redfiona99

Law and order:

No overcrowding link to prison suicide, study suggests - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42118667

Miscellaneous:

Could more women soldiers make the Army stronger? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41969817

Archbishop of York ends decade of protest over Mugabe - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42128073 From 2017, and he's since stepped down, but Dr Sentamu will always be my archbishop of York (nothing against the new incumbent).

A home in the Himalayas for Buddhist nuns - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-41607098

The female war medic who refused to 'go home and sit still' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-42096350

A 100-year-old US riot only now being talked about - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42116688

Nigeria is on the brink of eliminating polio, thanks to women - https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/nigeria-brink-eliminating-polio-thanks-women-n1030426

Science:

Galapagos finches caught in act of becoming new species - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42103058

Sport:

Football and rugby clubs back Rainbow Laces anti-homophobia campaign - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/42125494 I know a couple of the fencing clubs did as well.

Football:

'I'm surprised that football fanzines have survived' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41149738 Could also go in the literature or arts sections.

Mum's last wish honours Hillsborough fans - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-42110346

Michael Owen finishes second on jockey debut at Ascot - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/42107724 I am shoving this in football because he was a footballer.

Sadio Mane: How Senegal's quiet but steely star has shone for club and country -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42101105

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: How Afoty nominee helped put Gabon on the map -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42089774

Rugby League:

Rugby League World Cup reporter's comeback after attack - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42109316 I feel I need to add the attack had nothing to do with rugby league.

Rugby League World Cup: How England's opponents Tonga have taken the game by storm - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/42095054 From 2017, but we still love them.

Rugby Union:

Marvellous Darryl Marfo's moving climb to Scotland prominence - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42100804

Travel:

Play stations: Railway stops worth lingering at - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42085145

Food:

World Tripe Day: Can we fall in love with tripe again? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41734108 From 2017, but the recession might do it.

History:

The man keeping the world's lighthouses shining - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40887830

Law and order:

County Lines: The children forced to sell drugs - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41720980

Miscellaneous:

Paul Weitz: Skylab and shuttle astronaut dies aged 85 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41740076

Sport:

Gregor Townsend: We can learn from Pep Guardiola - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/41714594

Football:

Watford: A rising force through careful planning not instability and chaos - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41710640 From 2017. Unfortunately, the BBC swallowed the Watford PR hacks' line, because, honestly, that club are the epitome of 'success despite chaos', and people who think coaches make a huge difference need to pretend you can't succeed despite that.

Photography:

Mealtimes reflect UK family life - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-41319290

Sport:

Was Aaron Hernandez a victim of sport's growing brain injury toll? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41360151

Football:

Why Manchester City have more than a passing interest in Girona v Barcelona - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41348471 The interesting thing really is how Manchester City really seem to be doing the feeder club thing in a way that Chelsea and whichever Belgian team and Red Bull haven’t quite, and how Watford and whichever Italian team did. It could be very interesting as things develop.

Technology:

Facebook can't hide behind algorithms - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41358078 From 2017

Economics:

How much of the world's wealth is hidden offshore? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40442595

Food:

Inside the World’s Only Sourdough Library - https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sourdough-library Article from 2018, but suddenly topical again.

History:

Passchendaele: The village that gave its men to war - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40743806

A Country Divided - How it affected me - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/partition_how_it_affected_me About the Partition

Language:

Baby Talk: Decoding The Secret Language Of Babies - https://www.npr.org/2018/05/14/610796636/baby-talk-decoding-the-secret-language-of-babies

Sport:

Mongolian teenage girl grapples for a future in sumo - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40635752

Football:

Matej Delac, Chelsea's longest serving player, on the life of an eternal loanee - https://www.espn.co.uk/football/english-premier-league/23/blog/post/3168622/matej-delac-chelsea-longest-serving-player-on-the-life-of-an-eternal-loanee

History:

Our 9,000-Year Love Affair With Booze - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/02/alcohol-discovery-addiction-booze-human-culture/

Miscellaneous:

Snacks and selfies in the 'Holy Land' - In the centre of Buenos Aires, there is a theme park named Tierra Santa (Holy Land) that claimed to be the first religious theme park in the world when it opened. - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-40416626

Ten Minutes in Lituya Bay - A remote bay in Alaska is home to an odd and occasionally catastrophic geology. In 1958, a handful of people experienced this firsthand. - https://www.damninteresting.com/ten-minutes-in-lituya-bay/

