After the body of 14-year-old Tina Fontaine was found in Winnipeg’s Red River in 2014, members of the community took action. The Bear Clan Patrol reformed in Winnipeg’s North End neighborhood and started to walk the streets at night. Nearly three years later, over 530 volunteers act as “boots on the ground,” focusing on harm […]
Krista Stevens
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes, Science & Nature
How Tiny, Yet Über-Efficient Spider Brains Can Improve Computer Technology
Big brains offer no advantage in the animal kingdom.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Genius of Pinheads: When Little Brains Rule
In Scientific American, Erik Vance reports on how the tiny brain of the orb weaver spider — a creature that weighs between .005 milligrams and three grams — is just as adept at complex tasks as exponentially larger spiders. This “brain miniaturization” “may hold clues to innovative design strategies that engineers might incorporate in future […]
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Month 13: What Happens After the Year-Long Syrian Refugee Sponsorship Ends?
When Canadians privately sponsor a Syrian refugee family, the agreement lasts one year. What happens at month 13?
Posted inQuotes
24-Hour Competitive Rock Climbing: Finger Tips as Rough as Rhino Skin
Why would anyone want to find out how many rock climbs they can do in a 24-hour period? For fun, of course.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Canadians Adopted Refugee Families for a Year. Then Came ‘Month 13.’
It’s a year-long commitment to privately sponsor a Syrian refugee family in Canada, where sponsorship includes funding and helping the family navigate Canadian culture and society. Sponsors assist newcomers with daily tasks of living, including grocery shopping, banking, getting jobs, learning English, and ferrying families to appointments and activities. In the fourth and final installment […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Wildest Party on Earth
Eva Holland profiles the sweaty, rhino-skinned, costumed competitors of Horseshoe Hell — a competitive rock-climbing race in Arkansas, in which participants attempt to complete as many climbs as they can in a 24-hour period in blazing temperatures.
Posted inCurrent Events, Nonfiction, Quotes
Stories of Immigration as Protest: Letters to Donald Trump
Barbara Zitwer, Colm Tóibín, Elham Manea, Linda Coverdale, Kyung-sook Shin, and Anne Landsman share their stories of immigration to protest Donald Trump’s Muslim Ban.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes, Sports
On Mastery: Learning Kyudo — One of Japan’s Oldest and Most Respected Martial Arts
After a trip to Japan to improve her archery skills, Leigh Ann Henion realizes that achievement with the bow and arrow comes only after mastering one’s mind.
Posted inFood, Nonfiction, Quotes, Sports
Peanut Butter and Jelly: The NBA’s Secret Addiction
The secret sweet and salty comfort food that fuels the NBA? None other than the lowly, delicious, peanut butter and jelly sandwich.