László Toth, a Hungarian Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor, emigrates to the United States after World War II in search of a new life. After a rough start, a wealthy businessman recognises his talent and offers him a job that will change his life. This is a very brief summary of Brady Corbet’s film The...
The 2024 elections in the United States were memorable in several aspects, not least being the appearance of PolitiFi. It’s a new form of meme coin cryptocurrency inspired by internet culture and humour that is explicitly affiliated with a political candidate. Among the biggest were MAGA, supporting the Donald Trump campaign, and BODEN, linked to the...
Strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts that are directly related to a hospitality company’s core business operations and competencies can help companies create both social and business value, according to researchers in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. Led by Penn State Professor of Hospitality Management Seoki Lee, the research team developed a strategic framework to...
Alarm bells are ringing across the high-end sector. 2024 did not end as luxury brands had hoped, and the figures published by the sector’s main conglomerates painted a picture of slowdown and some signs of exhaustion during the last quarter of 2024. The weakening Asian market is one obvious cause, but consumers’ unusual reactions to...
What happened yesterday is a blur. The plate of drugs is still on the coffee table, but there’s not even a hint of a hangover. Inhibitions disappeared completely last night, and sexual pleasure seemed limitless. For many, this is the promise of chemsex, but behind the allure of freedom and fun there hides a reality...
In today’s hyper-connected world, data is often likened to oil—a valuable resource capable of fueling innovation, growth, and competitive advantage. While traditionally treated as proprietary and confidential, data is increasingly being shared openly by private sector companies to unlock new opportunities. Open data policies, where organizations make data freely accessible and reusable, are becoming a...
“It’s the birthrates. It’s the birthrates. It’s the birthrates,” echoed the introduction line in the manifesto of the Christchurch shooter who killed 51 people in a mosque in 2019. His claim was that white people are being “replaced” by other races and won’t survive without action. A few years later, the same obsession with birth...
Democrats, independents skeptical of Trump’s policies to reduce cost of care, while Republicans are optimistic Nearly half of Americans (46%) think the country is headed in the wrong direction when it comes to the incoming president’s policies to lower healthcare costs, while 31% say it’s on the right track, according to the latest West Health-Gallup...
Plant-based dairy products are a great alternative for people who avoid animal products, but manufacturers have a hard time replicating the creamy, cheesy qualities that make dairy so indulgent. Scientists from the University of Guelph in Ontario and Canadian Light Source Inc. in Saskatchewan are working to produce plant-based cheese with all the characteristics of...
Positive feedback is helpful for learning, but usually, our greatest lessons actually come from failure— and a new project at the University of Pittsburgh aims to uncover the neural mechanisms behind this phenomenon. Helen Schwerdt, assistant professor of bioengineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, received a five-year, $2.5 million R01 award from the National...
