China: witnessing the birth of a superpower
by Jonathan Wattspublished in the Guardian, Monday 18th June 2012 As he prepares to leave after almost a decade reporting from China, our reporter reflects on his ringside seat watching a developing country transform itself When I moved to Beijing in August 2003, I believed I had the best job…
Public spaces in Britain’s cities fall into private hands
by Jeevan VasagarPublished in The Observer, June 10th 2012 When it opens this week, Granary Square will be one of the biggest public spaces in Europe – a focal point for the regeneration of King's Cross, a neglected part of London. It will be managed in a private estate of…
Parenthood: the final moments
by Jonathan Salepublished in The Guardian on April 7th 2012 That winter's day in the park, although we weren't to know it, was to be the last time I ever played football with my son. The memorable two-a-side match featured Peter and his cousin, with a combined age of 20,…
The wreck of the Lady Mary
by Amy Ellis NuttPublished in the Star-Ledger (New Jersey), November 21st 2010 Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2011 CHAPTER 1 MYSTERY SHROUDS FATAL SCALLOP BOAT SINKING Riotous waves pummel Jos Arias. In the frantic scramble to abandon ship, he zipped his survival suit only to his throat…
Drowning in plastic: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of France
by Richard GrantPublished in the Daily Telegraph, April 24th 2009 Way out in the Pacific Ocean, in an area once known as the doldrums, an enormous, accidental monument to modern society has formed. Invisible to satellites, poorly understood by scientists and perhaps twice the size of France, the Great Pacific…
I want to be alone: the rise and rise of solo living
by Eric KlinenbergPublished in The Guardian, March 31st, 2012 Human societies, at all times and places, have organised themselves around the will to live with others, not alone. But not any more. During the past half-century, our species has embarked on a remarkable social experiment. For the first time in…
DIY science: should you try this at home?
by Jon RonsonPublished in The Guardian, February 3rd 2012 Angelholm is a pretty southern Swedish town, famed for its clay cuckoo manufacturing, a clay cuckoo being a kind of ocarina, which is a kind of flute. The crime rate here is practically zero. Except one of its residents was last…
5 regrets of the dying
by Susan SteinerPublished in The Guardian, February 1st 2012 Top five regrets of the dying A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last…
Hunting Radovan
by Maggie O'Kanepublished in The Guardian, February 20th 2001 He inhabits a wasteland of snow, mountain cabins and churches. A wild empty space of silence on the Vucevo mountain range, where icicles two metres long hang like spiky white beards at the entrance to the mountain tunnels. It was here…