Hiu Man Chan, Cardiff University As China demonstrated its space credentials by landing a lunar probe on the far side of the moon in January 2019, a science fiction movie was hitting mainland cinemas that could also redefine China’s credentials as a maker of global cinema. The Wandering Earth, directed by Frant Gwo is the world’s highest-grossing film so far in 2019 with box office takings of almost US$700m at last count – mainly from China itself. The film is based on the novela of the same title, written in 2000 by Chinese science-fiction author Liu Cixin, about Earth’s migration…
Author: Pride Team
Esmée Hanna, Leeds Beckett University and Brendan Gough, Leeds Beckett University There has been a lot of alarm in recent years about the declining fertility rates of Western men and the potential problems this may pose. It is estimated that infertility affects one in six heterosexual couples, making it a common issue for those of reproductive age. For 40% of couples who can’t conceive, the problem lies with the man. But despite this, fertility remains something that is traditionally viewed as a “woman’s problem”, with male infertility rarely spoken about. This focus solely on women’s bodies and perspectives, often leaves…
Andrea Brady, Queen Mary University of London Last week, Claudia Rankine’s book, Citizen, won the Forward prize for Best Collection. Rankine, a Jamaican poet living in the US, was the only non-white poet on the shortlist. The list for best first book was more diverse. It may be significant that it is with this particular collection that Rankine broke through to a wider audience. Citizen – with its searing anecdotes of everyday aggression and the murder of black people by white cops, delivered in clear and remarkably restrained prose poems – reflects more directly on racism than her previous books,…
Ainsley Newson, University of Sydney The details of a surrogacy case involving an Australian couple commissioning a pregnancy in Thailand have created outrage in all sorts of quarters. But the father’s admission that he would have asked the surrogate mother to terminate her pregnancy if he’d known baby Gammy had Down syndrome didn’t cause indignation in anywhere the same scale. The notion of disability – and how we value or devalue people with it – makes many uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the screening most pregnant women choose to determine whether their child will have Down syndrome, and the terminations that result from…
Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., Monmouth University There’s an old saying, “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” In other words, before you give up, take matters into your own hands and try a little harder. As a psychology researcher, I believe this adage applies to relationships, too. Before you let go, look for the “knots” that might save you from accidentally letting a great relationship slip from your grasp. Relationship science suggests that the problem is that people tend to overemphasize the negative and underappreciate the positive when looking at their…
Roberta K. Timothy, York University, Canada “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” ― Audre Lorde (Sister Outsider) Last year at the Golden Globes, many Hollywood actors got on stage in an act of unity for #TimesUp and #MeToo. Together they wore black and, in an attempt to bring together a diverse range of women, used the word “intersectionality.” The Hollywood starlets were reflecting a current conversation within progressive and not-for-profit circles. Intersectionality has been recently used within academic fields such as psychology, human rights and political science. My field —…
We often overlook opportunities to share random acts of kindness because let’s be quite honest; everyone is sometimes too busy entangled in the own web of challenges to reach out with a hand of love to those who need it the most. And, when we see people go against the grain by going the extra mile to show kindness, we celebrate them. One of such people is our Woman Crush Wednesday, Wanja Mwaura. Wanja, a Kenyan nurse, first came into limelight for her passion to help rehabilitate drug addicts when she met her former school mate, Patrick Hinga, who became…
My beloved daughter, Rejections and failures are all parts of the game of life. To play this game, you should always be on your guard, looking beyond rejection and past failures. By doing this, you refuse to be trodden by pessimism or demotivated, instead, you take each experience as a lesson and positively look towards the future. You should get into the mindset that your experiences are for your education and growth. The only time you should look to the past is to learn lessons and chart new courses that lead to eventual successes. You should not underestimate your innate…
As the world marks the International Day of Happiness, Nigeria is ranked 85 out of 156 countries and second in sub-Saharan Africa in 2019. Nigeria’s ranking is an improvement from its 91position ranking in 2018. Finland came first as the happiest country in the world for the second year in a row, followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands. The world’s least happy country is South Sudan followed by Central African Republic, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Rwanda, Yemen, Malawi, Syria, Botswana and Haiti. The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks 156 countries…
Tawana Kupe, University of Pretoria Democracy and social progress die without science and fact-based knowledge. Science and facts are the foundational basis for rational and logical disputation and the possibility of reaching some truths. Fake news, on the other hand, is a calculated assault on democratic freedoms. The power of the notion of fake news and of its practitioners is demonstrated by how we have all quickly come to accept that there is a category of news called fake news. By doing so, we are running the real risk of being complicit in its legitimisation. My point is: if it’s…