Research published in the journal Science has helped to explain the climate conditions behind Genghis Khan’s rise to power. Through examining the inside of old trees from lava fields in Mongolia, researchers were able to note an abundance of rainfall during the period that the infamous emperor first began to conquer surrounding lands. Genghis Khan [...]
Though it will soon be the home of the Marcel A. Desautels faculty of music and the school of art, over the past century Tache Hall was home to thousands of students at the University of Manitoba. To capture some of the memories of the legendary residence hall, Student Residences, in partnership with a number [...]
There are certain events that create everlasting memories for an entire generation. Our grandparents will never forget Aug. 6, 1945. On this summer day an atomic bomb, ironically labeled “Little Boy,” was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan causing widespread death and destruction. Eternally stamped in the memories of our parents is the death of two iconic [...]
We grew up racing them in back lanes and down gravel roads. We groaned climbing hills on them and had more than a few wipeouts. As soon as we were old enough to ride without the training wheels, we took full advantage of the new-found freedom bicycles offered. We’re all familiar with the concept of [...]
The tall, white high-rise apartments disappeared in the heavy fog as my gondola slowly ascended into the mountains of Lantau Island, one of the more beautiful islands of Hong Kong. I was on my way to see the Tian Tan Buddha, a 34-metre high bronze statue of the Buddha sitting atop a pedestal resembling a [...]
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was born in the Ottoman city in Salonika in 1881, was Turkey’s most beloved hero and the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Atatürk (1881-1938) was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, and the first president of Turkey. Atatürk became known as an extremely capable military officer during World War One. [...]
Last year, a great injustice was done in Canada. At the muzzle of threats to violence issued by some Quebec sovereigntists, several events to mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham were cancelled. It was a despicable affair, and a surprising one, for me — I would never have guessed [...]
Another municipal election is here. Yet, besides an occasional lawn sign or article tucked somewhere in the newspaper, it would not be difficult to forget that an election was even happening. Apathy, it seems, has become the status quo for municipal politics. In the 2006 election, only 38 per cent of people ended up voting. [...]
Just over 1,900 years ago, in the first century AD, the Roman poet Juvenal was composing scathingly honest impressions of the state of life in the Roman Empire. Witnessing the demise of political stability, Juvenal wrote of a culture that glorified amusement. With a large portion of the Roman population hungry for entertainment, political leaders [...]
To make art is at once challenging and satisfying, like completing a puzzle. One of life’s great pleasures is to stand back and look at something that you have made, something that was not in the world before. Painting, in particular, is fun because playing with the colour and the shining, oozing medium activates a [...]