On Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to slap steep tariffs on imports from key American trading partners – 25% on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% on imports from China. His stated reason? To curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Both Mexico and Canada managed to buy some...
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‘We Painted Our Fear, Hope and Dreams’ − Examining the Art and Artists of Guantánamo Bay
When Moath al-Alwi left Guantánamo Bay for resettlement in Oman, accompanying him on his journey was a cache of artwork he created during more than two decades of detention. Al-Alwi was detainee number “028” – an indication that he was one of the first to arrive at the U.S. military prison off Cuba after it...
Trump 2.0: the Rise of an ‘Anti-Elite’ Elite in Us Politics
US president Donald Trump is surrounded by a new cohort of politicians and officials. While one of his campaign promises was to overthrow the “corrupt elites” he accuses of flooding the American political arena, his second term in office has elevated elites chosen, above all, for their political loyalty to him. The media’s focus on...
Bauhaus and the Brutalist: The Revolutionary Immigrant Architects Whose Stories Inspired the Film
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...
Crypto Issues and Voter Outreach Energized PolitiFi Into Relevance in 2024, According to Concordia Researchers
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 Can Create Social, Economic Value
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...
How ‘Dupes’, Fast Fashion and China’s Economic Slowdown Spell Disaster for the Luxury Sector
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...
Sex, Drugs, and Total Disinhibition: What Is ‘Chemsex’, and What Are Its Risks?
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...
Unlocking Innovation: Opportunities and Benefits of Open Data for the Private Sector
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...
Elon Musk and the Narratives of Decadence That Link All Anti-Democratic Movements
“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...