Tag Archives: Creative Commons

11Aug/22

Issey Miyake – a conceptual fashion designer for the many

Noorin Khamisani, University of Portsmouth

Designer Issey Miyake has died aged 84, leaving an indelible mark on the fashion world. He was celebrated for clothing that responded to the body in movement and which was conceptual in design but also completely appropriate for the everyday. His garments were often based on simple geometric shapes made in finely pleated fabrics that resulted in new and unexpected silhouettes.

Continue reading

09Aug/22

Is race an issue for Rishi Sunak? It’s a difficult question for pollsters to investigate but the information we do have is telling

Paul Whiteley, University of Essex

A YouGov poll of party members completed on August 2 shows Rishi Sunak to be trailing Liz Truss 31% to 69% in the Conservative leadership contest. A similar poll completed on July 21 had him on 38% to her 62%. She appears to be winning the contest hands down.

Continue reading

05Aug/22

Beyoncé has helped usher in a renaissance for African artists

James Chikomborero Paradza, University of Pretoria

Beyoncé has released her seventh solo studio album, titled Renaissance (2022). The album, an event in global popular culture, is the first of a three-part project by the US artist. Her previous outing, the visual album Black is King (2020), collaborated with a host of African artists. Renaissance pays tribute to black dance music and again features African artists, including Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, who is having a global moment of her own.

Continue reading

05Aug/22

UK interest rate rise: what the Bank of England’s historic hike means for your money

Jonquil Lowe, The Open University

The Bank of England has raised its base rate by 0.5 percentage points, the largest single upward jump in 27 years. It takes the base rate to 1.75%, its highest level since 2008. This latest interest rate hike will affect personal finances and reflects the Bank’s efforts to control rampant inflation amid the cost of living crisis in the UK.

Continue reading

03Aug/22

The story behind ‘Star Trek’ actress Nichelle Nichols’ iconic interracial kiss

Matthew Delmont, Dartmouth College

On a 1968 episode of “Star Trek,” Nichelle Nichols, playing Lt. Uhura, locked lips with William Shatner’s Capt. Kirk in what’s widely thought to be first kiss between a Black woman and white man on American television.

Continue reading

29Jul/22

James Lovelock: the scientist-inventor who transformed our view of life on Earth

Mark Maslin, UCL

James Lovelock, the maverick scientist and inventor, died surrounded by his family on July 27 2022 – his 103rd birthday. Jim led an extraordinary life. He is best known for his Gaia hypothesis, developed with the brilliant US biologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s, which transformed the way we think of life on Earth.

Continue reading

28Jul/22

Revealed: untold story of the CIA/Stasi double agent abandoned after 22 years of service

Eleni Braat, Utrecht University and Ben de Jong, Leiden University

I was naked, tied to a hard chair with handcuffs. Three or four burly fellows in uniform are standing around me, one of them behind me with a truncheon… ‘Sie sind ein Verräter! [You are a traitor!],’ they snap.

Continue reading

25Jul/22

Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss? Polling shows party members want her – but the wider voting public would choose him

Paul Whiteley, University of Essex

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are the final two candidates chosen to go head-to-head in the battle to become the next leader of the Conservative party and, therefore, the next prime minister of the UK.

Continue reading

25Jul/22

Monkeypox: World Health Organization declares it a global health emergency – here’s what that means

Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency.

Continue reading

22Jul/22

Debunking the myth of the ‘evil people smuggler’

Yvonne Su, York University, Canada and Corey Robinson, Durham University

In 2022, the number of forcibly displaced people surpassed 100 million worldwide. Nearly 1.5 million refugees will need resettlement in 2022, but less than one per cent of refugees will be resettled.

Continue reading