Apart from the inevitable aches and pains, one of the drawbacks to aging is that you think the singers who were your soundtrack are forever the age they were when you first heard them, and only really accept that they’re not when they die. And so it was this week with Gordon Lightfoot.… Read the rest
The line between setting high standards and bullying is nigh on impossible to discern in today’s hyper-sensitive world. Since stepping over it costs jobs and reputations, I suggest those who would pass judgement consider this thought from the 1908 novel “The Magician” by W. Somerset Maugham: “It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”… Read the rest
As a journalist, nothing about FOX “News” inclines me to be anything but profanely disparaging of their ultracrepridarian lawsuit defence of commitment to “the highest journalistic standards.” In an effort to comment and still maintain decorum, I sought afflatus (not what sprang to your mind) from a delightful work called “Foyle’s Philavery”.… Read the rest
Here’s a simple test to validate the headline of this post.
From 2014 to March this year, 26,334 MIGRANTS/REFUGEES/EX-PATS died or went missing trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey and North Africa.
Now rank the capitalised labels according to the chord they struck.
… Read the rest
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough”. Health concerns aside, Mark Twain’s aphorism is an apt way to measure the reporting booze-up of the Trump arraignment. Too much of nothing happening on air for too long distilled the live coverage into a vintage more akin to a cheap blend than a fine single malt.… Read the rest
News of a shift in American politics to the point where “antiwar voices on the left have aligned with ‘America First’ enthusiasts on the right who resist entangling the United States in foreign conflicts”, will no doubt come as a relief to those who might be concerned about what recent versions of “American values” entangling might include.… Read the rest
In a response to the Nashville school shooting horror, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R‑La.) managed to add a clause to the rote “keep those families in our prayers” that in any other context might indicate he actually has a grip on the reality and urgency of the issue: “…and then see if there were things that were missed along the way.”… Read the rest
Political perfidy, economic irresponsibility and disagreement over acceptable social norms and speech have become so pernicious that those who favour a sensible and civil middle ground, need some help to stay sane in the hope of reason eventually prevailing. To that end, I offer this advice from the gold standard of crisis management, Winston Churchill: “Stay calm and K.B.O.”… Read the rest
It seems to me that what used to be termed “civil society” has slid into the abyss that is its antithesis. The blame could be attributed to the myriad stresses and strains the modern world imposes on a daily basis, including too many choices. However, the crux of the matter, I think, is the lack of a single adjective: mutual.… Read the rest
For some time now I’ve been mildly concerned that my inferior skill sets with online apps and social media trends hinder my future development. News that Tik Tok may soon be banned offers one less thing for me to fret about. Whether the move will make the world a safer place is rather more doubtful, however.… Read the rest