With Brexit seemingly moving neither forward or backward and many seeing alarming historical patterns repeating before us, a pertinent question is whether change is really happening or whether many of us are trapped in a cycle. This week’s Editor’s Picks therefore reflect the theme of change and the question of whether we’re seeing it (plus one fun recipe article for some relief).

Phoebe Bracken – Environmental Defenders: The People Facing the Forces of Environmental Destruction

Photo credit: Rebecca Winstanley

Phoebe examines the abuses and sometimes even deaths suffered by  ‘environmental defenders’ of all kinds, from indigenous groups to NGO workers. Important reading for anyone frustrated with environmental inaction.

Erin Waks – Holocaust Memorial Day in Durham

Photo credit: Anastasia Maseychik

At a time of escalating tensions and conflicts, Holocaust Memorial Day is argued by many to be more important than ever. Erin highlights the powerful messages of the Holocaust Memorial Day events in Durham.

Becky Mingard – Inside Our MPs: A Confessional Trend

Becky examines the increasing openness of MPs and public figures about stigmatised issues such as mental health, but the danger MPs face in risking their support base by doing so.

Stanley Lowres – Ralph Breaks the Internet and Crazy Rich Asians: The Idolisation of Success

Stanley studies these two cultural smash-hits with a critical lens; to what extent do they idealize extreme wealth?

Eleanor Warden – The ‘Tasty’ Trials

Eleanor and her housemates make the Tasty recipes that we see so often in our social media news feeds. Testing how easy, how messy and how tasty these recipes really are, this is an essential guide to knowing which ones as worth bothering with.

Best wishes for the rest of the week,