Honest History has often sung the praises of The Conversation because it provides readable, evidence-based material from people who know their stuff. We suspect that many of our readers also read The Conversation. But we still think it is worth flagging useful material from there that has a historical angle, just in case you, Dear Reader, miss something you should have taken in. Journalism, someone said, is the first draft of history and we at Honest History like to keep future historians in mind. Here are notes on three pieces from today:
- John Glover maps cancer incidence rates across Australia – by state, by socioeconomic status and by remoteness. ‘Public health experts traditionally expect to see a very strong pattern of health inequality – the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be unwell and die before your time. But newly available data on cancer incidence rates show that’s not always the case.’ Looks at breast, prostate, lung and skin cancer.
- Bradley Bowden continues The Conversation‘s chart series: three charts on the incidence of trade union membership. ‘This data reveals union membership is increasingly confined to one area of the economy – professional and semi-professional employment in publicly-funded and regulated areas. Leaving the rest of the workforce behind.’
- Greg Austin on the move of the Australian Defence Force into cyberwarfare, both defensive and offensive. The article is heavily about who’ll be running the show and who’ll be reporting to whom. The assumption that cyberwarfare is just another way of expressing the Alliance with the United States does not seem to be questioned. ‘Australia is now positioning itself better to conduct war and warlike operations alongside its high-tech cyber ally the United States, as part of the most powerful military alliance in human history.’ Some thoughtful comments on the article.
5 July 2017