Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
Maxim Rybachuk, a leading specialist at the Center for Strategic and Innovative Research at the Research Institute of Public Policy and Management of Industrial Economics at the State University of Management, has become a laureate of the Moscow Government Prize for Young Scientists for 2024.
The Moscow Government Prize Competition for Young Scientists has been held since 2013. Awards are given annually for achieving outstanding results in fundamental and applied scientific research in the field of natural, technical and humanitarian sciences, as well as for the development and implementation of new technologies, equipment, devices, equipment, materials and substances that contribute to improving the efficiency of activities in the real sector of the economy and the social sphere of the capital.
In total, over 8,000 applications were submitted for the awards during the competition, 1,332 of which were submitted this year. Awards were given to 758 young scientists, 78 of which were submitted this year.
The award was presented to the laureates by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
“We have never had so many competition applications – more than 1,300 works were submitted. And choosing you was not an easy task for us either. So these are truly well-deserved awards that you have earned with your talent, skill, and commitment to science. And of course, I hope that these awards are not the last in your life, but only the beginning of your great scientific career,” Sergei Semenovich addressed the young scientists.
The mayor also announced a decision to double the bonus, which has not been indexed since 2019. The 2024 bonuses are also planned to be recalculated taking into account the increase. At the moment, it is 2 million rubles.
A young scientist from the State University of Management, Maxim Rybachuk, received the award in the Social Sciences category for a series of nine previously published works on the topic of “Socioeconomic Ecosystems as a Core Component of the Systemic Transformation of the Russian Economy”. In his research, Maxim Aleksandrovich analyzed the landscape of the Russian ecosystem market, defined the criteria for ecosystems, key market players and their industry specifics. He assessed the impact of the development of the ecosystem structure of the economy on Russia’s GDP and put forward a number of recommendations in the field of economic policy to protect market participants from the unconstructive influence of ecosystems. In particular, it was proposed to create a national regulator that would combine functions similar to those of the FAS Russia and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in relation to the activities of ecosystems, because ecosystems are not subject to antimonopoly legislation.
We congratulate Maxim Rybachuk on receiving the prestigious award and wish him further success in his scientific work for the benefit of the Russian economy.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 02/18/2025
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Today, on January 18th, 2025, the Coop Pank AS decided to extend the term of office of Mr. Margus Rink, a Member of the Supervisory Board of Coop Liising AS a subsidiaries of Coop Pank AS, for a another 3-years term effective as of the end of his previous term.
Margus Rink has been the Chairman of the Management Board of Coop Pank AS since 2017. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of bank’s subsidiaries Coop Liising AS and Coop Kindlustusmaakler AS. Margus Rink is a member of the Council of the Estonian Banking Association and member of the management board of Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Margus Rink obtained a master’s degree in business administration from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Tartu in 2000 and a bachelor’s degree in financial accounting and analysis from the same university in 1994. Margus Rink currently owns 806 000 shares in Coop Pank and 7 subordinated bonds of Coop Pank.
Coop Pank, based on Estonian capital, is one of the five universal banks operating in Estonia. The bank has 209 500 everyday banking customers. Coop Pank uses the synergies between retail and banking and brings everyday banking services close to people’s homes. The majority shareholder of the bank is the domestic retail chain Coop Eesti, whose sales network includes 320 stores.
MISHAWAKA, Ind., Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Schurz Communications, Inc. (“Schurz”) today announced that Austin Cook has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
As CFO, Cook will oversee financial strategy and operations for Schurz. He will direct all aspects of the company’s finance organization and work with Schurz’s portfolio companies as well as the board of directors on strategic projects. Cook previously served as the CFO of Schurz’ cloud business OTAVA and has been Schurz’ interim CFO since 2024. He will remain aligned with OTAVA, delivering strategic support.
“Austin has been a part of the Schurz family for nearly six years delivering significant contributions to the leadership team,” said John Reardon, President and CEO of Schurz Communications. “Austin’s initiative, drive, and supportive mindset make him a strong leader for the business. We are thrilled to work with him in this expanded role.”
Cook is a seasoned finance leader with more than a decade of experience. He joined Schurz’ cloud service provider OTAVA in 2019 where he has held multiple finance roles, including Vice President of Finance, Controller, and most recently CFO. Prior to OTAVA, Cook served as Controller at ForeSee, where he oversaw all aspects of accounting and finance. Earlier in his career, he held other accounting roles and was an adjunct professor at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Schurz Communications is an outstanding organization with deep roots, strong financial backing, and time-honored leaders,” said Cook. “With a focus on broadband and cloud technology, Schurz has a clear vision for the future, and I am excited to be part of the team creating ongoing growth, advancement, and innovation in areas that matter most to today’s customers.”
Austin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA). He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Concordia University and an MBA in Accounting from Liberty University.
About Schurz Communications Schurz is a family-owned corporation that has been helping businesses, communities and individuals make meaningful connections for five generations. The Schurz legacy began in newspaper publishing, radio, and television, and today, the company remains committed to making information more accessible through the platforms and technology of the digital age. Schurz Communications’ recent investments include regional broadband companies and cloud managed services providers, and the company’s portfolio also includes a variety of minority investments. For more information, visit: www.schurz.com.
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Franklin Wireless Corp. (NASDAQ: FKWL) announces the appointment of Ira Greenstein to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective February 17, 2025.
“We are pleased to welcome Ira Greenstein to the Company’s Board of Directors,” said OC Kim, President and CEO of Franklin Wireless. “Ira’s extensive legal, corporate, and government experience brings a new depth of knowledge, critical skills in strategic decision-making and governance to the board.”
Mr. Greenstein is a Founding Partner of the Pierson Ferdinand LLP law firm. He previously served as Deputy Assistant and Strategist to the President during the first Trump Administration. Before his government service, he was President of IDT Corporation and Genie Energy Ltd.
Mr. Greenstein holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a Juris Doctor (JD) from Columbia University School of Law. He is currently a member of the board of Forafric Global plc. (NASDAQ: AFRI), where he serves on the Audit and Remuneration Committees.
Mr. Greenstein will be replacing Gary Nelson on the Board as Mr. Nelson has decided to resign from the Board to enjoy more time with his family.
About Franklin Access Franklin Access (NASDAQ: FKWL) specializes in integrated connectivity solutions powered by 4G LTE and 5G technologies. The company offers mobile device management (MDM), network management solutions (NMS), and innovative wireless products for the digital age. For more information, visit FranklinAccess.com.
Safe Harbor Statement Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied due to various factors.
Chinatown’s rich tradition of activism was on full display for the past two and half years, as residents and allies fiercely opposed the Philadelphia 76ers’ plans to build a basketball arena in the Market East neighborhood at the southern edge of Chinatown.
A city-sponsored community impact study found that the arena could have resulted in the “loss of Chinatown’s core identity and regional significance.” It estimated that half of the neighborhood’s small businesses would have suffered due to increased congestion, potential rent increases and a new demographic less likely to patronize the area’s ethnic businesses.
While the reason for the Sixers’ sudden decision to scrap the Market East arena plan remains unclear, the announcement in January 2025 came as a relief to Chinatown community members who felt they had averted yet another threat to their neighborhood’s existence.
I’m a historian whose research focuses on Asian Americans, cities and social movements, and I’ve seen how urban residents take the existence of Chinatowns in major cities across the country – and even globally, from London to Havana, Cuba, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – for granted. Chinatowns continue to exist and thrive thanks to the residents and allies who fight for them.
The fight over the Sixers arena was only the latest struggle in over 50 years of community organizing in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
Like other American Chinatowns, Philadelphia’s formed during an era of virulent anti-Chinese racism. The neighborhood was established in the 1870s as a refuge for immigrants fleeing the American West, where white railroad workers and miners declared “The Chinese must go!”.
Among the earliest businesses were a handful of laundries and a restaurant on the 900 block of Race Street, just north of Philadelphia’s main commercial district.
In 1923, the Bell Telephone Company purchased additional real estate along the corridor for its new high-rise building and parking lot, displacing Chinese residents. In the same decade, the city used eminent domain to demolish blocks of housing to make way for the Broad-Ridge Spur connecting the Eighth Street and Vine Street subway stations. A Philadelphia Evening Bulletin article in 1934 declared Chinatown to be “a thing of the past.”
As the city began to accommodate more car owners, Race Street was remade as a major thoroughfare to the Delaware Valley Bridge, now called the Ben Franklin Bridge. In 1926, the year the bridge was completed, the Bulletin declared that “The Delaware River Bridge has come and Chinatown must go,” echoing the xenophobic slogans that drove Chinese workers out of western states half a century earlier.
In 1966, the city proposed the expansion of Vine Street into an expressway that would have demolished large swaths of Chinatown, including the beloved Holy Redeemer church and school. Established for Chinese American Catholics in 1941, Holy Redeemer hosted neighborhood meetings and recreational events as well as religious services. The Vine Street Expressway project was one instance of the national phenomenon of urban renewal, which aimed to clear and redevelop areas designated as blighted.
These groups comprised the 1970s Save Chinatown movement. They held numerous protests, made frequent media appearances and used the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act to craft their strategy. They demanded an environmental impact statement, which, when issued in 1983, recommended a much smaller expressway than originally designed. Holy Redeemer was saved. The final plans also scrapped two off-ramps that would have cut through the neighborhood. Construction on the expressway was completed in 1991.
Resisting a prison, baseball stadium and casino
The Save Chinatown movement continued through the decades as community members successfully fought the construction of a federal prison in 1993, a baseball stadium in 2000 and a casino in 2008 – all proposed for sites in or bordering Chinatown.
“The future of Chinatown is going to be a huge battle,” activist Debbie Wei stated in a 2002 documentary released after the conclusion of the baseball stadium fight a few years earlier. “We’re going to fight it, and my children are probably going to have to fight it as well.”
‘Look Forward and Carry on the Past: Stories from Philadelphia’s Chinatown’ (2002). Debbie Wei’s reflections on the future of Chinatown begin at 25:28.
Her words were prescient. Her daughter Kaia Chau emerged as a key leader of the campaign against the Sixers arena 20 years later.
Chau co-founded Students for the Preservation of Chinatown with fellow student leader Taryn Flaherty. The group organized teach-ins, galvanized Philadelphia-area students to join protests, and highlighted arena developers’ ties to local universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. By focusing on the developers, students made connections between the arena proposal and the gentrification of West Philadelphia, including the demolition of the University City Townhomes, an affordable housing complex whose residents were mostly Black.
The movement against the Sixers arena became part of a multiracial, citywide fight against displacement. As Rev. Gregory Holston of Black Philly 4 Chinatown, part of the Save Chinatown coalition, put it: “In North Philadelphia, in West Philadelphia, in South Philadelphia, the same process is happening over and over and over again, where people are pushing and displacing people of color out of this city.”
Activists have also created new housing, educational and arts institutions to keep Chinatown a family-friendly neighborhood.
The location where the prison was planned in 1993 is now Hing Wah Yuen, a 51-unit mixed-income affordable housing complex developed by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation – the same organization that led the fight against the Vine Street Expressway in the 1970s.
The K-8 school, located in the footprint of the proposed stadium, teaches Mandarin and emphasizes art and music classes that reflect students’ cultural background.
More recently, recognizing the need for more “third places” for youth beyond home and school, student leaders Chau and Flaherty launched the Ginger Arts Center in 2024. The organization provides a recreational space and arts programs for young people in Chinatown.
The community institutions that have sprung up in the wake of defeated development projects illustrate how Chinatown is not a thing of the past, nor is it solely a food and culture destination to be consumed.
Rather, Chinatown is a thriving community that has long fought to survive, reinvent itself and determine its own future – one that carries the legacy of previous generations of resistance.
Vivian Truong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
With the recent confirmations of Tulsi Gabbardand Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – two of the most controversial of President Donald Trump’s high-level administration nominees – the president’s attempt to remake government as a home for political loyalists continues.
This unprecedented sequence of events in the U.S. has left many observers in a daze, struggling to make sense of the dramatic reshaping of the bureaucracy under way.
Yet, as researcherson authoritarianpolitics, it is no surprise to us that a leader bent on expanding his own power, such as Trump, would see the bureaucracy as a key target. Here’s why.
Elon Musk, standing next to President Donald Trump, explains his theory concerning government bureaucracy.
Dismantle democracy from within
A well-functioning bureaucracy is an organization of highly qualified civil servants who follow established rules to prevent abuses of power. Bureaucracies, in this way, are an important part of democracy that constrain executive behavior.
For this reason, aspiring strongmen are especially likely to go after them. Whether by shuffling the personnel of agencies, creating new ones, or limiting their capacity for oversight, a common tactic among power-hungry leaders is establishing control over the government’s bureaucracy. Following a failed coup attempt in 2016, for example, Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdoğan fired or detained as many as 100,000 government workers.
