA 2K video game series—NBA 2K18, which was released Friday to those who pre-ordered—and the event was crowded with elite gamers, social media stars, 2K staffers and, pocked about the room, honest-to-God, in-the-flesh NBA players. Security stood at the front door. Booze flowed from a bar in the back. TVs pinstriped the length of the room, cutting it into even rows. That was the main attraction, with the gamers lining up, jostling through the morass of people to get their turn on the joysticks (all of this, of course, beamed over the internet to 2K devotees). In a room full of presumed NBA fans it was somewhat disorienting to see these NBA players—Brooklyn Nets guard … [Read more...] about Virtual Meets Reality: Inside NBA 2K and Pro Basketball
South Korea works to prevent war between U.S., North Korea
BEIJING — South Korea is desperately trying to manage the diplomatic crisis between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in order to avert threatened American military action against North Korea. Trump's announcement Thursday that he was calling off the Singapore summit was followed by a flurry of reversed decisions and policy re-statements, rhetorical declarations both hostile and conciliatory, shuttle diplomacy by minor officials around the globe, high-profile meetings and low-key discussions. We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2018 The leadership in Seoul has been working around-the-clock to keep peace talks on track. On Saturday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un held a “surprise summit” … [Read more...] about South Korea works to prevent war between U.S., North Korea
In New Hampshire, It’s Been 2020 for Months
Lou D’Allesandro says he’s been getting a lot of calls lately. “Our phone is ringing,” shared the longtime Democratic lawmaker who’s known as the ‘dean’ of the New Hampshire state Senate, as he rattled off the names of a dozen potential Democratic White House hopefuls who’ve reached to him in recent weeks. “Let’s say the lines of communication are open and obviously you’re happy that all of these people want to come to New Hampshire,” added D’Allesandro, who’s played an influential role in the state’s presidential primary. For New Hampshire, which for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House, the run-up to the 2018 midterms has meant a steady parade of potential presidential contenders for the next election just under two years away. Among those parachuting into state under the guise of helping local Democrats on the 2018 ballot were Sens. Bernie Sanders (VT), Cory Booker (NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Jeff Merkley (OR), Govs. Jay Inslee (WA) … [Read more...] about In New Hampshire, It’s Been 2020 for Months
Health Care’s Obstacle: No Will to Cut
For anyone who cares about medical costs — which is to say anyone who cares about the take-home pay of American families or about the budget deficit — President Obama’s health reform plan is a terribly mixed bag. It does so much less than the ideal plan would do. It would not come close to eliminating Medicare’s long-term budget deficit. It would reduce that deficit only if a future Congress did not tinker with the various taxes and spending cuts scheduled to be phased in over the next decade. On the other hand, the plan would make progress in all sorts of areas. Insurance exchanges would create more competition. A Medicare oversight board would gain authority over reimbursement rates. Hospitals that committed certain medical errors — harmful, costly errors — would face financial penalties. So which matters more: what the plan does, or what it fails to do? It’s a tough call, and the answer depends on what you see as the alternative to the current plan. If the past year of … [Read more...] about Health Care’s Obstacle: No Will to Cut
Inside ‘UK’s most diverse road’ where happy residents speak 70 different languages
A Middle Eastern mini-market sells produce from Syria, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. A Methodist Church sits alongside Afro-Caribbean Mr B’s Hair Products. Not far away a Polish cafe sells peasant pork chop and dumplings. Then there’s an Indian tailor and an African food shop. Welcome to Barton Street, Gloucester, which with residents who speak 70 languages is being called the most diverse road in the country. The area was a traditionally Jewish quarter when a Jewish cemetery was built in the 18th century, but over the years there has been a large influx of Muslim and Eastern European families - and then from other parts of the world. Now it’s no wonder there’s a graffiti stencil of Martin Luther King and his very appropriate words: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Marta Puchala says she loves the street ( Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror) Many newcomers set up businesses here, creating a lively street full of … [Read more...] about Inside ‘UK’s most diverse road’ where happy residents speak 70 different languages
Deep in Colombia, Rebels and Soldiers Fight for the Same Prize: Drugs
PUTUMAYO, Colombia — In a rebel-held town deep in the jungle, Joel ran drills beside his comrades, line after line of them in camouflage and boots, rifles at their sides. “To the right!” their instructor shouted. For Joel, 36, this scene was familiar. He had spent six years in the army, fighting on the front lines against a brutal insurgency that had terrorized Colombia for decades. But now he had a new employer: an illegal armed group that included the same insurgents he had spent his military career battling to defeat. “I know it shouldn’t be like this,” he said recently, cradling a rifle in his lap. But after he left the army, he said, he’d struggled to make ends meet. Then came an offer of a salary of $500 a month, nearly twice Colombia’s monthly minimum wage. Now, “my children live better lives,” he said, “because I can feed them.” Colombia’s peace accord, signed in 2016 by the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was supposed to … [Read more...] about Deep in Colombia, Rebels and Soldiers Fight for the Same Prize: Drugs