Friday, April 3

VIDEO REELS

The Downside Of Daylight Saving Time
SLEEP, VIDEO REELS

The Downside Of Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses. Investigations into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster revealed that key decision-makers worked on little sleep, raising concerns that fatigue impaired their judgment. Similarly, in 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in a massive environmental catastrophe. The official investigation revealed the third mate, in charge of steering the ship, was running on too little sleep, among other problems. While these specific disasters were not caused by daylight saving time, they are conclusively linked to fatigue, based on postaccident investigations and reports. They underscore the well-documented dangers of sleep deprivation and fatigue-related errors. Yet a vast body of...
Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm
SLEEP, VIDEO REELS

Why You Feel Better When Waking Yourself Instead Of Relying On An Alarm

Why do I feel better when I wake myself up instead of relying on an alarm? A neurologist explains the science of a restful night’s sleep.   Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why do I feel better rested when I wake myself up than I do if my alarm or another person wakes me up? – Calleigh H., age 11, Oklahoma We’ve all experienced this: You’re in the middle of a lovely dream. Perhaps you’re flying. As you’re soaring through the air, you meet an eagle. The eagle looks at you, opens its beak and – BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Your alarm goes off. Dream over, time to get up. Many people – kids and adults alike – notice that when they wake up naturally from sl...
Teenagers And AI Companions — What You Need To Know
PARENTING, VIDEO REELS

Teenagers And AI Companions — What You Need To Know

Teenagers Turning To AI Companions Are Redefining Love As Easy, Unconditional And Always There. Teenagers are falling in love with chatbots. Young people are reporting epidemic levels of loneliness, and some are turning to technology to fill the void. Recent tragedies provide a glimpse into the extent of this trend and the dangers it poses. A 14-year-old boy’s suicide following a romantic relationship with an AI companion raised national alarms about the dangers these relationships may pose to young people’s mental and emotional development. In 2021, a 19-year-old who had been in an emotional relationship with an AI companion broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow, saying that he was going to kill the queen. The chatbot gave encouraging responses when he told it of his intention to ...
A Black History Month Tribute: Paul Robeson – American Singer, Actor And Civil Rights Activist Became A Hero In China
AMPLIFYING DIVERSE VOICES, VIDEO REELS

A Black History Month Tribute: Paul Robeson – American Singer, Actor And Civil Rights Activist Became A Hero In China

Chinese broadcasters have aired shows featuring Paul Robeson (1898-1976), one of the most popular African American singers and actors of his era and a well-known civil rights activist, several times in recent years. China National Radio and various channels of the widely influential China Central TV showcased Robeson on programs in 2021, 2012 and 2009 narrating China’s resistence to foreign military aggressions. This could seem like unusually frequent coverage related to an American who passed away decades ago. My book, Arise, Africa! Roar, China! Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century, unpacks the little-known yet important relationship between Paul Robeson and China, which continues to resonate powerfully today. New York City meeting Robeson is long re...
Fewer Prescriptions Filled For Anxiety Medications In States With Medicinal Cannabis
MENTAL HEALTH, VIDEO REELS

Fewer Prescriptions Filled For Anxiety Medications In States With Medicinal Cannabis

With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research. In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is the key finding of my recent study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open. I am an applied policy researcher who studies the economics of risky behaviors and substance use within the United States. My collaborators and I wanted to understand how medical and recreational marijuana laws and marijuana dispensary openings have affected the rate at which patients fill prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications among people who have private medical insurance. These include: Benzodiazep...
Martha Stewart The OG influencer In Today’s Digital World
TELEVISION, VIDEO REELS

Martha Stewart The OG influencer In Today’s Digital World

Martha Stewart paved the way for influencers. But not everyone finds her brand empowering From showing us how to cook the perfect turkey to mastering the art of folding a fitted sheet, Martha Stewart’s name has long been a byword for doing things well at home – “how very ‘Martha Stewart’ of you”. New Netflix documentary, Martha, promises insights into her extraordinary life – from a teenage model to the original influencer and America’s first self-made female billionaire, with a prison stay and friendship with Snoop Dogg along the way. Behind the expertly folded linens and immaculately set tables lies something more. Martha Stewart created a brand empire that redefined the domestic lifestyle, monetised it and paved the way for others. Beginnings and barriers Stewart’s connect...
We Love The Talk Shows
TELEVISION, VIDEO REELS

We Love The Talk Shows

The talk shows we love: Dignity-crushing machines? Talk shows are not just a form of harmless entertainment where social issues are discussed. The choices made in production and by the host can harm the guests appearing on the show, particularly regarding the humiliation techniques used. In the world of academic research surrounding culture, media and entertainment, the study of talk shows has a rather humble place, informed primarily by semiology (the study of signs and their meanings), journalism studies and language sciences. In such contexts, this media genre appears innocuous, using mainly discursive strategies such as interviews or debates for the purpose of informing or entertaining the public while exploiting topics of public interest. However, placed under the lens of a prac...
Dove’s Anti-AI Stance
FASHION STYLE & BEAUTY, VIDEO REELS

Dove’s Anti-AI Stance

Dove’s latest ‘Real Beauty’ drive – and why AI will be harder to ditch than it thinks. Beauty brand Dove recently announced it would not use models generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in its advertising campaigns. But is this really an anti-AI stance or merely the marketing of “inclusive” and “realistic” AI-generated images? In other words, is Dove attempting to shape the beauty ideals AI shows consumers, rather than ditching its use entirely? Dove’s owner Unilever is one of the world’s largest multinational, fast-moving consumer goods companies. But the values of the brands it owns vary dramatically, as highlighted by legal action that Ben & Jerry’s brought against Unilever to object to its ice cream being “sold in the occupied Palestinian Territory”. The lawsuit was settled...
The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category
SELF-CARE, VIDEO REELS

The Pros And Cons Of Reclassifying Marijuana To A Less Restrictive Category

DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons. The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that it has been in since 1970 to the less restrictive Schedule III status of the Controlled Substances Act. That triggered a long process of hearings and reviews that will not be completed until after the presidential election in November. The news drew strong reactions from critics: 25 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland protesting any changes to federal marijuana laws. They argued that the decision “was not properly researched … and is merely respondin...
A Black Dandy In Paris
FASHION STYLE & BEAUTY, VIDEO REELS

A Black Dandy In Paris

Meet Paris’ black dandies, the Sapeurs. You can spot them in the streets of Paris or at fashion events in London, Milan, Brussels or Dubai. Most are black African men with sharp outfits designed and chosen to get them noticed. Known as “Sapeurs” – the name comes from the Society for Ambience and Elegance (Sape) and from French slang “se saper”, “to dress up” – these figures stand out with their offbeat and baroque sartorial style. Genesis and evolution Research by ethnologists and historians indicates that the movement was born in Central Africa, likely at the port of Bacongo, the river that separates the two Congos, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo Republic, North of the river) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo, South side). The subculture got its star...