Easter, Kepler-186f, and Exploding Judas

A report that astronomers have found a planet in the constellation Cygnus, which they named Kepler-186f, turned Chris Wood’s thoughts to humanity’s chance of escaping earth. “Star Trek childhoods and a present of holodeck-quality technology inspire dreams of the ultimate geographic cure.

Saudi Prince who Charmed and Smarmed is Sacked

International affairs analyst Jonathan Manthorpe has reported on the doings of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief, since the prince was a fixture in the American administrations of Ronald Reagan and both Bushes. “Many saw him as a pernicious influence

Gabriel García Márquez dies, age 87

Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez died today, age 87, in Mexico City. Born and raised in Aracataca, Colombia, he set out to become a lawyer, veered into journalism, and went on to become one of the world’s most prolific creators of literary

Racial resegregation in the American south

  Sixty years after the United States Supreme Court outlawed “separate but equal” schools, Nikole Hannah-Jones of  journalism organization ProPublica went to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to investigate the resegregation of Southern schools. Her series begins today, April 17.   Segregation Now: 60 Years

Hong Kong’s prospects for reform dire: Manthorpe

International affairs analyst Jonathan Manthorpe writes today on the crisis looming over Hong Kong, and the fraught relationship between its citizens and Beijing. An excerpt: A crisis is fast approaching in the relations between Beijing and the people of Hong Kong, a

Moon Eclipse

A full eclipse of the moon will occur overnight, visible in the Western hemisphere for three hours from late Monday April 14 (in western time zones) and early Tuesday April 15 (in the east). The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Pulitzer Prize for journalism on secret surveillance

The Guardian and the Washington Post newspapers were the big winners of the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes for public service journalism Monday, for their reporting on spying by American security agencies. Pulizter announced the two news organizations shared the prize for Public Service:

Desmond Tutu on climate change, Keystone, and divestment

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu has launched a campaign to persuade people to divest themselves of holdings in the fossil fuel industry and, specifically, to stop construction of the Keystone pipeline from Canada’s oil sands through the United States to the Gulf of

Jesse Winchester, R.I.P.

Jesse Winchester died today at his home in Virginia, age 69. He had reportedly been suffering from cancer. He is best known as a singer-songwriter from the United States but — like many Canadians — I think of him as a Draft

Profile: a baby doctor who advocated abortion rights

Like so many other doctors who perform abortions, Dr. Garson Romalis started because of a tragic case. More than 50 years ago, before abortion was permitted in Canada, he was an aspiring obstetrician/gynecologist. “I was assigned the case of a young woman

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