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Compelling Stories for the Curious-Minded

Where Did All the Good People Go? A new report suggests that an estimated eight million potential UK voters are missing from the electoral register, with more registered inaccurately. There are fears that registration offices will be overrun and unable to cope ahead of the general election, leaving millions of people disenfranchised.
A Radical in the House of Lords? Baroness Carmen Smith is the latest and youngest House of Lords member, at just 28 years of age. Growing up on a council estate in north Wales and having to care for a parent with dementia, Baroness Smith wants to ‘bring in new voices’ to the chamber before handing the role to someone else, as she ‘fundamentally disagree[s] with an unelected’ House of Lords.
Paying Dearly to be a Londoner: Nearly half of London’s boroughs, which now include Camden and Lewisham and Redbridge, among other additions, will charge residents over £2,000 in council tax. For their part, councils have cited a ‘relentless squeeze’ on funds amidst rising levels of demand for services and reduced resources, as a reason for the hike.
Easter Hijacked by Shrinkflation and Inflation: An especially dry season in West Africa, which supplies 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa, has caused a spike in the price of chocolate. Easter eggs have dramatically soared by as much as 50 per cent and more, or have been reduced in size. For example, a Maltesers Truffles Luxury Easter Egg now costs £13 instead of £8 — an increase of 62.5 per cent. While a Twix Milk Chocolate Easter egg has shrunk from 246g to 200g. In the future, we could be eating more cocoa alternatives from companies such as Plant A Foods that mimic the taste of chocolate.
A Manmade Famine in Gaza? The WHO has called on Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza. There are fears that 2.3 million Palestinians could be facing widespread famine by May. Dr Margaret Harris, speaking for the WHO, warned that a growing number of children in Gaza are on the ‘brink of death.’
People Are Not Natural Truth-Seekers: A recent paper challenges the idea that we have built-in lie detectors to call out other people’s bluff. Rather, the main goal of conversation is not to seek out the truth but to pick out those truths that suit us, and that we find pleasant. The popularity of conspiracy theories and the ease of spreading mis- and disinformation, lends credence to this idea. Our primary aim seems to be a Machiavellian one; namely, to present ourselves and accept or reject statements based on their suitability for us, rather than their inherent truth value.