The June 18 passing of the incomparable Willie Mays — growing up, he was my favourite National League baseball player and Mickey Mantle was “my guy” in the so-called junior circuit — set me thinking about Mays being the “oldest living member” (OLM) in baseball’s Hall of Fame. I thought about the OLM distinction itself and how it offers a small measure of peculiar pride and pleasure. The “Say Hey Kid” was the hall’s OLM until he took a game-ending called third strike at age 93. His death instantly elevated former shortstop Luis Aparicio, the Venezuelan vacuum cleaner, to OLM status. Read More

At long last, the community of nations is taking concrete steps to address global vaccine inequity and support the desperately needed expansion of vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa. Read More

The shovels scooped out the dirt easily on the dark summer evening, since the earth had resettled only a couple of days earlier. The desired item was larger, located only a few feet down, and the young men quietly placed their prize in a large container. Replacing the soil, they hastily removed any evidence of their presence. The medical students returned to the laboratory. Tomorrow, dissection class would be a success. Read More

I rode my trusty two-wheeled steed “Trigger” down to the LaSalle Causeway on a recent Saturday. When I got there, I found a skeleton weekend demolition crew busy demolishing the doomed bascule bridge. Being sans my reading glasses, it seems I missed the posted “Closed to Traffic” sign, and the on-site security guards missed spotting me. I pedalled straight onto the west wharf and up to the two-storey office/workshop and the smaller building that houses the controls that lift and lower the bridge. Read More

According to a shocking new UNICEF report, child food poverty affects millions of young children in low- and middle-income countries, putting their development and even survival at risk. Read More

Captivated by wheels, metal cabs, trailers and pulleys, nearly every kid enjoys toy vehicles. The trucks, tractors, fire trucks and heavy equipment inspire imaginations and adventures. Children in the 1940s and 1950s were delighted to receive a gift that was sold by Lincoln Toys, representing associated manufacturers. The brightly coloured toy vehicles are now considered valuable collectibles. (There is no connection with Lincoln Logs toys.) Read More