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A total of 245,059 small poppies and 15,157 larger versions were sold, earning £13,166 (equivalent to $1.34 million in 2020). Of that amount, £3695 ($376,000) was sent to help war-ravaged areas of northern France; the remainder went to unemployed New Zealand returned soldiers and their families. · The idea of selling artificial poppies to raise funds for veterans’ organisations was conceived by a French woman, Madame E. Guerin. Her plan was to…

In recent weeks, it has become clear that all EU member states are preparing to ramp up military spending. This shift is driven both by the perceived threat from Russia and the expected disengagement of the United States from European affairs.  · Key concerns have emerged among policymakers: how to finance this additional spending, and how to address the long-standing fragmentation of European defence efforts. The second issue is particularly…

While cutting back on salt intake has long been a mainstay in treating high blood pressure, new research suggests that upping potassium intake might have a greater effect. It might be time to stock up on bananas, apricots, and sweet potatoes. · It’s estimated that around 30% of the world’s population has high blood pressure, or hypertension, the number one cause of heart disease and premature death. For decades, institutions like the American…

“On the Role of Literature in Formation” is perhaps Pope Francis’s best document of his pontificate. Short, sweet, and full of good lines quoted and written. And yet he remains a “second friend” to many of his flock because they see their own world in some fundamentally different ways than he does. · Pope Francis’s pontificate has been, to put it mildly, controversial. His judgments—theological, administrative, and otherwise—have generally…

A benzodiazepine seeping into waterways is causing young Atlantic salmon to behave strangely, with fish in the wild migrating more rapidly and taking more risks on their journey from river to ocean. It even seems to be messing with their social dynamics. · An international team of researchers from institutions including Australia's Griffith University, led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, has found that the "benzo" clobazam –…

The inhabitants of Montchavin in the French Alps knew something was killing them. They just didn't know what. · Some wondered whether lead from a disused mine in the village had leaked into the water supply. Others thought mobile phone masts were to blame. One woman believed the area was cursed. · Between 1991 and 2019, 16 people – almost a tenth of the area's 200-strong population – were diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal…

Every nation has its own ‘Patron Saint’ who in times of great peril is called upon to help save the country from its enemies. St David is the patron saint of Wales, St Andrew of Scotland and St Patrick of Ireland – St George being the patron saint of England. · But who was St. George, and what did he do to become England’s Patron Saint? · Very little is known about St. George’s life, but it is thought he was a high ranking officer in the Roman…

How headlines shape the narrative · The NZ Herald gave Green MP Benjamin Doyle sympathetic context and nuance, and National MP Hamish Campbell a scandal headline laced with suspicion. The difference raises questions about the publication’s editorial bias and framing in shaping political narratives. · The Herald’s article by David Fisher on Doyle is titled “Anatomy of a scandal” – a phrase that suggests careful, forensic dissection. It sounds…

The alliance between the Rātana Church and the Labour Party was cemented at an historic meeting between Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana and Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage. · In 1928, 10 years after his first religious visions, T.W. Rātana announced his intention to enter politics, referring to the four Māori seats as the ‘four quarters’ of his body. He aimed to win these electorates by harnessing the voting power of his followers, who by 1934…