In the long term, this hollowing out and reshaping of the bureaucracy is part of a broader plan in which aspiring autocrats usurp control over all institutions that can constrain them, such as the legislature and the courts. As we document in our book, “The Origins of Elected Strongmen,” attacks on the bureaucracy constitute a significant step in a larger process in which elected leaders dismantle democracy from within.
Take control of bureaucracy
The seemingly bizarre series of events that have transpired in Washington since Trump came to power are highly consistent with other countries where democracy has been dismantled.
Soon after taking control, Talon created new agencies housed in the executive office and defunded existing ones, as a means of skirting bureaucratic constraints to his rule. The central affairs of the state were in the hands of an informal cabinet, initially led by Olivier Boko, a wealthy businessman considered to be Talon’s right-hand man despite not having any official position in government.
Consolidating control over the bureaucracy was just one step in a larger process of turning Benin into an autocratic state. Talon eventually amassed greater power and influence over key state institutions, such as the judiciary, and intervened in the electoral process to ensure his continued rule. By 2021, Benin could no longer be considered a democracy.
Purge civil service
A similar dynamic occurred in Hungary. After governing relatively conventionally for one term, Prime Minister Viktor Orban was defeated in elections in 2002. He blamed that outcome on unfriendly media and never accepted the results as legitimate.
As a Hungarian former politician wrote in 2016, “While the mafia state derails the bureaucratic administration, it organizes, monopolizes the channels of corruption and keeps them in order.”
Likewise in Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez had his cronies draw up a blacklist of civil servants to be purged for signing a petition in support of a referendum to determine whether Chávez should be recalled from office in 2004; government employees who signed were subsequently fired from their jobs.
More than a decade later, Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s current leader, would conduct his own purge of civil servants after they signed a petition to hold another recall referendum. After multiple rounds of government and military purges, Maduro was able to overturn an election he lost and jail his opponents, knowing full well the judges and generals would follow his orders.
Benin’s leader, Patrice Talon, consolidated control over the bureaucracy as part of a larger process of turning the country into an autocratic state. Yanick Folly/AFP via Getty Images
Foster culture of secrecy and suspicion
Orban and Chavez, like Talon, were democratically elected but went on to undermine democracy.
In environments where loyalty to the leader is prioritized over all else, and purges can happen at a moment’s notice, few people are willing to speak up about abuses of power or stand in the way of a power grab.
Fostering a culture of secrecy and mutual suspicion among government officials is intentional and serves the leader’s interests.
As a World Bank report highlighted in 1983, in President Mobutu Sese Seko’s Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo, the bureaucracy had been “privatized by the ruling clique,” creating a climate in which “fear and repression … prevented any serious threat from dissenting groups.”
When leaders gain full power over the bureaucracy, they use it to reward and punish ordinary citizens as well. This was a tried-and-true tactic under the PRI’s rule in Mexico for much of the 20th century, where citizens who supported the PRI were more likely to receive government benefits.
In short, when aspiring autocrats come to power, career bureaucrats are a common target, often replaced by unqualified loyalists who would never be hired for the position based on merit. Recent events in the U.S., as unprecedented as they may seem, are precisely what we would expect with the return of Trump, a would-be autocrat, to power.
Andrea Kendall-Taylor is affiliated with the Center for New American Security.
Joe Wright has received funding from the Charles Koch Foundation.
Erica Frantz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
STRASBURG, Va., Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First National Corporation (the “Company” or “First National”) (NASDAQ: FXNC), the bank holding company of First Bank (the “Bank”) is pleased to announce the addition of Joe Shearin as President, Greater Richmond Market. Joe will lead First Bank’s strategic efforts across Richmond, Southside Virginia, and northern North Carolina. He will be responsible for community impact and all lines of business banking and business development in the expanded footprint, following the 2024 merger with Touchstone Bank.
Joe brings over 40 years of banking experience and is retired President and CEO of Sonabank/Southern National Bancorp (formerly EVB/Eastern Virginia Bankshares). During Joe’s tenure as President and CEO of Sonabank, he successfully led the company through major economic conditions, while growing the bank from approximately $500 million in assets to over $3.4 billion when he retired.
“We are thrilled to have a banker of Joe Shearin’s experience and caliber join our team. He is a proven community leader, and with his banking expertise and knowledge of the greater Richmond and Southside Virginia communities, this is a tremendous win for First Bank,” said Scott C. Harvard, CEO of First National Corporation and First Bank. “We believe banking is a people business, and Joe is a known and trusted advisor to his clients and in the community. His experience clearly aligns with our culture and strategic commitment to growth in the Richmond region and beyond.”
Joe was appointed in 2023 by Governor Glen Youngkin as the Executive Director of the Small Business Financing Authority (VSBFA). The VSBFA is dedicated to providing essential financing programs that support businesses, not-for-profits, and economic development authorities with the financing necessary for economic growth and expansion throughout the Commonwealth. In addition, Joe is the Founder and CEO of Jamescrest Consulting Group, whose mission is to assist organizations develop strategies to help improve their efficiencies, productivity, and profitability. A graduate, and now trustee, of North Carolina Wesleyan University, Joe has served as board member for Infinex Financial Services, Virginia Bankers Association, and director and previous chairman of Virginia Association of Community Banks. Currently he is director and Chairman of the Board for Community Bankers Bank. Joe is very active in the community, serving with many non-profit organizations.
“As a long-time Prince George and Richmond area resident, I am excited about the opportunity to lead true community banking here. First Bank understands what is important to our current clients and is eager to share those values with new and existing customers,” Joe stated. “While the banking industry in the Tri-Cities market is competitive, we feel the flexibility and efficiency that First Bank provides are key aspects of how we do business and do it well. Our team is focused on delivering community banking with a personal touch and a commitment to service.”
Joe and his team stand prepared to meet the banking needs of small businesses, corporations, real estate investors, individuals, municipalities, and non-profits alike.
Harvard added, “Joe adds to already impressive roster of leadership in our growing Richmond area market. His experience fully aligns with our culture and our focus on positioning First Bank for transformational growth in greater Richmond and beyond. We are excited about the significant contributions he will bring to First Bank.”
First National Corporation (NASDAQ: FXNC) is the parent company and bank holding company of First Bank, a community bank that first opened for business in 1907 in Strasburg. The Bank offers loan and deposit products and services through its website, www.fbvirginia.com, its mobile banking platform, a network of ATMs located throughout its market area, a loan production office, a customer service center in a retirement community, and thirty-three bank branch office locations located through the Shenandoah Valley, the south-central regions of Virginia, the Roanoke Valley, the Richmond MSA, and in northern North Carolina. In addition to providing traditional banking services, the Bank operates a wealth management division under the name First Bank Wealth Management. First Bank also owns First Bank Financial Services, Inc, which owns an interest in an entity that provides title insurance services.
Restrictions on medical care for transgender youth assume that without the ability to medically transition, trans people will vanish.
As of 2024, 26 U.S. states have banned gender-affirming care for young people. Less than a month into office, President Donald Trump issued numerous executive orders targeting transgender people, including a mandate to use “sex” instead of “gender” on passports, visas and global entry cards, as well as a ban on gender-affirming care for young people. These actions foreground the upcoming Supreme Court case of U.S. vs. Skrmetti which promises to shape the future of gender-affirming health care in the U.S., including restrictions or bans.
History, however, shows that withholding health care does not make transgender people go away. Scholarship of medieval literature and historical records reveals how transgender people transitioned even without a robust medical system – instead, they changed their clothes, name and social position.
Surgery in medieval times
Surgery was not a widespread practice in the medieval period. While it gained some traction in the 1300s, surgery was limited to southern France and northern Italy. Even there, surgery was dangerous and the risk of infection high.
Cutting off fleshy bits is an old practice and, potential dangers aside, removing a penis or breasts wasn’t impossible. But amputating functioning limbs was nearly always a form of punishment. Medieval people, including surgeons and patients, likely would not have had positive views of surgery that involved removing working body parts.
Illustration from a Latin translation of Albucasis’ Chirurgia, depicting surgical instruments. Wellcome Collection
Surgeons in the 14th century were increasingly thinking about how to perform surgery on those with both male and female genitalia – people now called intersex. But they thought about this in terms of “correcting” genitalia to make it more apparently male or female – an attitude still present today. Historically, the procedure was probably performed on adults, but today it is usually performed on children. Both then and now, the surgery often disregards the patient’s wishes and is not medically necessary, at times leading to complications later. For patients deemed female, excess flesh could be cut away, and for patients deemed male, the vulva could be cauterized to close it.
There is, however, at least one historical example of a transgender individual receiving surgery. In 1300, near Bern, Switzerland, an unnamed woman was legally separated from her husband because she was unable to have sex with him. Soon after, the woman headed to Bologna, which was the surgery capital of Europe at the time. There, a surgeon cut open the woman’s vulva, revealing a penis and testicles. The account ends, “Back home, he took a wife, did rural work, and had legitimate and sufficient intercourse with his wife.”
The story presents the possibility of medical transition, possibly even a desire for it. But given the limits of surgical techniques and ideologies at the time, these forms of medical transition were unlikely to be common.
Transitioning without medicine
To transition without medicine, medieval transgender people relied on changes they could make themselves. They cut their hair, put on different clothes, changed their names, and found new places in society.
In 1388, a young woman named Catherine in Rottweil, Germany, “put on men’s clothes, declared herself to be a man, and called herself John.” John went on to marry a woman and later developed breasts. This caused some initial consternation – the city council of Rottweil sent John and his wife to court. However, the court did not see breasts as inhibiting John’s masculinity and the couple went home without facing any charges.
In 1395, a transgender woman named Eleanor Rykener appeared before a court in London, England, after she was caught working as a prostitute. The court clerk wrote “that a certain Anna … first taught [her] to practice this detestable vice in the manner of a woman. [She] further said that a certain Elizabeth Bronderer first dressed [her] in women’s clothing” and later she took on work as an embroideress and tapster, a sort of bartender. The account is Rykener’s own, but the court clerk editorialized it, notably adding the phrase “detestable vice” in reference to prostitution.
Rykener’s account reveals that there were a number of people interested in helping her transition – people who helped her dress, taught her how to behave, provided her employment and supported her choice of a new name. Community was a more important part of her transition than transforming her body. Based on the record, she apparently did not make an effort to create breasts.
Another account appeared in 1355 in Venice, Italy, concerning Rolandina Ronchaia. While John declared himself male, and Rykener was very active in her transition, Ronchaia’s transition was spurred on by the perceptions of others. She argued that she had always had a “feminine face, voice and gestures,” and was often mistaken for a woman. She also had breasts, “in women’s fashion.” One night, a man came to have sex with her, and Ronchaia, “wishing to connect like a woman, hid [her] own penis and took the man’s penis.” After that, she moved to Venice, where, although she continued to wear men’s clothes, she was still perceived as a woman.
Ronchaia’s account is unique because it emphasizes her body and her desire to change it by hiding her penis. But this was still a matter of what she herself could do to express her gender, rather than a medical transition.
A long transgender history
The accounts of medieval transgender individuals are limited – not only in number but in length. A lot of things did not get written down, and people were not talking about transgender people the way we are now.
Historical accounts of transgender individuals are almost always in court records, which reflect the concerns of the court more clearly than the concerns of its subjects. The court was especially worried about sexual activity between men, which both overemphasizes the importance of sex in medieval transgender people’s lives and often obscures that these accounts are even about transgender people. Eleanor Ryekener’s account frequently misgenders her and refers to her as “John.”
But it’s clear that transgender people existed in the medieval period, even when medical care was unavailable to them.
It is also the case that many of these individuals – Rykener is a likely exception – were probably intersex, and their experience would be different from those who were not. Intersex people were legally recognized and allowed some leeway if they chose to transition as an adult. This is starkly apparent in an account from Lille, France, in 1458, where a transgender woman was accused of sodomy and burned at the stake. She claimed “to have both sexes,” but the account says this was not the case. While being demonstrably intersex may not have saved her, that she claimed she was is telling.
Gender transition has a long history, going even further back than the medieval period. Then as now, the local community played a vital role in aiding an individual’s transition. Unlike the medieval period, most modern societies have far greater access to medical care. Despite current restrictions, transgender people have far more options for transition than they once did.
Medieval modes of transitioning are not a solution to current denials of medical care. But medieval transgender lives do illuminate that transgender people will not vanish even when the legal and medical systems strive to erase them.
Sarah Barringer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Understanding the relationship between humans and the ocean is crucial for making informed and effective decisions that will shape the future of our ocean. With this in mind, achieving lasting global progress in ocean protection requires prioritising ocean literacy.
Right now, there is a disconnect between young peoples’ recognition of the ocean’s vital role in climate change, and the measures required to protect and restore it.
My work as a marine social scientist focuses on ocean literacy. For me, knowledge is one of the most powerful tools to incite the action needed to save ocean health. The development of ocean literacy, through a range of education and engagement initiatives worldwide that embrace different types of knowledge, must be better prioritised.
