Do you really know?

What is HAARP ?The acronym HAARP stands for High Frequency Auroral Research Program. It’s an American research project dedicated to analysing the ionosphere. HAARP is funded by the American armed forces, and has been the target of conspiracy theorists since the 1990s. They believe the program is responsible for natural disasters and mind-controlling radio waves.The ionmmm osphere is a layer of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, from around 37 miles to 620 miles in altitude. Its characteristics are complex and varied due to solar activity. It is of interest to scientists studying the atmosphere, as well as armed forces, as it plays an important role in radio wave propagation. So the US army decided to finance the HAARP research program, in order to study the ionosphere, and more specifically the geomagnetic storms which occur inside it. Work on the facility began in 1993 in Alaska. The state was chosen because auroras occur frequently, and because it’s far away from wave interference caused by human activity. Such as electronics and lights for example.HAARP uses a high-frequency radio transmitter to temporarily excite precise parts of the atmosphere. The transmitter has 180 antennas and a total of 3.6 MW in transmitter power. In total, up to 300 million dollars were invested in the program. But the army decided to abandon it in 2014, as it was becoming too expensive to make equipment meet anti-pollution standards. The University of Alaska then took over the program, as well as all the conspiracy theories that come with it.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is greenwashing ?Greenwashing is a marketing practice used by corporations to convince consumers that their business is environmentally friendly. Of course the aim is really to sell more products. Consumers may be convinced they are acting in an environmentally responsible way. While in reality brands are often hiding practices that are not at all helpful to the planet.The term greenwashing first appeared at the start of the 1990s, around about the time mainstream Western society was becoming more aware of environmental issues. As soon as some kind of trend would appear, advertisers were lying in wait to capitalize. By the 2000s, ads using environmental claims were everywhere. Greenwashing is often very visually apparent. A product’s packaging might change, or it could be the communication about the product. For example, the colour green is used more; you see more flowers, trees or animals. Sometimes brands are more explicit in boasting about their environmental performance. And in a way that a lot of people would see as being inappropriate.Their products, whether it be anything from cars to detergents, can turn out to actually be harmful. In those cases, it’s borderline false advertising. In America, the Federal Trade Commission had to update its “Green Guides” in 2012, cracking down on greenwashing. Now brands have started using subtler tactics, making detection more difficult. Coffee is a perfect example and many authors have criticised this kind of greenwashing. One of the world’s best known coffee brands has managed to engineer a luxury image for itself, and also sell itself as being environmentally friendly. The reality is totally different however.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is female genital mutilation ?Female genital mutilation (or FGM) is an operation whereby some or all of the external female genitalia are removed, for traditional reasons. Procedures vary across the world, but most commonly the clitoris and labia are cut off using a blade. FGM is illegal in many countries, but still common across the world. In 2016, Unicef estimated that at least 200 million women in 30 countries had been subjected to the practice during their lives.FGM is usually carried out by an older woman, taking on the role of circumciser. The cutting may be done with or without anaesthesia, often using a non-sterile item like a knife, razor, pair of scissors, piece of glass or fingernails. The circumciser partially or completely removes the clitoris, and sometimes the inner labia too. In some cases, the outer labia are sewn closed with the vagina only opened for sexual intercourse when the girl is older.FGM is most commonly practised in Subsaharan Africa and the Middle East. In countries like Somalia, Guinea and Djibouti, it’s estimated that over 90% of women between the ages of 15-49 have been subjected to FGM. A CDC report in 2016 estimated that over 500,000 women in the United States were either at risk of FGM, or already victims.FGM has been carried out for thousands of years actually, since well before Islam or Christianity arrived in the regions in question. Some communities defend the practice, saying it preserves women’s virginity, increases sexual pleasure for men and decreases it for women. Other justifications include saying it is a rite of passage for young girls before they become an adult.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is sharenting ?Sharenting is a portmanteau word, made up of “sharing” and “parenting”. It’s used to refer to parents who share photos and videos of their kids on social media. Harmless, you might think, and the practice is becoming more and more common. However, it’s still an area which requires a level of caution.It all starts with a Facebook post around the time of the first ultrasound, announcing the pregnancy. In fact, 30% of children already have an online presence before being born. Then come more pictures when the newborn arrives, a video of the first steps or other happy family moments. All this is generally shared on the parents’ private accounts, or even on dedicated accounts created for the children themselves. 