John Arnold Made a Fortune at Enron. Now He's Declared War on Bad Science - https://www.wired.com/2017/01/john-arnold-waging-war-on-bad-science/

HK handover predictions: Golden geese and democracy 'infections' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-40363751

Obituary: Michael Bond - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36428937 From 2017

In pictures: The empty railways of America - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-40341771

How I saved big cats by introducing ‘magic dogs’ - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40261039 The BBC headline editor continues to miss the important things

Politics:

How to build an autocracy - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/how-to-build-an-autocracy/513872/

Abortion should not be crime, says doctors' union - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40418986

Science:

First Genetic Results From Scott Kelly's Year In Space Reveal DNA Mysteries - https://gizmodo.com/first-science-results-from-scott-kellys-year-in-space-r-1791775917 In which twins are once again misused, but this time with their permission.

The Trillion Internet Observations Showing How Global Sleep Patterns Are Changing - https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603541/the-trillion-internet-observations-showing-how-global-sleep-patterns-are-changing/

How Psychologists Determine Whether Someone Is Faking Insanity - https://www.thecut.com/2017/02/how-hard-is-it-to-fake-insanity.html

Vegetarian diets are not going to save the planet from climate change - https://qz.com/894504/vegetarian-diets-are-not-going-to-save-the-planet-from-climate-change/ This is not being deliberately posted in Veganuary but ...

We Will Miss Antibiotics When They’re Gone - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/opinion/how-to-avoid-a-post-antibiotic-world.html?_r=0

Sport:

Eight things we learnt about Ellie Simmonds when she guest-edited Woman’s Hour - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1jZS3QLhYBSM0BNvQltFLsh/eight-things-we-learnt-about-ellie-simmonds-when-she-guest-edited-woman-s-hour

Football:

Reality Check: Are England terrible at penalty shootouts? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40432001 From 2017

Tennis:

How do you train to be a tennis umpire? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40405456

Food and drink:

Coffee under threat - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-fa38cb91-bdc0-4229-8cae-1d5c3b447337

Law and order:

Chicago goes high-tech in search of answers to gun crime surge - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40293666

Miscellaneous:

The young Indians riding a surfing wave - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-40129586

My last night in prison? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40306016 Mysteriously, providing support and therapy helps!

Fin - the secret Facebook group of Nigerian women - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40261913

Science:

Chinese scientists to grow potatoes on the moon - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-40272873

Sport:

If MLB Really Wants Shorter Games, It Needs to Figure Out Instant Replay - https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp8wa5/if-mlb-really-wants-shorter-games-it-needs-to-figure-out-instant-replay Possibly something that football needs to consider with VAR.

Cricket:

India cricket captain Mithali Raj calmly reads book before batting - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40398462 She is marvellous.

Football:

How Brighton v Crystal Palace grew into an unlikely rivalry - https://www.theguardian.com/football/football-league-blog/2011/sep/27/brighton-crystal-palace-rivalry

Are African footballers more likely to die on the pitch? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40260280

Rugby Union:

British and Irish Lions: The inside story of Living With Lions - 20 years on - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/40335537

I begin with a warning that there is bad language in this post, because the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Caster Semenya’s appeal against the IAAF’s new testosterone rule is egregious bullshit.

Let’s begin with the obvious. If they felt that there needed to be a rule change, the IAAF, the governing body for athletics, could have changed the rules without naming the athlete involved. Choosing to name her has led to the intimate medical details of a young woman being published across the world’s media. That’s a pretty shitty thing to do and Caster Semenya is dealing with it with a level of grace under fire that most of us would fail to achieve.

And the rule is obviously targeted at her. The IAAF have made a new testosterone limit that only applies to athletics events of distances from 400 m to 1609 m (1 mile). These are the events in which Semenya races. It does not include shorter distances, where athletes regularly fail drugs test for anabolic steroids, because they’re useful for sprints. But apparently the IAAF doesn’t care about that. It also doesn’t care about introducing these limits to the throwing events in the field, where so many champions have tested positive for anabolic steroids. No, the only events they choose to put this limit on are ones that Semenya might run in. Including the 400 m makes that obvious. Because she doesn’t normally run it, but she has run it. They’ve literally only chosen events she might run in. Because it’s not about fucking fairness, it’s about punishing Semenya for a quirk of her birth.