Only then can we equip young people with what they need to protect our ocean and to know who to hold accountable for its health.
The ocean — stretching past the horizon, beneath the surface, and into the depths — remains largely out of sight, out of mind. But what happens within it affects us. Fostering stronger ocean literacy across society can help us mend this disconnect.
Ocean literacy is defined as “having an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean”. While not a new concept, ocean literacy has gained increasing popularity in recent years, partly due to its inclusion as a potential mechanism for change within the UN Ocean Decade, launched in January 2021.
Young people must be central in efforts to restore ocean literacy across society. It is essential for them to understand the challenges facing the ocean, recognise who is responsible for addressing them, and advocate for more action. Enhancing ocean literacy among this generation encourages a greater appreciation of the ocean’s critical role in our daily lives, now and in the future.
According to a recent global study engaging 3,500 young people from across 35 countries, a large percentage of young people express concern about the ocean’s health.
It highlights that 53% of young people believe that the ocean can protect us from climate change, yet 61% place a higher priority on protecting forests, tackling air pollution and freshwater scarcity. This shows that young people around the world have low ocean literacy.
This echoes a growing number of national ocean literacy assessments. In 2022, a study of ocean literacy in Wales found that although 84% of people indicated that protecting the marine environment was important to them, 40% felt that their lifestyle had no impact on the sea at all. This highlights a concerning level of disconnect and lack of ocean literacy that could undermine our ability to tackle urgent challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution.
Swimming, sailing, even just building a sandcastle – the ocean benefits our physical and mental wellbeing. Curious about how a strong coastal connection helps drive marine conservation, scientists are diving in to investigate the power of blue health. This article is part of a series, Vitamin Sea, exploring how the ocean can be enhanced by our interaction with it.
It’s all about accountability
This is not a blame game. However, accountability ensures that governments, industries and people take responsibility for their role in ocean health, driving the transparency and action needed for meaningful education and engagement.
The Back to Blue study found that while half (50%) of young people surveyed were concerned about ocean pollution, very few (17%) wanted increased responsibility from corporations and businesses.
That study, which I advised on, also reveals that young people have high expectations of governments, conservation charities and local communities. Almost half (46%) said that governments should take stronger action to protect ocean health. Yet, expectations of the private sector – some of the biggest ocean polluters – were very low. Young people are misunderstanding where accountability for ocean pollution and the decline in ocean health lies.
The lack of accountability slows progress and perpetuates a cycle of ocean neglect. But, engaging young people in ocean issues will empower them to demand more action and help develop effective solutions.
In some places, ocean literacy is more embedded into students’ learning. More than 500 certified European blue schools are part of the Network of European Blue Schools. And the All-Atlantic Blue Schools Network has established ocean literacy projects and blue school ambassadors in schools in 16 countries, from Angola to the US.
Education can help to engage young people. But only if education systems worldwide integrate ocean literacy from a young age and across all subject areas.
By prioritising ocean literacy, we can empower young people to become informed stewards of the ocean, ensuring that they are not only aware of its vital role in our daily lives but also actively involved in changing the tide.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Emma McKinley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Thirteen million people across the UK sat down to watch a brand new soap opera that burst onto their screens on February 19 1985. The first character to speak on EastEnders was Dirty Den, as he came to be known, played by Leslie Grantham. Breaking into a dingy flat with fellow characters Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher) and Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih), Den uttered the words “Stinks in ‘ere, dunnit?”, before discovering the elderly Reg Cox (Johnnie Clayton) close to death.
Up until this point, the BBC had not had much luck with the continuing serial drama, or soap opera, format. Its first serial, The Grove Family, ran for only three years between 1954 and 1957, for instance. Although The Archers had been running since 1951 on Radio 4, and the Welsh-language soap opera, Pobol y Cwm, began in 1974 (and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary), the BBC lacked anything comparable to ITV’s Coronation Street.
Launched in 1960, Coronation Street demonstrated that there was a public appetite for drama which focused on the everyday lives of ordinary people. ITV’s second soap success, Crossroads which ran between 1964 and 1988, and later between 2001 and 2003, underlined that point, as did Emmerdale Farm, which was launched in 1972, becoming just Emmerdale in 1989.
When Channel 4 launched with a gritty, realist soap opera, Brookside, in November 1982, the BBC had to respond. With that channel’s extra competition, and cable and satellite television being discussed as the next big thing, the BBC’s audience share was in danger of decreasing to the point where people may have questioned the justification for the licence fee.
And so EastEnders was born and became an immediate success. Over the years it’s had its ups and downs in terms of viewing figures, but has still endured. So, in a broadcasting landscape where there is now so much competition from streaming services and a variety of platforms from which we can now engage with “content” (“programme” can feel like an old-fashioned word now), how has the serial retained it popularity?
Realism meets melodrama
Part of the answer lies in the ways in which soap operas are constructed. They focus on people and peoples’ relationships with each other. This gives us the audience an immediate connection. We can all relate to one or more characters. We are given an insight into their family lives, their work, their feelings and emotions.
Drama can entertain and provide escapism. At the same time, it can prick the conscience and stir the soul. It can deal with complex ideas and flights of fancy, gritty social issues and controversial topics. It has the ability to both engage and alienate audiences and provoke wider public debate. EastEnders has done all of these things.
Soap operas can also run multiple storylines that overlap. This means that if one story ends – such as a character leaving, or a conflict being resolved – there are other stories to carry the audience along, while new storylines are developed.
Another characteristic of soap operas is that they aim to balance realism with just the right amount of melodrama. Those of us who remember the early years of EastEnders will recall Christmas day 1986 when more than 30 million viewers tuned in to see Dirty Den hand divorce papers to wife Angie (Anita Dobson) after discovering she had been faking a terminal illness.
Dirty Den hands Angie divorce papers on Christmas Day 1986.
And, of course, any successful soap opera like EastEnders requires a team of skilled writers and believable characters. Such was the popularity of characters like Dirty Den that the BBC brought him back from the dead in 2003 after an absence of 14 years in a bid to halt declining viewing figures. Den did eventually die “properly” to mark the 20th anniversary on February 18 2005. And 13 million people watched as his wife, Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman), dealt the fatal blow.
Grit, grime and real life
EastEnders has not shied away from gritty or social-realist storylines.
Communications scholar Anthony McNicholas has described EastEnders as a “public service soap opera”, by which he means that the stories featured often reflect values and issues in contemporary society.
Some of the early storylines revolved around teenage pregnancy, rape and drug-taking. There were characters who had HIV/Aids at the time the subject was being widely discussed in the UK.
Baddie Janine pushes husband Barry off a cliff in a famous scene from New Year’s Day 2004.
The soap has also dealt with domestic abuse. It worked closely with the charity Women’s Aid on a domestic abuse story in 2020. This prompted the domestic abuse charity, Refuge, to praise the soap for drawing the issue to peoples’ attention. It noted that EastEnders had done a great job reflecting on screen what is a horrific reality for so many families.
Dealing with controversial yet realistic storylines has sometimes led to the programme coming into conflict with the regulator, Ofcom, for broadcasting certain harrowing scenes before the 9.00pm watershed.
As EastEnders reaches middle age, there’s no sign of it slowing down. The anniversary promises to be eventful and engaging, featuring a live episode. And there will always be a place for relatable storylines, drama, passion and characters that we can love and hate. Happy Birthday EastEnders and here’s to the next 40 years.
Jamie Medhurst has received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), British Academy, and The Leverhulme Trust.
Absolute pitch has long been viewed as a kind of musical superpower. It refers to the ability to identify or produce a tone, like an A or a C-sharp, without any provided reference point.
With only 12 possible answers, naming the pitch of a tone may seem easy. However, it is somehow incredibly difficult for most musicians, including the professionally trained ones.
Adding to this mystery, for gifted musicians and composers such as Mozart, Chopin, and Beethoven, absolute pitch can feel as intuitive as recognising the colour red, reinforcing the widespread belief that absolute pitch – also referred to by many people as perfect pitch – is a rare, exceptional talent.
For decades, many scientists and musicians believed that you either had absolute pitch – or you didn’t. If you are not the lucky ones who carry special genes and have started musical training during early childhood, you were thought to have missed the opportunity entirely. Our new research, however, suggests this isn’t actually true.
Our research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that absolute pitch remains a learnable skill in adulthood – many adults can train their way to levels of performance comparable to individuals who naturally possess this skill in everyday life.
Intense training
To help adults progressively learn to identify tones, our research team designed an eight-week online training programme. On average, 12 musicians dedicated 21 hours and completed over 15,000 pitch naming exercises. These involved hearing a piano or guitar note (within three octaves) for 800 milliseconds and having to name it within a certain amount of time. The participants had to complete 25 hours of training online over eight weeks. The training included a total of 288 training levels, with 24 levels for each additional pitch.
The training required really hard work – participants did not only learn to name the tones accurately, but also very quickly. Over time, the difficulty ramped up as more tones were introduced, and the time allowed for response was further tightened.
We carefully avoided common pitfalls in previous studies. By including a wide range of tones, we ensured that they learned to identify the pitch class – the fundamental quality that makes a note sound like a C, D or E, regardless of whether the tone sounds high or low.
This approach truly captures the essence of absolute pitch. We eliminated feedback during testing, so participants could not rely on their working memory as a crutch. To rule out “lucky guessing,” we required participants to repeatedly demonstrate their abilities with strict criteria for success.
Effort vs talent
By the end of the training, participants had made remarkable progress. On average, they could correctly identify more than seven musical notes almost every time, taking as little as one or two seconds to respond. Their ability to identify the correct notes more than doubled.
Even when they made mistakes, their responses got 43% closer to the correct answer. These impressive gains were also found for notes they hadn’t been specifically trained to recognise, suggesting they were learning something deeper about pitch perception.
Notably, two participants mastered all 12 pitches with performance comparable to that of possessors of absolute pitch in the real world.
What made learning absolute pitch in adulthood possible now, given a century of unconvincing findings? The human brain and perceptual systems are highly adaptable, and this holds well into adulthood. Through practice and feedback, adults can improve their ability to recognise and distinguish sensory inputs, such as visual patterns and speech sounds.
Our training takes advantage of this amazing potential of the human perceptual system to learn. What we have done differently from previous efforts was ultimately that we designed an effective learning experience, including the right learning materials, effective feedback and changes in difficulty for each learner – all while making it fun.
Together with motivated learners, learning absolute pitch in adulthood was made possible.
Music training and beyond
The fact that absolute pitch was previously thought to be locked behind a genetic lottery or early musical exposure has sadly discouraged countless musicians and music educators from learning or teaching it.
Our findings offer an encouraging counter-narrative – absolute pitch is not just for the lucky few. With a well-designed learning tool, it is a skill that many adults can cultivate.
More broadly, our findings demonstrate how science can challenge deep-rooted assumptions about human abilities. Instead of being fixed by biology or early experiences, many skills can still be developed and improved well into adulthood.
This shift in understanding could inspire us to adopt a growth mindset, showing that it is never too late to learn and improve, no matter what you think might hold you back.
So, if you have ever dreamed of identifying musical notes like a virtuoso, it is not too late to work on it now.
Yetta Kwailing Wong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Editors deployed AI to make the Hungarian dialogue in ‘The Brutalist’ sound more authentic.A24/TNS
The 2025 slate of Oscar nominees recognizes many writers, directors and actors whose scripts and performances don’t necessarily reflect their own cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, both white, co-wrote “Sing Sing,” a story about rehabilitation through art in a maximum security prison where the characters are almost entirely people of color.
Meg LeFauve has now earned her second nomination for penning a script that gives voice the gamut of emotions surging through a young girl in “Inside Out 2.” She’s in her 50s.
The director of “Conclave,” Edward Berger, its writer, Peter Straughan, and its lead actor, Ralph Fiennes, are all self-proclaimedlapsed Catholics. Yet they brought to life a political thriller set in the Vatican.
“The Brutalist” was written entirely in English, but much of the film’s dialogue is in Hungarian, with two leads who are not native Hungarian speakers.
Most screenwriters endeavor to craft characters outside their own backgrounds and experiences. But concerns about authentic language representation and cultural accuracy persist, and accusations of cultural appropriation and lazy research are commonplace.
“Emilia Pérez,” for example, has been heavily criticized not only for unrealistic portrayals of gender transition but also for inauthentic depictions of Mexican culture and accents.
The film’s director, Jacques Audiard, has even claimed his lack of knowledge of Spanish has been an artistic benefit. He says it gives him “a quality of detachment” to emphasize “emotion” rather than “focus too strongly on the accent, the punctuation.”
His lack of interest in precise depictions of language and culture contrasts sharply with our recent research, which shows ample interest from practicing screenwriters in accurately representing dialects and accents in scripts.
Wanting to get it right
We surveyed over 50 current members of the Writers Guild of America, and they broadly told us that sensitivity to linguistic representation has increased since the 2010s.
