Do you really know?

What is Roe vs Wade, the ruling that guaranteed American women abortion rights?   In late June 2022, the US Supreme Court controversially overturned the landmark Roe vs Wade decision which for decades protected women’s freedom to have an abortion anywhere in the country. Five of the six conservative judges sitting on the supreme court voted in favour of the reversal, ensuring a majority. US Presid...

Could tourism quotas help preserve endangered local environments? The summer holiday period is upon us, but when planning our holidays it’s worth bearing in mind that overtourism has become a real nuisance. As tourists, it’s not exactly fun being in a highly overcrowded area, but it’s even worse for the natural environment. Could tourism quotas be one way of addressing the problems? In mid-June 20...

On July 8, we celebrate National Video Game Day. What is the Gamestop short squeeze? You may have seen headlines about it in recent weeks, and it’s certainly one of the financial stories of the year so far. The Gamestop short squeeze saw Wall Street tremble at least temporarily due to the actions of amateur traders from Reddit. And this battle is perhaps just the start of a long war. To understand...

Is bikini waxing harmful for your health? Swimsuit season is here and many women will be making sure they’re body hair is groomed in good time before jetting off for a beach holiday. And it’s not just in summer time either. According to a Jama Dermotology study of 3,316 American women in 2016, 83.8% reported removing at least some of their pubic hair. The most common hair removal methods are waxin...

Why will it be years before Ukraine could join the EU? On 23rd June 2022, the European Union’s 27 member states agreed to award the countries of Ukraine and Moldova official EU candidate status.  The decision was taken relatively quickly, with Ukraine and Moldova having submitted their formal applications on 28th February and 3rd March respectively, within a week of Russia having launched its mili...

What is Islamism? A spate of terrorist attacks have been carried out across Europe in recent weeks, most notably in France and Austria. Political leaders have attributed the violence to Islamists, calling for a united front in battling this form of radicalism. Nevertheless, use of the term “Islamism” is somewhat controversial. It’s important to make the distinction between the religion Islam itsel...

Why is Elvis known as the King? Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic hit UK cinemas on 24nd June 2022, starring Austin Butler as the King of rock and roll himself, and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager Colonel Tom Parker. Let’s look back at how Elvis became a global superstar from the 1950s through to the late 70s. Elvis Presley earned his reputation as the King for a seemingly endless list of...

What is enbyphobia? This term first appeared in LGBT+ circles; if you’re wondering what an “enby” is, just say it slower: N - B, which stands for non-binary. So it refers to a phobia of non-binary people, which is also sometimes called exorsexism. If you think back to our episode about non-binary gender identity, you’ll remember it means people who do not feel exclusively male or female. For examp...

How have Pride Parades evolved over the last 50 years?    In cities across the world, Pride Parades take place in late June and early July, with the London 2022 event set for today. They bring together thousands of people and give visibility to the LGBTQ+ struggle. These events have consistently grown and spread to new places after first taking place in June 1970. They’re also known as pride march...

Is the menopause still a taboo subject? The menopause is the period in a woman’s life when she stops ovulating and having periods, due to lower hormone levels in the body. Despite the fact that it can last 10 years or more and all women go through it, the topic has long been something of a taboo and even seen as an illness. Western medicine only really started paying attention to it in the 18th ce...

What is the Taliban offensive? The Taliban’s offensive against the Afghan government, which began back in May, accelerated dramatically in the last 10 days, leading to the group taking complete control of the country. As of August 13th, the Islamist military group only held 132 of Afghanistan’s 398 districts, according to BBC research. But three days later, capital city Kabul had fallen and the fi...

What is shrinkflation, the sneaky tactic manufacturers are hiding from consumers?  Marketing technique shrinkflation is becoming more and more common in large retail stores, in particular down to the ongoing war in Ukraine. It sees manufacturers quietly reducing the size of their products, but maintaining prices at the same level. Shrinkflation is often a result of an increase in raw material pric...

