Ruslan Kotsaba talks to journalists in June 2015. Image still via YouTube.Last Thursday, Ruslan Kotsaba addressed journalists in a west Ukrainian courthouse, tears running down his face. “This is a sign that that madhouse, that chaos that’s happening the east, will soon come to an end.” Little over a month after the first wave of…
Where You Live Could Determine When You Die
Everyone knows you’re more likely to live a long, healthy life in a wealthy Japanese suburb rather than, let’s say, on the radioactive border of Chernobyl. Average life spans can vary drastically across the world, but many don’t realize stark disparities exist within the United States itself. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on…
The Viral Video Of A Little Girl Insulting Trump Isn't What You Think It Is
By now, you’ve probably seen it floating around the Twittersphere. A little girl tells Donald Trump, “You’re a disgrace to this world,” while he attempts to stand next to her for a photo op at a protest. But, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice a few things wrong with this otherwise hilarious clip….
Why Donald Trump could be president
Donald Trump interviewed in his office at Trump Tower, May 10, 2016, New York. Mary Altaffer / Press Association. All rights reserved.It has become commonplace to think that Donald Trump cannot become president of the United States. The vulgarity of his style, the obvious ignorance of some of his ideas, the lies scattered without retraction…
Donald Sterling’s Wife Petitions The NBA To Lift Her Husband’s Lifetime Ban
This summer marks the two-year anniversary of the NBA’s swift and decisive ban on former Clipper’s owner Donald Sterling, following leaked audiotape of him making casual racial slurs in private. Since his fine, lifetime ban, and sale of the team to Microsoft founder Steve Ballmer, little else has been heard of Sterling—who’s retreated to a…
Trump on the offensive
The unpredictable day-to-day behaviour of the new United States administration continues to provoke widespread consternation. Amid the noise, however, one important signal of the unfolding Donald Trump era is being neglected: the rebuilding of the American military. Why this is so, when the country's armed forces are already by a very large margin the most…
Why Your Boycott Hashtag Doesn’t Actually Work
We live in an age of boycotts. It seems as if every week a new company or product is the subject of a trending boycott hashtag: #DeleteUber, #BoycottNordstrom, #BoycottPepsi, #NoNetflix. And we don’t just speak out against a company’s actions—we vow to use our power as consumers to hit brands where it hurts the most,…
Mining in South Africa: radical resistance
People and machines. At Malahleni, Mpumalanga of South Africa.In the short-term, communities need to address some of the most pressing issues they face. They cannot always afford to wait for laws to be changed or amended. This is why community empowerment is so critical, particularly in the mine-hosting communities of Southern Africa, where community members…
UN talks on multilateral disarmament: you can run but cannot hide
Nato summit in Warsaw, Poland, where Cameron announced MP vote on replacing ageing Trident submarines on July 18. Dominic Lipinski / Press Association. All rights reserved.The UK has consistently opposed discussion at the United Nations on possible routes toward the elimination of nuclear weapons. This has been described as ‘scandalous’ by some and for good…
Watch This 91-Year-Old Grandma’s Amazing Gymnastics Routine
Johanna Quass was 9 years old when she entered her first gymnastics competition all the way back in 1934, and nearly 83 years later, the nonagenarian still hasn’t given it up. At a recent competition in Berlin, she was back on her favorite apparatus, the parallel bars, to perform a routine that hasn’t eroded with age….