Save our “ruined planet,” urges Pope Francis

    Pope Francis, on the eve of the most contested papal writing in half a century, said on Wednesday that all should help to save “our ruined” planet and asked critics to read his encyclical with an open spirit. The document is

The Magna Carta at 800: Who, What, When, Why, How.

Magna Carta: the 800th anniversary of a “Great Charter” that changed the world  The rule of law was established at Runnymede, England, on June 15, 1215, via the Magna Carta. As well as clipping the wings of a tyrannical and erratic ruler,

Spinning into a northern summer: Facts and Opinions that matter

As we spin into a northern summer, F&O presents a rich reading smorgasbord for the end of one week and the beginning of another. Dispatches — in Science, Justice, Geo, and Publica — explore how former IMF head Strauss-Kahn was acquitted in French

Money flight impoverishes the poorest countries

JONATHAN MANTHORPE: International Affairs  June 12, 2015. It’s not just China’s “Red Nobility” and Russian oligarchs who are robbing their countries by illicitly exporting their wealth to compliant and complicit countries like Canada. There is an epidemic of money flight from developing countries,

Wanted: A new story of humanity’s place in the world

The prevailing perception of humans as inherently at odds with nature is not only false, it’s counterproductive By Philip Loring June, 2015 It goes without saying that humans are good at causing problems. Climate change, overfishing and widespread environmental contamination from chemical

From “Brief Lives” to “Game of Thrones”: Roy Dotrice

BRIAN BRENNAN: BRIEF ENCOUNTERS June, 2015   As Hal Holbrook did with Mark Twain and Julie Harris did with Emily Dickinson, so did Roy Dotrice make his mark with John Aubrey: He found a larger-than-life character he could effectively portray on stage in a

Digital Domesday: surveillance and serfdom

By Graham Murdock, Loughborough UniversityJune, 2015 In 1085, almost two decades had passed since William the Conqueror’s victory at Hastings, but his realm was not secure. The threat of internal insurrection was constant. To consolidate his rule William needed to know who owned

A Comedian Looking at the World Through Different Eyes: Milt Kamen

BRIAN BRENNAN: BRIEF ENCOUNTERS June, 2015   Milt Kamen was an American comedian who made his mark on network television, appearing on such programs as The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show, giving spontaneous and cheerfully irreverent “reviews” of current movies. As an

Canada’s Harper Government’s ‘Maginot’ Security Plan

CHRIS WOOD: NATURAL SECURITY June, 2015 Canada’s heavy-handed ‘security’ strategy is a sham. That statement may be true in a number of readings, ranging from motive to likely outcome (more inflamed zealots with an excuse for violence on Canadian soil). But the sense

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