The Conversation

Compton commodified: NWA was always a blend of fiction and reality

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

The biopic Straight Outta Compton tells the story of rise and fall of Los Angeles rap group NWA.Automotive Rhythms/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Last week, Dr Dre released Compton: The Soundtrack – his first album in 16 years – with cover art that features the iconic Hollywood sign transformed to read C-O-M-P-T-O-N.

The...

Big data algorithms can discriminate, and it's not clear what to do about it

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

It's all just data – how can it be prejudiced?Trey Guinn, CC BY-NC-ND

“This program had absolutely nothing to do with race…but multi-variable equations.”

That’s what Brett Goldstein, a former policeman for the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and current Urban Science Fellow at the University of...

Here's how rape on campus remains a hidden crime

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

And what are universities doing about it? Wolfram Burner, CC BY-NC

The myth has been shattered. The college campus, it turns out, is not always a sheltered sanctuary of peaceful, rolling green lawns and ivy-covered brick.

The reality of sexual assault at college has been brought home by recent investigations by the Office...

Your brief to the Paris UN climate talks: how we got here and what to watch for

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

Bonn in June: just a few steps away from the big show in Paris later this year. unfccc/flickr, CC BY-SA

As the preparations for the global climate change conference in Paris in December heat up in parallel with the planet, negotiators in the United Nations climate talks recent released a proposed skeleton agreement. The...

Police should put away the military gear and build connections with young people

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

Amarion Allen, 11, stands in front of police in Ferguson, Missouri on Aug. 9, 2015. Rick Wilking/Reuters

The ongoing protests in Ferguson one year after the shooting of Michael Brown highlight the elevated risks that African Americans face when interacting with police in the US.

While the protests bring awareness to the...

Why historically black colleges and universities matter in today's America

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

Black colleges and universities exemplify the American ideals of civil rights and equality. LloydGallman, CC BY-NC-ND

Trayvon Martin. Michael Brown. Eric Garner. Sandra Bland. Renisha McBride. Martese Johnson. And now Tyrone Harris.

All these names remind us how precarious black lives can be. Martin, Brown and Garner were...

When is it ethical to euthanize your pet?

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

According to some surveys, more than 90% of owners view their pets as members of the family.'Dog' via www.shutterstock.com

In the 1960s, I knew people who, before going on vacation, would take their dogs to a shelter to be euthanized. They reasoned that it was cheaper to have a dog euthanized – and buy a new one upon...

Pacific trade deal’s outlook clouded by patent disputes, elections as talks enter final stage

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

Storm clouds are gathering in the Pacific.Clouds via www.shutterstock.com

When the US Congress finally agreed in June to give the president fast-track negotiating authority, many trade supporters hoped that the final obstacle to completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) had been breached. This agreement, currently...

The biggest infectious disease threat we face isn't Ebola – it's our short attention span

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

Kent Brantly at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, August 21 2014. Tami Chappell/Reuters

A year ago, I received a phone call: an American citizen had been infected with Ebola virus disease while serving as a medical missionary in Liberia. Would Emory University Hospital accept this patient for treatment?

Of...

Temporary ban on fishing reflects how fragile Arctic ecosystem is

Written by The Conversation

Authors: The Conversation

Time to get cracking: a Canadian research vessel in the Arctic. John F. Williams/Office of Naval Research, CC BY-SA

As climate change melts the ice in the Arctic, areas that had previously been closed in the Arctic Ocean are becoming available to fishing. Five countries bordering the Arctic – Canada, Russia, the...