By Christina O'Connor, Associate Professor in Marketing, University of Limerick
Dean Creevey, Assistant Professor in Marketing, School of Business, Maynooth University
Joseph Coughlan, Professor of Marketing, Maynooth University
Chanel, Christian Louboutin and Hermès are names that are synonymous with luxury, signifying elegance, craftmanship and prestige. These brands often use subtle, mysterious signals to communicate their status – things like minimalist designs or the red sole on a Louboutin shoe. Often termed “quiet luxury”, this trend is also seen in the world of high-end dining.
This approach to luxury branding is aimed at creating a desire in consumers to learn these signals. In this way, you become part of an exclusive group…
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By Sara Read, Lecturer in English, Loughborough University
With Pancake Day fast approaching, let’s go back in time to look at the history of the humble dish.
Recipes from the first published cookbooks show that in England, pancakes were made very thinly – hence the phrase “flat as a pancake” – from lots of wet ingredients that were forbidden during the impending pre-Easter Lenten Fast. Eggs, cream, butter and animal fats are all products from which people were meant to abstain, alongside all other meats.
It makes sense, then, that the dish, generally…
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By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University
Another cold snap is approaching. Some people deal with it by taking an invigorating walk outside, while others hibernate with a cozy blanket and biscuits.
But one thing seems to be common when temperatures drop: we like talking about how cold it feels. Comments such as “I am so cold, I can feel it in my bones” are a common greeting in wintertime.
So, is there any truth to this particular complaint?
In the UK, the relatively high humidity even in cold temperatures means moisture in the air moves the warm air next to our bodies away quite quickly. It also sees…
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By Manuel Suter, Postdoctoral Researcher in Ecological Economics, Lund University
Imagine someone has chronic pain. One doctor focuses on the body part that hurts and keeps trying to fix that single symptom. Another uses a more comprehensive brain-body approach and tries to understand what’s keeping the nervous system stuck in alarm mode – perhaps stress, fear of symptoms or learned triggers. Because they’re looking at the problem differently, they’ll resort to completely different treatments.
Something similar happens in environmental debates. Experts sometimes argue about which…
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By David L. Suber, Departmental Lecturer in Criminology, University of Oxford
The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, recently visited China to announce what was described as a reset in relations between London and Beijing. Among the economic and diplomatic announcements was a surprising element: a new agreement on border security.
Under the deal, the UK and China committed to closer cooperation to disrupt the supply of engines and equipment…
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By Greg Edwards, Adjunct Lecturer of English and Technical Communications, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Some people seem to be born to excel at certain activities. But having opportunities to try new things and get better at them can lead to lifelong passions.
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By Donald T. Tomaskovic-Devey, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Employment Equity, UMass Amherst
Steven Boutcher, Associate Professor of Social Science Research, UMass Amherst
In December 2025, Andrea Lucas, the chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, invited white men to file more sex- and race-based discrimination complaints against their employers.
“Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Contact the @USEEOC as soon as possible,” she wrote in a post on X.
In February…
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By David Cingranelli, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Human Rights Institute, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Skip Mark, Associate professor of political science, University of Rhode Island
Thousands of people were killed by Iranian security forces in days of protests in January 2026. Meanwhile, in the same month, the killing of two protesters in Minneapolis shone a light on the use of fatal…
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By Amnesty International
In recent months, the Egyptian authorities renewed their campaign of arbitrarily detaining and unlawfully deporting refugees and asylum seekers solely on the basis of their irregular immigration status in blatant violation of the principle of non-refoulement and Egypt’s own asylum law, Amnesty International said today. Refugees or asylum seekers registered with the UN High Commissioner […] The post Egypt: Refugees in hiding amid crackdown involving arbitrary arrests and unlawful deportations appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Prudence Nyamishana
Ideally, the law that is supposed to protect women online is the Computer Misuse Act 2011, but it has instead been used to attack feminist dissenters.
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