90% of kids have an online presence by the age of 2.It’s true that social media often helps strengthen bonds between loved ones who don’t live together, like long-distance grandparents for example.However, the dangers of sharenting have become more apparent in the last few years. In 2016, The Atlantic published an article on the subject, raising questions about consent, the right to privacy and parent-child relationships. There are direct risks, such as identity fraud, when you share personal information like a child’s name and date of birth online. Posting about family days out could potentially put relatives in danger. Pictures of children undressed could even fall into the hands of pedophile networks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the No Bra movement ?For women, wearing a bra to support their breasts may seem vital from puberty onwards. However, it’s claimed that bras may in fact be useless or even dangerous, which has led some to promote the No Bra movement. It has been linked to feminism, and isn’t universally accepted or popular. Bras were invented at the end of the 19th century, gradually replacing corsets and revolutionising women’s daily lives. Since then, wearing the undergarment has become an automatic reflex and a rite of passage for girls when they start to develop into young women. Designs have evolved a lot over the years, for example the standard model in the 2000s was padded, making breasts look round and high. Going braless in public would be seen a bit like going out with no panties.t’s been suggested that wearing a bra can weaken the tissue structures known as Cooper’s ligaments, which offer natural support to breasts. It’s a vicious circle. Women need bras because of wearing bras in the first place!French professor Jean-Denis Rouillon takes that point of view even further. He believes bras are bad for health, damaging breast tissue but also restricting bloodflow and lymphatic circulation. Some studies have even found links between excessive bra wearing and breast cancer.Faced with this information, women have created the No Bra movement.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is mental load ?Mental load, or emotional labour, is a sociological concept often relating to the daily management of a household. Research has shown that within traditional families, the strain of mental load is more often than not taken on by women. It’s become a feminist issue due to this imbalance.Early discussions relating to mental load date back to the 1980s. Sociologists noted how women in heterosexual relationships were often just as busy with managing household tasks or family life, as with their own job. And more so than men, in fact.In theory, homosexual couples should be less affected by the mental load, due to the gendered nature of the issue. But often one partner ends up taking on more mental load than the other, especially when there are big social differences between the two. That could be a difference in salary between the two partners for example.The term mental load has become more widespread in recent years, thanks in no small part to French comic strip creator Emma. She compares the traditional family to a small company, where the woman is a project manager in charge of household tasks. The male partner is simply an underling waiting on orders to carry out. The underling justifies his inaction by saying “You should have asked!”Mental load is a continuous cycle of organising domestic life. Tasks like buying milk, paying utility bills, organizing the kid’s birthday or booking medical appointments always have to be remembered. What’s more, this load by its nature entails invisible additional responsibility. While invisible, it’s definitely stressful and often forces women to make sacrifices when it comes to their social lives. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is lyme disease ?Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease, which means it’s spread by an intermediary. It’s actually the most common of all  vector-borne diseases in the northern hemisphere.In the case of lyme disease, the intermediary is an insect called a tick. While ticks are very small, the consequences of the disease are potentially very serious. The number of infections is on the rise and there’s a lot of debate between scientists and patient associations.Ticks are the largest members of the acarine sub-class of arachnids. They measure around a ¼ of an inch on average. They can mostly be found either on the ground or attached to the skin of mammals. In America, blacklegged ticks are the most common culprit when it comes to spreading Lyme disease. They can bite human beings of all ages.The most common areas where this happens is in woods, meadows, parks and gardens. If you’re wondering what time of the year is the most dangerous, it’s generally between the start of spring and the end of autumn.The problem is that the tick population is increasing due to climate change. And therefore so is Lyme disease. Some say that it’s getting diagnosed more efficiently due to greater awareness among doctors and patients. Only a minority of ticks carry the disease. And the risk of getting it after being bitten is only 1-5%. But you have to keep an eye on how the bite develops. The most common and quick symptom would be red rings around the bite. These generally remain for a few days.When the disease is diagnosed and treated quickly, the outlook is good. In around 90% of cases, antibiotics are enough to treat it in 2-4 weeks. But if untreated, it’s a different story.