Author: TheConversation

By Debra Rickwood, Professor of Psychology, University of Canberra You have probably found yourself weeping quietly, or even suddenly sobbing uncontrollably, while watching a movie. Common culprits include Marley and Me, The Color Purple, Schindler’s List and The Lion King. You may have tried to blubber discretely so your dry-eyed companions did not think you were weak, and no doubt you had a sneaky look sideways to see if they were glassy-eyed too. Or you may have boldly sobbed away. Why do we cry in movies? Is this a sign of emotional weakness – hence hiding it from your...

By Brandon M. Erby, Assistant Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies, University of Kentucky After 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped, severely beaten and killed in the Mississippi Delta on August 28, 1955, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the courageous decision to reveal her son’s corpse for all to see. Till-Mobley’s choice allowed audiences to bear witness to an act of racial violence, and the new film “Till” promises to unveil the complete story of how she responded to her son’s brutal death. However, when a theatrical poster for “Till” was released in the summer of 2022, some people...

By Erik Loomis, Professor of History, University of Rhode Island The prospect of a potentially devastating rail workers strike is looming again. Fears of a strike in September 2022 prompted the Biden administration to pull out all the stops to get a deal between railroads and the largest unions representing their employees. That deal hinged on ratification by a majority of members at all 12 of those unions. So far, eight have voted in favor, but four have rejected the terms. If even one continues to reject the deal after further negotiations, it could mean a full-scale freight strike...

By Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University Donald Trump announced his 2024 run for the presidency on November 15. In his address he railed against what he perceived as the “persecution” of himself and his family, but made scant mention of his legal woes. Confirmation of Trump’s White House bid comes at a curious time – days after a lackluster Republican midterm performance that many blamed on him. Moreover, it comes as the former president faces multiple criminal investigations over everything from his handling of classified documents, to allegations of falsifying the value...

By Tom Pugh, Reader in Biosphere-Atmosphere Exchange, University of Birmingham and Senior Lecturer, Lund University Humanity injects an almost incomprehensible 42 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide CO₂ into the atmosphere every year. The majority of this comes from burning fossil fuels, but a substantial portion, about 16%, arises from how we use the land. Most of these land-use emissions are caused by deforestation, particularly in the tropics. In order to slow climate change, the global community needs to reduce this 42 billion tons of emissions to net zero, a situation where any remaining emissions are balanced by uptake elsewhere....

By Eric Hittinger, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Eric Williams, Professor of Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology, Qing Miao, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Tiruwork B. Tibebu, Ph.D. Student, Rochester Institute of Technology The planet is heating up as greenhouse gas emissions rise, contributing to extreme heat waves and once-unimaginable flooding. Yet despite the risks, countries’ policies are not on track to keep global warming in check. The problem isn’t a lack of technology. The International Energy Agency recently released a detailed analysis of the clean energy technology needed to...