I stayed up late and went outside on the night of Decmeber 20. But the sky was overcast and the moon was no where to be seen. There was a rosy cast to the sky though. Donna Sturla, a friend from high school now living in California did see the […]
Journal
Happy Google Christmas
My friend Joe Shields just sent me this. I need to pass it along. The Digital Story of the Nativity Plus ca change….
CLASSICAL TRIVIA! The Awful German Language
If you’ve ever studied German (and maybe even if you haven’t), you’re likely to find this short essay to be hilarious. Published as Appendix D from Twain’s 1880 book A Tramp Abroad, this comedic gem outlines the pitfalls one will encounter when trying to wrap one’s mind around the torturous […]
Can Tolstoy Save Your Marriage?
My brother-in-law told me about an article with this title in the weekend issue of The Wall Street Journal. Since both my vocation and my avocation are wedded to the idea that that great literature, art and music can and should help teach us how to live well and wisely, […]
Mummers in Newfoundland
I grew up with the Mummers. I am from Philadelphia and mummery in the US is as unique to Philadelphia as Mardi Gras is to New Orleans. The tradition of Philadelphia Mummery started in the late 17th century as a continuation of the Old World customs of ushering in the New Year. […]
What was the source of conflict between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams?
I am a dual citizen, having grown up in the US and but living in Canada since 1975. American children receive a strong grounding in their country’s history. Of course history at that age is taught with a biased boosterism. So, as a child I placed all those founding fathers in […]
FREE Soulpepper Theatre offer expires Dec. 31, 2010
Love good theatre? A complimentary premium ticket to either Tennesee Williams’ classic The Glass Menagerie or a dramatic adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata is yours when you register for Toronto Pursuits before the end of this calendar year.* The Soulpepper Theatre evening will take place at the Young Centre for the […]
Why is India different from all other countries?
Andrew Ignatieff is a world traveller but is NOT world weary. Andrew has worked for many years in international development in all corners of the globe. But one place he had never been was India. India called to Andrew and he went. He has been back six times and become […]
The Southern Ten Commandments – plain and simple
Some of my favourite people are Southerners. Several love to let me know how things are said and done down where folks really know what’s what. I received this today from Deborah Lindsay from Marietta, Georgia. Some people have trouble with all those ‘shall’s’ and ‘shall not’s’ in the Ten Commandments. Folks just […]
The Play’s the Thing – Get your free ticket to a Soulpepper production.
As a nudge to encourage you to to register before year’s end for our flagship Toronto Pursuits this July, we are offering a complimentary ticket for the evening of Tuesday, July 18, 2011 to either of the following productions. The Glass Menagerie The first great “memory play,” Tennessee Williams’ earliest […]