Facts and Opinions that matter, this week

The coffin of late boxing champion Muhammad Ali arrives for a jenazah, an Islamic funeral prayer, in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
The coffin of late boxing champion Muhammad Ali arrives for a jenazah, an Islamic funeral prayer, in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Muhammad Ali in 1966. Photographer unknown, Dutch National Archives, The Hague
Muhammad Ali in 1966. Photographer unknown, Dutch National Archives, The Hague

MUHAMMAD ALI: the final goodbye to “The Greatest,” by Nick Carey and Steve Bittenbender

Fans chanting “Ali!” and throwing flowers lined the streets of Muhammad Ali’s hometown in Kentucky on June 10 for a funeral procession to celebrate the boxing champion who jolted America with his showmanship and won worldwide admiration as a man of principle.

Muhammad Ali: Remembering when Clay/Ali bestrode the world, by Rod Mickleburgh

It’s been said many, many times, but it remains true. Never again will we see the likes of Muhammad Ali.

What Muhammad Ali, conscientous-objector, taught me, by Penney Kome, Over Easy column

As a young teen studying at the Illinois School of Ballet, I didn’t follow sports much, which is probably why I didn’t recognize the big man right away.  The top of my head came to his elbow. My dad was 6’2″, but this guy was really big. A block away, it hit me: I’d just crossed paths with champion boxer Muhammad Ali.

Feature: A search is underway for the Dead Sea Scrolls. A volunteer of the Israeli Antique Authority holds a securing rope as he climbs out of the Cave of the Skulls, an excavation site in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea, Israel June 1, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Feature: A search is underway for the Dead Sea Scrolls. A 00volunteer of the Israeli Antique Authority holds a securing rope as he climbs out of the Cave of the Skulls, an excavation site in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea, Israel June 1, 2016. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Don’t fear Trump, fear his followers, by Tom Regan, Summoning Orenda column

It’s not Donald Trump but his followers, who defend him so ferociously, that really give one pause — particularly when one considers what they will do after their “Messiah” loses in the fall.

Small Stampede for the Brexit, by Jonathan Manthorpe, International Affairs columnist

It is unlikely that Britons are going to give a conclusive answer to the question whether they should remain in the European Union or leave it when they mark their referendum ballots on June 23.

Court awards reporter-turned-politician $200,000 in defamation case. By Brian Brennan, F&O Feature writer and Arts columnist

Arthur Kent, a war correspondent who left U.S. television journalism to enter Canadian politics, won a defamation lawsuit against Canada’s largest newspaper publisher and one of its former columnists. Arthur Kent was awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages.

How to fix the Toxic State of Public Discourse, by James Hoggan, book excerpt

When I first began thinking about writing I’m Right and You’re an Idiot, I sat down with Steve Rosell and Daniel Yankelovich, two eminent pioneers in an evolving field that uses dialogue to deal with highly polarized public conflict. I wanted to learn more about the power of dialogue, how to mend broken conversations and achieve clear collaborative communication so we can triangulate issues in innovative ways and find creative solutions.

The Collapse of the Caliphate, by Jim McNiven

The Islamic State “Caliphate” has been reduced to three major urban areas, Raqqa, Mosul and Falluja. None of them have dependable resupply routes for either military goods or civilian needs. Short of their opponents falling into disarray and not pressing on, an unlikely hope this close to the end, things for ISIS can unravel simply by waiting. So, what comes after the Caliphate?

The Search for the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Ronen Zvulun

A three-week excavation at the Dead Sea is the first part of a national campaign to recover as many artefacts as possible, particularly scrolls, left behind by Jewish rebels who hid in the desert some 2,000 years ago, before they are snatched up by antiquity robbers.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth leaves after attending a service of commemoration to mark the end of combat operations in Iraq, at St Paul's Cathedral in London October 9, 2009. Queen Elizabeth joined families and politicians on Friday for a service to honour British service personnel who fought and died during the war in Iraq.  REUTERS/Luke MacGregor   (BRITAIN POLITICS CONFLICT ROYALS MILITARY RELIGION SOCIETY)Last but not least, I introduce today a modest new feature on F&O under my Free Range column. It’s a section of my own opinions, random thoughts and wonderings that, being less formal than essays and more opinionated than reports, I’ll call Squibs. These opinions are entirely my own, and do not represent the position of Facts and Opinions, or any of our collaborators. Today, I have some thoughts about Queen Elizabeth II …. read more.

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