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is polyamory ?Polyamory means having romantic or sexual relationships with more than one partner. It differs from the traditional model where two partners have an exclusive relationship and are faithful to one another. However, an important criteria is that all partners involved give their consent to these open relationships.It’s like swinging?Not really. Although the lifestyle does include having sex outside of the established couple, swingers tend to avoid any romantic attachment with their non-marital partners. Being polyamorous means you believe in the right to love more than one person and is therefore totally opposite to monogamy.  It’s like polygamy ?That’s not really true either. Polygamy is by definition linked to the custom of marriage, and married life. Often in cultures where polygamy is practised, only the husband is allowed to marry several partners. An essential feature of polyamorous relationships is that all partners have equal rights. To understand polyamory, you need to analyse the concept of traditional loving relationships. Partners believe that they belong to one another and accept giving up their respective freedom. Any external relationship is seen as a threat and feelings of jealousy stem from this model.The thinkers behind polyamory, like Russian revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai, talk about principles such as equality in mutual relationships, the absence of possessiveness, empathy and caring for the well being of others.Therefore, polyamory doesn’t destroy faithfulness. Rather it reinvents it. Being faithful in a polyamorous relationship requires honesty, attentiveness, trust and trustworthiness. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are loot boxes ? Creating video games doesn’t come cheap, and neither does it bring in a whole lot of revenue. At least that’s what game publishers would have you believe. They’re constantly looking for new ways to increase their profits in the long run. Loot boxes are just one example of that. They are virtual items which have been causing a lot of debate in recent years.The controversy really started when Star Wars Battlefront 2 came out in late 2017. There were a lot of disappointed gamers out there, so much so that they called for a full boycott of the game. Having already purchased the game itself, they realised they would have to spend over $2,000 more to unlock its full content.The idea behind loot boxes is simple. You buy a virtual box without knowing what’s inside it. You always get some kind of virtual item in return, you just don’t know how much it will be worth.Gamers are getting fed up with loot boxes. More generally, they’re fed up with the idea of “pay to win”, whereby they are incited to pay in order to have something in the game. Some think loot boxes should be considered a form of gambling and therefore made illegal for minors.  It’s true that young people are twice as likely as adults to become addicted to games of chance. There are many risks, such as psychoactive substance use, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, financial losses or a drop in academic performance.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are GMOs ?The acronym GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Basically, a GMO is any living thing which has had its genetic material altered by humans.The term is most commonly used talking about crops which are genetically modified in order to be more resistant to pesticides or to improve food quality. Practically speaking, it does increase yield and prevent pests from damaging crops. Maize and soybean are among the plants most commonly linked with GM crops.   Of course, genetic engineering techniques can also be used on other kinds of organisms, such as yeasts, for example.The main way of creating GMOs is through gene delivery, whereby foreign DNA material is introduced into host cells. At the end of the process, you get what we call transgenic products.The debate around GMOs is raging among scientists and the general public. Some cite the benefits they offer, like creating new medicines like insulin, being able to harvest land which had previously been unusable, and helping to reduce world hunger. On the other hand, counter-arguments include warnings against overuse of herbicides, the impact on plant life and wildlife, potential health risks for humans and the increase in production costs for farmers.In the United States, there is no particular federal legislation relating to GMOs. Instead, GMOs are regulated according to existing legislation on products. This is pretty favourable compared to other countries. The US is actually the world’s leading producer of genetically modified crops. And 75% of processed foods in the country contain GMO ingredients.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices