Jon Wells

6 days ago | thespec.com | Jon Wells

Let’s dive right in to stories of perspective, survival and compassion. Perspective: Our solar system has eight planets, but a much-reported new finding suggests a ninth may exist, dubbed Planet Nine, or Planet X. Perhaps 10 times the mass of Earth, Planet Nine is so deep in our solar system it would take up to 20,000 Earth years to orbit the sun. Scientists used infrared surveys taken 23 years apart to deduce it has moved slightly. Boggles the mind.

1 week ago | thespec.com | Jon Wells

Martha van Mourik turns 96 in June, and her short-term memory isn’t what it used to be. But days from the distant past come back to her. And one day burns brightest of all: May 8, 1945. V-E Day. Victory in Europe. She was 16. That was what came to mind when she woke one morning this week at her Hamilton retirement home. It is the day that commemorates the Nazi Germany surrender in the Second World War, which came after Canadian soldiers had freed her home country, the Netherlands.

1 week ago | thespec.com | Jon Wells

Martha van Mourik turns 96 in June, and her short-term memory isn’t what it used to be. But days from the distant past come back to her. And one day burns brightest of all: May 8, 1945. V-E Day. Victory in Europe. She was 16. That was what came to mind when she woke one morning this week at her Hamilton retirement home. It is the day that commemorates the Nazi Germany surrender in the Second World War, which came after Canadian soldiers had freed her home country, the Netherlands.

1 week ago | thespec.com | Jon Wells

It might seem like Aslam Rana came out of nowhere to win Hamilton Centre in the federal election, as a first-time political candidate, and running while living in Mississauga, of all places. But his road to victory stretches back much further than 50 kilometres up the QEW — to a place where family and friends were just waking up when they heard the big news. Rana grew up in a small Punjab village outside Multan, one of Pakistan’s largest cities.

1 week ago | thespec.com | Jon Wells

Ned Kuruc grew up competing in martial arts from five years old, steeped in its ethos of discipline, hard work, and bouncing back when you hit the mat. Growing up, he won plenty in sports, but in his adult life took it on the chin in the political arena. Kuruc lost a municipal election bid in 2018, and in 2021 placed second to Liberal Chad Collins in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek in the pandemic federal election. “Losing and failure are part of life,” said Kuruc.