Monday 13th May 2024

A minute's silence is fine but when it comes to violence against women, being quiet isn't enough

Editor of the feminist academic blog BroadAgenda at the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at University of Canberra., University of Canberra

Sport has a role to play in creating a culture of respect, yet women in sport are often seen as “less than” on almost every measure: salaries, sponsorship, broadcasting, leadership, access, media, coaching, officiating, uniforms and support.

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Boycotts, protests, harassment: Eurovision's future is on the line after its most controversial year yet

Every year claims to be the most controversial year in the Eurovision Song Contest’s history, but it will take a lot to beat the 68th contest.

The 2024 Eurovision contest, which took place in Malmö, Sweden, was marked by conflict, boycotts, protests, harassment and disqualification. Ironically, it was also the year the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union, chose to establish a permanent slogan: United By Music.

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NZ's big chill was an early winter warning: power should be subsidised for struggling households

I am a co-author with Mia Gray and have worked with her on a number of projects on this topic

Last week’s headlines warning of electricity shortfalls brought the issue of access to energy into (increasingly chilly) homes around the country.

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It's so hard to see a doctor right now. What are my options?

Anthony Scott is currently a member of the Strengthening Medicare Implementation Oversight Committee and the Expert Advisory Panel for the Review of General Practice Incentives and the Review of Primary Care After Hours Programs for the Department of Health and Aged Care for which he receives sitting fees. The views are those of the author and not the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Deciding whether to wait and see if your health condition improves or go to a GP can be a difficult task. You might be unsure about where to go, whom to see, how much it will cost and whether you’ll need to take time off work.

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What is the process of an athlete being 'medically retired' due to concussion?

In recent years, a growing number of professional athletes are medically retiring from sport, particularly in some of Australia’s most popular football codes.

In April, Collingwood player Nathan Murphy, 24, medically retired due to advice about his concussion history. He follows 28-year-old Angus Brayshaw as another high-profile, mid-career player who announced his retirement on medical grounds this year.

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Stressful life events can increase your risk of Alzheimer's

Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one or divorce, put a person at greater risk of developing dementia in later life, a recent study has found. But only if the stressful event happened in childhood or midlife.

They took spinal fluid samples of a subset of the group (393) to look for abnormal proteins – called amyloid and tau – that are associated with Alzheimer’s. They also looked for signs of brain inflammation, which is thought to contribute to the disease, and examined grey matter volume. Grey matter is crucial for thinking and processing information and tends to reduce in people with Alzheimer’s.

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Most people still think barristers need to sound posh, our research shows - but accent discrimination serves no one

In the UK legal system, a barrister’s job is to present formalised legal arguments in court and at tribunals. Training to become one, therefore, involves considerable focus on oral skills. It is considered important that barristers have the ability to speak “eloquently”.

This risks people thinking there is a “correct” way of speaking in order to be successful in this career. Accents, of course, play an important role here.

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Reddit's share price has held since it went public, but the firm's unique structure could be its undoing

Reddit, the social networking platform that recently floated on the stock market, saw its shares surge 15% on the back of its first-quarter financial results on May 8.

The company had actually reported a loss of US$575 million (£459 million) for the period, but this is largely attributed to the cost of the flotation and was lower than expected. More important for investor sentiment is revenues, which were up 48% on the first quarter of 2023 to US$243 million.

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Billions are spent on educational technology, but we don't know if it works

During the COVID lockdowns, schools and universities worldwide relied on education technology – edtech – to keep students learning. They used online platforms to give lessons, mark work and send feedback, used apps to teach and introduced students to programs that let them work together on projects.

In the aftermath of school closures, the market for edtech has kept on growing. The value of the sector is projected to rise to US$132.4 billion globally by 2032 (£106 billion).

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Paris, Texas at 40: how Ry Cooder's soul-stirring soundtrack tells a tale of heartache and redemption

This year marks four decades since Paris, Texas was awarded the 1984 Palme d’Or at its acclaimed Cannes debut. The film’s mystifying personae and desolate neo-western vistas have lost none of their original intrigue, thanks in large part to Ry Cooder’s iconic soundtrack – a defining showpiece by a slide guitar savant.

Recorded over three days, his music plays a pivotal mood-setting role, providing a plangent underpinning for German director Wim Wenders’ postcard renderings of Americana.

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