Delicious LiveJournal Links for 7-16-2009

[andrewducker]

• Killings are lowest in 20 years
  Overall crime is down by 5% and violent crime has fallen by 6%, and gun crime has seen a 17% fall. Rape is up, as is burglary and mugging/picking pockets.
  (tags: crime UK)
• Ireland outlaws blasphemy
  Gah!
  (tags: ireland law religion blasphemy)
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
  From the people that brought you Pride And Prejudice and Zombies...
  (tags: funny book JaneAusten)
• When people complain about needing a criminal records check before being allowed to work with children
  Get them to read this...
  (tags: Child_abuse children law UK crime)
• X-Men Universe Relationship Map
  Dashed line indicates one of the parties is from an Alternate Universe
  (tags: comics relationships funny comic xmen visualization)
• Just what is a big salary?
  Which tells me the figures on my poll are for people who are paid normal salaries - and doesn't include self-employed people (i.e. contractors and the like). Read the comments - and feel your brain melt!
  (tags: money statistics)
• Researchers use light to move physical objects
  A team of Yale University researchers has discovered a repulsive light force that can be used to control components on silicon microchips, meaning future nanodevices could be controlled by light rather than electricity.
  (tags: light physics science)
• The myth of the chemical cure
  A mental health expert talks about psychiatric drugs and what they really do. Hint - they don't fix you, they put you in an altered state that you may prefer to your natural one.
  (tags: depression bbc psychology drugs serotonin health)

Comments

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

A CRB check isn't exactly invasive. Your prospective employer rights off to the relevent agency, and gets a letter back saying yay or nay.

The only ways I can see it may be considered invasive are 1) you have to sign the form to give consent, and 2) it may delay you starting work while it is carried out.

[endless-psych.livejournal.com]

It's more invasive then security detectors at HMV anyway! ;)

I count acess to personal data about me to be reasonably invasive, giving consent obviously takes the edge off quite a fair bit, that said I would consider (as a non-criminal record type person) that any data they held about me would also be invasive.

It's a bitch waiting for clearance.

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

I think we have different attitudes to personal data storage. I couldn't care less if my name sits on a database somewhere saying I have no criminal convictions.

The waiting time I can imagine is a problem, but hopefully efforts are being made to speed up the process.