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Latest Episodes:

Why is physical contact important for our health? Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

When it comes to expressions about skin, the English language is not lacking. For example, we can be thick or thin skinned, or have someone under our skin. To show indifference, we say “it’s no skin off” our noses, and when we get excited we “jump out of” our skin.

The sheer number of different idioms reflects the deep links the skin has with our brains. Sometimes these links are visible and give away our feelings, when we blush, go pale or get goosebumps. The same can be said for stress too, in the case of some skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.

How does the skin send information to the brain? What impact does touch have on our brains? How does touch affect health then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why was Kanye West’s Twitter account suspended?

How can you save money on your food bill?

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the ideal temperature to stay healthy at home? Dec 11, 2022

Show notes

Winter is coming and this year in particular people are wondering how to strike the right balance between comfort at home and continually rising energy bills. The World Health Organisation suggests that 18° C is the perfect temperature to set your heating to, but in reality that is just an average. There are a number of variables to take into account.

For example, certain rooms might need to be heated more than others. And generally speaking, when we’re away from home or sleeping at night we can turn the heating down or off completely. That’s right, it can depend on age and medical conditions like thyroid problems for example. Where a certain temperature might be comfortable for some, for others it might be less bearable.

Isn’t it true that some people are more sensitive to the cold than others? Which rooms need to be heated more than others then? What should you do if your home is humid? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why was Kanye West’s Twitter account suspended?

How can you save money on your food bill?

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[RERUN] What is the thyroid? Dec 11, 2022

Show notes

This small butterfly-shaped gland is situated at the bottom of the neck, wrapped around the windpipe. It plays an important role in a number of bodily functions, but isn’t as well known as it should be.

According to The American Thyroid Association, over 12% of the country’s population will develop a thyroid disorder at some point in their life. Many people are actually unaware of the fact that they even have thyroid disease. Such problems are actually five to eight times more common in women than in men. World Thyroid Day falls on 25th May every year, so let’s take the opportunity to boost awareness.

What is the purpose of the thyroid? How can I find out if my thyroid functions correctly? Is there anything I can do to stop myself from developing a thyroid disorder? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here :

Why was Kanye West’s Twitter account suspended?

How can you save money on your food bill?

How did the Act Up group change the way we think about AIDS?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are Nobel Prizes so important? Dec 10, 2022

Show notes

This Saturday sees the 2022 Nobel Prize award ceremony take place in Stockholm. Like every year, it’s held on 10th December, to coincide with the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. Tradition also dictates that the Prize laureates are announced in October.

This year’s laureates include Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger in Physics, Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morton Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless in Chemistry, Svante Paabo in Physiology or Medicine, and Annie Ernaux in Literature. Meanwhile, the Nobel Peace Prize laureates are all being recognised for their role in documenting war crimes and human rights abuses since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

Who was Alfred Nobel then? On what criteria are the Nobel Prizes awarded? Who chooses the laureates? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why was Kanye West’s Twitter account suspended?

How can you save money on your food bill?

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why was Kanye West’s Twitter account suspended? Dec 09, 2022

Show notes

In recent weeks, one of the world’s most famous singers has been generating even more headlines than usual, but for all the wrong reasons. It all started on 3rd October at Paris Fashion week. Kanye West, now known as Ye, wore a T-shirt with the words “White Lives Matter” on it.

The slogan has been linked to white supremacists in the US. Following that incident, fellow rapper P Diddy defended Ye in public and tried to reason with him privately. But Ye went on to post a screenshot of their conversation on Instagram, accusing Diddy of being controlled by Jews. A common antisemitic trope suggests that the Jews control various sections of society, like the media, financial institutions and even governments.

What do Jewish people have to do with P Diddy? What was the fallout? Isn’t Kanye West mentally ill? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

How can you save money on your food bill?

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

Is it dangerous if I get heart palpitations?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you save money on your food bill? Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

The cost of living crisis has seen food prices increase by as much as 65% according to the Office for National Statistics meaning that the average British household spends an extra £600 pounds a year on food.

But considering that there is also about 4.5 million tonnes of food waste annually the possibility of reducing wasted food as well as bills has never been more needed. Reducing your bill at the checkout comes down largely to planning. Getting organised about how, when and where you buy your food as well as how you store and cook it is essential. For starters buying in bulk can really reduce costs.

How can I reduce the amount I spend on food? How can I reduce my food waste? How can technology help? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

Is it dangerous if I get heart palpitations?

Why do we get great ideas in the shower?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[RERUN] What is Generation Covid? Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

In social sciences, a generation refers to a group of the population whose members are around the same age and have hence lived through the same era. Think the baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials… and now Generation Covid!

While they may be significantly less at risk of serious illness from Covid-19, young people are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s economic consequences. Their development into adulthood is increasingly being affected, and it’s taking a mental toll. It’s become clear that Covid-19 will have a lasting impact long after the pandemic ends, to such an extent that it will shape an entire generation.

So who exactly do we count as part of Generation Covid? What about students and young adults? How have they been affected? Is there any cause for optimism? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

Is it dangerous if I get heart palpitations?

Why do we get great ideas in the shower?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did the Act Up group change the way we think about AIDS? Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

Every year, 1st December is World AIDS day. To mark the occasion, let’s look back at the story of the Act Up group. Act Up started causing a buzz in New York in 1987, four years after the AIDS virus had been discovered.

The highly organised group met several times a week to discuss their action plan. They demanded more prevention and communication campaigns from the state, better access to care, transparency from pharmaceutical labs and an end to the deportation of undocumented migrants. They used shock tactics to attract the attention of the media.

When was this group formed? What kind of campaigns did they use? What are some examples of concessions secured by Act Up? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

Is it dangerous if I get heart palpitations?

Why do we get great ideas in the shower?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who are the FARC, Colombia's most dangerous rebel group? Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

In late November 2022, fighting killed at least 18 in a rural area of the Putumayu province in South west Colombia, near to the borders with Ecuador and Peru. It involved two dissident groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC for short.

It has reignited tensions in an internal armed conflict which has spanned six decades, despite the government and FARC signing a peace agreement back in 2016. Their origins go back to Cold War times, when there was high instability in the country. Even before that, there had been a bloody civil war between 1948 and 1953, which was known as La Violencia. It started when popular Liberal presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitan was assassinated in 1948.

How did the FARC organisation start out? Why did they turn to violence? How did the peace process start? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year?

Is it dangerous if I get heart palpitations?

Why do we get great ideas in the shower?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is 'permacrisis' the new dictionary word of the year? Dec 06, 2022

Show notes

This portmanteau word describes the feeling of “living through a period of war, inflation, and political instability,” Collins said it chose the word as it “sums up how truly awful 2022 has been for so many people”.

The Collins team consulted their 8 billion-word database as well as a range of media sources, including social media, to create an annual list of new and notable words and how they are used. It then compiled its annual 10 words or phrases which "reflect our ever-evolving language and the preoccupations of those who use it". Helen Newstead, language content consultant at Collins Dictionary, told The Washington Post “It was very apparent this year that the conversation was dominated by crisis,”

How was it chosen? What does the word mean? What other words were included? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the latest episodes, click here:

Is it dangerous if I get heart palpitations?

Why do we get great ideas in the shower?

Why do we see faces in inanimate objects?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Amber Minogue.

In partnership with upday UK.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices