Are French prisons ‘finishing schools’ for terrorism?
Source: The Guardian A goldfish was being looked after by the warders when I visited the prison at Osny, just outside Paris, last month. It swam around a small bowl […]
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Merrick Garland is Jewish. Does it matter?
Source: RNS (RNS) President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, would be the current court’s fourth Jewish justice if confirmed. For Jews, who represent about 2 percent of the […]
6 TED Talks That Will Boost Your Creativity
Source: Motto “Creativity is always a leap of faith,” author Julia Cameron said. “You’re faced with a blank page, a blank easel or an empty stage.” It’s all part of […]
Drought and rising temperatures ‘leaves 36m people across Africa facing hunger’
Source: The Guardian More than 36 million people face hunger across southern and eastern Africa, the United Nations has warned, as swaths of the continent grapple with the worst drought […]
The Hidden Religion and Science Conflict
Source: Huffington Post More than 150 years have passed since Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, and we’re still arguing about science and religion. Outrageous public statements from religious and scientific leaders reinforce the impression of endless conflict, whether it’s Richard Dawkins claiming that religion is a “God delusion,” or […]
Merrick Garland’s record on religious freedom cases, including the contraception case now before the Supreme Court
Source: The Washington Post Some of the most hotly contested issues that come in front of the Supreme Court are based in religion. Our national debates over the death penalty, […]
Stephanie Kurlow: Young Muslim girl hopes to be world’s first hijab-wearing ballerina
Source: Independent A young Muslim girl is hoping to become the world’s first hijab-wearing ballerina. After converting to Islam in 2010, Stephanie Kurlow gave up performing as she believed ‘there […]
‘I see colours you cannot perceive or imagine’
Source: BBC A few years ago, the artist Concetta Antico discovered that she was carrying a genetic mutation that gave her astonishingly sensitive perception of colour – seeing a spectrum […]
Why attending an Indian wedding can be dangerous
Source: BBC Wedding celebrations are supposed to be happy events but in northern India, a shocking number end tragically, thanks to a surprisingly tenacious tradition of celebratory gunfire. Take the […]
Ankara blast: Kurdish group TAK claims bombing
Source: BBC The Kurdish militant group TAK says it carried out Sunday’s deadly attack in the Turkish capital, Ankara. In an online statement it said the attack, which killed 37 […]
Turkey has European Union over a barrel
Source: BBC Even as people struggle and drown on the river border between Greece and Macedonia the proposed solution to Europe’s migration crisis is dissolving before our very eyes. European Council […]
Palestinian teacher awarded $1M prize
Source: CNN (CNN)An elementary teacher who grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp has won a $1 million prize recognizing the “outstanding contribution” she has made to her profession. Hanan […]
The Segregation of India
Source: The New York Times Each time I visit Mumbai, I make a pilgrimage to an old five-story building with crumbling balconies on Nepean Sea Road. It’s where I lived […]
Education Matters UC’s intolerance policy goes dangerously astray on anti-Semitism
Source: Los Angeles Times For almost a year, the University of California has been struggling to address complaints that campus protests against Israel have crossed the line into harassment of […]
Franciscan leaders charged in child sex abuse case
Source: Pittsburg Post Gazette Actions by attorney general’s office represent one of the broadest-ever drives to hold Roman Catholic church accountable for clergy abuses of minors. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — One […]
Why a Contested GOP Convention Just Got More Likely
Source: Time Republican voters handed down a split decision Tuesday that suggests the race for the party’s nomination will go all the way to Cleveland, raising the prospect of a […]
CDC Releases National Standards for Prescription Painkillers
Source: Time It’s a step aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse and addiction The federal government published the first national standards for prescription painkillers on Tuesday in an attempt to combat the country’s prescription drug abuse crisis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the nonbinding rules to address […]
Did Charles Darwin use his children for science
Source: BBC When William Erasmus Darwin was born in December 1839, his father Charles began to meticulously record observations of his firstborn in a notebook. Now housed at Cambridge University […]
The hidden maths in great art
Source: BBC Art and mathematics. For many, this would appear to be synonymous with chalk and cheese. One is the domain of emotional expression, passion and aesthetics. The other, a […]
The secrets of success in India
Source: BBC Every year, Professor Dora Koop leaves her home in Montreal to teach a 10-day business school programme in India. Among her favourite pastimes there is observing something uniquely […]