Several commented that there’s been more commitment to hiring writers who represent the characters’ voices and backgrounds. There’s also more “freedom to include diverse characters and worlds… but a commensurate emphasis on authenticity and a higher bar for what that means,” as one writer explained.
“Authenticity” was consistently cited in our survey as a principal consideration when writing dialogue. Other concerns included scripts’ intelligibility, historical accuracy and believability.
In most cases, screenwriters aspire to write dialogue that sounds authentic. But it’s not easy – and often requires collaboration to get it right. Writers noted how they’ll adjust their dialogue based on production needs, such as budgetary concerns, input from actors and directors, and feedback from dialect coaches and historical consultants.
For example, spec scripts – or noncommissioned film scripts – are written before any casting or production decisions are made. The dialogue in these scripts will likely change once actors and other creatives are attached to the project.
Recipes for capturing linguistic nuance
In our study, we also reviewed screenwriting manuals published as far back as 1946.
Manuals didn’t begin to raise explicit ethical concerns, such as the use of inaccurate linguistic stereotypes in dialogue, until the 1980s. For example, many older films, such as “Gone with the Wind,” often used phonetic spelling in their scripts, with features such as g-dropping – “quittin’” for “quitting” – to mark only the speech of lower-class or racially marginalized characters, despite the fact that all people, regardless of background, have accents.
Writing in heavy phonetics is generally discouraged in modern screenwriting.
There are practical reasons for this. Scripts are read before they’re seen and therefore must first appeal to the not so general audience of executives who buy them. As one writer explained, “My script is targeted towards them.”
Take “Trainspotting.” Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel about a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh was written with heavy phonetics to capture the characters’ Scottish dialect: “ah wouldnae git tae watch it.” But the screenplay uses lines without phonetics, such as, “I wouldn’t have bothered.”
In this respect, there’s a notable difference in novels and their respective adaptations. One surveyed writer avoids dialectal markers and will “default to standard American English unless there is a reason not to.”
That doesn’t mean the actors in “Trainspotting” should speak in an American English accent. Instead, screenwriters might simply indicate the use of language and dialect when describing the scene in a script or, as one surveyed screenwriter explained, “make a note in the parenthetical that ‘Brynn speaks with a heavy West Virginia accent’” to flag the work that “the actor, dialogue coach, and writer will need to do together.”
This method is employed in “The Brutalist.” The film is partly in Hungarian, but writer and director Brady Corbet and his Norwegian co-writer, Mona Fastvold, wrote the Hungarian dialogue in standard English. They then used parentheticals to indicate any non-English delivery of dialogue. The film’s stars, Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, worked with a dialect coach to hone their accents.
“Anora,” which tells the story of an exotic dancer in a whirlwind romance, features characters who speak Russian, Armenian and English with varying degrees of fluency. Even though the characters frequently switch between these languages, the entire script is in unbroken English. Code-switching is simply marked with “Russian,” “Armenian” or “English” in the script before a piece of dialogue.
‘Anora’ featured characters who switched between Russian, Armenian and English.
But limiting oneself to standard U.S. English restricts diversity in the written dialogue itself. Some writers may want to use dialect or language to convey character authenticity on the page.
Our survey respondents described this as “flavor” – the strategic use of dialectal words or phrases to create distinct voices, with limited phonetics. Jesse Eisenberg, in his Oscar-nominated script “A Real Pain,” lightly blends American English with occasional Yiddish words to great effect: “… landed in Galveston for some fakakta reason,” or “crazy” reason.
AI chimes in
Attempts at authenticity can become muddied when AI gets involved.
But the film’s creators, including editor and native Hungarian speaker Dávid Jancsó, defended this choice. They argued the technology actually enhanced the language’s authenticity, particularly since Hungarian’s system of vowels and consonants is especially hard for nonnative speakers to capture accurately.
Whether writers use phonetics or standard language, and whether producers use AI or dialect coaches, questions of ethics and linguistic authenticity will remain. It’s important to research language choices and dialogue, and to consult the diverse speakers portrayed in scripts.
These are among the many essential checks and balances that are becoming bigger parts of the filmmaking process.
Mitchell Olson is affiliated with Carter Stanton, Creative Executive at Brookstreet Pictures, which was a co-producer of “The Brutalist.” He’s also an acquaintance of Meg LeFauve. He has no stake in the performance of their work outside of having professional relationships.
Chris C. Palmer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
One of President Donald Trump’s major promises during the 2024 presidential campaign was to launch mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has said that, since January 2025, it is detaining and planning to deport 600 to 1,100 immigrantsa day. That marks an increase from the average 282 immigration arrests that happened each day in September 2024 under the Biden administration.
The current trend would place the Trump administration on track to apprehend 25,000 immigrants in Trump’s first month in office. On an annual basis, this is about 300,000 – far from the “millions and millions” of immigrants Trump promised to deport.
A lack of funding, immigration officers, immigration detention centers and other resources has reportedly impeded the administration’s deportation work.
The Trump administration is seeking US$175 billion from Congress to use for the next four years on immigration enforcement, Axios reported on Feb. 11, 2025.
One important factor is that mass deportations would weaken key industries in the U.S. that rely on immigrant workers, including those living in the U.S. illegally.
Overall, immigrants without legal authorization make up about 5% of the total U.S. workforce.
Some of these immigrant farmworkers are skilled supervisors who make decisions about planting and harvesting. Others know how to use and maintain tractors, loaders, diggers, rakers, fertilizer sprayers, irrigation systems, and other machines crucial to farm operations.
With fewer available workers to pick fruits and vegetables and prepare the food for shipment and distribution, the domestic production of food could decrease, leading to higher costs and more imports.
Past state-level immigration enforcement policies offer an idea of what could happen at the national level if Trump were to carry out widespread deportations.
For example, a 2011 Alabama law called HB-56 directed local police officers to investigate the immigration status of drivers stopped for speeding. It also prohibited landlords from renting properties to immigrants who do not have legal authorization to work or live in the country. That law and its resulting effects prompted some Alabama-based immigrant workers to leave the state following workplace raids.
Their departure wound up costing the state an estimated $2.3 billion to $10.8 billion loss in Alabama’s annual gross domestic product due to the loss of workers and economic output.
Other industries that rely on immigrants
Part of the challenge of mass deportations for industries like construction, nearly a quarter of whose workers are living without legal authorization, is that their workforce is highly skilled and not easily replaced. Immigrant workers are particularly involved in home construction and specialize in such tasks as ceiling and flooring installation as well as roofing and drywall work.
Shocks from deportations would also slow commercial and public infrastructure construction. Six construction workers, for example, died in April 2024 in the sudden collapse of the Baltimore Key Bridge in Maryland. All of them were Latino immigrants living in the U.S. without legal documentation.
Examining the arguments
Trump administration officials and other politicians have argued that deporting large numbers of immigrants would help the country save money, since fewer people will use federal and state funds by attending public schools or receiving temporary shelter.
Trump said in November 2024 that there is “no price tag” for large-scale deportations.
“It’s not a question of price tag,” Trump said. “We have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here,” Trump told NBC News.
Trump and his supporters also argue that deporting immigrants would mean more jobs for American workers.
Second, for employers, having fewer workers in the country translates into higher wages, which in turn means less capital to adapt and grow. For businesses based on consumer debt – think mortgages, car loans and credit cards – deportations would disrupt the financial sector by removing responsible borrowers who make consistent payments.
In other words, people who are living and working in the U.S. without legal authorization are helping to pay, through taxes, the costs of caring for Americans as they age and begin to draw on the nation’s retirement and health care programs.
The burden from recent inflation notwithstanding, an economy supported by immigrants living illegally in the U.S. protects Americans.
The U.S. would be unable to dodge the economic shocks and high costs that mass deportations would bring about.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Astrainedpharmacists who advocate for and take care of patients in community settings, we’ve witnessed this decline firsthand. The loss of local pharmacies threatens individual and community access to medications, pharmacist expertise and essential public health resources.
The changing role of pharmacies
Community pharmacies – which include independently owned, corporate-chain and other retail pharmacies in neighborhood settings – have changed a lot over the past decades. What once were simple medication pickup points have evolved into hubs for health and wellness. Beyond dispensing prescriptions, pharmacists today provide vaccinations, testing and treatment for infectious diseases, access to hormonal birth control and other clinical services they’re empowered to provide by federal and state laws.
Given their importance, then, why have so many community pharmacies been closing?
There are many reasons, but the most important is reduced reimbursement for prescription drugs. Most community pharmacies operate under a business model centered on dispensing medications that relies on insurer reimbursements and cash payments from patients. Minor revenue comes from front-end sales of over-the-counter products and other items.
And it’s not just mom-and-pop operations feeling the pinch. Over the past four years, the three largest pharmacy chains have announced plans to close hundreds of stores nationwide. CVS kicked off the trend in 2021 by announcing plans to close 900 pharmacy locations. In late 2023, Rite Aid said that thousands of its stores would be at risk for closure due to bankruptcy. And late in 2024, Walgreens announced its plans to close 1,200 stores over the next three years.
So if your neighborhood pharmacy closes, what should you do?
While convenience and location matter, you might want to consider other factors that can help you meet your health care needs. For example, some pharmacies have staff who speak your native language, independent pharmacy business owners may be active in your community, and many locations offer over-the-counter products like hormonal contraception, the overdose-reversal drug naloxone and hearing aids.
You may also consider locations – especially corporate-owned pharmacies – that also offer urgent care or primary care services. In addition, most pharmacies offer vaccinations, and some offer test-and-treat services for infectious diseases, diabetes education and help with quitting smoking.
What to ask if your pharmacy closes
If your preferred pharmacy closes and you need to find another one, keep the following questions in mind:
• What will happen to your old prescriptions? When a pharmacy closes, another pharmacy may buy its prescriptions. Ask your pharmacist if your prescriptions will be automatically transferred to a nearby pharmacy, and when this will occur.
• What’s the staffing situation like at other pharmacies? This is an important factor in choosing a new pharmacy. What are the wait times? Can the team accommodate special situations like emergency refills or early refills before vacations? Does the pharmacist have a relationship with your primary care physician and your other prescribers?
• Which pharmacies accept your insurance? A simple call to your insurer can help you understand where your prescriptions are covered at the lowest cost. And if you take a medication that’s not covered by insurance, or if you’re uninsured, you should ask if the pharmacy can help you by offering member pricing or manufacturer coupons and discounts.
• What are your accessibility needs? Pharmacies often offer services to make your care more accessible and convenient. These may include medication packaging services, drive-thru windows and home delivery. And if you’re considering switching to a mail-order pharmacy, you should ask if it has a pharmacist to answer questions by phone or during telehealth visits.
Remember that it’s best to have all your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy chain or location so that your pharmacist can perform a safety check with your complete medication list. Drug interactions can be dangerous.
Community pharmacies have been staples of neighborhoods for more than a century. Unfortunately, current trends in pharmacy closures pose real threats to public health. We hope lawmakers address the underlying systemic issues so more Americans don’t lose access to their medications, health services and pharmacists.
Lucas A. Berenbrok is part owner of the consulting company, Embarx, LLC. He receives funding from the American Pharmacists Association.
Michael Murphy consults to the American Pharmacists Association.
Sophia Herbert has received funding from the Community Pharmacy Foundation.
The dramatic images of wealthy neighborhoods burning during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires captured global attention, but the damage was much more widespread. Many working-class families lost their homes, businesses and jobs. In all, more than 16,000 structures – most of them homes – were destroyed, leaving thousands of people displaced.
The shock of this catastrophic loss has been reverberating across Southern California, driving up demand for rental homes and prices in an already unaffordable and competitive housing market. Many residents now face rebuilding costs that are expected to skyrocket.
Climate-related disasters like this often have deep roots in policies and practices that overlook growing risks. In the Los Angeles area, those risks are now impossible to ignore.
As the region starts to recover, communities have an opportunity to rebuild in better ways that can protect neighborhoods against a riskier future – but at the same time don’t price out low-income residents.
Sisters Emilee and Natalee De Santiago sit on the front porch of what remains of their home after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., in January 2025. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
My research at the University of San Diego focuses on managing risk in the face of climate change. I see several ways to design solutions that help low- and moderate-income residents recover while building a safer community for the future.
Better building policies that recognize future risk
Before a disaster, communities trying to adapt to climate change often prioritize protecting high-risk, high-value property, such as a beachfront or hillside neighborhood with wealthy homes. My own research also shows a trend toward incremental climate adaptations that don’t disturb the status quo too much and, as a result, leave many risks unaddressed.
Climate risks are often underestimated, in part because of policy limitations and a political reluctance to consider unpopular solutions, such as restricting where people can build. Yet, disasters once considered unimaginable, such as the Los Angeles wildfires, are occurring with increasing frequency.