You’ve heard about it, but do you really know it? In 3 minutes, we help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. After listening, you will really know for sure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we choose the right sunscreen product? July is nearly upon us, which means it’s summer holiday time for many of you. Whether you’re going on a beach holiday, city break or camping trip, the chances are you’ll be soaking up the sun’s rays. Of course sunshine activates vitamin D production in the body, which has numerous benefits like protecting us from disease and improving mental health. B...

What is the global minimum tax? At the end of last week, finance ministers from the G7 countries met in London and formally endorsed a global minimum corporate tax rate. Going forward, companies will have to pay a minimum of 15% tax on their profits. The framework is part of an effort to stop multinationals, and in particular the GAFA companies Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, from profit-shift...

Could Male Polish be the next big thing in men’s fashion?   A 2021 report from Persistence Market Research predicted that within the next decade, annual sales of cosmetics for men would double around the world. The sector’s growth is largely down to beard grooming products, but makeup is also on the rise, including nail polish. The annual Met Gala brings together the creme de la creme of American...

Why are there so many spin offs in the world of cinema? The world of cinema is full of films and sagas which leave their mark on a generation, sometimes becoming cult films. And another phenomenon is becoming more and more common: that of the spin off. Spin-off films involve the creation of a new work based on the original, focusing on the story of a secondary character. There are a number of reas...

What is cancel culture? Cancel culture is the popular practice of withdrawing support for an individual or company, to such an extent that they become irrelevant as a result. This is usually due to something the person has done or said that is considered offensive. Cancel culture has become an effective tool for so-called social justice movements, with feminist, antiracist and LGBTQ+ activists inc...

What does the future hold for Marvel Cinematic Universe? Marvel has long been one of the most prominent and iconic publishers in the world of American comics. From the turn of the century onwards, its cinematic adaptations breathed new life into the franchise. It started out with the somewhat timid X-men film in the year 2000, but really took off with the launch of the shared MCU universe in 2008,...

How were the Stonewall riots the starting point for the LGBT struggle? In 1960s New York, a bar called the Stonewall Inn was one of the few establishments to serve homosexuals. It was a shabby venue, which operated without a liquor license and had blocked out windows to protect customers from suspicious looks. Situated in the Greenwich Village district of South west Manhattan, it was controlled by...

How did Internet Explorer go out of fashion?  On 15th June 2022, American internet giant Microsoft cut off Internet Explorer, its long standing web browser. At the end of the 1990s and through to the 2000s, it set the standard when it came to browsers. In 2004 it had a usage share of as high as 95%, a figure which was under 1% by the time it closed, according to Irish traffic analysis website Stat...

What is the US Supreme Court? Following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September 2020, Donald Trump made clear his desire to quickly appoint a new justice to the US Supreme Court. To understand the importance of this nomination, it’s important to consider the major political influence of the Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court was created in 1789, thirteen years after the United States...

What is Face Wine, the latest viral beauty product from Tiktok? Over the last few years, Chinese platform Tiktok has taken over as the social network of choice for teens and young adults. Unsurprisingly then, it’s also become a prime target for influencers and brands looking to promote their products, ahead of Instagram, Youtube and Snapchat. Since the start of May 2022, a beauty product called Gr...

What are the signs you might have sleep apnea? According to a study published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease in 2015, 10% of all people are affected by obstructive sleep apnea. That figure rises for some population groups, like men, over-50s and overweight people. It’s actually a mechanical disorder, rather than an illness. When we go to sleep, our muscles relax; that's totally normal. But whe...

The annual celebration of World Music Day on 21st June is upon us and Do You Really Know? is aiming to strike a chord with listeners. We'll be harping on about music all week long, covering related terms, concepts and famous figures. Who is Rosalia? Following the release of her latest album Motomami, Rosalia Vila Tobella was called a visionary and compared to artists like M.I.A. and Madonna by the...