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From the Sumerians to Shakespeare to Twain: why fart jokes never get old
History & The Arts

From the Sumerians to Shakespeare to Twain: why fart jokes never get old

...social contexts, is rude and offensive. There’s also the fundamental truth pertaining to the topic: farts are funny. But why is this the case? They’re often a source of discomfort and embarrassment, so why do they double as an inspiration for humor, even literary beauty? Literary giants let it rip Every culture in recorded history has had its preferred forms of humor...
Should we tax robots who replace humans in the workplace?
Money & Business

Should we tax robots who replace humans in the workplace?

...social challenges of our generation. The fear that robots will steal our jobs is an old one. But it’s being felt all the more acutely thanks to the rise of new technology. What’s often overlooked is the role that tax policies play in this. Current policies in many countries, including the US and UK, encourage automation even when it would not otherwise be efficient....
Global challenges in practice: designing a development intervention
Money & Business

Global challenges in practice: designing a development intervention

...social good, as well as business profit. And what do I do for work these days? Well launching the first development impact bond in the world, where the returns for the investor go up, not with the interbank lending rate, but actually go up when more girls get educated and enrolled into schools in Rajasthan. Looking at private sector approaches to reducing deforestation to...
PodMag November 2016
Society, Politics & Law

PodMag November 2016

...Social Sciences and Arts (FASS) at The Open University...In this edition of the PodMag, we are introduced to three members of the Religious Studies Department who talk about three different religious festivals which occur around this time of year – Halloween, Diwali and Christmas. Karen interviews Professor Graham Harvey, Head of Religious Studies, Professor Gwilym...
Population ageing: a global health crisis?
Health, Sports & Psychology

Population ageing: a global health crisis?

...working people for every elderly person. Today: 9. 2050: 4. More money out, less money in. Economic impact: Growth, Savings, Debt, Investment, Consumption, Labor markets, Pensions, Taxation Social impact: Family composition, Living arrangements, Housing demand, Migration trends, Health care Political impact: Voting patterns, Political representation The elderly bring:...
It's a run-off: Argentina's presidential election goes to a second round
Society, Politics & Law

It's a run-off: Argentina's presidential election goes to a second round

...worked hard to meet the unfulfilled social demands of the neoliberal 1990s, and by doing so, the Kirchners have forged a strong political identity of combative resistence against neoliberalism in all its forms. But the antagonism that founded Argentina and Latin America’s “post-neoliberal consensus” has been all but exhausted. Voters are making new demands of their...
Why has English taken over academia?
Languages

Why has English taken over academia?

...social sciences and humanities slightly lower. Today, the proportion of academic articles in the Nordic countries which are published in English is between 70% and 95%, and for doctoral dissertations it’s 80% to 90%. Pros and cons of using English One frequently cited advantage of publishing in English is that academics can reach a wider audience and also engage in work...
Solon upsets the wealthy Croesus
History & The Arts

Solon upsets the wealthy Croesus

...works as a poet and lawmaker are based on tiny fragments of evidence, but he is considered by some to have laid the foundations for Athenian democracy. Certainly later Athenians (of the time of Herodotus’ ‘The Histories’) looked back to Solon as the founding figure of their radical experiment with people power. Herodotus records that Solon made a ten-year journey,...