A Short History of the Kohinoor Diamond

Quite recently, campaigns, tweets and demands for the return of the exceptionally prestigious Kohinoor Diamond to India have become more vociferous. Housed in the Tower of London, the Kohinoor has mysterious origins, and a history that is still not fully known, but it is an integral part of the extension of political power and the symbolism of British colonialism. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan have all re-claimed their rights to the precious 105-carat diamond, sparking interest into its early past.

A Short History of the Kohinoor Diamond

Clinical Trials are Failing Women

A clinical trial allows researchers to compare the effects of different treatments, ensuring that drugs are safe and effective before being marketed. They are split into different phases which each test for specific things. If a medicine passes these phases, it can be giving a marketing licence, which makes it available on prescription, (though the side effects and effectiveness of the drug are still monitored while it is being used). In theory, these trials should be diverse, so that many different people can effectively benefit from the drug’s use, and for researchers to know how medicines affect these different groups of people. But clinical trials are still failing to sufficiently represent one of the largest groups on the planet: women.

Clinical Trials are Failing Women

The Sur – A Disastrous or Fortunate Idea?

Common Currencies have always provoked debate and discussion between leaders of nations, who want to promote greater co-operation whilst also defending their own economic interests. After the Euro was made the official currency for twelve EU countries in 1999 (and now twenty), efficiency and economic stability increased within the eurozone, demonstrating its success and influencing the global economy. Not only does the single currency highlight European identity, but investment in the eurozone became cheaper with a lower risk and greater confidence, promoting trade alongside business. Therefore, keeping all these benefits in mind, Brazil and Argentina have recently proposed a new common currency for their nations; one which would ultimately become the second largest currency bloc after the Euro. However, the two left-wing presidents’ idea has created economic concerns over whether the “Sur” (the proposed common currency) will actually be as beneficial as they intend it to be.

The Sur – A Disastrous or Fortunate Idea?

How Did People Keep Warm Throughout History?

In a climate-controlled 21st century home so accustomed to 24/7 central heating throughout the colder months, suddenly having to do without any heating at all can be quite a nasty shock. You may roll your eyes at your grandparents’ lectures of how ‘your generation doesn’t know how easy you have it’ and how ‘when I was young, we had frost on the inside of the windowpanes’, but they may actually have a point. How on earth did people manage to get through the winter before double glazing, effective insulation, or electric heating were invented?

How Did People Keep Warm Throughout History?

Altering Part 2: Raising a Hem and Taking in at the Waist

Following on from my recent article on mending clothes, I thought I should write a follow-up guide on another facet of wearing and caring for your clothes: altering. Too many times have I seen people avoid wearing clothes they bought for themselves because they don’t quite fit right, or they’ll send them off to the tailor’s for incredibly simple alterations that could easily be done at home.

Altering Part 2: Raising a Hem and Taking in at the Waist