Do you really know?

Who is Alexei Navalny? Alexei Navalny was sentenced on Tuesday 22 March 2022 to an additional nine years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and contempt of court. In late March 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny began a hunger strike in his prison cell. A few weeks later he was transferred to a prison hospital, with his allies declaring he was “close to dying”. Thousands of pr...

What is an oil shock? The day Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the price of crude oil surged over the $100 a barrel mark for the first time since 2014. Soon, economic sanctions would be announced against Russia, with buyers shunning exports from the world’s third largest oil producing country. For over a century, oil has been both a fuel and a barometer for the world economy. But i...

What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome? According to the World Health Organisation, harmful use of alcohol accounts for 3 million deaths each year. Indeed, it’s the third leading cause of preventable death, and causes a large burden for societies across the world. Of course regular alcohol consumption doesn’t always kill, but it can lead to other health problems, including neurological disorders. Wer...

What is myopia? According to a 2019 study from the Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science journal, almost 60% of all humans will have some form of myopia by 2050. That means as many as 5 billion people will be short-sighted, unable to clearly see objects more than 5 yards away. And that’s not at all; already one in three people suffer from myopia, a figure which rises to nearly 50% in some...

What is nuclear deterrence? Three days after his army invaded Ukraine, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced he was raising his country’s military nuclear deterrence threat level. He justified the move by citing the economic sanctions placed on Russia by the West, as well as what he called “aggressive statements” from NATO.  Isn’t the idea of deterrence forces a contradiction? Which countries...

What is the Wagner Group? In late February 2022, The Times revealed that members of Russian paramilitary Wagner Group had been sent to Ukrainian capital Kyiv with the mission of assassinating president Volodymyr Zelensky. Indeed, Zelensky himself claimed that he was the number one target during a speech on 25th February, just a day after the Russian invasion had begun. The Times said 400 private m...

What is the Azov Battalion? You’ve more than likely seen images of these Ukrainian fighters on social media since the Russian invasion began in late February. They can be recognised by their tattoos and Nazi emblems on their uniforms. The battalion takes its name from the Sea of Azov which is bounded by Ukraine and Russia. The neo-Nazi group are battling at the heart of the Ukrainian army, which h...

What is Wikileaks? On December 10th, a UK court ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could be extradited to the United States. The Australian is currently being held on remand in Belmarsh Prison for breaching the terms of his bail, but he also faces long-standing espionnage charges from the US. Those relate to the publication of secret documents on US army activity in Afghanistan, over a de...

What is Crimea? Crimea is a peninsula which belongs to Ukraine and lies on the Black Sea. It has a population of over 2 million people and its surface area is comparable to that of Belgium at over 10,000 square miles. To the east, it is separated from the Russian Tamar Peninsula by the Kerch Strait. According to a 2014 census carried out by Russia, 59% of Crimeans identify as Russian, compared to...

What is Truth Social? On February 22nd, Trump Media & Technology Group launched its own social network called Truth Social, with the platform having first been announced in October 2021. Former US president Donald Trump is hoping it will be a springboard for his 2024 election campaign. Why did Trump launch his own social network then? Is Truth Social really an open platform for users to say what t...

Who is Andy Warhol? Ryan Murphy, the creator behind hit series such as Glee and American Horror Story, has now tackled a legendary figure of pop culture through his latest project. Docuseries The Andy Warhol Diaries went live on Netflix on the 9th of March. Viewers can explore the fascinating story of American artist Andy Warhol, a man who was certainly a leading figure in pop art, and is credited...

What is NATO? The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an international alliance between Western countries. It was created in 1949, just a few years after the end of World War II, bringing together 12 member states from Europe and North America. The founding treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, is a political and military agreement to jointly protect the land and population of member stat...

Who is Batman?   The Batman hit UK cinemas on March 4th, the latest in a long line of big screen appearances for the Dark Knight. The franchise has proved hugely successful. But you may be surprised to know that Batman nearly didn’t survive his early years as a comic book character. How was Batman created? Are we saying Batman used violence? How did publishers get around the issue? In under 3 minu...

What is the Kintsugi philosophy? In Japanese, the word Kintsugi means golden repair. It’s a technique of repairing broken pottery using lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The art of Kintsugi dates back to the 16th century and it’s a true ode to imperfection and fragility. It encourages us to handle objects with care, but also to accept breakage and repair as part of their histo...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is replaying Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, refresh your knowledge about ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is sex work? Sex work is basically a term used for any practices involving a sexual service, whether physical or...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is playing Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, discover ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is menorrhagia? Menstruation is still somewhat of a taboo, even in 2022. We often resort to euphemisms when referring to it, like talk...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is playing Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, discover ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is Cinderella complex? Cinderella is perhaps the archetypal Disney princess, with her legacy living on generations after its cinema re...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is replaying Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, refresh your knowledge about ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is the Matilda Effect? Imagine humanity only using half the brains at its disposal to solve the many scientific...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is playing Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, discover ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is emotional labour? When we go to work, we get paid a salary for our efforts, to put food on the table, pay the rent and bills and so...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is playing Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, discover ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is a false pregnancy? Society has traditionally put a lot of pressure on women to get pregnant, as if their lives were somehow a failu...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is replaying Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, refresh your knowledge about ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is endometriosis? Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition which affects one in ten women. The main sym...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is playing Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, discover ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is International Women’s Day? Every year, International Women’s Day falls on March 8th. It’s a global celebration of women’s achieveme...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is replaying Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, refresh your knowledge about ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. Public discussion around the issue of consent has been greatly increased in recent years, thanks to the MeToo movemen...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is playing Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, discover ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is benevolent sexism? Discussions of sexism are commonplace in public discourse. And despite government policies aimed to ensure equal...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is replaying Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, refresh your knowledge about ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is body positivity ? Body positivity has taken over social media in the last few years. The movement is based on...