An aerial view shows the devastation left by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles in January 2025. Homes in the hills can be at the highest fire risk during dry weather and strong winds. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
Making communities safer from these risks requires communitywide efforts. And that can mean making difficult decisions.
California already has some of the strictest wildfire-prevention codes in the country, but the same rules for new homes don’t apply to older homes. Communities can invest in programs to help these property owners retrofit their homes by offering grants or incentives to remove highly flammable landscaping or to “harden” existing homes to make them less vulnerable to burning.
Research shows that resilience efforts can spur “climate gentrification,” or displacement due to increases in property values. So, focusing on affordability in resilience efforts is important. For long-term affordability and resilience, governments can collaborate with communities to develop strategies such as supporting Community Land Trusts through grants, low-interest loans or land transfers; implementing zoning reforms to enable higher-density, climate-resilient affordable housing; and incentivizing green infrastructure to strengthen community resilience.
In some cases, communities may have to considered managed retreat – moving people out of high-risk areas – but with adequate compensation and support for displaced residents to ensure that they can rebuild their lives elsewhere.
Making the risks clear through insurance
Insurance rates can also encourage residents and communities to lower their risks. Yet in many places, insurance policies have instead obscured the risks, leaving homeowners less aware of how vulnerable their property may be.
For years, insurers underpriced wildfire risk, driven by market competition. California policies also capped the premiums they could charge. As fire damage and rebuilding costs soared in recent years, insurers unwilling to shoulder more of the risk themselves pulled out of the state. That left countless Californians uninsured and hundreds of thousands reliant on the state-run insurance known as the FAIR Plan. The plan imposes caps on payouts and is now struggling to stay solvent, resulting in higher costs that insurers are expected to pass on to consumers.
When disasters strike, local groups and neighbors play critical roles in stabilizing neighborhoods. But residents also need more specialized help to find housing and apply for disaster aid.
Building resilience hubs in communities could help support residents before, during and after disasters.
The resilience hub in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles provides one model for what these spaces can achieve. It’s anchored in a community arts center with solar power and backup energy storage. Residents can drop in to cool down during heat waves or charge their phones during power outages. It also hosts community classes, including in disaster preparedness.
Boyle Heights, a largely Hispanic neighborhood in Los Angeles, has a resilience hub that provides disaster preparedness training, as well as support with food, housing and applying for assistance after disasters strike. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
During and after a disaster, resilience hubs can serve as central organizing points. They can provide crucial information, resources and assistance with completing paperwork to access aid. Having access to skilled help in navigating what can be a complicated, time-consuming process is often critical, particularly for people who aren’t native English speakers.
Getting assistance is also often critical for displaced renters, who may have little certainty about when or if they will be able to return to their homes. Understanding their legal rights can be confusing, and rising costs as rental housing is rebuilt can price them out of the market.
The catastrophic LA wildfires were a powerful reminder that governments and communities need to think carefully about the risks they face and the role policies may play as they learn to live with greater fire risk.
Building a resilient future in a warming world will require bold, innovative and collective strategies that support communities while advancing equitable solutions.
Nichole Wissman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Six decades after Nat King Cole’s death in 1965, his music is still some of the most played in the world, and his celebrity transcends generational and racial divides. His smooth voice, captivating piano skills and enduring charisma earned him international acclaim.
One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Cole was not only a groundbreaking musician but also a quiet, yet resolute, advocate for social justice.
As an African American sacred music scholar, I have been immersed in the inseparable link between music, culture and social change for over 40 years. Examining Cole through the lens of his activism uncovers the nuanced ways in which he challenged the status quo and contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.
Beneath the polished veneer of his public image lay a deeply personal commitment to confronting racism and advocating for equality that is often overlooked.
Formative years
Nathaniel Adams Coles was born on March 17, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama, to Perlina Adams Coles and Edward James Coles. Perlina served as the organist at the True Light Baptist Church and later the First Baptist Church of North Chicago, both pastored by Nathaniel’s father. She passed her love for music to her children, teaching them to play the piano and organ. Cole’s formative years were spent in church; gospel songs, hymns and spirituals formed the foundation of his musical education.
Though Cole is primarily remembered for his jazz and pop hits, the emotive power, communal emphasis and uplifting nature of Black sacred music profoundly shaped his artistry throughout his career, despite his single sacred album, “Every Time I Feel The Spirit,” released in 1959. The influence of gospel music, in particular, can be heard in his soulful phrasing and heartfelt delivery, contributing to his remarkable ability to connect with audiences.
Growing up in Chicago, he was also exposed to a rich tapestry of musical genres, including blues, classical and jazz. This eclectic upbringing laid the foundation for his versatile musical style and commercial success.
While Cole’s music was not overtly political, his very presence in the mainstream was a statement. In an era of racial segregation, he was a Black man achieving unprecedented success in a predominantly white music industry. His impeccable diction, tailored suits and sophisticated performances countered the prevailing stereotypes of African Americans as uncouth or subservient.
By embodying a poised and dignified persona, Cole communicated a powerful message: Black excellence and humanity could not be denied. As race scholar George Lipsitz writes in “The Possessive Investment in Whiteness,” “The cultural field … is a site of struggle where meanings are contested and power relations are negotiated.”
Cole’s success challenged the structural racism that sought to confine Black artists to the margins and opened doors for future generations. He acknowledged the significance of his presence on national television, recognizing it as a potential turning point for Black representation. While hesitant to explicitly label himself an activist, he contemplated the impact of his success on breaking down barriers, believing that “when you’ve got the respect of white and colored, you can ease a lot of things.”
Confronting racism
In response to critics who dismiss Cole’s legacy as apolitical, I argue that they overlook the complexity of his resistance. Several scholars have stated that in a society where overt defiance often resulted in violence or economic ruin, Cole’s ability to navigate the entertainment industry while maintaining his dignity was itself a form of activism.
Though Cole never referred to himself as an activist, he confronted racism in both overt and quiet ways. Scholars such as cultural theorist Stuart Hall and researcher Laura Pottinger define “quiet activism” as modest, everyday acts of resistance – either implicitly or explicitly political – that challenge dominant ideologies and power structures. These acts often entail processes of production or creativity.
Despite his commercial success, Cole faced relentless systemic and personal racism. In 1948, he purchased a home in the affluent Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, a move met with hostility; the local homeowners association attempted to expel him, and he endured threats and acts of vandalism.
Yet Cole refused to be intimidated. His resolve was a courageous act of resistance that highlighted the pervasive inequalities of the time.
Cole faced blatant discrimination in Las Vegas. He was often denied access to the same hotels and restaurants where he performed, forced to stay in segregated accommodations. One particularly notable incident occurred at the Sands Hotel. in Las Vegas. When the maitre d’ tried to deny service to Cole’s Black bandmates in the dining room, Cole threatened to cancel his performance and leave. This forced the hotel management to back down, setting a precedent for other Black entertainers and patrons.
Cole quietly sued hotels and negotiated contracts that guaranteed his right to stay in the hotels where he performed, a significant step toward desegregation. He also made it a point to bring his entire entourage, including Black musicians and friends, to these establishments, challenging their “whites only” policies.
Cole’s impact extended beyond the realm of music. In 1956, he became the first African American to host a national network television show, “The Nat King Cole Show.” This was a groundbreaking moment, as it brought a Black man into the living rooms of millions of white Americans every week.
Though the show faced challenges with sponsorship due to racial prejudice, it marked a significant step toward greater representation and acceptance. As historian Donald Bogle notes in his 2001 book “Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks,” “Television … became a new battleground for the image of the black performer.” Cole’s show, despite its short run, was a crucial battle in this war.
When Cole was attacked onstage by white supremacists during a concert in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1956, it underscored the physical danger Black public figures faced and galvanized Cole’s commitment to the Civil Rights Movement.
It is important to note that Cole’s support for the Civil Rights Movement was often quiet and behind the scenes. He faced criticism from some who felt he should have been more outspoken. However, his actions demonstrate his commitment to the cause of racial equality. Cole, who died in 1965 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, was a member of his local NAACP branch. He also performed at benefit concerts for the organization, raising money to support their efforts in fighting racial discrimination.
Shortly after the attack in Birmingham, Cole recorded his only song that is specifically political, “We Are Americans Too.” Recorded in 1956, the song was a powerful statement of belonging and a challenge to racial exclusion. Though it would not come close to reaching commercial success, it did serve as a powerful reminder that African Americans were, in fact, Americans. Over a half-century later, this song still resonates and speaks to the ongoing struggle for full inclusion and recognition for marginalized groups.
The juxtaposition of the refrain “We are Americans too” against the backdrop of the treatment of Black people during the Civil Rights Movement gives this song emotional weight. The very act of having to assert “We are Americans too” highlights the injustice of the situation.
It underscores the disconnect between the ideals of American democracy and the reality of racial inequality. In this context, the refrain “We are Americans too” is an act of resistance, a challenge to the prevailing social order. It highlights the hypocrisy of a nation founded on principles of liberty while denying those same liberties to a significant portion of its population. It’s a call for America to finally recognize the full humanity and citizenship of its Black citizens.
‘We Are Americans Too.’
Great art, and great artists, are powerful witnesses of the times in which they live, love, work and play. Their commentary, both artistically and humanly, leaves an important record for generations. This is clearly evident in Nat King Cole.
Donna M. Cox does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
U.S. consumers often pay more for gluten-free products, yet these items typically provide less protein and more sugar and calories compared with gluten-containing alternatives. That is the key finding of my new study, published in the journal Plant Foods for Human Nutrition.
Gluten-free products – defined in the U.S. as those that contain less than or equal to 20 parts per million of gluten – largely lack wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats, all rich sources of arabinoxylan, a crucial nonstarch polysaccharide. Arabinoxylan provides several health benefits, including promoting beneficial gut bacteria, enhancing digestion, regulating blood sugar levels and supporting a balanced gut microbiota.
Our study also pointed out that it is difficult to find a gluten-free product that excels in all nutritional areas, such as high protein and fiber content with low carbohydrates and sugar.
On the other hand, gluten-free seeded bread contains significantly more fiber – 38.24 grams per 100 grams – than its gluten-containing counterparts. This is likely due to efforts by manufacturers to address fiber deficiencies by using ingredients such as pseudo-cereals, such as amaranth and quinoa hydrocolloids – meaning water-soluble macromolecules used in gluten-free baked goods made with quinoa flour.
These improvements, however, vary by manufacturer and region. For example, gluten-free products in Spain tend to have lower fiber content than their gluten-containing counterparts.
Why it matters
The term “gluten-free diet” has become a buzzword, much like “organic,” and is now a part of everyday life for many people, often without a full understanding of its actual benefits. While a gluten-free diet is a medical necessity for people who are sensitive to gluten, a condition called celiac disease, or for those with wheat allergies, others adopt a gluten-free diet due to perceived health benefits or because it’s a trend.
This suggests that many people adopt gluten-free diets for reasons other than medical necessity, which may not offer health or financial benefits.
Symptoms of celiac disease and gluten intolerance include stomach pain and bloating.
What’s next
Investment in research and development is essential to create more nutritionally balanced gluten-free products using locally available ingredients. This will require human feeding trials with different formulations of gluten-free products to ensure that these products meet nutritional needs without adverse effects.
Collaborations between governments could help secure subsidies, which would reduce production costs and make these products more affordable. Although the initial costs of research and maintaining a gluten-free production line are high, using local ingredients and financial incentives can make these products more cost-competitive compared with their gluten-containing counterparts.
Public education is also important to keep people informed about the pros and cons associated with a gluten-free diet.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Sachin Rustgi receives funding from the US Department of Agriculture and the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research.
Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –
Team of students of the OP “Oriental Studies” Faculty of World Economy and World Politics HSE University is the only team from Russia to win first prize at the international Arabic language debate championship Qatar Debate and become the European champion among teams for whom Arabic is not their native language.
This year the competition was held in Istanbul. There were three rounds of debates. Russian students defeated the Turkish team from Ibn Khaldun University and the Arabic-speaking team from Austria. In the third round they lost to the Turkish team from Fatih University by a very small margin.
The team members received medals for being the best participants (speakers) of the championship. The jury noted the high level of preparation of the Russian students, who demonstrated excellent command of the Arabic language.
The International Arabic Debate Championship Qatar Debate is held annually. Students Schools of Oriental Studies This is the second time that HSE University has won the European stage of the debate. In November 2023, they became the overall winners of the European round of the competition.
“Our team consisted of experienced participants who had already competed in the Qatar Debate. Our students went from their first participation in the competition to victory in a short period of time. With the support of the faculty, they managed to become European champions and receive two of the three medals for the best participants. This once again confirms that today the School of Oriental Studies is the undisputed leader in teaching Arabic, and not only in Russia,” said Andrey Zeltyn, senior lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Change is underway at Ofsted, England’s schools inspectorate. Headline judgments that summed up a whole school in one or two words have been discarded in favour of a proposed report card system that promises to offer a more rounded assessment of school quality.
