David Rowe, Western Sydney University
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off this Thursday night, the first football world cup hosted by Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
New Zealand opens the tournament by taking on Norway in Auckland, while Australia’s Matildas will play Ireland in front of an anticipated 80,000 fans at a sold out Stadium Australia in Sydney.
Gavin D. J. Harper, University of Birmingham
From August, China is to restrict exports of gallium and germanium, two critical elements for making semiconductor chips. With China dominating the supply of both elements, exporters will now need special licences to get them out of the country. The move has the potential to harm a range of western tech manufacturers that use these elements to make their products.
July 7, 2023 /Environment/ — Sugilite is a relatively rare cyclosilicate mineral with a complex chemical formula of KNa₂(Fe, Mn, Al)₂Li₃Si₁₂O₃₀. It is typically found in shades of pink to purple, but can also be colorless, pale pink, or reddish violet. Sugilite crystals are rarely found and the form is usually massive. It has a hexagonal crystal system and a Mohs hardness of 6 to 6.5.
Sugilite is named after the Japanese petrologist Ken-ichi Sugi (1901-1948). It was first discovered in 1944 in the Iwagi island in the Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Since then, it has also been found in other countries, including South Africa, Russia, and the United States. Continue reading
A few years ago, one of us (Alex) went for a vacation to the Dominican Republic. The motivation was similar to millions of other tourists every year: escape the daily routine, enjoy the sun and beaches, and gather some strength to face another cold winter.
Unfortunately, a few things weren’t very conducive to a happy break. The staff at the mammoth hotel were making as little as US$1 (£0.79) for a 12-hour shift. Worse, most of them lived in a shanty town nearby. They had no sewers and no reliable electricity.
The hotel also exploited its power over local farmers to procure food exceedingly cheaply. Schools were overcrowded and many children dropped out to work in businesses like these hotels and farms, perpetuating the cycle.
July 5, 2023 /World/ — Racism is not just focused on youth, but it is true that young people are more likely to experience overt racism than adults. There are a few reasons for this. Continue reading
July 4, 2023 /World/ — Racism has a long and ugly history in the United States, and it has had a profound impact on the relationship between black youth and white authority figures. For centuries, black people have been subjected to discrimination, violence, and oppression at the hands of white people. This history of racism has created a deep distrust and resentment among many black youth, who see white authority figures as symbols of oppression. Continue reading
No, Madonna is not Tumbuka from Malawi. Tumbuka is a Bantu ethnic group that is primarily found in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. Madonna is from the United States.
Madonna adopted two children from Malawi: David Banda and Mercy James. David Banda is from the Tumbuka ethnic group. His birth parents are Yohane Banda and Patricia Kambani. They are from the village of Liphupa in the Nkhata Bay District of Malawi. Madonna adopted David in 2006. Continue reading
Piers Forster, University of Leeds
The UK’s Climate Change Committee – the official independent advisory body of which I am interim chair – has spent the past three months poring over thousands of pages of government strategy documents to inform its latest annual progress report to parliament. And our confidence in the UK meeting its climate goals is now markedly less than it was in our previous assessment a year ago. Key opportunities have been missed.
June 27, 2023 /Politics/ — Spin City was a satirical television show about a fictional New York City mayor who relied on an inept and dysfunctional cult following. The show ran for six seasons from 1996 to 2002 and was a critical and commercial success.
There are a few lessons that Zambians can learn from Spin City: Continue reading
June 26, 2023 /Politics/ — According to a 2023 report by Reuters, at least 100 members of the 117th United States Congress are direct descendants of people who were slaveholders. This includes 28 members of the Senate and 72 members of the House of Representatives.
The report found that the descendants of slaveholders are disproportionately represented in Congress, making up about 20% of the body despite comprising only about 1% of the overall population. This is likely due to the fact that many of the families who owned slaves were also wealthy and well-connected, which gave their descendants an advantage in terms of education and opportunity. Continue reading