Tag Archives: Australia

30May/23

‘They just ignored my tears, they ignored my unhappiness’: former Irish nuns reveal accounts of brainwashing and abuse

May 30, 2023Human InterestAsceticism, Australia, Catholic Church, Catholicism, Christina, Creative Commons, Ireland, Italy, João Braz de Aviz, Karen Armstrong, Karen Hanrahan, Louise, Martin, Mary, Micheál Martin, Musicians, Nun, Pope John XXIII, Religious institute, Rome, Rwanda, The Singing Nun, United Kingdom, United States, Women in the Catholic Churchadmin

Karen Hanrahan, University of Brighton

Any thoughts of escaping to a more natural life was regarded as being sinful. The idea of being unfaithful to your vocation was a step on the way to hell. It would be a mortal sin.

These are the words of Mary, my mother. She was just 15 when she entered a convent in Ireland in 1950 and 34 by the time she finally managed to leave. She had been expressing doubts to her superiors since her early twenties but years of “brainwashing” and the very real fear of her and her family facing eternal damnation made breaking her vows seem impossible.

Continue reading →

15May/23

Chisenga Katongo

May 15, 2023MusicAustralia, Biggie Smalls, Chisenga Katongo, Continents, Katongo, Lauryn Hill, Lusaka, Perth, Tupac Shakur, Yeat, Zambiaadmin

May 15, 2023 /Entertainment/ — Chisenga Katongo is a Zambian-born Australian hip hop artist. He is known for his unique blend of African and Australian sounds, as well as his socially conscious lyrics. Katongo has released three albums, “Officer in Charge” (2005), “Mr. Swagger” (2009), and “Rhythm and Poetry” (2016). He has also toured extensively throughout Australia, Africa, and Europe. Continue reading →

08May/23

Blonde hair and blue eyes

May 8, 2023Human InterestAustralia, Biological pigment, Blond, Blonde stereotype, Blue, Color, Eye color, Hair, Hair color, Human hair color, Iris, Melanin, Organ systemsadmin

Blonde hair and blue eyes are two of the most common hair and eye colors in the world. They are both recessive traits, which means that they are only expressed if they are inherited from both parents. Continue reading →

26Apr/23

Oral sex is now the leading risk factor for throat cancer

April 26, 2023HealthcareAustralia, Cancer, Cervical cancer, Creative Commons, Gynaecological cancer, Head and neck cancer, Hisham Mehanna, HPV vaccine, Human papillomavirus infection, Infectious causes of cancer, Medicine, Otorhinolaryngology, Papillomavirus, RTT, United Kingdom, United States, Virusesadmin

Hisham Mehanna, University of Birmingham

Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the west, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer (the area of the tonsils and back of the throat). The main cause of this cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which are also the main cause of cancer of the cervix. Oropharyngeal cancer has now become more common than cervical cancer in the US and the UK.

Continue reading →

25Apr/23

The current state of open banking regulation around the world.

April 25, 2023FinanceAustralia, Bank, Brazil, E-commerce, Economy, Finance, Financial markets, Financial technology, Mobile banking, Money, Open banking, Payment Services Directive, Payment systems, Personal financial management, Singapore, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

April 25, 2023 /Finance/ — Open banking is a financial services term for the practice of allowing third-party financial service providers to access customer data held by other financial institutions, through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). The goal of open banking is to promote innovation and competition in the financial services industry by giving consumers more choices and control over their financial data. Continue reading →

20Apr/23

Square Software Turns Android Devices Into Powerful Payment Technology

April 20, 2023Mobile.google, Afterpay, Alexis Sowa, Android, Australia, Block Inc., Cloud clients, Contactless payment, Economy, Financial services, France, Google Pay, Ireland, Lena Furr, Mobile payments, Money, Online payments, Payment systems, San Francisco, Smartphones, Spain, Square, Inc., United Kingdom, United States, Washington, D.C.admin

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Square today launched Tap to Pay on Android for sellers across the U.S., Australia, Ireland, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The new technology empowers sellers to securely accept contactless payments with a compatible Android device, and at no additional cost.
Continue reading →

20Apr/23

Why universities should return to oral exams in the AI and ChatGPT era

April 20, 2023TechnologyAcademia, Australia, Central Queensland University, Creative Commons, Education, Educational assessment, Educational psychology, Ken Purnell, Norway, Oral communication, Oral exam, Prelims, Psychometrics, SHUTTERSTOCK, Stephen Dobson, Testsadmin

Stephen Dobson, CQUniversity Australia

Imagine the following scenario.

You are a student and enter a room or Zoom meeting. A panel of examiners who have read your essay or viewed your performance, are waiting inside.

You answer a series of questions as they probe your knowledge and skills. You leave. The examiners then consider the preliminary pre-oral exam grade and if an adjustment up or down is required.

You are called back to receive your final grade.

This type of oral assessment – or viva voce as it was known in Latin – is a tried and tested form of educational assessment.

Continue reading →

11Apr/23

‘It’s like you’re a criminal, but I am not a criminal.’ First-hand accounts of the trauma of being stuck in the UK asylum system

April 11, 2023PoliticsAngela, Anne Burghgraef, Asylum seeker, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Australia, Creative Commons, Cultural globalization, Democratic Republic of Congo, Demography, Dostoevsky, Ebele, Edward, Edward Crawford, European migrant crisis, Farah, Forced migration, George, Gloria, Guinea, Haram, Imani, Immigration, Immigration detention, International law, Iran, Joy, Lagos, Leeds, Leon, Mariama, Nigeria, Pete Maclaine, Peter William Walsh, Refugee, Refugees, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Steve Taylor, United Kingdom, Unity, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Zimbabweadmin

Steve Taylor, Leeds Beckett University

Warning: this story contains graphic descriptions of violence. Pseudonyms are used to protect the interviewees’ identities.

Angela had already been in the UK as an asylum seeker for nine years and four months when we interviewed her. She was still in a state of limbo, unsure whether asylum would be granted, and her story was disturbing to hear.

Continue reading →

27Feb/23

The cockney dialect is not dead – it’s just called ‘Essex’ now

February 27, 2023Human InterestAmanda Cole, Australia, Cleveland, Cockney, Creative Commons, Culture, Dialect, Elizabeth II, English language, English language in England, Essex, Essex dialect, Estuary English, Glasgow, Language, London, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Multicultural London English, New Zealand, READING, Rhyming slang, Richard Cole, Teeside, United Kingdom, University of Essex, Yorkshireadmin

Amanda Cole, University of Essex

As English dialects go, cockney is one of the most influential. Long considered the preserve of working-class communities in east London, it has shaped the way people speak across the country, from Reading, Milton Keynes and even Hull all the way to Glasgow.

Continue reading →

19Jan/23

Digital welfare dystopia

January 19, 2023SecurityAtos, Australia, Brisbane, China, Crime prevention, Data mining, Internet privacy, Law enforcement, Lina Dencik, Machine learning, Manchester, Mass surveillance, Melanie Klieve, Melbourne, National security, Netherlands, Philip Alston, Prevention, Profiling, Qian Ji Data Co, Samuel Woodhams Digital, Security, Skills, Surveillance, Thomson Reuters Foundation, United Kingdomadmin

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Algorithms to determine welfare payments and detect fraud are becoming standard practice around the world. From Manchester to Melbourne, peoples’ lives are being shaped by secretive tools that determine who is eligible for what, and how much debt is owed.

Although the technology has been around for some time, the outbreak of COVID-19 renewed enthusiasm for the digital welfare state and, for thousands of cash-strapped public bodies, the promise of increased efficiency and lower costs has proven irresistible.
Continue reading →

Tag: Australia