By Stacy Shaw, Assistant Professor of Social Science & Policy Studies, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Unwinding can be hard during the holidays for many reasons. Building in time to recharge through active leisure can help.
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By Gary W. Yohe, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University
Real skeptics study the evidence and ask questions, rather than taking political dogma on faith. Experiencing disasters can open more eyes to the risks.
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By Matthieu Caron, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History, Simon Fraser University
As cities debate how to sustain the nighttime economy while keeping residents safe, Montréal’s past reminds us that the way we govern the night determines who gets to belong in it.
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Thursday, December 18, 2025
Harrowing new details emerged on Thursday in a UN report detailing targeted sexual violence and summary executions in Sudan’s North Darfur region, attributed to paramilitary fighters who overran the city of El Fasher in late October.
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
In an extraordinary personal censure, Australia’s Jewish community effectively denied Anthony Albanese the role of being the nation’s chief public mourner in this week of national tragedy.
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By Meg Kobza, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Newcastle University
Would you dare to play Snapdragon and pluck a flaming raisin from a fiery bowl of brandy? Or don the costume of a comedic character on Twelfth Night? Jane Austen certainly would have – and did.
These games were two among many festive traditions that featured in the Georgian Christmas season and were part of Austen’s yuletide experience. Much like our own holiday season, it was a time filled with frivolity, fun, and friendly gatherings – as Mr Elton confirms in the pages of Emma…
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By Kiera Vaclavik, Professor of Children's Literature & Childhood Culture, Queen Mary University of London
Christmas can be a bit of a performance. It often involves harassed people doing a lot. But for many of us, alongside all the stressful preparations, it will include some kind of theatre visit, whether a panto, musical or ballet, such as The Nutcracker.
These days a way to escape the tyranny of digital screens, family trips to the theatre were already a tradition by the end of the 19th century. Children’s books of “the…
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By Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of Leicester
A microbiologist explains why Christmas food is riskier than we realise, and how to keep your holiday both joyful and safe.
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By Clare Anderson, Professor of Sleep and Circadian Science, University of Birmingham
Christmas disrupts sleep more than any other time of year. Here are 12 hidden culprits and how to beat them.
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By Sara Fregonese, Associate Professor of political geography, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, University of Birmingham
Paul Simpson, Associate Head of School, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth
The mass shooting during Hanukkah in Bondi Beach is a horrific reminder that contemporary terrorism can affect the places where we meet others, shop, celebrate and conduct our daily lives. However, our research suggests that what the UK public fears and assumes about terrorism threats is quite different from reality.
In 2022, we asked 5,000 people in the UK about their experiences and perceptions of terror threat and counter-terrorism…
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