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Arshia Surti

Push on Talks With Taliban Confirmed by NATO Officials - 2 views

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    Interesting new development. It seems that the US and NATO have been pursuing peace much more seriously than previously thought. Also, the Taliban denies that any peace talks have been taking place.
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    This recent development is a clear indicator of the difference between Bush-era foreign policy and that of the Obama administration. It remains unclear whether this new approach to Middle East peace will prove effective, but given the failures of the last administration, it will be interesting to see where such discussions with the enemy, who we have long considered to be a terrorist group, will lead. President Obama has made significant strides in terms of the conflicts in the Middle East, withdrawing combat troops from Iraq, but the effectiveness of these actions have yet to be proven; what distinguishes this strategy, and perhaps leads to the optimism surrounding it, is that a renewed effort to negotiate peace and draw down American presence in the Middle East is so radically different than before: different, yes; effective, maybe; we will have to wait and see.
jacquelinec56

Gender Scripts and Age at Marriage in India - 0 views

  • Rational decision making theories imply that parents respond to economic incentives and constraints as they choose optimal marriage timing for their daughters. In different parts of Asia, availability of wage work for women increases the returns from daughters and may lead to delayed marriage
  • esearch on Indian labor markets has documented a high degree of underemploymen
  • mong women aged 15 and older, only 16% of rural women and 11% of urban women claim wage work as their primary activity.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • A number of studies have recorded a sharp increase in dowry expectations, with a dowry consisting of both cash and expensive household goods,
  • Increased expenses associated with a daughter’s marriage may lead to postponement of marriage as parents struggle to accumulate resources in order to provide appropriate dowry and pay for the wedding (
  • we expect that in areas where women have a greater role in making decisions about different aspects of their lives,
  • women’s empowerment is negatively associated with age at marriage. Age at marriage may also be related to women’s autonomy through another channel: because younger brides are more likely to be docile, in areas where parents-in-law seek to limit women’s power in the household, they may have a preference for younger brides.
  • a woman’s autonomy may be manifest through her control of major resources, such as having her name
  • on a housing title or rental agreement, as well as through control of minor resources, such as having cash on hand for household expenditures. A number of studies have also suggested that the ability to m
  • Results suggest large differences in age at marriage by education, with women with higher secondary and college education marrying 4.9 years later than less-educated women. While the causal direction of this relationship is far from clear (obtaining a higher education could delay marriage, or delayed marriage may provide a greater opportunity to complete one’s education),
  • contrast, the neighboring state of Haryana has an average age of marriage that is 2 years lower, and about 30% of women get married by age 16. These states have similar educational and economic profiles, which is not surprising given that Haryana was carved out of Punjab. However, they differ in cultural traditions. Punjab contains a large number of Sikhs, and even Hindus are influenced by Sikh culture. Haryana shares cultural traditions with the central plains, so the two states differ substantially in the way gender is articulated.
ethand2021

C.D.C. Now Says People Without Covid-19 Symptoms Do Not Need Testing - The New York Times - 3 views

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    The CDC changed its Covid-19 testing guidelines this week to include that individuals who have been exposed to the virus and are asymptomatic do not need to be tested. While some speculated this is due to a shortage of tests and long wait times it is unclear why the change has been made. This decision could prove to be dangerous especially because of the reopening of schools across the country.
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    I think this article highlights people's will to pretend the pandemic is over and try to go back to a normal life. It is very surprising that the CDC, who is generally the voice of conservatism and caution when it comes to outbreaks, is also joining this trend but the idea of it is very dangerous. Even if they had good reason to make the change, not describing it allows people to make their own assumptions about why the change was made. For example, people could think that, as long as they don't show symptoms, they are clear to do whatever they want regarding the virus. This thinking could make the spread of the virus grow even more. Overall, I think that we need more voices of caution and reason in positions of influence to inspire people to continue fighting against the virus.
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    Similar to what Jalen said, I think the CDC is clearly shaping their advice to optimize the availability of resources where they are most needed. They did this early on when they said people didn't need to wear masks. What they were trying to do was make sure that hospitals and individuals at risk had enough PPE during a shortage, but the unfortunate result was that it undermined their legitimacy when they later said masks were beneficial. It might be possible that a similar thing will occur with asymptomatic testing. When/if testing becomes more available, people might not volunteer to be tested if they don't have symptoms because of previous strategic statements made by the CDC.
arjunk2022

African Union health watchdog CDC appeals for calm over Omicron - 1 views

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    This article is essentially about the African Union Health Minister saying that there are methods to soften the blow of the Omicron Variant that warrant some optimism. We generally see bad news around COVID, especially with Omicron, so this is good to see.
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    I agree with Arjun's comment, and the criticism of richer nations' booster shots is super valid.
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