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The ancient Greek philosopher Plotinus insisted that philosophy should be concerned with nothing less than 'what matters most'. This collection of philosophical conversations seeks to honour Plotinus' vision by addressing questions related to the art of living.Much has been written about the 'art of living' and it typically conjures up ideas of therapy, meditation, peace, happiness, and so on. But what about the art of living in the midst of all the spectacular messiness generated by an aggressive, anxiety-ridden, acquisitive and lustful species? The conversations that make up this book explore the questions that matter most to us as citizens of increasingly fractious societies and inhabitants of an increasingly fractured planet. They invite us to think anew about the complexities and challenges involved in living a good life in a world characterized by uncertainty and change.

AbstractConfronted by rapidly growing infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths, governments around the world have introduced stringent containment measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This public health response has had an unprecedented impact on people's daily lives which, unsurprisingly, has also had widely observed implications in terms of crime and public safety. Drawing upon theories from environmental criminology, this study examines officially recorded property crime rates between March and June 2020 as reported for the state of Queensland, Australia. We use ARIMA modeling techniques to compute 6-month-ahead forecasts of property damage, shop theft, residential burglary, fraud, and motor vehicle theft rates and then compare these forecasts (and their 95% confidence intervals) with the observed data for March through to June. We conclude that, with the exception of fraud, all property offence categories declined significantly. For some offence types (shop stealing, other theft offences, and residential burglary), the decrease commenced as early as March. For other offence types, the decline was lagged and did not occur until April or May. Non-residential burglary was the only offence type to significantly increase, which it did in March, only to then decline significantly thereafter. These trends, while broadly consistent across the state's 77 local government areas still varied in meaningful ways and we discuss possible explanations and implications.

Confronted by rapidly growing infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths, governments around the world have introduced stringent containment measures to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This public health response has had an unprecedented impact on people's daily lives which, unsurprisingly, has also had widely observed implications in terms of crime and public safety. Drawing upon theories from environmental criminology, this study examines officially recorded property crime rates between March and June 2020 as reported for the state of Queensland, Australia. We use ARIMA modeling techniques to compute 6-month-ahead forecasts of property damage, shop theft, residential burglary, fraud, and motor vehicle theft rates and then compare these forecasts (and their 95% confidence intervals) with the observed data for March through to June. We conclude that, with the exception of fraud, all property offence categories declined significantly. For some offence types (shop stealing, other theft offences, and residential burglary), the decrease commenced as early as March. For other offence types, the decline was lagged and did not occur until April or May. Non-residential burglary was the only offence type to significantly increase, which it did in March, only to then decline significantly thereafter. These trends, while broadly consistent across the state's 77 local government areas still varied in meaningful ways and we discuss possible explanations and implications.

Despite high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) rates among young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM), there are limited data about condom use during first same‐sex (FSS). This study sought to understand socio‐contextual factors of 50 YBMSM aged 15–19 years that influenced condom use during FSS. Condom use was influenced by individual, partner, and community factors. Individual factors—recent illness or sexually transmitted infections (STI)—prompted condom use, while frequent HIV testing prompted nonuse. Partner factors—proactive encouragement from partners—prompted condom use, while trust and condom discomfort prompted nonuse. Larger community factors—such as presence of females—were key for use, while limited sexual health information combined with peers who discouraged condoms prompted nonuse. A multilevel approach may be useful in developing sexual health programming for these young men.

In 2018, Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) introduced a mobile money payment system for membership renewal and premium payments to enhance enrolment and retention rates. However, the adoption of such innovations depends on various factors, including personal traits and public perceptions. This study aims to explore the determinants of NHIS membership renewal and premium payment via the mobile renewal system. Conducted at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, the study used a survey design to gather data from 951 KNUST students. Employing logistic regression analysis, the study identified key factors influencing the use of the NHIS mobile renewal service. The findings revealed that individuals aged 19-21, 25-27 or above 27, without mobile money accounts, and those with no history of online purchases were less likely to adopt the mobile renewal system ( P < .05). Conversely, those perceiving the system as useful and easy to use were more likely to utilise it for NHIS membership renewal ( P < .05). In conclusion, policymakers should prioritise system quality, accessibility, perceived ease of use, and usefulness to facilitate the adoption and usage of the NHIS mobile payment system. These findings contribute valuable insights for enhancing the effectiveness of health insurance innovations.

Purpose: Young black gay, bisexual, and other MSM (YBMSM) that carry a disproportionate HIV burden in the US Geosocial networking applications (GSN apps) are environments that may increase HIV risk among users. This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of using these apps for HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) public health outreach. Design: Semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews. Setting: A frequently reported GSN app for meeting sex partners by newly diagnosed HIV-infected MSM in Baltimore. Participants: Seventeen YBMSM aged 18 to 24 (mean = 21.5/SD = 1.8) who were logged-on to the GSN app in venues or census tracts in high HIV transmission areas. Methods: Participants completed 60 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. Interview data were analyzed in NVivo10 using categorical analysis and double-coded until consistency was achieved. Results: Participants described GSN apps as acceptable and feasible resources for public health practitioners seeking to access YBMSM to provide HIV/STI treatment and prevention services and resources. Three themes emerged: (1) the need to authenticate public health messages to distinguish from spam; (2) improved access to YBMSM including opportunities to identify and access virtual congregations of youth in non-gay-related spaces; and (3) the importance of avoiding stigmatizing YBMSM when targeting sexual health messages. Conclusion: GSN apps have great potential as tools for identifying and engaging at-risk YBMSM. Additional work is needed to understand limitations of this medium, to develop strategies to engage YBMSM without further stigmatizing them, and to maximize their outreach potential.

Crime research has grown substantially over the past decade, with a rise in evidence-informed approaches to criminal justice, statistics-driven decision-making and predictive analytics. The fuel that has driven this growth is data – and one of its most pressing challenges - is the lack of research on the use and interpretation of data sources. This accessible, engaging book closes that gap for researchers, practitioners and students. International researchers and crime analysts discuss the strengths, perils and opportunities of the data sources and tools now available and their best use in informing sound public policy and criminal justice practice