The dangerous business of predicting the death of popes – a history
Portrait of Michel de Nostredame (Nostradamus), painted by his son César de Nostredame. Wiki Commons Michel de Nostredame (1503-66), better known as Nostradamus, is often hailed as one of the most successful...

How Captain Planet cartoons shaped my awareness of the nature crisis
Captain Planet is set to return more than three decades since it first broadcast on TV. A new comic book series by Dynamite Entertainment promises to bring the 1990s environmental hero to a new generation. For those of us...
Sell out: most Polish people felt they had been abandoned by their allies in the US and Great Britain at the Yalta Conference. US government As Britain celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8 1945, the Polish airmen...

Italy’s areas of wartime fascist resistance remain less susceptible to the far right today
Across Europe, far-right parties are making unforeseen breakthroughs from local councils to national and supranational parliaments. As their presence becomes normalised, these parties promote nationalist rhetoric,...
Conclave: the chemistry behind the black and white smoke
White smoke from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel (Vatican City) indicates that the Pope has been elected. MartiBstock/Shutterstock This week, 133 cardinals have gathered in the Vatican to elect a new leader of the...
How to manage financial stress in uncertain times
Having an action plan for personal finance is critical in uncertain times. Photo by Nicolas Guyonnet/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images American families are struggling to keep up with their bills. The cost of food soared by...
Repealing the estate tax could create headaches for the rich – as well as worsen inequality
As it stands, only a tiny fraction of Americas wealthy are ever subjected to the estate tax. Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Getty Images Nothing is more certain than death and taxes, Benjamin Franklin famously declared. And,...