Show should be reclassified as “science fiction” rather than “documentary” Since the controversial documentary series Ancient Apocalypse dropped on Netflix last November, academics and journalists around the world have been incensed at its false claims and misinformation. Earlier this month, the Society for American Archaeology wrote a letter to Netflix urging the platform to reclassify…
The Anglo-Irish playwright, poet and novelist ended up imprisoned, the casualty of his own foolishness
Once upon a time, I had an uncomplicated view of capital punishment. I was against it. Period. And a reading of the poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde could reduce me to tears. Even now, with a much more nuanced view of the subject, the power of the language still moves me.…
The last sultan, Mehmed VI, left his palace under British protection on November 17, 1922 The Turkish Ottoman Empire had a long run, stretching from the beginning of the 14th century all the way up to the end of the First World War. At its peak, the empire’s reach was awesome, embracing the Middle East,…
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers"
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That…
The narrative that emerged of American triumphalism was false. There had been a deal
I was a first-year university student in Dublin, Ireland, during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. But I don’t remember it as a time of great angst or agitation. True, the crisis dominated the news and there were certainly people who genuinely feared that nuclear Armageddon was on the doorstep. However, the daily life of…
Rocky Marciano retired undefeated while Sugar Ray went into a long decline
When professional boxing was still a mainstream sport, it often caught the fancy of young boys who’d immerse themselves in the newspaper build-up to championship fights and root passionately for their favourites. And because it’s natural to identify with a winner, you often adopted whoever was the heavyweight champion at the time your interest was…
She’ll always be remembered fondly as an important part of the Canadian family
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8 at age 96. She was the longest-serving British monarch in history at 70 years, 214 days. For many people around the world, she was the only person who had ever sat on that throne in their lifetime. Elizabeth either witnessed or participated in many important events that…
Doesn't matter. He was a very useful guy to have around when the chips were down
When Winston Churchill died in 1965, it marked the end of an era. Already a shade past his 90th birthday, he was the last survivor of the Second World War’s top political leadership. And given his youthful participation in a cavalry charge at the 1898 Battle of Omdurman, it was as if a relic from…
The situation got away from him. He was overwhelmed
Mikhail Gorbachev died in Moscow last week at the age of 91. Once the world’s most celebrated politician, he had quite the rollercoaster ride. First, what was dubbed Gorbymania swept the western world and the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize credited him with ending the Cold War. Then he was rudely relegated to political obscurity. What…
Churchill’s leadership contributed to a freer, more flourishing world
A statue of famed wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill will soon grace downtown Calgary, a gift from The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary. In partnership with the province, the Churchill statue will be unveiled next spring on the south lawn of McDougall Centre, the provincial government’s southern Alberta home base. It will join another…