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Kurdistan could be a silver lining in Middle East quagmire

The siege of Kobani has pushed to the surface some of the internal and external pressures working against the creation of a complete Kurdistan homeland, writes International Affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe. But if any good can come of the latest ill-conceived bombing of the Middle East, it would be furthering the cause of Kurdistan. Excerpt of Manthorpe’s new column, War on Islamic State caliphate boosts the birth of Kurdistan: Before going to war it is always a good idea to have a clear purpose and outcome in mind. Yet six Royal Canadian Airforce CF-18s are set for bombing missions in the Middle

Brian Brennan on Richard Harris, of Camelot and Hogwarts

Richard Harris was off the booze and missing it when he starred as King Arthur in a touring production of Camelot. He told Arts columnist Brian Brennan that going back to his native Ireland and not having a drink was like “going to church and not saying a prayer.” An excerpt of Brennan’s new Brief Encounters column: From King Arthur to Dumbledore: Richard Harris There was no booze in the star’s dressing room when Richard Harris came to Canada to star as the the once and future King Arthur in a touring production of Camelot. The one-time roaring boy from Limerick, Ireland –

Finding: “Ambition,” a film about possibility

The audacity of our enterprise can be hard to comprehend, especially when it’s scientific, and especially to those of us who struggle with math and physics. That gap is why the arts — why story telling — matters so much. And this wondrous seven-minute sci-fi film Ambition, which had its debut in London on Friday October 24, captures the story-teller’s art rather perfectly. Ambition is a creative co-production by Platige Image and the European Space Agency, directed by Tomek Bagiński and starring Aiden Gillen and Aisling Franciosi. It’s about wonder and human capability, though its subject is, technically, the agency’s Rosetta Mission. The

The Week at F&O

  The photo above, posted on Twitter by a user named Evanem, is of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and fellow reservist Brandon Stevenson. The Canadian Forces Reserve soldiers were photographed standing as Honour Guards at the War Memorial in Ottawa, moments before a shooter killed Cpl. Cirillo. The 24-year-old was one of two Canadian soldiers murdered on home turf in a two-day period. Cirillo’s shooter later ran into Canada’s Parliament, where he was shot dead by the House of Commons sergeant-at-arms, as terrified legislators, journalists and staff present for a packed morning schedule dove for shelter. Police identified the dead shooter

Bears, wolves, and salmon for the soul

It has been a brutal week, in many of the world’s places but most acutely for those of us who live in Canada, washed by a torrent of grief, outrage and increasing bombast over the murders of two Canadian soldiers and a madman’s attack on the House of Commons. Perhaps, like me, you will find salve for the soul in Ian McAllister’s photos, the excerpt of his book, and above all the video accompanying his new project Great Bear Wild: Dispatches from a Northern Rainforest.  My first career plan, alongside writing, was as a biologist. Since I abandoned the science of biology

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