A Brief Look into Gender and Body
It is through a deconstruction of norms that we understand that we are born only with a distinct biological sex, and that gender seems to be a socially constructed concept imposed onto the sexes for the sake of a binary system.
How is the EU implementing strategies to favour a circular economic model?
The globally dominant economic model, the “take-make-waste” extractive industrial model, is depleting the planet’s resources and creating tonnes of waste. Is it reasonable to switch to a more sustainable “Circular Economic Model” and how is the EU doing it?
Artificial Intelligence: The cure to ‘unconquerable’ health challenges
As the use of antibiotics increases globally, a new challenge awaits mankind: the development of antibiotic resistance. Will the incorporation of modern technology into medicine help us conquer some of the most difficult health challenges in the 21st century?
Mahjong AI: The Next Level
Computers have surpassed humanity in many games like Chess. Mahjong is a very different game, which means making an AI play it optimally is a unique challenge. But in doing so, the scope of AI could change drastically.
Emotional intelligence: a conversation with our feelings
As the world turns towards new technologies, the value and importance of emotions tends to fade with time within our society. However, ironically, emotional intelligence is increasingly gaining attention and happens to be a useful tool for world leaders.
Modern Monetary Theory : Sensible or Dangerous
MMT has transitioned from academic obscurity to challenge the political and economic establishment. Is MMT imperative to revitalise economic thought or a quixotic fantasy which is radical and wrong?
Ikigai: 4 Lessons on the Japanese Philosophy of Long and Happy Life
The secret to living until 100 years old is a relatively unknown way of living life that underpins every aspect of Japan’s culture. It’s also what enables the Japanese to be amongst the happiest, healthiest and most productive people in the world.
Ekushe February: Bangladesh’s fight for its mother-tongue
Language is power. It’s divided humans for millennia and in Bangladesh, blood has been spilt for the right to speak their mother-tongue, an event which has irrevocably changed the country. Ekushe February.
High Street Flop: COVID-19 and Retailers
Rather than help, recent parliamentary insolvency countermeasures have hindered the United Kingdom’s retailers during COVID-19, creating an antagonistic and exploitative relationship between them and their landlords, and accelerating the death of the high street.
To P or NP that is the question
Computers have come a long way, most problems we encounter today are trivial to them. However, they still face challenges that would take more time than the age of the universe to solve. What’s the difference between these problems?
Why the Pandemic is So Much Worse for the Blind
Life in the pandemic has been a challenging and full of uncertainty for all. But what many don’t realize is that our new normal has been a particularly difficult adjustment for the blind. We discuss why.
Chinese Development Finance In Africa: A Blessing Or A Curse?
In recent years there has been a sharp uptick in Chinese development finance to Africa. This begs the question of whether it is something to be celebrated, or something to be wary of.
Death By Social Media
The use of social media can be likened to a double-edged sword. While users can exercise their freedom of speech and expression through these platforms, what happens when unrestrained freedom is granted?
Global Health Inequalities: Vaccines
Having pre-ordered enough COVID-19 vaccines to immunise their populaces a few times over, the world’s wealthiest countries have already administered millions of shots. But for the developing world, the wait for any doses at all could be much longer.
A traveller’s guide around London tube stations
“The veins of the heart that can take you from one point to another”. The Underground (and there TFL in general) has allowed London to grow, helped commuters to commute and has become one of the main icons in London. But what is so fascinating about the tube?
Guilty: The EU and the management of irregular migration through FRONTEX
The so-called “migration crisis” has brought about a number of tragic drownings in what has become, according to the UNHCR, “the most deadly stretch of water”, the Mediterranean. An organisation at the centre of this is the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, better known as FRONTEX.
Europe And Its Battle with History
The European Union can learn much from history in order to make the inevitable changes Europe and the world need.
A World of Englishes?: The Effects of the Global Spreading of a Language
English is being moulded by and for its users around the world as it globalises, but could this result in a different English a hundred years from now? And should this be considered a problem?
The Blurry Future of World Heritage
Beyond being divided between its cultural and lucrative aspect, our World Heritage sites are facing diverse threats that can jeopardise its existence.
Foreign Aid: Should It Be Cut?
Many countries, including the UK, are cutting their foreign aid budget due to the fiscal pressures of Covid-19. Is this the right approach, or is it fundamentally misguided?
White-Collar Crime, Money Laundering, and Risky Business
One may wonder about the intricacies of white-collar crimes such as money laundering, how it has an impact on the economy, the various means that the government uses to put a stop to it, and whether or not these means are sufficient.
The Great Engineering Practice
Have you ever wondered about the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai or the International Space Station orbiting faster than 2000 kmph above our planet’s surface?
Why Joe Biden’s Election Victory Matters For Stammerers
Although 2020 brought many struggles, one shining light was the election of Joe Biden as President. Find out why this record-breaking victory was particularly important for stutterers and why their voices, now more than ever, are worth our attention.
The Bulgarian People’s Court: Injustice Guaranteed
The Bulgarian People’s Court is one of the world’s most brutal and damaging, yet unknown, atrocities. It turned a nation brimming with a vibrant and ambitious intelligentsia, into a beaten communist satellite state, too petrified to assert its own liberty.
Microfinance: The Solution to Poverty?
Global poverty is a dilemma that has ailed economists for millennia. A possible solution has arisen in the aftermath of the Bangladesh Famine of 1974 – microfinance. Now implemented in multiple countries, is this the magic bullet we have been waiting for?
