The Texas city of Santa Fe was stunned by a school shooting on May 18 that took 10 lives and injured over a dozen people. One of the fatalities was 17-year-old Sabika Sheikh, an exchange student who was part of a U.S. government-funded educational program. Abdul Aziz Sheikh, Sabika’s father, was breaking his Ramadan fast thousands of…

The Tower of London poppy instillation in 2014. Image, Oosoom. For some, the key moment was when they painted a poppy on the side of an RAF Tornado. For others, it was the sense that the symbology was being used to silence criticism of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It has” tweeted second world…

“What’s this strange insect?” High Inspector Givens said. He was dressed in khaki kilt and a matching pith helmet, out on expedition to the Ramapos. It was not much of a mountain range surely, but easily reached by bus. Inspector Tosh bent low, magnifying glass in hand. “A strange number of legs for an insect,…

Sportsmanship is too broad — and too important — of an art form to describe in a small quote. But some of the greatest athletes who have ever lived have summed it up like this: “You’ve got to be able to lose in grace and win in grace.” — Michael Jordan “The moment of victory is…

Pedro Sánchez at the PSOE party conference in 2017. Wikimedia Commons. All Rights Reserved. The political landscape in Spain is that of instability, alongside rising radical nationalisms that make it almost impossible to reach an agreement. The socialist government of Pedro Sánchez has lasted eight months. It’s the shortest government the country has seen since…

For single people, long-term relationships can appear to be these amazing romantic experiences where couples do nothing but sit around and feed each other chocolate-covered strawberries all day. Unfortunately for practically every couple in history, this is not the case. That’s not to say there aren’t wonderful times, they’re just not quite as picture-perfect as…

Just before sunset she drove into the enormous parking lot of the South Gate Shopping Center and parked near the telephone booth closest to the highway. She sat sideways in the seat, resting her cheek on her arm, and watched the street that ran from the new Rivermere suburb into the highway. Waiting, she wore…

Screenshot:Citizens Assembly on Brexit, Manchester, September 2017.YouTube. Fair Use. Dear friends of Another Europe Is Possible, When some time ago Michael Chessum, registering my skepticism about a second referendum, asked me a very fair next question “So what is DiEM25’s position on Brexit”?  –  we may not have been as clear as we are today….

Planet Earth already has its plate full with challenges of how to reduce the amount of manmade waste polluting our environment. Unfortunately, our uncanny ability to make a mess isn’t limited to this planet. “Space junk,” aka debris left behind from satellites, rockets and other projects, is a growing problem in Earth’s orbit. If you’ve…

“What this town needed was some excitement, and Jim knew just how to provide it.” “The Kid Nobody Could Handle” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.