Death Province

A Child On Death Row

Alex Mar | Guardian | 7th November 2023

Extract from a book about the 1985 murder of Ruth Pelke by Paula Cooper, who at 15 became the US's youngest person on death row. Millions, including Pope John Paul II, opposed her sentence. The victim's family initially supported the prosecution's pursuit of the death penalty — as was typical for cases of this type — but very unusually one member later changed his mind (4,790 words)

China's Best Province

Scott Sumner | EconLib | 6th November 2023

Taiwan has a superior economy, democracy, culture and standard of living compared to mainland China. There are three possibilities for its future. One: Beijing pivots towards "a Taiwanese system" — highly unlikely. Two: the status quo continues unaltered — possible. Three: an invasion — highly undesirable. The best outcome would be if the CCP began to imitate Taiwan by stealth (840 words)