A 3-step guide to establishing a country

18th November 2022

Establishing a country may seem like a manageable task to some: Settling clear geographical borders? Easy-peasy; Forming a functioning government? Can’t be that difficult; and bonding with other sovereign states? That’s all in the people-skills. But it is actually far more complicated to establish a country than some may think, with a process that can take decades and often involves mountains of bureaucracy, a multitude of setbacks and devastating bloodshed.

A 3-step guide to establishing a country

Halloween Around the World

3rd November 2022

Halloween is one of my favourite celebrations of the year, simply because I have a brilliant excuse to eat an awful number of sweets and insist on watching the scariest horror movies and freak myself out until I physically cannot sleep. This year, you may have gone to parties, got your creative juices flowing with costumes (even a pirate, which seemed to be rather popular) and had fun with friends and family with decorations, music and the outrageous amount of fake blood. The traditionally Celtic festival of Samhain is celebrated all over the world, in various ways and at different times, yet one thing they have in common is honouring or remembering the dead. So here is a quick international tour of five unique and spooky celebrations/traditions:

Halloween Around the World

Is recycling greenwashing? How curbside recycling began

3rd November 2022

One fateful afternoon, during the leisurely research of the correct way to recycle different types of plastic (thrilling, I know), I fell down the rabbit-hole of how the process actually works, and consequently, how it came to be. We view recycling as the norm, we take it for granted, and we feel good about our waste – it’s out of sight and out of mind. And yet we never stop to consider it critically and ask pressing questions: does it really help? Where does the waste go? How do we maximise how much gets recycled? Let’s attempt to answer.

Is recycling greenwashing? How curbside recycling began

Black Panther’s Celebration of Black Culture

13th October 2022

Black Panther – and I will not hesitate to fight anyone on this – is one of the best and perhaps most underrated Marvel movies out there. It provides entertainment for Marvel fans and non-fans alike through its humour, fast-paced action and engrossing graphics whilst avoiding a clichéd love interest (although shoutout to Nakia and Black Panther for having the ultimate relationship goals). But honestly, if you don’t adore Marvel, then what are you doing with your life?

Black Panther’s Celebration of Black Culture