The IAAF claim they’ve chosen these events because there aren’t enough athletes with DSD in the other events (1). Which pretty much proves they’re lying about why they’re doing it. If it was about protecting female sports, they’d introduce this stupid rule across the board to safeguard those events in the future. But they’ve only introduced it in the one set of events where an athlete with a DSD has been successful. It does suggest that DSDs are not the advantage the IAAF are saying they are. They are not protecting sport, they are punishing Semenya for her successes.

It’s interesting to see what the IAAF choose to regard as an unfair physiological advantage. We’re all mutants. How do you decide what is an unfair advantage, and what is not?

People with advantageous mutations and physical properties are found throughout sport. Murali’s elbow in the cricket, Andy Roddick’s shoulder in tennis, Mia Hamm’s ability to sweat less than anyone else and Michael Phelps’s reduced lactic acid production (2,3).

(section removed by the legal department)

If Caster Semenya was American, there wouldn’t be a rule change, she’d be on Ellen being praised for her bravery.

I want to focus on the different way in which Semenya and Phelps have been treated. Semenya is being hounded for her ability to train harder and to run faster than her competitors. Phelps was lauded for the results he got, because he could train harder and swim faster than his competitors. He was never expected to take lactic acid injections to make him perform like “a normal man”.

Why are some performance advantages alright, and others not?

I don’t have an answer for that, but I would love to know what the IAAF’s answer to the question would be, because as it stands, they have created a very poor rule for reasons that make no sense.

References:

1 - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/30/caster-semenya-runners-discrimination-case
2 - Game On: How the Pressure to Win at All Costs Endangers Youth Sports, and What Parents Can Do About It by Tom Farrey
3 - https://www.smh.com.au/sport/is-it-a-genetic-flaw-that-makes-phelps-the-greatest-20080816-gdsqwk.html

Healthcare:

'I went to the web to find a new kidney' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39705234 Once again, BBC headline hides an interesting article.

This Test Can Determine Whether You've Outgrown A Food Allergy - https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/09/25/552959006/a-test-confirms-if-you-ve-outgrown-allergies

For Many Women, The Nearest Abortion Provider Is Hundreds Of Miles Away - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/10/03/555166033/for-many-women-the-nearest-abortion-clinic-is-hundreds-of-miles-away

History:

Tony Blair's legacy 20 years on - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39717751

How to Decode an Ancient Roman’s Handwriting - https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/how-to-decode-an-ancient-romans-handwriting

Law and order:

A Hashtag Can't Be Sued: Judge Dismisses Officer's Case Against Black Lives Matter - https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/29/554460412/a-hashtag-can-t-be-sued-judge-dismisses-officer-s-case-against-black-lives-matte

Media:

What is going on at Fox News, and could it affect Sky bid? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39781954 From May 2017

Politics:

'Why I went to court for my disability payments' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39745403

Science:

Battery bonanza: From frogs' legs to mobiles and electric cars - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39420729

Cassini ran through the 'big empty' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39779718

Sport:

The Error in Baseball and the Moral Dimension to American Life - https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-error-in-baseball-and-the-moral-dimension-to-american-life I start to feel I need a 'sport used to highlight something else' heading.

Technology:

Are fitness trackers for pets a fad or the future? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39553682

Theatre:

Russia puts the Queen centre stage in Moscow's The Audience - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39738954

Business:

Why exporting isn't just about shipping - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39599351

Languages:

This Heavy Metal Band Is Hell-Bent on Saving an Endangered Language - https://narratively.com/this-heavy-metal-band-is-hell-bent-on-saving-an-endangered-language/

Mathematics:

A One-Stop Shop for Principal Component Analysis - https://towardsdatascience.com/a-one-stop-shop-for-principal-component-analysis-5582fb7e0a9c

Media:

When did you last download a podcast? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39477851 Or, will podcasts ever be more than niche entertainment.

Miscellaneous:

Iceberg tourists flock to Newfoundland town - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39632047

Virgin Money chief: Dealing with depression made me stronger - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39627130

Living with the dead - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39603771

Malala Yousafzai's mother: Out of the shadows - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-39550681

Face-to-face with top North Korean diplomat - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39626011 From April 2017

Leather & lather: The Cut-throat Racer - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-39593694 Because the BBC headline writing team are dedicated to the art of useless headlines, this is about female barbers.

News:

Who Are The Juggalos And Why Are They Marching In Washington, D.C.? - https://www.npr.org/2017/09/15/550724673/who-are-the-juggalos-and-why-are-they-marching-in-washington-d-c The Juggalos are the heroes we need and don't deserve and they're standing up to the FBI's attempts to criminalise everyone.

