National Post

Colonel Cool: How the Canadian Space Agency helped launch Chris Hadfield to stardom
Back in Sept. 2, 2010, it was announced that Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield would leave Earth’s atmosphere for a third time and make history as the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station.

The Canadian Space Agency recognized the opportunity early on. Soon after the announcement, the agency and Col. Hadfield began dreaming up ways they could engage the Canadian public on the six-month post.

Their mission: how to make space sexy for a generation of Canadians grown jaded by Hollywood trickery.

“We don’t have that many fly opportunities,” said Anna Kapiniari, the strategic communications manager with the CSA. “NASA is in space all the time, and we get to fly a Canadian astronaut only every couple of years. So, we really wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of having a human being in space. To tell a story. … [We] had a lot of brainstorming sessions, and we came up with a lot of crazy ideas. And in the end, we just kept the best ones. And that’s what you saw during this mission.”

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What The Office got right — and what it lacked from the U.K. original: natpo.st/19AcXCL

(Illustration by Mike Faille)

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The Month Ahead: February

Depending on which groundhog you ask, we’re either in for an early spring or a late one. No matter: There are plenty of ways to keep busy this month, whether you’re keeping warm or welcoming the thaw: natpo.st/Xb3YCX

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The activists listening to Neil Young’s new protest album think, by and large, the protests don’t go far enough. The album’s called Americana, it’s Young’s first with Crazy Horse in nine years and the songs — 11 classic folk covers such as This Land is Your Land and Travel On — describe an outsider’s America populated with death-row inmates, share croppers and out-of-sorts travellers searching for the idea of a country they can’t find. (Illustration: Mike Faille/National  Post)

Is a new-found focus on the bullying ‘epidemic’ misidentifying the problem?
In less than two years, bullying and all of its tragic consequences have made a massive shift in public consciousness from a kids-will-be-kids fact of life to one of the most serious social issues of our time. The Day of Pink, marked this coming Wednesday, has become a international symbol of awareness, and proposed legislation to stamp out the bully problem in Ontario and Quebec has brought a new urgency to the issue. Other provinces are poised to follow suit.

While researchers and observers are glad to see administrators take some much-needed action on bullying — the seriousness of the problem is not in dispute — some worry that labelling it an “epidemic” or “crisis” makes it sound like the problem’s getting worse. They’re also concerned the spotlight on the issue has stirred a panic amongst parents, educators and politicians whose well-meaning efforts are, in some cases, backfiring or proving ineffective. (Illustration by Mike Faille)

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When hip-hop artists cry

This past September, just two months before Drake was set to release his highly anticipated sophomore album Take Care, the Toronto rapper was trending on Twitter. Unfortunately for him, it had nothing to do with his album, and everything to do with why he cried.

#DrakeCriesWhen, which is still piling up tweets, cites reasons taken directly from his lyrics (“#DrakeCriesWhen he runs out of bubble bath and scented candles,” for instance) to the absurd (“#DrakeCriesWhen his socks are too tight”). While it was one of the funnier Twitter memes of 2011, the rapper clearly took offence, telling GQ in November, “People always act like I spend my life crying in a dark room. I don’t, I’m good.” 

But whether or not Drake actually cries when his socks are too tight is not the issue. What made the meme so touchy is that hip hop has very few rules, one of them being that rappers are “hard,” meaning they show little emotion — and they certainly don’t cry.

The war on Halloween: Taming the devils, demons and pumpkins
This Halloween, some Barrie, Ont., elementary students will not go to school dressed as witches, goblins or zombies — but in simple shades of orange and black. The dress code is “an effort to respect the diverse value of … families,” according to a letter sent out by one school.

Similar ”orange-and-black” days have been decreed around Ottawa schools this year by parents and teachers. In parts of Quebec, costumes are permitted — but junk food restrictions have barred teachers and administrators from distributing candy to students.

In Calgary, two elementary schools put a kibosh on “scary” costumes, in favour of “caring” costumes.

This year critics have even denounced the Oct. 31 celebration as a conduit for racists. Ohio University’s Students Teaching About Racism in Society launched a poster campaign featuring members of visible minorities glumly holding photos of revellers clad in Pocahontas, suicide-bomber and geisha-girl costumes with the tagline: “This is not who I am and this is not okay.”

And thus, Halloween — a holiday that has survived rampant hooliganism, moral panics and poisoned candy scares — is slowly being tamed by nothing more than political correctness. (Illustration: Mike Faille)

Infographic: How Gaddafi died

Conrad Black: My prison plans
“I accept my fate focused on the better life beyond the gate and on the encouragement of many kind souls.”

Related:
Jonathan Kay on Conrad Black and his new book: A man in full pay-back mode

As part of our “How To” series, Megan O’Toole delved into the world of LARPing. Above, how to build a sword to wail on your friends. (Illustration by Mike Faille)

Unplugged: Tired of the Internet, singles are returning to cafés and classes at places like The Good Egg to meet their partners.

Did you meet in a café? We’ve got so many amazing stories/images pouring in for our Valentine’s Day #HowWeMet project! Please keep them coming!

Check out our full visual archive and, if you like what we do, please recommend us in the news directory.

The gospel according to Plato: In the first of four book excerpts, religious scholar Diarmaid Macculloch traces the deep historical roots of the Christian faith. (Illustration by Mike Faille)

Averting major pipe disaster: For over 50 years, city engineers assumed that the most critical piece of Toronto’s sewer was safe. But they were wrong. (Illustration by Mike Faille)

Harrison Solow: Today’s generation, too lazy to follow their dreams up with work

Everywhere you turn today, our children are urged to “follow your dream.” It seems like a harmless, even inspiring bromide to motivate children to achievement.

It isn’t.

A lot of damage is being done to young minds by how this rampant (and particularly nauseating) philosophy is interpreted. There seems to be an air of entitlement in it, which encourages people to expect rewards for simply having a dream and not working toward it with blood, sweat and tears.