Pursuing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
The three opinion columns below are must-reads to understand Canadians and the country we live in, as it is, today. Collectively (due to the vast majority), we are miserably failing “the COVID test.” Your expectations are a problem We are not owed any particular future, and are not guaranteed more of what we’ve already had….
Paul Wells book on Stephen Harper’s politics – The Longer I’m Prime Minister – is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the man and his modus operandi in office. Here are ten quotes extrapolated from Paul Wells’ book – but, to get an insightful glimpse into the Prime Minister, get the book – read…
We all should take time to reflect upon the advice of ancient Roman sage Marcus Aurelius. There is much to learn from his writings Meditations. Of his most important musings is the fact that man’s happiness in, and appreciation for life begins with self knowledge. These particular excerpts from the earlier books of Meditations are a…
In their best-selling book Home Game, writer Roy MacGregor and goaltender great Ken Dryden comment on the bonds of our quintessentially Canadian game. It’s a superb introspective of what is central in our Nation’s pysche! Here are a few snippets from the introduction and the book’s first chapter entitled, “The Common Passon”: “Hockey…
Since the holidays I had the pleasure of re-reading one of the very finest books ever written about the game of hockey – The Game, written back in 1983 by the storied Montreal Canadian’s goaltender Ken Dryden. The subtitle to this book is A Thoughtful and Provocative Look at a Life in Hockey –…
Forbes Magazine catalogues priceless words of wisdom and Forbes staff Keren Blankfeld has done a very great job in compiling a must-read list of life observations in her piece: Billionaires To Graduates: All-Time Best Advice From Their Commencement Speeches The following list is the top 10 lessons successful business people have shared in commencement speeches…
Andy Borowitz is a New York Times best-selling author and a comedian who writes in The Borowitz Report in The New Yorker. These two priceless Borowitz columns first appeared in The New Yorker… Scientists: Earth Endangered by New Strain of Fact-Resistant Humans Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the…
The Hill Times – www.hilltimes.com – is the authoritative news voice and a must-read for all things happening on Parliament Hill. This week the paper has begun a bi-weekly publishing schedule, delivered on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is always an informative read! For example, here are 10 interesting facts about the current state of…
Walter Kaufmann believed that there is an urgency in life and expressing oneself or, at least, there should be. The full significance of this urgency is captured is the following excerpt: Let people who do not know what to do with themselves in this life, but fritter away their time hope for eternal…
By George recently read an advice column for millennials which can easily apply to most people today who find themselves hiding comfortably within the herd mentality of political correctness. Tyler Durden wrote 7 Harsh Realities Of Life Millennials Need To Understand. His lead taunted the youth of today: It’s time millennials understood these 7 harsh…
The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books is a readers’ collection of dream lists. It is the ultimate guide to the world’s greatest books – as picked by writers such as Norman Mailer, Annie Proulx, Stephen King, Jonathan Franzen, Claire Messud, Margaret Drabble, Michael Chabon and Peter Carey. The Top Ten includes summaries of…
Here is a must-read magazine feature by Graeme Wood, which appeared in the March 2015 issue of The Atlantic. What ISIS Really Wants The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what…
Neil Macdonald is the senior Washington correspondent for CBC News and this week he announced he is leaving the American beat and “coming home.” Macdonald began his Washington post in 1988 and has served more than 25 years south of the border covering Congress and the affairs of the Nation. In an editorial piece Macdonald…
Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl is a must-read. Here’s Amazon’s description of what has become a modern day classic: Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different…
This past weekend I was at a breakfast gathering of politically engaged folks, who had the pleasure of hearing guest speaker Paul Wells, Maclean’s political editor. Canadians will know Paul for the insight he espouses in his Maclean’s blog – Inkless Wells In his Saturday morning address, Paul spoke of experiences related to his…
The Truth about Trudeau by Bob Plamondon is one of those books that is destined to redefine the manner Canadian historians and writers pen biographical accounts. This is a book that makes an unchallengeable case on the record of a Prime Minister, wholly contrary to the prevalent narrative of our country’s liberal, chattering-class. Bob Plamondon’s…
One of my best reads this summer was Jeff Rubin’s book The End of Growth. This chief-economist-turn-author asks, “What will be the impact on world economies of triple-digit oil prices?” His analysis of governments and financial institutions, and his argument about economic growth and competing global agendas are not only informative, but very insightful. Here are…
A portrait of Ernest Hemingway hangs on our office walls and HE is ever-present as I tap away at the keyboard. Hemingway is a personal favourite – and inspiration – always has been. Now it’s been 50 years since his untimely death. With this passing of time, on January 1st here in Canada, all of…
There is truly one unforgettable video available on-line that will move you and make a difference in the way you look at life (and death). On September 18, 2007, computer science professor Randy Pausch stepped in front of an audience of 400 people at Carnegie Mellon University to deliver a last lecture…
Further to Chris Hedges’ argument within Empire of Illusion, here is his thought on the role of the Internet as a contributing factor in the devolution of our society. In a piece entitled, “The Information Super-Sewer”, Hedges contends that our society and man’s ability to properly communicate are threatened in having virtual realities replace the real world. He…