Latest from Ainsley Hawthorn
Analysis
The 'cousin deficit' is why chosen family is so important to millennials and Gen Z
The shrinking size of the nuclear family means kids around the world are growing up with fewer and fewer cousins. Cultural historian Ainsley Hawthorn writes that her own family tree is typical of a powerful change in family connections.
Red and green with a bit of literal gaslighting: The story of our Christmas colours
Christmas is upon us, and homes across the country are decked out in holiday hues of red and green. But, contributor Ainsley Hawthorn writes, how did these complementary colours become so synonymous with the holiday?
Bannerman Park's biggest tent city happened 131 years ago in the wake of a stunning fire
The tent encampment underway at Bannerman near downtown St. John's is not the first time temporary shelter has been erected there. As Ainsley Hawthorn writes, many people lived in the park in the wake of the Great Fire of 1892 — and out of that came construction incentives and tenant protections.
The quest for the Northwest Passage was based on philosophy, not evidence
The search for a Northwest Passage fundamentally shaped the history of Newfoundland, where John Cabot landed in 1497 while seeking a northwestern sea route to Asia. As Ainsley Hawthorn writes, the quest persisted for centuries and cost hundreds of lives.
Half an hour later in Newfoundland: The origin of Canada's 30-minute time zone
With the clocks set to change, cultural historian Ainsley Hawthorn takes a broader look at time: specifically, why Newfoundland has a time zone to call its own.
Why is the English language packed with nautical slang?
Seafaring idioms aren't restricted to seafaring cultures, they're in wide use everywhere English is spoken, from the American Midwest to the Australian Outback. So how did they become such a mainstay of our vocabulary?
Newfoundland's Labour Day has its own distinct history
In Newfoundland and Labrador, we're known for doing things a little bit differently, so it should come as no surprise that Labour Day in the province has a history that's distinct from the rest of Canada, writes Ainsley Hawthorn.
First Person
Fighting an aggressive weed made me realize my garden is full of invasive species
The word "goutweed" strikes terror into the heart of every gardener, writes Ainsley Hawthorn, who's going to war with the invasive species with "better-behaved" flowers.
The dying tradition of the funeral cortege
Funeral processions have existed throughout recorded history, writes Ainsley Hawthorn, emerging independently in many different parts of the world, for purely practical reasons. But the tradition is under threat.
This phantom island was once believed to lie in the Strait of Belle Isle
Somewhere in the Strait of Belle Isle dividing Newfoundland from Labrador lies an island perpetually shrouded in mist. No one lives on the fabled Isle of Demons because any human being who sets foot on its shores is harassed day and night by evil spirits who jabber unintelligibly and conjure terrifying illusions.