Opinion – Kate Bush’s surprise revival exemplifies a shifting industry
The 1985 ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ single by Kate Bush is currently top of the UK charts, nearly four decades on from its release. It demonstrates how the current social media age allows old songs to become recontextualised for a new audience. I’m sure you’ve...
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Rebel Wilson’s coming out tainted by Hollywood homophobia
Actor Rebel Wilson recently came out on Instagram, announcing her relationship with Ramona Agruma. But what should have been a joyful milestone was tainted by threats and pressure from the media. The Sydney Morning Herald has faced backlash for its handling of Rebel Wilson’s relationship news. After sharing a sweet...
Lizzo changes lyrics to new single after backlash
The lyrics to Lizzo’s new single ‘Grrrls’ included an ableist slur at the beginning of the first verse. Fans criticised the track’s use of the word and Lizzo has now replaced the lyric in response. You’ve no doubt heard the popular single ‘About Damn Time’ from US singer Lizzo...
Rubbish bins are talking dirty to Swedish citizens to prevent littering
Don’t be startled, Swedes - there’s no one living inside your public bins. They’ve simply been fitted with recordings of women talking dirty to encourage you from putting your rubbish exactly where it’s supposed to go. I’m on the fence about whether this is totally weird or somewhat genius. To discourage...
British tourist is arrested for stealing historic Iraqi artifacts
A retired geologist from Bath, UK, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to steal historic artifacts whilst on a trip to Iraq. Jim Fitton, 66, claims he didn’t know he was breaking Iraqi law when he picked up shards of ancient pottery and placed them in...
Activist wears a month’s worth of trash as a suit
Environmental activist Rob Greenfield wore a month’s worth of his own rubbish to demonstrate how much we generate on a regular basis. It also makes for quite the fashion statement. Next time you’re taking your bins out, perhaps consider donning those discarded bags of cardboard and food waste as...
New ‘DALL-E Mini’ website sparks arty social media trend
A new open source AI application lets anyone input prompts and generate images via a database algorithm. Social media has been messing about with its tools and coming up with some truly bizarre results. The inevitable shift to algorithm-generated artwork is well under way, at least as far as surreal abstract pieces go. You may remember that we wrote about the advanced AI programme called ‘DALL-E 2’ a few...
Bees are now considered fish in California
A new court ruling has decided that some species of bee can now legally be considered fish in order to provide extra protection under the California Endangered Species Act. Consider yourself an expert on bees? Are you an academic on all things honey, hives, and bumbling? Those clued up on the iconic winged pollinators may want to brush up on their knowledge after this weekend, as a California court ruling now...
Sean Paul speaks out on climate change and social issues
You know him for his club bangers, but the Jamaican dancehall legend has had more on his mind lately. Sean Paul is speaking out on environmental issues, Jamaica’s colonial past, and dancehall’s newest Gen-Z artists. I got the right temperature fi shelter you from the storm, sings Sean Paul inside thousands of nightclubs around the world every weekend. And don’t we all wish we could live inside an early 2000’s top-charting...
Opinion – TikTok has made a joke of Depp and Heard’s sexual assault case
By making light of Amber Heard’s sexual assault allegations, viral app TikTok has shown its dark side. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial has captured the attention of press, fans, and the wider public over the past few weeks. The court case involves Depp’s attempt to sue his ex-wife for £38.7 million over a 2018 article she wrote for the Washington Post, in which she claimed Depp had been...