According to education secretary Bridget Phillipson, the changes are supposed to make the system less high stakes for schools while giving parents more information. The proposed report cards give a score on a five point scale for a range of areas, including wellbeing and inclusion, among others.
The evidence that Ofsted’s previous approach was problematic had been stacking up for some years. My four-year study with colleague Rob Higham showed how inspections were driving a culture of compliance and standardisation in schools. They were incentivising leaders to prioritise the interests of the school over the interests of particular groups of, usually more vulnerable, children.
So far, responses from the teaching profession to the new report card proposals have not been positive. The Association of School and College Leaders’ says they will be “bewildering for teachers and leaders, never mind the parents whose choices these reports are supposedly intended to guide”, and retain the high-stakes aspects of the previous system.
A poll of more than 3000 school leaders by headteachers’ union the NAHT indicates that nine in ten disagree with the plans.
My recent research suggests the need for a different approach which prioritises local accountability, in particular to parents. Over the past three years, my colleague Susan Cousin and I have been working on a project evaluating how professionals in different local areas can work together to address placed based challenges in education.
One of these challenges was how to strengthen professional accountability. The aim was for school staff to take greater collective ownership of what school “quality” looks like and how it could be improved, rather than waiting for Ofsted to tell them.
In two areas, Sheffield and Milton Keynes, school-led partnerships – membership organisations which support collaboration between schools – decided to develop their own local school “report cards”. These were intended to offer a broad and balanced set of information for parents, governors and others.
In both areas a core design group was brought together. This involved leaders from a diverse range of local primary and secondary schools and academy trusts who agreed a draft format for the report cards.
These prototypes were then taken out to consultation with wider schools as well as parents and carers. Based on their feedback, the report cards were adjusted before final versions were agreed. Each area developed different versions for primary, secondary and special schools.
What parents want
The most transformative aspect of the process arguably came from the consultations with parents and carers. For example, in the development of the Sheffield report card, it became clear that as well as information on the school from external sources – including Ofsted reports – parents wanted to learn more about what the school was really like. This led to the inclusion of a “get to know this school” section of the report card. The project lead in Sheffield explained to us:
What came through really clearly … [from parents and carers] was, “I want a feel of the school” … They want the quality assured stuff. But they also want a feel of the place. And that’s why in the second iteration, what we’ve got is a whole section, which is an ability for the school to show itself – photos, videos, talk about particular aspects of education, and what’s unique about their school in relation to curriculum.
Another feature that parents wanted included was a way of understanding what other parents and students themselves think about each school. In response, both Sheffield and Milton Keynes have included sections that show the “top five positives” according to parents and carers, and “five words from children about this school”.
Strengthening local accountability
England’s school system has become increasingly centralised in recent decades. The role and capacity of local authorities has been reduced and national requirements and oversight, including from Ofsted, have increased.
In the process, school leaders and staff have become disempowered, while parents and local communities have largely lost their ability to influence the quality and direction of local schools. Locally developed school reports offer a way to redress the balance.
This approach would not remove national accountability. In both Sheffield and Milton Keynes the plan is to incorporate national data, including from Ofsted inspections, into the local reports.
But encouraging local ownership and strengthening the voice of parents and children in terms of how school quality is assessed and reported, could help schools become more accountable to the people most invested in them, rather than the national government.
Toby Greany receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Association of Education Committees and the Nuffield Foundation.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lacey Wallace, Senior Lecturer in Roman History & Material Culture, University of Lincoln
Archaeologists from the Museum of London have discovered a well-preserved part of the ancient city of London’s first Roman basilica underneath the basement of an office block. The basilica was constructed for use as a public building in the 70s or early 80s AD.
In a Roman town, a basilica was a multi-functional civic building. Often paid for by leading local inhabitants, it provided a large indoor space for public gatherings. These ranged from political speeches to judicial proceedings.
Along with the connected forum – an arrangement of buildings that surrounded an open courtyard space – the building formed the centre of administrative and civic life in the ancient Roman city of Londinium.
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Other walls of London’s basilica and forum have been known by archaeologists since the early 1880s. But they were only recognised as remains of the social and civic centre of Londinium in 1923.
The story until now
Peter Marsden, the author of The Roman Forum Site in London (1987), compiled disconnected evidence for the different phases of London’s forum basilica complex.
Referring to the current area of excavations (on Gracechurch Street), he noted that: “More than half of the archaeological deposits still remain, and should be carefully excavated when the opportunity arises, since only then will the history of the site be elucidated.”
Occasional opportunities have arisen to reveal small parts of the forum basilica. For example, during construction of a shaft to install a lift at 85 Gracechurch Street, some important remains from the first century were found. But the excavated area was too small to contribute greatly to our knowledge.
In contrast, the recent work is part of a major redevelopment. It has opened targeted excavation areas where walls of the basilica were expected to be found, exposing substantial parts of the building.
Archaeologists have found one-metre-wide foundations and walls of the interior, some of which probably extend for more than 10 metres in length. The walls are constructed of flint, tile and Kentish ragstone (a type of limestone quarried in Kent), and some stand at four metres high.
Archaeologists discussing the find.
What was the basilica for?
Londinium was constructed on an unoccupied site beginning in about AD47 or 48. It began to gain the trappings of a Roman-style town, including a basilica building, in the lead-up to its destruction in the Boudican Revolt in AD60 or 61.
The city did not have a monumental forum and basilica complex until later, however, when a major programme of public and private construction was undertaken in the Flavian period (AD69–96).
London’s Flavian basilica took the plan of a long rectangle (44m x 22.7m) divided into three aisles. There is good evidence from the deeper central aisle (nave) wall foundations that the nave roof was raised to two storeys, to allow for windows to provide internal light.
Shallow foundations crossing the nave are evidence of a raised dais or platform at the eastern end. The speaker or judge would sit there, elevated above the crowds, increasing both his visibility and status. This platform, or “tribunal”, is the area that has recently been revealed.
The basilica would have risen above the north side of the buildings that formed the forum courtyard. It would have dominated the high ground of this monumental space at the highly visible crossroads leading straight up from the Roman Thames bridge.
It would have been the largest building in the area and firmly announced that the people of Londinium were constructing a high-status Roman city.
Rebuilding following the British queen Boudica’s revolt had been swift. The post-Revolt fort that was built only 100 metres or so down the street had likely been decommissioned and the people were ready to embark on a new phase and a major expansion of the urban centre.
The designs of late first century forum basilica complexes varied across the provinces. But generally they combined religious, civic, judicial and mercantile space.
In places like Pompeii, the forum had developed over time. But, when the town was buried by the ash of Vesuvius in AD79 (approximately the same time the forum basilica of London was built), the focus of the elongated monumental space was the Temple of Jupiter, symbol of the Roman state.
Although a classical temple was constructed to the west of the exterior of Londinium’s Flavian forum, it was clearly separate. No forum in Britannia was dominated by a temple, setting the core of urban space in this province apart from most examples in the rest of the empire.
The Flavian forum basilica at Londinium is one of the earliest examples to demonstrate this characteristic, along with that at Verulamium (St Albans). There, an inscription links the circa AD79–81 construction to the governor Agricola, who is well known among historians from the celebratory biography written by his son-in-law, Tacitus.
The Flavian basilica and forum only stood for about 20 or 30 years, however. With increased prosperity in the early second century, they were demolished and replaced by a new structure which was five times larger, leaving the remains of the first basilica underneath the surface of the later courtyard space.
The Museum of London will now analyse and publish the results of its find, applying modern methods to advance our understanding of the development of the first forum basilica. We can expect refined dating evidence and an improved understanding of the architecture from the post-excavation analyses. An exhibition space to make the remains visible for the public is also planned.
Lacey Wallace does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Joshua Forstenzer, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Co-Director of the Centre for Engaged Philosophy, University of Sheffield
In many ways, I feel like we shouldn’t be happy with what we have. We live in a world of tremendous inequality and cruelty, running towards an environmental wall. Not just that, but some of the best people I know are chronic persistors: they know how not to accept the unacceptable.
But we also live in an economy that profits from and purposefully generates private feelings of lack, want, comparison and envy. Somewhat counter-intuitively, this envy often spurs on the feelings of lack and want, rather than the other way around. This is the genius of advertising: to generate “perceived” (aka fake) needs. I see someone living a “good” life – exciting, sexy, creative – and now I want what they have: the shoes, watch, holiday, you name it.
Envy requires comparison. And comparison requires a scale by which to rank ourselves. Popular culture offers quite a few. Being the object of sexual desire (think of “matches” on dating apps) for example, or digital social connectivity (think of “followers” or “likes”). These can all play a role in shaping your sense of personal success or failure.
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Sometimes, these are presented in a unified pseudo-metric of success. Take for example the idea of a “high-value man”. The parts of the internet that use the concept tend to celebrate having money, a wide social network and being useful to others. This often veers into celebrating material wealth and superficial self improvement as the path to success and sexual attractiveness. The viral TikTok song I’m Looking for a Man in Finance is an only mildly exaggerated spoof of this ideal.
The implicit assumption is that having more “good things” than others means being more valuable as a person. But behind this there are a host of hidden assumptions – not least that you can “own” the genuinely valuable things in life (as opposed to being them).
These hidden assumptions usually reveal deep seated shame – the feeling that you are not enough as you are. And that you are not entitled to set the parameters that define the success or failure of your own life.
Feeling bad about yourself is not always unhealthy. A healthy negative feeling lets you know if you have done something wrong, or acted in a manner that does not meet your own moral standards. This feeling calls for you to change your ways.
The unhealthy feeling, that I am calling “shame”, is not merely the feeling of embarrassment or moral doubt. Rather, it is (to follow vulnerability researcher Brené Brown’s definition) “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging”.
This feeling is so psychologically painful that you may reflexively do all you can to remain unaware of it. This denial means that you can start to see your own critical inner voice (itself shaped by past negative experiences) as animated by an “objective” social reality, telling you not just that you’re failing, but that you are a failure. This is often called “projection”.
Other times, when you can bear to consciously feel this emotion, you may seek to negotiate with it and offer remedial actions to the universe to make up for recurrent feelings of worthlessness. In darker times still, shame can overtake your whole life, paralysing you and creeping into the quietest parts of your private self.
How to combat shame and be happy with what you have
Shame can be a remarkably sticky emotion. Identifying and interrogating it can be helpful. Working on revising how you understand your self and your relationship to others can also help. The options are many, but for the sake of illustration here are three that speak to me.
1. Stoicism
Stoics believed that your essential nature is stable and the project of life is to fulfil this nature and flourish. When making judgments, people ascribe value to an imagined state of affairs (“it would be really great if I were thinner”) and a belief that a specific course of action will make it a reality (“going without chocolate will return the figure I had in my teens”).
Both of these can be false, because the things you desire can actually be bad for you, and you have less control over the future than you tend to think. Stoics thought people should try to get the relationship between their emotional state and the goods they pursue into harmony, seeking self-mastery in order to flourish.
To this end, stoic ethics demand that you recognise and cultivate habits that put you in touch with your own nature within the wider world – starting from the self, expanding to the family, the community, the state, humanity and ultimately the cosmos.
2. Existentialism
In contrast, existentialism requires paying attention to the lack of any ultimate purpose in human life. No one thing can ever fully define who you are. Your capacity to reinvent yourself, to value something new, to start a fresh project, is yours alone.
The empty feeling of meaninglessness you sometimes encounter when you have finally achieved a long sought after goal (like getting that big promotion) can be dizzying. But this feeling is a reminder of the fact that nothing in your nature demands that you achieve any one thing. It’s up to you.
You must face authentically the fact that you are free and therefore responsible for your projects and the meaning you give to them.
3. Humanistic psychotherapy
A humanistic psychotherapeutic perspective offers a middle way. It invites you to look upon yourself with compassion, seeing yourself as complex, responsible and yet also imperfect and vulnerable, always involved in a richly evolving tapestry of relationships that ultimately gives meaning and purpose to your life.
This means that relationships and the recognition you give and derive from them provide the only solid basis for confronting that most important question – “who am I?” – ultimately seeing you through your darkest times. But this means that you need these relationships to be genuine, kind and honest so that you can see yourself and others for the frail, evolving and unique individuals that we all are.
Joshua Forstenzer’s work receives funding from the Yale Center for Faith and Culture as part of its Templeton-funded Life Worth Living project (https://lifeworthliving.yale.edu/). He is also a consultant to North Consulting as part of the LIFE Erasmus+ project (https://www.kmop.gr/projects-vf/news-life-worth-living/) which uses text-based pedagogic methods to facilitate wellbeing conversations about meaning and purpose with teachers and school leaders in five European countries.
Inheriting the worst set of public finances for decades, Labour was always going to face an uphill struggle trying to fund improvements to the UK’s public services.
