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Editor's note
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Last week, the Church of England expressed regret after a church service in Cambridge used Polari instead of the more usual language of the King James bible.
Polari, which emerged from the world of actors and prostitutes, was adopted by gay men as a way of identifying each other in the days when homosexuality was illegal. Instead of the Gloria Patri: "Glory be to the father, and to the son, and the Holy Spirit" the prayer offered was: "Fabeness be to the Auntie, and to the Homie Chavvie, and to the Fantabulosa Fairy". We trace the history of this fascinating tongue.
British electronic engineer and inventor Alan Blumlein is to be awarded a technical Grammy Award on Sunday. If you haven't heard of him don't worry – he died 75 years ago. But whenever you lose yourself in music it is Blumfield you have to thank – he was the genius who came up with stereophonic sound.
In times of political uncertainty the world's arsenal of nuclear weapons takes on added, and worrying, significance. The week The Conversation has had a special focus on these instruments of mass destruction. You can read the whole series here.
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Jonathan Este
Associate Editor
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Top story
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The Polari bible.
Joe Richardson
Paul Baker, Lancaster University
While few people use the language today, many cherish its history.
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Science + Technology
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John Chiverton, University of Portsmouth
Without Alan Blumlein's genius, most things would sound altogether different today.
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Julia Gottwald, University of Cambridge; Barbara Sahakian, University of Cambridge
fMRI brain scans are coming frighteningly close to opening a window into our thoughts.
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Juliet Wakefield, Nottingham Trent University
It's important to strike a balance between helping others and looking after yourself.
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Nuclear Weapons
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Malcolm M Craig, Liverpool John Moores University
A useful avatar for threats both real and perceived, the notion of a pan-Islamic nuclear weapon has little to do with reality.
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Markus Bell, University of Sheffield; Marco Milani, University of Southern California
One of the world's worst nightmares could in fact be an unexpected opportunity.
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Arts + Culture
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Adam Gustafson, Pennsylvania State University
In the 19th century, critics and audiences thought blacks were incapable of singing as well as their white, European counterparts. Greenfield forced them to reconcile their ears with their racism.
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Mary Harrod, University of Warwick
As the series draws to a close, it will leave in its wake controversy and debate.
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Ceri Houlbrook, University of Hertfordshire
This universal symbol of love has proven remarkably divisive.
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Mark Goodall, University of Bradford
The mondo film, for all its faults, encapsulates our tangled responses to the darkest moments of our collective history.
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Business + Economy
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Anna Kristina Hultgren, The Open University
There are a range of linguistic strategies to build rapport with customers, but using their name is always the fall-back – with detrimental results.
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Anne Murphy, University of Hertfordshire
Reports of the time gave the financial scandal what were considered to be female attributes.
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Asghar Zaidi, University of Southampton
It's not all about health and wealth.
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John Jewell, Cardiff University
He's one of Britain's biggest brands – it'll take more than a few grumpy messages to spoil that.
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Education
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Tom Ellis, University of Portsmouth
But can they improve pupils' behaviour?
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Susan Jones, University of Nottingham
Pencil by default: the digital skills demanded by the welfare system may baffle Daniel Blake, but he is resourceful, creative and willing to work.
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Politics + Society
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Rebecca Clifford, Swansea University
Post-WWII Britain welcomed child refugees with open arms. Now they are put in camps and treated with contempt.
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Paul Smith, University of Nottingham
After a big weekend of campaign launches, most candidates are now in place for the 2017 presidential race.
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Helen Parr, Keele University
Despite pages and pages of proposed amendments, not a single one was passed.
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Health + Medicine
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Peter Morris, University of Nottingham
While Peter Mansfield didn’t have the career as a rocket scientist he craved, his contribution to humanity has been immense.
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Jessica Potter, Queen Mary University of London
Passing on health information of 'migrants' seeking help goes against doctor-patient confidentiality and also poses a public health risk. A doctor spells out her concerns.
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Featured events
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Room ARC/014, Alcuin Research Resource Centre, Alcuin College, York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom — University of York
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Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom — Royal Holloway
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51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom — UCL
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51 Gordon Square, London, London, City of, WC1H 0PN, United Kingdom — UCL
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