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China recently banned the export of the minerals gallium and germanium to the US amid growing tensions between the two countries on trade. The minerals are of critical economic value because they are used in computer chips, in military technology such as night vision goggles, and in the rene... Read Full article on HadNews.com

Hurricane Milton slammed into the west coast of Florida on October 9, becoming the second powerful hurricane to hit the state in just two weeks. While most people turned to meteorologists for explanations, a vocal minority remained sceptical, proposing that the hurricanes were engineered, that Florida’s weather was being manipulated, or even that it was targeted at Republican voters. These ideas aren’t new. As psychologists, we research the roots of conspiracy theories, and have found they often emerge in the wake of natural disasters. Investigating these theories is especially crucial as extreme weather events are projected to becom...... Read Full article on HadNews

For as long as pop music has existed, there have been love songs. And as long as there have been love songs, songwriters have been wrestling with what love means to them. We have been told that love is the best, that it can mend our souls, and keep us alive. But we have also been warned that love is a battlefield upon which we will be torn apart, and eventually killed. Sitting somewhere between these mixed messages is what I will call the “ugly love songs” category. These are songs that focus on concepts like control, jealousy and emotional blackmail, all presented (to paraphrase U2) in the name of love. It’s unlikely you’ll ever see ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Simon Boas, who wrote a candid account of living with cancer, passed away on July 15 at the age of 47. In a recent BBC interview, the former aid worker told the reporter: “My pain is under control and I’m terribly happy – it sounds weird to say, but I’m as happy as I’ve ever been in my life.” It may seem odd that a person could be happy as the end draws near, but in my experience as a clinical psychologist working with people at the end of their lives, it’s not that uncommon. There is quite a lot of research suggesting that fear of death is at the unconscious centre of being human. William James, an American philosopher, called the kn...... Read Full article on HadNews

George Clooney has called on Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term as US president, to “step aside” to save democracy from Donald Trump. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, the Hollywood actor urged the Democratic Party to replace Biden with a more youthful candidate, warning: “We are not going to win anything with this president.” Clooney’s article was a response to the presidential debate on June 28 when Biden stumbled over his words on many occasions and struggled to match the energy of Trump. The fallout from that debate has been catastrophic for the Democrats, fuelling concerns that Biden (at 81 years old) is not mental...... Read Full article on HadNews

After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania campaign rally, there is much speculation about how this will affect the 2024 US election. However, no one is yet asking how these events may affect Trump himself. Many appear to assume that because Trump walked away with seemingly minor injuries, he will continue with business as usual. For anyone who thought society now understood the potential mental health effects of trauma, this assumption is both disappointing and troubling. Trump may not experience any psychological effects, but given that he could soon be re-elected, the potential effect of these events on ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Imagine you’re 90 years old, a grandmother of three and your husband is also elderly and ailing. You need help with almost everything, getting out of a chair, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, eating and remembering your medications. Despite advances in life expectancy, ageing has not been kind, and you feel like a burden to your husband and the healthcare professionals who care for you. Now, imagine being offered a robot that could help with many of these things – from walking to the bathroom to keeping track of your doctor’s appointments. This robot’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) learns your preferences, knows your birthday...... Read Full article on HadNews

Legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick spent a lifetime trying to make his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, a reality. He had been struggling to make it from the moment he began making feature films, some 75 years ago. When he finally did, 25 years ago in 1999, it killed him. The plot centres on a physician (Tom Cruise) whose wife (Nicole Kidman) reveals that she had contemplated having an affair a year earlier. He becomes obsessed with having his own sexual encounter. When he discovers an underground sex group, he attends one of their masked orgies. Having not made a film in 12 years since Full Metal Jacket in 1987, Eyes Wide Shut was hotly...... Read Full article on HadNews

In 1964, a bunch of mop-topped young men appeared on the BBC’s early evening Tonight programme, being interviewed by a mildly bemused, but not unfriendly, Cliff Michelmore to promote the “Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men”. Their spokesman, making his first television appearance, was 17-year-old David Jones. Within a decade, and better known as David Bowie, his 1972 performance on Top of the Pops, as Ziggy Stardust, would make his previous appearance seem tame. As the recent box-set release celebrating Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust period demonstrates, this was part of a prolific, and productive, period when he was ev...... Read Full article on HadNews

As a motorcyclist and a researcher looking at the significance of motorcycle clubs in influencing motorcycle behaviour, the film The Bikeriders would seem to tick all my boxes. It’s inspired by Danny Lyons’ 1968 book of the same name, which followed the lives of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club through posed and non-posed photographs. The movie opens with a violent confrontation in a bar in Chicago when a man refuses to take off a jacket studded with badges from his motorcycle club. This is Benny, one of the film’s main characters. Benny would rather get into a fight than take off his jacket because of his feelings for and loyalty...... Read Full article on HadNews