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Lauren Alex O' Hagan

Researcher in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy, Cardiff University
I am currently a visiting professor at Örebro University in Sweden in the Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. I have a growing interest in the history of food advertising and packaging and have recently become a member of a European research group – FoodKom – that is exploring food communication from an interdisciplinary perspective.

In September 2018, I completed my PhD in Language and Communication at Cardiff University. My doctoral research explored class and social mobility in Edwardian book inscriptions using a multimodal ethnohistorical framework. I am keen to develop this research further by creating a digital archive of Edwardian book inscriptions with adequate metadata that is available for researchers and the public, and to develop tools for viewing individual inscriptions or categories of inscription from a large corpus.

I am also interested in ‘deviant’ (i.e. coin and stamp defacing) and alternative (i.e. Socialist Sunday schools, marching banners) inscriptive practices of the early 20th century, particularly concerning the working- and lower-middle classes. I am in the process of editing a book - Rebellious Writing: Marginalised Edwardians and the Struggle for Symbolic Power - which focuses on symbolic acts of resistance by marginalised groups in the early 20th century in Britain.

Alongside my research, I run B_Abel Linguistic Services - a company that offers translation, proofreading and EFL tutoring. I hold an MA in Applied Linguistics, BA Hons in Modern Language Studies and various professional qualifications in Spanish, Italian, French, German, BSL and EFL.

Forget fast cars and shiny Rolexes – rich people used to show off their wealth with pineapples and celery

Jan 02, 2020 18:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

A stack of pancakes ladened with syrup, a frothy latte posed next to a white MacBook, a deep pan pizza oozing with cheese. Instagram has made food porn images that portray food in an appetising or aesthetically appealing...

Celebrity greens kale and seaweed were long considered food of last resort

Nov 24, 2019 14:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Many of our diets are, to some extent, determined by the whims of fashion. This is not an astute observation, nor a particularly new one just consider the 1970s obsession with pineapple and quiche. But social media is...

Mindful eating: the Victorian food trend that could help you lose weight and transform your health

Feb 10, 2019 10:51 am UTC| Health

In recent years, mindfulness defined as a mental state or attitude in which one focuses ones awareness on the present moment has become embedded into our everyday language. Mindfulness has helped many people to develop...

Economy

European Stocks Flat as Oil Prices Rise, US CPI in Focus

European stocks were little changed on Monday, holding close to record highs as rising crude oil prices and continued uncertainty over Middle East shipping routes offset optimism following last weeks strong market rally....

S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Rise as Iran Risks and CPI Loom

U.S. stock futures edged higher Monday as investors weighed escalating tensions surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz while preparing for crucial U.S. inflation data later this week. SP 500 futures gained about 0.1%,...

Goldman Sachs Sees US Stock Buybacks Outpacing Equity Issuance as AI Funding Rises

Goldman Sachs expects corporate demand for U.S. equities to remain stronger than new share supply this year, despite a significant recovery in follow-on equity issuance driven partly by artificial intelligence investment....

South Korean Won Leads Asian FX Losses as Dollar Rises

The South Korean won led declines across Asian currencies on Monday as the U.S. dollar strengthened, while the Japanese yen retreated after giving up some of its intervention-driven gains. The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.18%...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Reopening Remains Uncertain

Oil prices climbed on Monday as uncertainty over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz continued to support the market, despite Iran and Oman moving closer to an agreement on new shipping routes through the strategic...

Politics

South Korea, US Set Major Military Drills for August

South Korea and the United States will hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military drills from August 17 to 27, with this years exercises placing greater emphasis on countering drones, GPS interference and...

US ‘Digging In’ Across Indo-Pacific, Pentagon Official Says

The United States remains firmly committed to the Indo-Pacific and has no plans to withdraw from Asia, a senior Pentagon official said Monday, while urging regional allies to take greater responsibility for their own...

Myanmar Rejects ASEAN Special Envoy, Challenges Regional Peace Plan

Myanmars military-backed government has rejected the continued role of ASEANs special envoy, deepening tensions with the regional bloc as Thailand pushes for Myanmar to fully re-engage with Southeast Asian nations....

Houthi Attack on Yemen’s Mocha Port Kills Seven, Injures 30

Seven people were killed and 30 others wounded after Houthi forces launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Yemens Red Sea port city of Mocha, according to the Yemeni military. In a statement issued early Monday,...

Germany Warns of Daily Hybrid Warfare Threats

Germany is facing foreign hybrid warfare operations on a daily basis, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has warned after authorities discovered an explosive-carrying drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Dobrindt said hostile...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apple Tests China’s CXMT Memory Chips for iPhones and MacBooks Amid AI Supply Crunch

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly testing memory chips from Chinese semiconductor manufacturer CXMT Corp as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure puts increasing pressure on global memory...

Sony, TSMC Eye $6.3 Billion Japan Chip Venture for Next-Gen Image Sensors

Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are reportedly preparing to invest about 1 trillion yen ($6.32 billion) in a new Japanese semiconductor venture focused on next-generation chips for image...

Nvidia Seen Beating Q2 Targets as Vera Rubin Cycle Begins

Nvidia (NVDA) could enter a multi-quarter growth cycle as shipments of its next-generation Vera Rubin AI chips begin, with BofA Global Research forecasting stronger-than-expected quarterly results and maintaining a bullish...

OpenAI Restricts Astra AI Over Cyberattack Risks

OpenAI has reportedly restricted parts of the development of its next-generation AI model, code-named Astra, after early evaluations indicated the system could potentially carry out sophisticated cyberattacks with limited...

Nvidia to Invest Up to $3 Billion in Blackstone-Backed Lancium

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to invest as much as $3 billion in Lancium, a Blackstone-backed power infrastructure developer involved in the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure initiative, as demand for...