When Bob Dylan sang ‘the times they are a changin’, neither he nor those of us who sang along with him had regression in mind. Not even the oft-prescient Dylan could have guessed the verse that begins ‘the line it is drawn/the curse it is cast’ would sum up what the times have changed into.… Read the rest
To safeguard his job, the foreign editor in Evelyn Waugh’s “Scoop” parries his proprietor’s patently idiotic ideas by replying: “Up to a point, Lord Copper.”… Read the rest
As is so often the case in the strum und drang of politics, the cry that the U.S. presidential election is about the “future of democracy” perversely both emphasises and hides another serious matter; a national identity crisis.… Read the rest
History has shown, repeatedly, that the best the extreme left or right can manage is a revolution, which in the end eats itself and accomplishes little of lasting value. Three events this week prove the point that extreme views can be catalysts for debate, but casting change and progress comes from when the two meet in the middle.… Read the rest
This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, six weeks before our American neighbours have theirs. We also beat them to the idea by 43 years. The Pilgrims feast dates to 1621. Sir Martin Frobisher’s expedition to find the northwest passage held one in present day Nunavut in 1578, to give thanks for the safety of its fleet.… Read the rest
In any list of qualities that ideally ought to define people, especially those who aspire to, or hold positions of authority, I doubt there is much argument that it should include courtesy, personal integrity, concern for the common good and dignity.
Yet it has come to pass that these virtues, along with perhaps less important, but still valid ones, have not just fallen by the wayside, they are as good as scorned.… Read the rest
This may be hard to believe, but there was a time when “the school of hard knocks” was considered as good as a formal education. Today, experiencing and learning from the vicissitudes of life has been replaced by metaphorically swaddling people in cotton wool and providing them with ear plugs and blinkers.… Read the rest
PLEASE BE ADVISED: The following includes cynicism, mockery, incredulity and what the subjects of the exercise may consider an insulting tone. Children exposed to adults who require this and similar ‘trigger warnings’, however, may find it useful.… Read the rest
Every so often on an early morning paddle, I come upon a great blue heron. Poised with silent, eerily-still elegance, it’s waiting for small fish or frogs to come within striking distance of the dagger-like beak at the end of its long, sinuous neck. The bird’s infinite patience and way of dealing with unwanted distractions are traits many of us who are perplexed or vexed by much of the world could use.… Read the rest
Most efforts to treat the world’s myriad ills have fallen short of intentions, never mind expectations. To give them a booster shot, I suggest looking to Shakespeare; specifically, Juliet’s famous lament ‘What’s in a name…”
Think “Monkey Pox”.… Read the rest