By Piotr Cieplak, Professor of Creative Practice and Visual Cultures (Media, Arts and Humanities), University of Sussex
Stop! That! Train! is a very silly film – in the best possible way. It’s a disaster-action movie parody in the vein of The Naked Gun (1988), Hot Shots! (1991) and Airplane! (1980). In fact, Stop! That! Train!’s relationship to the latter is a little bit like a drag queen lip synching to their favourite diva’s famous belter: there’s space for interpretation, but the lyrics and the voice are pretty much set in stone.
Consequently, quite a few gags, not to mention the main narrative thrust of the plucky underdogs saving the day, are virtually lifted (with updates and variations) from…
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By Claudia Eggart, Associated Researcher, Social Anthropology, Independent Social Research Foundation
Ukraine’s campaign to target Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries has had impacts far beyond the Russian federation. For Russia, Wildberries is comparable to Amazon, accounting for about 50% of the country’s online retail market. But its market place is used by manufacturers as far afield as Central Asia.
Founded in 2004 as an online clothing retailer, it has 98,000 pick-up points and supplies a vast network connecting more than a million sellers with consumers…
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By Richard Nimijean, Associate Professor (Teaching Stream) in the School of Canadian Studies, Carleton University
Being seen as an effective crisis manager is central to Mark Carney’s political brand, but an emphasis on communication and symbolism in support of the brand can only go so far. Results matter.
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By Arun Dawson, PhD Candidate, Department of War Studies, King's College London
The UK government’s plans will prioritise drones and Ukraine is providing expertise and the opportunity to test them on a real battlefield.
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By Andrew Noble, Senior Lecturer in Employment Law, Anglia Ruskin University
Changes to zero hours contracts are designed to improve employment terms for workers. Will the cost to employers undermine the plan?
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By Manal Mohammed, Senior Lecturer, Medical Microbiology, University of Westminster
Most people recover within a week. A UK outbreak involving 207 confirmed cases offers a window into the rare route from gut illness to bloodstream infection.
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By Maria Jose Galvez Trigo, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Human-Centred Robotics and AI, Cardiff University
Paul Willis, Professor of Social Care, Cardiff University
New BBC sitcom Ann Droid imagines a near future in which robots provide care and companionship to older people at home.
The series centres on Sue, a recent widow played by Sue Johnston, her hapless son Michael and Linda, an assistive care robot played by Diane Morgan. Linda is designed to provide daily support and companionship, with predictably comic results.
As researchers in social care, ageing and human-centred…
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By James Jackson, Lecturer and Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester
Mathias Larsen, Senior Policy Fellow, Grantham Research institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science
New prime minister Andy Burnham’s to-do list just keeps growing. In many regards, he has wasted no time in setting out a vision for the government that puts clear distance between himself and his predecessor Keir Starmer. But despite this, amid a summer of record-breaking heat and devastating wildfires, he is still to say anything substantive on the climate issue.
Burnham has not articulated how this Labour government intends to achieve its climate objectives. The government’s Climate Change Committee…
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By Julie Dragon, Associate Professor, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont
Researchers found that tumours on different catfish were genetically similar, indicating the fish were catching the cancer from each other.
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By Destenie Nock, Alex Hills Career Development Associate Professor of Engineering and Public Policy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Energy is meant to improve people’s lives. Often cost prevents residents from making the most of that opportunity, so they cut back on energy use to be able to pay the bills.
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