Opinion
Irish housing: homes for people not for profit
The legacy seems to remain of a land that does not provide viable opportunity or quality of tenure to its people, and so watches them set sail for countries happy to welcome the hard-working Irish with open arms.
Simone Biles: the mental health conversation that needed to be had
It takes most people years of working in their profession to be able to speak up when they feel their mental or physical health is threatened. But at just 24 years old, Biles – who is a woman of colour in a notoriously white field, and who is a survivor of sexual abuse suffered while training in the very sport in which she excels – was able to do so on the world’s biggest stage.
Internships in the era of Covid-19
An academic internship can be a very positive experience, yet when you are applying, it can be difficult to know what opportunities will suit your own interests. The experience may vary from learning what you don’t like in a working environment, to being introduced to the nine-to-five world, which is often so alien to students who are used to working part-time or odd hours in industries such as hospitality and service.
Will global tax reform make the world a fairer place?
In April of this year, US President Joe Biden proposed a reform of the global tax system that would set a minimum global corporate tax of 15 per cent. Agreed upon by the Group of Seven (G7) nations in June, the G20 in July, and now backed by 131 countries worldwide, the potential agreement will be the biggest overhaul of the international tax system in decades. All going well, the new tax rules will be legally binding worldwide by the end of 2023.
We need to do better if we are to protect girls
The real conversation lies in asking ourselves why altering our appearance has become so normalised and readily-available as a cosmetic service. When and why did our natural faces with textured skin and varied features become undesirable and “ugly”?
Death at a funeral: grief and burial rituals during a pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has put an abrupt, albeit temporary, stop to the processes that we are familiar with surrounding the deaths of loved ones; the grieving process and adapting to the ‘new normal’ in the absence of a loved one.
UFOs: are we alone in this world?
In 2007, albeit in secret, US Senator Harry Reid created the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), which was dedicated to studying UFO encounters with military personnel. From 2007 to at least 2012, the Pentagon spent millions in tracking military personnel who had seen the objects and reported UFO sightings. The existence of this programme was made public by the New York Times in 2017.
A year (and a bit) in review: the opinion section
As society opens back up and we all venture into the world with a newfound hunger for life, allow yourself to reflect – in a macro and a micro sense – on the time we have had, as well as the times that are to come.
The beauty of Pride
We often hear confusion as to why the whole of June is dedicated to Pride celebration and festivities. But why not? Pride month wasn’t created to change sexualities or impose ideas. Pride month celebrates the liberation of being who you authentically are, and that is where the beauty lies.
Rainbow washing + the exploitation of the LGBTQ+ community by major corporations
Pride is a vibrant celebration of sexual diversity and acceptance. But just like everything else that is good and pure in this world, the Pride festivities have been tarnished by corporate efforts to execute their own agenda and appeal to the huge market of consumers who support LGBTQ+-friendly businesses.