
‘Jaws’ and the two musical notes that changed Hollywood forever
Da, duh. Two simple notes E and F have become synonymous with tension, fear and sharks, representing the primal dread of being stalked by a predator. And they largely have Jaws to thank. Fifty years ago, Steven...

Southeast Asian nations look to hedge their way out of troubled waters in the South China Sea
The South China Sea has long been a bubbling geopolitical hot spot. Recently, a series of moves by the various nations claiming a stake in the waters has stirred up yet more trouble. Malaysia has of late reaffirmed its...

The commitment trap: How Israel, Iran and the US risk becoming prisoners to policies
The latest escalation in the Middle East is in many ways the inevitable culmination of a long-simmering rivalry. Irans pursuit of nuclear weapons capability and Israels determination to stop that from happening meant that...

It has been five years since May 25, 2020, when George Floyd gasped for air beneath the knee of a Minneapolis police officer at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. Five years since 17-year-old Darnella Frazier...

Marriage and the ability to start a family are human rights. Ten years ago, on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges case extended the right to marry to same-sex couples. With 7.6% of...

Grok’s ‘white genocide’ responses show how generative AI can be weaponized
The AI chatbot Grok spent one day in May 2025 spreading debunked conspiracy theories about white genocide in South Africa, echoing views publicly voiced by Elon Musk, the founder of its parent company, xAI. While there has...

Testing between intervals: a key to retaining information in long-term memory
The proverb practice makes perfect highlights the importance of repetition to master a skill. This principle also applies to learning vocabulary and other material. In order to fight our natural tendency to forget...