New publication!
'Protecting Workers?' offers an exploration of how the South Asian region has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, an ensuing debt crisis, and their profound impact on workers’ lives across the region. The volume is edited by Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and Wilfried Swenden. It's freely available in #openaccess at: https://doi.org/10.33134/HUP-36
#work #SouthAsia #economics #pandemic #sociology #anthropology #developmentstudies #areastudies #politicalscience #humangeography #scholarlypublishing
As we end March 2026 and go into April... Memories of Covid19 lockdown... And I'm immersed in 1858 London "The Great Stink" when I realise some of my ancestors died during this year, living in Soho in the heart of London and the bad water - still thought by many that bad air was the problem.
This is one of the lasting memories of my history 'o' level all those years ago. Apparently the water pump has been marked in a nearby street.
( Also: Boer war...)
Hmm. I expect #drama.
A #fedi #influencer and important #dev made some stupid statements. They are factually incorrect, as well as childishly rude and insensitive.
The #fediverse cannot address the latter phrase.
The former, we can. We can educate each other about #COVID.
1. The world is still experiencing a #pandemic; the emergent phase ended in 2023.
2. Between 19.1 & 35 million people have died of COVID to 12 Mar.
3. Effects of surviving the disease appear to be cumulative.
1/
The Ano Nuevo pinniped outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has spread from Santa Cruz County to sea lions in San Luis Obispo, and to birds in Point Reyes. At least 47 elephant seals have died so far.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the disease wreaked havoc in 2022-2023. In Peru and Chile, over 30,000 sea lions died between 2022 and 2023. H5N1 wiped out 97% of the elephant seal pups at Peninsula Valdés, the largest mortality event ever recorded for the species.
There have been nearly 1000 human infections with H5N1 since 2003, with a case fatality rate of 48%. While this is an alarmingly high mortality rate, it is most likely biased due to the fact that asymptomatic and mild infections are much less likely to be reported. Nevertheless, the actual mortality rate, should the disease evolve the ability to spread easily from person to person, could be significantly higher than that of Covid.
https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/virus-bay-area-california-22158465.php
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251105-the-impossible-decline-of-the-southern-elephant-seal
Up to 60% of health care workers may have long COVID 4 years after
#covid #COVID19 #pandemic #publichealth #longcovid #healthcare #workingclass #workplacesafety
New preprint!
We reviewed global catastrophic risks: nuclear war, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, cyberattacks, EMP, geomagnetic storms, and pandemics. Which places on Earth are most resilient?
The short answer: nowhere is safe from everything. Australia and New Zealand come closest, but even they have serious vulnerabilities (trade dependence or volcanic exposure).
The key finding is that resilience factors actively trade off against each other. Geographic isolation helps in pandemics but hurts during infrastructure collapse. A large industrial base helps produce emergency food but increases digital vulnerability.
What could help across scenarios: democratic governance, low inequality, decentralized systems, food self-sufficiency, and preparation. Most of these are policy choices, not geographic fate.
You can find the whole preprint here: https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/12373/
#GlobalCatastrophicRisk #NuclearWar #Pandemic #GeomagneticStorm #Resilience
Bollywood's Best Scene of 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw4fFZCFvGU
#thedarkknaik #homebound #ishaankhatter #vishaljethwa #janhvikapoor #neerajghaywan #martinscorsese #karanjohar #pandemic #filmreview
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