Inflated debt and recent hikes in the cost of borrowing mean the government is faced with stark choices. For it will be difficult to meet the chancellor’s own tight fiscal rules without further tax rises or cuts in public spending.
But as the former chief economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, has warned, further spending cuts would be “deeply counterproductive”.
One solution for avoiding ongoing austerity lies in raising a higher proportion of taxes from assets. For despite the UK enjoying a long personal wealth boom, little of this boom is the result of new wealth creation or higher productivity.
Much of it is unearned. Some is the product of corporate wealth extraction, where dividend payments and personal fortunes have have been prioritised over the long-term health of a company. Some privatised water firms, for example, have been turned into cash cows for their owners.
Another large part of British unearned wealth is the product of state-induced asset inflation. Since 1999, house prices in England have risen almost three times faster than incomes.
This kind of asset inflation is a classic example of “passive accumulation”. Or, as the 19th-century philosopher John Stuart Mill described it, getting rich in your sleep.
As a result, household wealth currently stands at over six times the UK’s GDP. It was three times in the 1970s.
Yet while Britain is asset rich, its tax system is heavily based on earnings from work. Taxes on income from dividends, capital gains and inheritance make a tiny contribution to the public purse.
This is a fundamental flaw of the tax system which does little to dent the growing concentration of wealth owned by the few. Through political inertia, the tax system has failed to catch up with the growing importance of wealth over income.
Inherit the earth?
The fallout from the low taxation on wealth is well illustrated by the role of inheritance.
Levels of wealth passed on after death in the UK have been rising sharply. Over the next three decades, some millennials are expected to inherit a staggering £5.5 trillion, dwarfing all previous transfers of wealth between generations.
The lion’s share of this transfer will go to the most affluent. The lifetime wealth of those with parents in the richest fifth will see their wealth grow by 29% – compared with 5% for those born to the poorest fifth.
This will only intensify the reproduction of the wealth divide of the past.
Extending the tax base is not just about fairness or revenue raising. Asset holdings are often little more than unused resources, while big inter-generational wealth transfers can play a counterproductive role in the economy.
Over a third of the UK’s wealth is stored in property (with the rest in pensions, savings and possessions). This is mostly only realised when passed on through inheritance , where its benefits accrue to the already privileged. Little of this process contributes to more productive activity, with one of its most malign effects being to fuel higher house prices, because the money is largely reinvested in property.
The unfairness of inherited wealth has long been recognised. The patron saint of economics, Adam Smith called it “manifestly absurd”.
A modest and phased rise in capital taxation would help to reduce the passive role played by wealth holdings. Even small changes would release funds which could be used to improve social infrastructure from schools to hospitals.
One approach would be to build on the existing tax system through higher rates and fewer reliefs and loopholes. The second would be to introduce new taxes.
In her first budget, Rachel Reeves took steps to raise revenue through the first option, from both inheritance and capital gains tax. But these were too modest to alter the overwhelming dominance of tax on earnings.
A more fundamental shift would be to reform the existing system of council tax with a larger number of tax bands at the top. Still based on 1991 property values, this is perhaps the least defensible tax in Britain. The most effective alternative would be to replace council tax and stamp duty with a single proportionate “property tax”.
Another option would be for a modest annual 1% tax on wealth over £2 million, which has the potential to raise around £16 billion a year, or double that on wealth over £1 million.
Such a measure could be sold politically as a “solidarity tax” to help pay for the things the UK needs. And while governments have been wary of the political reaction to higher taxes on wealth, the tide is turning.
Those supporting higher taxes on wealth include the Conservative-aligned think tank Bright Blue and an influential campaign group called the Patriotic Millionaires. There is also growing public support.
Continued public spending austerity would drive more years of stagnation. It would also be politically suicidal for this government, as it was for Labour in 1931 and in the 1970s. But harnessing a little more of the country’s immense private wealth would make the tax system more equitable and by providing the resources to boost social investment, ease the path to economic recovery.
Stewart Lansley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Cold water swimming, paddleboarding and surfing are all popular pastimes – with millions of people in the UK regularly participating in at least one type of outdoor watersport each year.
But those bravely breaking the waves may not realise they could actually be putting themselves at risk of hearing loss due to external auditory canal exostosis – better known as surfer’s ear.
Surfer’s ear affects the auditory canal – the thin tube which conveys sound waves from our surroundings, channelling them towards the sensory organs which generate our sense of hearing.
These inner portions of the ear are shielded by bone. This is because the anatomical structures that turn air pressure waves into sounds – the eardrum, ossicles and cochlea – are very small, very sensitive and would be easily and irreparably damaged if not protected.
Ideally, our ear canals should be clear and unobstructed. Sure, sometimes they can get clogged up with wax and even sometimes foreign bodies can work their way inside (such as peas, plasticine or even bugs).
But surfer’s ear causes an obstruction of the ear canal in a different manner. Growths start to develop on the bone which lines the auditory canal.
As these growths continue to develop, they push into the canal – effectively narrowing the space inside. In doing so, this can prevent the conduction of sound waves getting through to the eardrum. One symptom patients with surfer’s ear may notice as a result is hearing loss.
Other associated problems may arise, too. The ear canal produces wax. Any narrowing of the canal will more easily retain wax, but also water – not just from swimming, but from wet weather or taking a shower. An accumulation of both in the canal can worsen hearing loss and raise the risk of developing an ear infection.
But what causes surfer’s ear in the first place?
The cause appears to lie in repeated exposure to cold water and high winds – which most surfers encounter while riding a wave, or tumbling off one. It appears to be a problem unique to humans, perhaps because of the configuration of their ears.
While researchers aren’t entirely sure why cold exposure causes the bone to grow abnormally, it’s possible that the ear’s natural response to prolonged cold (which irritates the eardrum) is to create a bigger shield for it. Cold water and wind may stimulate bone cells called osteoblasts, causing new bone to grow – offering more protection.
It’s important to note that surfer’s ear is different from swimmer’s ear – a condition which you may be more familiar with. Though both can arise from water immersion.
Swimmer’s ear, also called otitis externa, is a form of ear infection. It typically results in pain and discharge, and can arise from water accumulating in the ear canal, which then acts as a breeding ground for bacteria. Narrowing of the ear canal can worsen the problem, so swimmer’s ear can also be associated with surfer’s ear.
It’s estimated that 3-6% of the general population may have some form of exostosis. But the condition does appear to overwhelmingly affect surfers – with one systematic review finding the condition affected an average of around 68% of surfers.
However, surfer’s ear is not unique to surfers. Any sport which exposes an athlete to cold water and wind might result in the same effect. These include wild or outdoor swimming, windsurfing and kayaking.
There’s also a cultural and geographical difference in prevalence across the globe. It’s estimated that 10% of Australians surf, and potentially raising the risk.
You don’t even have to venture into the water to develop surfer’s ear, either. Some research suggests people living near the coast have an increased risk of developing surfer’s ear as they’re more likely to be exposed to cold winds. Other cases have been observed in patients without a clear cause.
Some research suggests that using earplugs while in the water can help reduce cold exposure to the ear and lower the risk. There are also specialised hooded wetsuits and bands that can worn as further protective measures.
Surfer’s ear appears to be a long-term complication, and is more likely to develop from regular exposure, not just an occasional cold water dip. More than ten years of surfing appears to be associated with a greater risk, and more severe canal obstruction.
For patients who develop severe symptoms – such as hearing loss and persistent ear infections – surgery may be required. The operation, called a canalplasty, involves chiselling or drilling away the excess bone to widen the canal again. Surfers should avoid heading back into the waves for two to three months after the operation until the site has properly healed.
There’s some indication surfer’s ear may be on the rise – though this could also be because we’re getting better at diagnosing it and nowadays more surfers are aware of the condition.
The risk of developing surfer’s ear in one or both ears is sadly real. Unfortunately, it appears that only by abstaining from surfing can the condition be averted.
So if you do plan to go out into the wind and water – whether that’s surfing, paddleboarding or wild swimming – don’t forget your earplugs.
Dan Baumgardt does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
The Eastern New Year, the year of the Green Wooden Snake, was celebrated in the Polytechnic Tower. The main organizer of the event was the Humanitarian Institute together with the Higher School of International Educational Programs. Representatives of various Polytechnic institutes and St. Petersburg universities took part in the concert program
This year, the celebration was held for the first time at the Youth Trajectory Center, in the Polytechnic Tower. The hosts were Ksenia Kolomeitseva, a student at the Higher School of International Relations, and Artem Kuzmin, a student at the Higher School of Law and Forensic Science.
The Director of the Humanitarian Institute Natalia Chicherina and the Assistant Vice-Rector for International Activities Pavel Nedelko delivered welcoming remarks.
In our multinational student family, we can celebrate the New Year several times. Today, we have a unique opportunity to learn about the bright traditions of this holiday together with representatives of China, Indonesia and Vietnam, – noted Natalia Chicherina.
Polytechnicians talked about the cultural characteristics of their countries, held an interactive competition with souvenirs for the participants. A student of the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy Li Junying gave a presentation in Russian about the traditions and culture of China. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai from IPMET represented Vietnam, a postgraduate student of the Higher School of Physics and Materials Technology of IMMIT Tegu Imanulla gave a report about Indonesia, in which he spoke about national dishes, dances, symbols, good luck charms and much more.
Ye Zizhou, a student at the Graduate School of International Relations, performed a traditional Chinese number symbolizing the wisdom of the Green Snake. Together with Viktoria Dyshko, she showed a modern dance in the K-pop style. Mao Yiling from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education demonstrated traditional martial arts with a sword.
Sofia Kononova from the Higher School of International Relations recited a poem in Chinese. Students from the Higher School of Linguistics and Pedagogy performed two Chinese songs: “Gen Wo Yi Qi Zuo” and “Gongxi Ni”. Students from the Higher School of International Relations sang the composition “Flawless Heaven and Earth” in Chinese.
IMMIT postgraduate students Nguyen Van Tu Anh and Tran Thanh Cong performed the Vietnamese song “Hoa co mua suan”, which translates as “Spring flowers and grasses”, with a guitar.
A master class on making magical aromatic sachets in national herbal bags was held by Li Peiyun from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education. The art of Chinese calligraphy was taught by Yuan Fengxia from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education. The Chinese tea ceremony was demonstrated by Zhang Yuwen and Mao Yiling from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education. The secrets of Chinese knotting and making paper lanterns were shared by Xie Zhaoying from the Graduate School of Linguistics and Education.
Celebrating the Eastern New Year is a good tradition of the Polytechnic University. Such events allow us to better understand the culture of other countries. We still don’t know each other very well, so many thanks to all the organizers for the opportunity to communicate with the guys and immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the East, – shared Pavel Nedelko.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
HERNDON, Va., Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ManTech, a leading provider of AI and mission-focused technology solutions, has named John Lossing as Vice President of Industry Compliance, serving as lead liaison with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) and Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA).
“For more than 25 years, John Lossing has demonstrated his outstanding performance in compliance management, government contract accounting, business ethics and regulatory compliance,” said Jay Romyn, ManTech Chief Accounting Officer. “His proven experience with DCAA and DCMA, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Department of Defense FAR Supplement (DFARs) and Business Systems compliance make him ideal for this position with ManTech.”
Prior to joining ManTech, Lossing served as Vice President – Compliance at Health Net Federal Services, where he managed regulatory compliance and business ethics program activities. He also led regulatory compliance at Northrop Grumman and Mission Essential, and government accounting at General Dynamics.
Lossing earned his BS degree in Business Administration – Management Information Systemsfrom the University of New Haven, West Haven, CT.
About ManTech ManTech provides mission-focused technology solutions and services for U.S. Defense, Intelligence and Federal Civilian agencies. In business for more than 56 years, we are a leading provider of AI solutions that power full-spectrum cyber, data collection & analytics, enterprise IT, high-end engineering and software application development solutions that support national and homeland security. Additional information on ManTech can be found at www.mantech.com.
Media Contact: Jim Crawford ManTech Executive Director, External Communications (M) 703-498-7315 James.Crawford2@ManTech.com
ORANGE, Calif., Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Following recent threats against Judge Paul Engelmayer, whose personal information was posted online after his ruling against the Trump administration on federal database access, Ironwall by Incogni is calling for urgent action to protect federal judges from exposure to personal threats. To support this effort, the company is offering its Ironwall data protection service to current federal judges free of charge for three months when signing up by March 10, 2025.
“Despite the heightened risks faced by members of the judiciary, the vast majority of federal judges remain unprotected from the increasing weaponization of personal data,” said Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall. “The rapid spread of home addresses, contact details, and personal threats online is a serious security risk. Yet, unlike other public officials, most judges have little to no protection from this kind of exposure. This is unacceptable.”
