By: James Aitchison Two men, both Edgars, born in the same year — 1875 — would become the most prolific authors of the twentieth century, creating two fictional characters that have never ceased to capture the world’s imagination — King…
By: Edmund Fulton Happiness, what is that even? And more importantly, how do you gain it? Some would say happiness can be found in buying a new, expensive car, or a bigger house. Others would say it is important to…
By: Edmund Fulton One life, that’s what you get. Not more, not less, so do something with it. Every day is another chance, so use it wisely. Don’t waste precious time being stuck in the past, sobbing over something you…
By James Aitchison Long before Ian Fleming, John Buchan, Graham Greene, Eric Ambler, Len Deighton and John le Carré, there was Erskine Childers. His book, The Riddle of the Sands, published in May 1903, is arguably the first spy novel…
By James Aitchison Langston Hughes, the Poet Laureate of African America, had a great ear for rhythms and stress, able to propel ideas and demands for racial justice through urgent jagged verse, a “jazz” poet who harnessed popular music such…
By Yoobin (Annika) Song The socialists of the 19th and 20th centuries launched a formidable challenge against industrial capitalism, employing art as a powerful tool for critical analysis and critique. In works such as “A Pyramid of Capitalist Society,” (fig….
By: Roopa Menon The First Way Wear your best clothes. Statistics reveal that people who wear their favorite attire just before killing themselves suffer less. If you are not a sucker for statistics, don’t bother. Choosing where you commit the…
By: Nolo Segundo Modern societies in general and especially it seems those in the West suffer under the widespread delusion that people today are ‘better’ than their ancestors who lived long ago—not just better off in a material sense…
By James Aitchison Few Westerners are revered in China. But one Canadian doctor remains a national hero to this day, honoured in school history books and by statues throughout the country. How his name, Bethune, was translated into Chinese indicates…
By James Aitchison For most of us, the British honours system is as baffling as it is somewhat incongruous. In today’s world, many of its heraldic institutions seem relics of past glory. Arguably, the most curious of these is an…