Latest Stories from Jamie
Is football betting becoming too normalised in the UK?
Around 700 gambling ads are visible in every Premier League match and live odds are constantly touted online. Hereβs why banning front-shirt sponsors for bookies isnβt sufficient.Β Football has become synonymous with gambling in the UK, and that is indubitably a problem.Β As someone obsessed with the beautiful game, my mind is usually preoccupied with the sporting permutations of each weekend; who is looking likely for a title run, whoβs in...
Greenpeace criminalised and forced to disband within Russia
Greenpeace has been forcibly liquidated within Russia, meaning the continuation of its activities would be illegal and put staff at risk of prosecution. The term βforeign agentβ, once synonymous with the Soviet era, is returning with worrying regularity within Russia, leaving many to believe civil freedoms are being systematically bulldozed. The latest to be branded an βundesirable organisationβ by Moscow authorities is Greenpeace, effectively forcing the ecological outfit to disband or...
Ad agencies and regulators claim era of greenwashing is over
Several major cities face stricter regulatory restrictions on annoying greenwashing tactics. Advertising agencies are being told to reconsider relationships with major polluters, and false claims of being βcarbon neutralβ and βnature positiveβ will be thwarted by marketing authorities. Everyone blags their way through professional life to some extent, right? When it comes to the future prosperity of the planet, however, we need to be sure companies are legitimately taking action. Wanting...
Abuse of Vinicius Jr renews calls to address racism in football
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr was subject to racist abuse during a La Liga tie against Valencia on Sunday. Past and present teammates have since come out in support of the 22-year-old, along with the wider football world. The beautiful game, at times, can be extremely ugly. One of footballβs most exciting starlets, Vinicius Jr, was subject to racist abuse during Real Madridβs Spanish league tie against Valencia at the Mestalla...
Meta fined a record $1.3bn for EU data transfers to the US
Meta has been hit with a record $1.3bn fine for transferring the Facebook data of EU citizens to the US despite security risks. Is Mark Zuckerbergβs burgeoning social media enterprise already reaching last-chance saloon territory? To summarise the current Meta situation in Gen Z terms, thereβs only one phrase that springs to mind: βcommon Lβ. Mark Zuckerbergβs burgeoning social media enterprise is looking more like a strange social experiment by the...
Is the upcoming bodycam shooter βUnrecordβ too true to life?
An upcoming shooter game called Unrecord aims to accurately simulate the bodycam of a tactical officer. But has its developerβs emphasis on overtly realistic mechanics, graphics, and themes created something a little too true to life? The technology available to game developers today is allowing them to create more immersive and marvellous experiences than previously thought possible. Thanks to digital toolkits such as the Unreal Engine 5, weβre able to...
Brazilβs Amazon deforestation fell by 68% in April under Lula da Silva
Taking the reins from Jair Bolsonaro in January, Lula da Silva has thus far honoured his pledge to tackle Brazilβs astronomical deforestation problem. In April, the rate of such activity was down 68% on the previous year. In the run-up to Brazilβs elections last October, several ecological experts suggested the future of the Amazon rainforest relied solely on who would become president. Jair Bolsonaroβs contentious stint of three years had brought...
Salted crops can provide cost-effective carbon capture say researchers
Cost effective carbon capture is currently a bit of a myth. But could arguably Earthβs oldest preservative, salt, provide a solution to lock atmospheric carbon deep underground? Carbon removal is now deemed essential to stay within all theoretical pathways of 1.5C warming, says the IPCCβs AR6 Synthesis Report. Depending on how effectively we transition the most pollutant industries away from fossil fuels, weβll need to actively sequester somewhere between 5...
Youth climate protesters are occupying their schools across Europe
22 institutions including schools and universities have been temporarily closed as part of a proposed two-month campaign from European students. Headed up by an eco-outfit called βEnd Fossil: Occupyβ the target and agenda are clear.Β In the fight against climate change and fossil fuel behemoths, eco-conscious students are changing tact to get their message heard.Β Weβve seen our fair share of mass school strikes since 2019, which happened to be...
Coca-Cola launches AI art contest using ChatGPT-4 and DALL-E 2
Coca-Cola is launching a competition prompting AI fans to create digital art using its iconic imagery. The best submissions will be showcased on billboards in Manhattan and London. The possibilities for generative AI are pretty much endless, and yet the assignment here is to create the coolest image possibleβ¦ featuring a cat in a space suit. Okay, Iβm being facetious. Itβs more complicated than that. Coca-Cola is inviting digital artists, or just...
