Category Archives: Human Interest

22Apr/23

Why people are hyped to celebrate the day of the year, 4/20

April 22, 2023Human Interest420, Articles, Cannabis, Cannabis and religion, Cannabis culture, Cannabis in Canada, Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, Entheogens, Euphoriants, Health, Herbalism, Legality of cannabis, Medical cannabis, Medicinal plants, San Rafaeladmin

April 21, 2023 /Lifestyle/ –The origin of 4/20 is a bit of a mystery. There are a few different stories about how it started, but the most likely explanation is that it originated with a group of high school students in San Rafael, California, in the early 1970s.

The students, who called themselves the Waldos, would meet at 4:20 p.m. every day after school to smoke marijuana. They chose the time because extracurricular activities had usually ended by then, and they were out of school but their parents weren’t home, giving them a window of unsupervised freedom.
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21Apr/23

“Coherent Madness: Effective Defense Against Covert Warfare” by Mukazo Vunda

April 21, 2023Human InterestElectronic harassment, Harassment, Human behavior, Mind control, Paranoia, Pseudoscience, Theoriesadmin

April 21, 2023 /Human Interest/ –The book “Coherent Madness: Effective Defense Against Covert Warfare” by Mukazo Vunda is a self-published book that discusses the author’s experience as a targeted individual. Targeted individuals (TIs) are people who believe that they are being harassed, stalked, and/or persecuted by a government agency or other organization.
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10Apr/23

Easter eggs: their evolution from chicken to chocolate

April 10, 2023Human Interestadmin

Serin Quinn, University of Warwick

A lot of Easter traditions – including hot cross buns and lamb on Sunday – stem from medieval Christian or even earlier pagan beliefs. The chocolate Easter egg, however, is a more modern twist on tradition.

Chicken eggs have been eaten at Easter for centuries. Eggs have long symbolised rebirth and renewal, making them perfect to commemorate the story of Jesus’ resurrection as well as the arrival of spring.

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04Apr/23

Kanye West and Wyndham Lewis: how ‘cancellation’ affected two artists, a century apart

April 4, 2023Human InterestAdolf Hitler, Antisemitism, Antisemitism in Germany, Chancellors of Germany, Creative Commons, Criticism of religion, David, Germany, his Hitler, Kanye West, Nathan Waddell, Nazi Germany, Racial antisemitism, Racism, Religion, Wyndham Lewisadmin

Nathan Waddell, University of Birmingham

It may seem like the modernist painter and writer Wyndham Lewis (1882-1957) and Kanye West (the rapper and onetime presidential hopeful now known as Ye) have little in common. But their stories are connected: both are known for making controversial statements about the Nazis.

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21Mar/23

Why are we so scared of clowns? Here’s what we’ve discovered

March 21, 2023Human InterestBill, Black comedy, Clowns, Creative Commons, English-language films, Entertainment, Evil clown, Fear, Fear of Clowns, Fiction, Films, It, James Greville, José Vega Santana, Philip Tyson, Postmodernism, Ronald McDonald, Shakiela Davies, SHUTTERSTOCK, Sophie Scorey, Stephenadmin

Sophie Scorey, University of South Wales; James Greville, University of South Wales; Philip Tyson, University of South Wales, and Shakiela Davies, University of South Wales

Are you scared of clowns? You are not alone. Coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, is a widely acknowledged phenomenon. Studies indicate this fear is present among both adults and children in many different cultures. Yet it is not well understood due to a lack of focused research.

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18Mar/23

This Week in People & Culture News: 10 Stories You Need to See

March 18, 2023Human InterestArticles, Humans, News, News media, PR Newswire, Press release, Sourceadmin

With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering different cultural groups stay on top of the week’s most newsworthy and popular releases, here’s a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn’t be missed. Continue reading

13Mar/23

Uncovering the secret religious and spiritual lives of sex workers

March 13, 2023Human InterestAllah, Amy, Belgium, Benedikta Fones, Brussels, Creative Commons, Daisy Matthews, Gemma Ahearne, Human behavior, Human sexuality, Human trafficking, Humans, Islam Zahra, Italy, Jane Pilcher, Khan, London, Lopatin Lre, Melissa Gira Grant, Mia Khalifa, NORSE, Northern Ireland, Pagan, Prostitution, Romania, Sex industry, Sex work, Sex workers' rights, Sexual consent, SHUTTERSTOCK, So Zahra, Take Amy, Tanya, Thailand, Transgender sex worker, United Kingdom, United States, Vandoorne Maya, Veniceadmin

Daisy Matthews, Nottingham Trent University and Jane Pilcher, Nottingham Trent University

Tanya* is telling me just how important her Methodist Christianity is to her. We’re chatting over a video call, and I can see Tanya’s living room in the background. This also happens to be her workspace because Tanya, who is 50, is a full-time phone and cam sex worker. For Tanya, earning her living through sex work does not conflict with her religious beliefs at all. Tanya tells me that she had a client who talked to her about his enjoyment of wearing women’s clothing. He confided in her because they both shared the same religious identity.

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04Mar/23

How to ditch ‘fomo’ and foster ‘jomo’ – the joy of missing out

March 4, 2023Human Interestadmin

Fuschia Sirois, Durham University

Have you ever felt a sense of joy because you knew you were missing out on an invitation to a party, shiny new opportunities or the latest social media posts and influencer trends because you were “unplugged”? If so, then you have probably experienced “jomo” – the joy of missing out.

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27Feb/23

The cockney dialect is not dead – it’s just called ‘Essex’ now

February 27, 2023Human InterestAmanda Cole, Australia, Cleveland, Cockney, Creative Commons, Culture, Dialect, Elizabeth II, English language, English language in England, Essex, Essex dialect, Estuary English, Glasgow, Language, London, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Multicultural London English, New Zealand, READING, Rhyming slang, Richard Cole, Teeside, United Kingdom, University of Essex, Yorkshireadmin

Amanda Cole, University of Essex

As English dialects go, cockney is one of the most influential. Long considered the preserve of working-class communities in east London, it has shaped the way people speak across the country, from Reading, Milton Keynes and even Hull all the way to Glasgow.

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14Feb/23

Valentine’s Day’s connection with love was probably invented by Chaucer and other

February 14, 2023Human InterestCarl Wilhelm de Hamilton, Chivalric romance, Claudius Gothicus, Courtly love, Crato, Creative Commons, Durham, Fowles, Geoffrey Chaucer, Italy, John Gower, Literature, London, Ma, Medieval literature, Natalie Goodison, Oton de Grandson, Pardo, Rome, Saint Valentine, Terni, The Canterbury Tales, Tradition, Valentine, Valentine's Day, Whanadmin

Natalie Goodison, Durham University

As an undergraduate, on a tour of Europe, I happened to step into the church where Saint Valentine’s head was kept. The tour guide told us a (likely fictitious) story about Saint Valentine performing forbidden marriages for persecuted Christians under the Roman emperor Claudius Gothicus (possibly 269-270 AD). Valentine was then imprisoned and beheaded in Rome.

His saint’s day has since become a celebration of romance. But earlier medieval accounts of Valentine’s life contain no mention of his association with love.

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Category: Human Interest