Nun With A Chainsaw Becomes Symbol Of Post-Irma Cleanup: 'She Rocks' - https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/13/550629622/nun-with-a-chainsaw-becomes-symbol-of-post-irma-cleanup-she-rocks

Or failures of the news business. Meet Hurricane Shark.

People Are Sharing Photoshopped Pics Of Sharks As A Tribute To Hurricane Shark -https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/houston-to-florida-shark#.yl2dooEQ0

Fake or Not - https://www.thomaspeschak.com/kayak-great-white-sharks-/ The truth behind hurricane shark.

Sport:

The man who catches marathon cheats - from his home - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39584495

European Judo Championships: Kelly Edwards targets medal after 'scary' 2016 -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/judo/39554932 Part 1 of the accidental concussion special

Rugby League:

Luke Robinson & Kevin Brown on concussion fears and safety in rugby league -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/39620385 Part 2 of the accidental concussion special

Technology:

Chrome and Firefox Phishing Attack Uses Domains Identical to Known Safe Sites - https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2017/04/chrome-firefox-unicode-phishing/

The woman whose phone 'misdiagnosed HIV' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39371100 Is actually about a study on 'what limits people in the developing world from grabbing the opportunities offered by the web'.

Rise of the robots: What advances mean for workers - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39296096 Funny how this is only a problem now it's hitting white collar jobs.

Television:

HOW LIBERALS FELL IN LOVE WITH THE WEST WING - https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/04/how-liberals-fell-in-love-with-the-west-wing

Trains:

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway hits extension target - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39614067 Is this not the coolest thing?! It is the coolest thing! (I can't help it, I am a third generation train weirdo)

Adverts:

Kendall Jenner Pepsi Commercial: How the "Worst Ad Ever" Came to Be - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pepsi-ad-how-why-was-made-991617

Business:

How a razor revolutionised the way we pay for stuff - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39132802

Food and Drink:

Quebec's maple syrup producers seeking global domination - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39375257

Law and Order:

The Uruguayan prison where inmates set up shop - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-39145551

The Americans volunteering to watch executions - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39535957

Miscellaneous:

One family's life in the wilderness - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-39418054

Belfast hotel warns Irish dancing guests against practising in elevator - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-39544605

EDL Birmingham protest photo woman 'surprised' by viral reaction - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-39545256

His name was Henry Summers - but who was he? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39429128

African migrants sold in Libya 'slave markets', IOM says - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39567632

'Blood contamination tore my family apart' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39516344

New fiver is not so indestructible - if you know how - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39551613 According to Rob the tea-man, a simple washing machine will do the trick.

Politics:

Could private investors fund a new wave of hospitals? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39557279 Because it went so well last time!

Brexit: Economists Will Have The Last Word - https://medium.com/@vincentcable/brexit-economists-will-have-the-last-word-43a1c6f4d496

Jacob Rees-Mogg’s hashtag is hijacked by LGBT tweeters - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/ce6853ab-453a-4ac2-8bef-c41c5b15dc04 Not in front of my salad goes mainstream

Will London fall? - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/11/world/europe/uk-london-brexit.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

'Disastrous response made things worse': UK PR experts lay into United Airlines and its precarious CEO - https://www.prweek.com/article/1430230/disastrous-response-made-things-worse-uk-pr-experts-lay-united-airlines-its-precarious-ceo

Sport:

Anne Dickins: Rio Paralympics canoeing champion hopes to have inspired others - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/get-inspired/39556564

Football:

Claudio Ranieri: Former Leicester City boss thinks he may have been pushed out - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39558439 In which Claudio Ranieri is once again love.

Golf:

Masters 2017: Is Sergio Garcia winning at Augusta the perfect sporting story? -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/39553279 I don't even like golf but this made me so, so happy.

Horse racing:

Grand National 2017: Aintree boss pleased with course safety - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/39545411

One For Arthur wins the Grand National for Scotland, injured jockeys and 'golf widows' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/39541910 From 2017

Ice hockey:

Manon Rheaume, NHL's first female goalie, continues to inspire - https://www.si.com/nhl/2016/06/27/manon-rheaume-where-are-they-now?xid=si_social

Snooker:

Reanne Evans' World Championship bid over after defeat by Lee Walker -https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/39546825 From the 2017 World Championships