Professor Stephen Hawking, possibly the most famous modern scientist, has died at the age of 76, after beating enormous odds to survive and work for 55 years with the debilitating motor neurone disease. Hawking had an exceptionally brilliant mind. He became the prestigious Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University at just 35. But by … Continue reading “Stephen Hawking: Death of A Scientist”
Sixteen-year-old Melbourne schoolgirl Jade Hameister loves a challenge, and she isn’t going to let sexist Internet trolls affect her ambitions. She recently set a polar record: she is the youngest person to achieve the “polar hat-trick” of skiing to both poles and across Greenland. When she reached the South Pole, she sent a feminist message … Continue reading “Sandwiches, Skis and Self-Esteem”
After yet another school shooting in the U.S.A., surviving students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Texas, are calling for gun control. Their calls have already sparked plans for action such as a national march and two planned school walkouts. On 14 February, a 19-year-old former student entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School … Continue reading “Students Demand Gun Control”
On 26 January every year, ceremonies are held all over Australia to welcome new citizens as part of Australia Day celebrations. But the 2018 national day was overshadowed by debates about citizenship, and about finding a date for Australia Day that is less offensive to Aboriginal people. Citizenship was a major issue in the Australian … Continue reading “Australian Identity Crisis”
Since the Harvey Weinstein scandal was revealed by The New York Times on 5 October, the movement to denounce sexual harassment has swept across America and the world. Spreading far beyond Hollywood, women from all walks of life have spoken out saying #MeToo, #YoTambien or #balancetonporc. The New York Times investigation detailed numerous accusations of … Continue reading “From #MeToo to “Oprah for President””
Britain will have something to distract it from Brexit negotiations in 2018 — a royal wedding always improves national morale. Prince Harry has announced his engagement to American actress Meghan Markle, with a wedding planned on 19 May. The couple has been dating since July 2016 and initially managed to keep the relationship surprisingly secret … Continue reading “Prince Harry to Wed”
Each autumn, Britain’s Collins Dictionary announces a Word of the Year, a word or expression that has been omnipresent. For 2017, the WOTY is “fake news”, a term often associated with President Trump. The expression was used a lot during the election campaign. Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has brandished it regularly, on … Continue reading “Word of the Year: Fake News”
The 1992 JFK Records Act gave the U.S. government 25 years to make public all files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963. The time was up on October 26, 2017… but not all the files were released. There have been public doubts about the official account of the … Continue reading “The Truth About the Kennedy Assassination?”
Worldwide, we send 6 billion emojis a day to accompany or replace text in messages. So it was only a matter of time till someone made a film in which emojis come to life. The Emoji Movie is based on the idea that each emoji can only have one facial expression and one tone. Smiler’s … Continue reading “Emoji Speak”
As media headlines around the world once again proclaim a new record of horror in Las Vegas — the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history — Gary Younge asks us to stop and consider the terribly banal everyday reality of guns in America. An average of seven children and teenagers is shot dead every … Continue reading “Gun Violence in the U.S.A.”