The 0, e and i in Maths: A History of Numbers
It’s natural for us to think about numbers like fractions, negatives and 0. But their existence wasn’t immediate to us. We discovered and adopted them into our number system. So how and when did we discover them, and are there any others?
Deepfakes: Two Realities
Deepfakes, like most emerging technologies, offer an exciting proposal one where we can shape the very reality we experience. But what happens when we can’t tell fiction from reality?
A Policy Paradigm or a Policy Paralysis
What seems like a blessing in the form of the government stimulus schemes could infact be a death blow. Read to find out whether the current economic measures put in place are helping you in the long term or whether they are burying your future job prospects.
The New Era of Globalisation: Plastic Pollution
Plastics are everywhere; they are in your washing machine, they flow through your tap water, they accompany urban dust and they decorate the insides of your favourite seafood. How did this come to be?
A Lifeline: Free School Meals
In October 2020, a motion to provide 1.4 million disadvantaged children in England with food vouchers during the school holidays was voted down by the UK government. However, the fight against child hunger in the UK is not a new issue.
What if Hitler Had Won?
A world under the reign of Hitler is one that is almost unimaginable, but at parts during WW2, this was a real possibility. But, what if the war was won by the Axis- how could the world have been like amongst this “uncertainty and tyranny”?
Endgame: The US Presidential Election
A global pandemic and economic crisis. Two contrasting visions of a future America. The stage is set for the most contested elections in recent US history. In an election with implications for decades to come, which of the two candidates is most compelling?
Do People Mean Everything They Say?
In a world woven from words with connections created through conversation, how much of what we hear and say is actually meant? And are we stifling our authenticity for the sake of “saving face”?
Dropping the Pretense about Women’s Representation
Our society has been conditioned to treat our women as less worthy than the men. That is shamelessly flagrant in the way we showcase them.
Feast or Famine: The BBC and Its Gender Pay Gap
The new decade has seen a renaissance for the British Broadcasting Corporation. Yet, in 2020, the BBC serves as one of the best cautionary tales of equal pay to date, one of doing too much and yet too little.
Saving the World from its Own Apocalypse
It is more than love for animals or nature, it is a question of survival. A dark future is threatening our planet, it is perhaps our chance to save it.
Job Creation and Reforestation: Pakistan’s Effort to Plant 10 Billion Trees
In 2016, PTI’s Imran Khan pledged to plant a billion trees in Pakistan’s poorest province. Now, Pakistan is on track to exceed that goal tenfold, and drastically reduce poverty while doing so. So, what did Pakistan do right, and could it be emulated elsewhere?
Greenwashing and Corporate Environmentalism
What does it mean for a product to be ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly’? Here we explore the growing trend of greenwashing, how to spot it, and how to distinguish it from genuine corporate environmental efforts.
Autonomy & Consent: Do You Know Your Rights?
Amidst a global pandemic, seeking clarification over healthcare rules is as important as ever. What actually is the law governing medical rights in the UK? What can we learn from its historical development about what the future will look like?
Black History Month: Time For Change
It is time to change our approach to Black History Month in the UK. Black history should not just be viewed or explored from the American gaze. We must ensure that a light is shone on the history of Black people in Britain and commonwealth countries too.
Why Does History Matter?
Understanding the past is extremely beneficial because it allows a constant reflection of our actions as individuals, societies, and inhabitants of this planet – and offers a guide as to how we should and should not act. The field of history allows critical insights into understanding the complexities and nuances of the world. It offers the skill of critical analysis and evaluation, since historians have to reach a judgement as to what is the most plausible justification. History is a subject that can be overlooked because of its concern with the past but its relevance is something that should be appreciated greatly.
The Change of Cities at Core
The world is constantly changing, sometimes we can only see the change after it is made. However, in regards to cities, there are some aspects that we can look through and visualize the future that is waiting for us.
Loot Boxes and Gambling
Loot boxes are a prevalent mechanic in video games and have been compared to gambling in the past. So how have countries approached this debate and are these attitudes reflected in their legislation?
Orientalism: The Western Blindspot
Edward Said stresses that we must unlearn the cultural dominative mode that is Orientalism. How does Skyfall perpetuate Western views of the East? By shedding light on the Orientalist gaze, we reveal the blindspot Western literature & media raised us with.
Journey to the Subterranean World
Before seismic waves helped us achieve a more accurate understanding of the earth’s interior structure, many turned to bizarre and imaginative theories. Let’s dive into one of these which is the Hollow Earth Theory!
Making Better Aircrafts
Over the course of the past century, commercial aviation has witnessed leaps of progress driven by both individuals to large companies. Yet, the door to further innovation remains ajar. Find out how by learning about key past and current developments.
Our Search for Meaning
When we are faced with a prolonged period of idleness, it is inevitable that we begin to question the very foundations of our belief systems. In this article, we delve into trying to answer these age old conundrums.
A Genius Surrounded by Pigs – Elon Musk’s Neuralink
Is the hype around Neuralink justified? Why should we care? The article explores the reasons why this emerging technology could be a game-changer, why we need humanity to accept this new phase in Medicine Technology and much more.
Is Impact Investing True to Its Name?
Are profit and positive externalities mutually exclusive goals for businesses? Impact investing equips businesses with the resources to make money and do good. It just comes down to whether the investment community is ready to save the future.