The Bolch Judicial Institute at Duke University has raised the alarm, highlighting how judges are now under attack more frequently and with greater intensity than ever before. The current crisis stems from the ease with which personal information can be found and weaponized against them. As Judge Engelmayer’s case demonstrates, a single decision can trigger a deluge of threats, with bad actors leveraging social media and data broker sites to expose judges and their families to potential harm.
Proactive Privacy Protection
Ironwall provides a comprehensive privacy protection solution specifically designed for at-risk professionals, including judges, court officials, and law enforcement. The service actively removes judges’ personal data from public databases, reducing their online footprint and minimizing the risk of targeted harassment. Unlike traditional privacy protection services, Ironwall employs continuous, real-time monitoring to ensure that removed information does not resurface.
The Ironwall service features:
Daily Data Scans: Continuous monitoring and removal of personal information from data brokers and search engines.
Identity Protection Tools: VPN access, email aliasing, and VoIP number masking to shield personal data.
Legal Compliance Support: Ensuring that any exposed data is removed in accordance with state and federal privacy laws.
Federal judges are encouraged to request access to the Ironwall service here.
Urgent Need for Legislation & Institutional Support
While Ironwall provides immediate and effective protection, the broader issue remains: most federal judges lack institutional safeguards against personal data exposure. Current federal protections are limited, leaving judges to navigate privacy threats on their own. Ironwall is urging policymakers, judicial organizations, and law enforcement to push for stronger protections and data privacy legislation to prevent further harm.
“No judge should have to weigh their personal safety against their duty to uphold the law,” added Zayas. “It is imperative that we act now to ensure their security, both online and offline.”
Ironwall is committed to standing with the judiciary and those who uphold the rule of law. To learn more about how to help protect judicial officers, visit ironwall.com.
Ironwall by Incogni strongly supports the idea of a safe and private internet. As a legally contracted agent, Ironwall works with superior courts, social work departments, and law enforcement agencies to search and remove personal information from websites in violation of state and federal privacy restrictions. Ironwall is a member of the Surfshark and NordSec family of companies. For more information, visit https://ironwall.com/.
Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –
“All illnesses come from nerves,” people say, and for good reason. Constant stress is not at all harmless, and sometimes we do not even guess what serious consequences can result from worries about personal troubles or events happening in the world, anxiety and worry, fear of failure and hyper-responsibility, and other similar things. To maintain mental health and performance, it is better to seek help from a specialist in a timely manner.
The Polytechnic University has created a special facility for this purpose. Center for psychological support, where both students and university staff can share their problems with professionals and try to solve or reduce them together. Parents of students can also get useful advice there.
In 2024, the staff of the Psychological Support Center conducted 931 individual consultations and 49 group sessions for two thousand people. In social networks, Polytechnic psychologists answered more than 140 questions over the year.
Most often, students seek help due to anxiety and stress, conflicts with parents, low self-esteem, apathy and procrastination, fears and phobias, separation from a partner, difficulty adapting to a team, and experiences from the loss of loved ones.
To work with psychological problems, the center’s specialists use, in addition to conversations, various practices: games, online courses, healthy lifestyle master classes, improving emotional intelligence and psychological stability, educational courses for student activists. They teach, for example, how to quickly and safely adapt to changes, how to maintain yourself at a good physical and mental level. Qualified psychologists demonstrate practices for developing physical and mental health and techniques of mental self-regulation, conduct seminars on psychological well-being in professional and educational activities, proactivity as a factor in a healthy personality, and self-development trainings.
In addition to intra-university events, the center’s staff is engaged in psychological education of schoolchildren, thereby strengthening the ties between the school and the university.
The specialists of the Center for Psychological Support of SPbPU are members of the community of psychologists of St. Petersburg universities and constantly improve their qualifications by participating in major professional events, such as the All-Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation “Psychological Service of the University: Problems and Development Prospects” (April 2024) and the All-Russian seminar-meeting of psychologists of higher education organizations (June 2024).
Our Center for Psychological Support “Tochka Opory” is a place where everyone who turns to us will receive the support and participation they need. We sincerely believe that the main task of any person is to be themselves and be happy, realizing their potential to the fullest. We know that difficulties are inevitable, and there is not always the strength to cope with them on your own. So we always stand guard over the mental health and well-being of each polytechnic student, says Acting Director of the Center for Psychological Support Anna Kalugina.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By James Rodgers, Reader in International Journalism, City St George’s, University of London
The meeting now underway in Saudi Arabia between senior delegations from the United States and Russia could be the first step towards an end to the war in Ukraine – and not just an end to the war. The New York Times has reported that the talks may cover issues beyond the battlefield, with the resumption of US-Russia business ties on the table, too.
Whatever is discussed, Ukraine seems set to lose out.
The same cannot be said of the long-term occupant of the Kremlin. For 20 years, Vladimir Putin has been working towards what Donald Trump has now given him. Ever since Putin bemoaned the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century, his foreign policy has been about getting back at least some of the superpower status the Soviet Union enjoyed.
In one sense, the US president’s overture to Putin to discuss peace in Ukraine has given the Russian president exactly what he wanted: for Washington to treat Moscow with the respect – and perhaps even fear – that the Soviet Union once commanded from the west.
And in that sense, Trump’s telephone call with the Kremlin represented a huge triumph for Putin. Putin now has a pending invitation back to the top table of world affairs. He has conceded not an inch of occupied Ukrainian territory to get there. Nor has he even undertaken to give back any of what Russian forces have seized since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Now his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is talking to the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio. Meanwhile the annexation of Crimea in 2014 – which is when Russia’s war on Ukraine actually began – seems increasingly likely to be overlooked. The suggestion from the US defence secretary, Pete Hesgeth, last week that a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was “unrealistic” has made clear Washington’s current view on that.
So far, so good for Putin, who sees the western alliance that has been ranged against him – albeit with varying degrees of enthusiasm and commitment – for the past three years beginning to crack.
Under Trump, Washington’s policy on Ukraine is showing signs of significant divergence from that of the EU or UK. Putin no doubt sees his determination not to be cowed by western pressure as starting now to lead to longer-term success.
Now the two leaders have agreed to meet – a complete reversal of the three years of increasing isolation during Joe Biden’s presidency. And, as we know, the first time the two leaders met for a summit, in Helsinki in 2018, Putin was widely seen as having outwitted Trump. As Trump’s then senior director for European and Russian Affairs, Fiona Hill, recalled in her memoir: “As Trump responded that he believed Putin over his own intelligence analysts, I wanted to end the whole thing.”
Putin will hardly feel he enters any future negotiation as an underdog. Just by being there, to discuss the most pressing matter for the future of European security with the US president, Putin has achieved part of his long-term goal. Just as in the days of the Soviet Union, leaders from the Kremlin and the White House will meet to discuss European affairs as the preeminent powers on the continent.
The views of Europeans themselves, especially Ukrainians, are secondary.
Back to the top table
If Putin’s 2005 lament for a lost superpower gave a clue to the course his time at the summit of Russian power would take, then he gave yet more clues on the eve of the full-scale invasion. In December 2021, Putin regretted the collapse of the Soviet Union once again.
This time he said it had a significance far beyond the century in which it happened, saying: “We turned into a completely different country. And what had been built up over 1,000 years was largely lost.”
Days later, with expectation growing that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine, the foreign ministry in Moscow published a document it called Treaty between The United States of America and the Russian Federation on security guarantees.
The language chosen is striking today for the references it makes to the Soviet Union, as in article 4: “The United States of America shall undertake to prevent further eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and deny accession to the Alliance to the States of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.”
The Biden administration dismissed the treaty as the trolling it represented. But Hegseth’s recent remark, “The United States does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement,” fits right in with Putin’s wish list.
This is about Russia becoming the international heavyweight the Soviet Union once was. It is also about a turn of events that greatly favours Putin.
For three years, I have been working on a book, The Return of Russia: From Yeltsin to Putin, the Story of a Vengeful Kremlin. My research included interviews with leading policymakers, among them Jens Stoltenberg, who served as secretary general of Nato between 2014 and 2024. When we spoke in September 2023, I took the opportunity to ask him how he saw the coming months in the war in Ukraine. He told me:
Only the Ukrainians that can decide what is an acceptable solution. But the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they will be on the negotiating table and therefore our responsibility is to support them … but it’s for Ukrainian to make the hard decisions on the battlefield. And of course at the end at the negotiating table.
Trump’s démarche towards a deal appears to ignore that logic, and strengthens Putin’s hand before negotiations have even started.
If it does lead to an end to the war now, there is nothing to say that Putin’s long view of history won’t encourage him to go to war again in a few years. And he’ll be better prepared to capture more territory than he has already in the last three blood-soaked years.
James Rodgers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
For politicians, elections pose a specific, clear communication challenge: How does a politician persuade a voter?
Persuade voters
Success in an election requires persuasion. Too often, though, politicians misunderstand the process of persuasion. The most common mistake is to believe that explaining a specific policy proposal will influence voters.
Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie began her campaign, for example, touting platform doors for Toronto subway stops. This is a sure sign Crombie will fail to persuade a plurality of voters.
Why? Because Crombie is mistakenly thinking about communication as a process of transmitting information — transmit the right information or policy idea and the public will nod in agreement. That’s not how communication works.
Science communicators call this the “deficit model” of communication (the public lacks information; once they get it, they change their behaviour).
Politicians need to motivate voters, not inform them. Ancient orators like Demosthenes and Cicero knew this, as did former U.S. president Barack Obama and even authoritarian leaders like Hugo Chavez.
Explaining policy positions is not how to win an election.
Crombie’s proposal for platform edge doors reveals a deeper communication problem. A policy like this implies a frame, or a map, through which people are invited to see the world.
Crombie’s policy proposal suggests that the world is a dangerous place. If we accept that frame, then we are likely to feel fear for our safety and imagine the government as our protector — this is the likely effect of her policy talk.
But this frame assumes that taxes are a burdensome infringement (the word “relief” signifies some burden that we need relief from). That is the assumption of right-leaning political parties.
The more politicians on the left continue to portray taxes this way, the more persuasive the parties on the right become.
Trump’s oppenent, Kamala Harris, tried to talk values. But her messaging was often too confusing, too complex and too varied to be persuasive, especially compared to Trump’s repetitive drumbeat of value-based accusations.
Consider the broader frame that government’s job is to help the economy. Some have argued “the economy” is a fiction, a rhetorical construction that suits right-leaning political parties. Whenever the left advocates for a policy that intends to help “the economy” (a higher minimum wage, for example), they recirculate and reaffirm a conservative frame.
When politicians talk about values more than they provide information, they are more likely to get attention and cause reactions. Values talk — about what’s good or bad, right or wrong — tends to target the more primal, limbic part of our brain, which can cause people to feel motivated to act.
Crombie, therefore, needs to explicitly articulate her values, why she is running for office, and make sure to implicitly frame any policy suggestion through attention to those values. Right now, she is implying conservative values through liberal policies — that won’t work.
Good stories have villains and heroes, along with challenges or choices. Most importantly, good stories create a feeling of identification — a “we” that navigates a set of challenges or choices.
Stories that make people feel hope, confidence, solidarity, anger and urgency are particularly adept at motivation. And these stories are also able to reinforce the frame through which we view the world, causing a story to “feel true” for voters even if it contains factual inaccuracies.
The story that resonates most powerfully creates a sense of identification and makes a specific frame seem true drives electoral outcomes.
Vision of the future
The very best stories have a clear vision of the future. Too often politicians fixate on, and lament, problems. All of that problem talk can inhibit motivation. A clear picture of an ideal future shows the citizenry how a story ends.
These aspects of persuasion have been true for centuries. Our moment, however, adds a complicating element — our social media systems.
Scholars of rhetoric have long known that repetition is persuasive. Social media amplifies the power of persuasion. This might not improve democratic decision-making, but politicians must still recognize how slogans, memes and sound bites all become the resources for repetition and the grounds in which specific frames or stories begin to dominate conversations.
Controlling what gets repeated and using figures that are repeatable are necessary contemporary considerations.
To be clear, if you want to win an election: control the frame, talk about values more than policy, tell a compelling story, paint a bright future, and find ways to repeat, repeat, repeat.
Robert Danisch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Marina Malyutina and Svetlana Lushnikova
On February 17, the Vice-Rector for Youth Policy at SPbGASU Marina Malyutina and the First Deputy Chairperson of the regional branch of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth “Movement of the First” in St. Petersburg Svetlana Lushnikova met within the walls of our university for the ceremonial signing of a cooperation agreement.
The agreement envisages joint work in various areas of youth policy and career guidance for future applicants.
Svetlana Lushnikova emphasized: “The main goal of the agreement is to create an opportunity for interaction between students and representatives of youth organizations, which will allow young people to bring their ideas to life.”
The agreement will include a number of joint projects that will help students not only deepen their knowledge but also develop practical skills needed for a successful career. The joint projects are expected to benefit both the participants and the entire society.
Marina Malyutina noted: “The university is confident that this is the beginning of a long-term and productive partnership.”
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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