Culture

2025CultureSports Business and Culture

Defunded! Elmo, Rural Coverage, Public Media at Risk

After successful efforts by Congress to defund public media, national news organizations and agencies are facing unprecedented funding challenges. These challenges threaten access to PBS and NPR, media outlets known and trusted worldwide, and the silencing of news outlets across the nation that have produced local coverage and access to beloved characters for decades.

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CultureSports Business and Culture2025Europe

God’s Influencer: A Saint for the Digital Age

On Sunday, September 5, Pope Leo XIV canonized Blessed Carlo Acutis as the first millennial saint of the Catholic Church at La Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Nicknamed “God’s Influencer”, Acutis is now the patron Saint of the internet. Known for his simple attire—jeans, a tracksuit shirt, and Nike sneakers—and love for the Eucharist, Carlo shared his passion for the Catholic tradition via his website, Miracoli Eucaristici, an easy-to-navigate platform that lists all Eucharistic miracles by country and even features an interactive world map.

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2025CultureSports Business and Culture

Another Disney Setback: Snow Show and the Several Empty Theatres

Throughout its production and now premier, the live-action remake of Snow White has been nothing but a poisoned apple for Disney. The company is no longer the fairest of them all: from public relations crises to lackluster profits to political controversy, the film has been nothing but a disaster. Unfortunately, no Prince Charming can save the day for what the Observer describes as a “toe-curlingly terrible” film.

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2025CultureBusinessSports Business and Culture

China Blockbusting Through Hollywood

China is currently facing difficulties recovering from the fallout of a real estate crisis and dealing with low consumer confidence, deflationary pressures, and trade tensions with the United States. The Chinese government has set an optimistic economic growth target of 5 percent for the year, but economic uncertainty has hit younger generations especially hard. The urban unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is around 16 percent, according to Global Times, and youth feel uncertain about future careers and financial opportunities, leading to lessening popularity of paying to see movies in theaters.  All of this makes the recent success of “Ne Zha 2” all the more surprising.

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Sports Business and CultureCulture

Dupes or Ditch? The Rise of Product Dupes

Many clothing enthusiasts regard the famous Hermes handbag, the Birkin bag, as the pinnacle of luxury fashion. The bag, which often sells for more than $30,000, is priced so high due to its quality, but more importantly, its demand, Sotheby’s, a luxury brand broker, writes. However, the famous accessory has a more affordable competition: the “Walmart Birkin Bag,” or “Wirkin,” as it is affectionately dubbed, according to Tribune.

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Unfollowed by Uncle Sam: The Fight Between National Security and Personal Freedoms

The battle over TikTok in the United States has reached a pivotal moment, with the popular social media app now officially banned following a Supreme Court decision that upheld a law mandating its sale or shutdown. The move has sparked a heated debate over national security concerns and personal freedoms, leaving millions of American users in limbo.

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