Daily Xtra's Dylan C. Robertson looks at how Iranian LGBT refugees who were told by the Canadian government to try the United States have now found themselves hanging, without any place to go.

Mitra’s sanctuary is a mouldy basement in Turkey’s conservative heartland. The microbiology student’s life in northern Iran came crashing down in the summer ( Read more... )

Radio free Europe/Radio Liberty's Golnaz Esfandiari covers the reaction in Iran to the prospect of a ban on the issuing of new visas to Iranian citizens. Esfandiari is correct to note that these visa restrictions will not help the Islamic Republic's position and will in fact also hurt American soft power. That by far the most successful anti- ( Read more... )

• blogTO notes that Uniqlo will be giving away free thermal clothing tomorrow.
• James Bow shares his column about the importance of truth.
• The Broadside Blog's Caitlin Kelly shares with us her mid-winter walk.
• Centauri Dreams reports about cometary water.
• Dangerous Minds shares German cinema lobby cards from the 1960s.

The Inter Press Service's Andy Hazel describes how Kurdish-Iranian asylum seeker Behrouz Boochani, detailed by the Australian government on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, is striving to report on the conditions of his detention.

Despite being locked up in an Australian detention centre on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, Kurdish-Iranian ( Read more... )

• Beyond the Beyond links to an interview with Darran Anderson, a writer of cartographic fiction.
• Centauri Dreams notes that 2028 will be a time when microlensing can b used to study the area of Alpha Centauri A.
• The Crux engages with the question of whether or not an astronaut's corpse could seed life on another planet.
• The Dragon's Gaze links to a ( Read more... )

Bloomberg's Marc Champion describes how, even after sanctions, Iran remains dependent on China in the face of Western reluctance.

Amid the snake-infested marshlands on Iran’s border with Iraq, the control room monitoring North Azadegan oil field is manned entirely by Chinese technicians. In central Tehran, hundreds of Chinese pour out at noon from ( Read more... )

blogTO's Derek Flack reports on how Toronto's skyline resembles Tehran's.

The most recognizable feature of Toronto's skyline isn't a matter of debate. The CN Tower is both our most famous building and a navigational beacon that even longtime residents rely on to get their bearings on occasion. Take away this soaring landmark, and the city no ( Read more... )

• blogTO reports that streetcar tracks are involved in a third of Toronto's bike crashes.
• Centauri Dreams notes that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a source of heat.
• The Crux notes the non-medicinal uses of tobacco.
• Dangerous Minds looks at the voyeuristic photography of 20th century Czechoslovakian photographer Miroslav Tich.
• The Dragon's Tales notes that ( Read more... )

Laurent Bastien's article in The Globe and Mail makes for compelling reading indeed. What scandal!

Five years ago, Sam Mizrahi, one of Toronto’s most ambitious real estate developers, found himself in a basement in the city’s Bridle Path neighbourhood. It was there, he says, he began to fear for his safety ( Read more... )

I blogged in September 2014 about how a suburban Toronto house, allegedly owned by the Iranian state, was among the Canadian properties. being claimed by victims of Iran-sponsored terrorism under Canadian law. Jacques Gallant just noted in the Toronto Star that it has been claimed.

The tiny house on Sheppard Ave. W. may be vacant and run-down, but ( Read more... )