Newspaper columns Archives – Page 53 of 59

A daughter of the world

(The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, June 20, 2003)

Nobody knew. Prior to the birth of our first child, two weeks ago today at St. Joseph’s Hospital here in Hamilton, Jean and I kept her name, Elizabeth top-secret from absolutely everyone.

“It’s from the Bible and it’s not Dorcas,” is all I would reveal, before adding, “If and when we have a boy, we have a biblical name for him too. And it’s not Nimrod.”

So imagine the confirmation we felt when, prior to our return to Canada for the delivery, some western friends in Yemen said good-bye to us by reading the biblical story of Elizabeth.

A daughter of the world Read More »

Some take from Congo, others give

Leave a Comment / Hamilton Spectator, Newspaper columns / June 6, 2003 / 2003, African missionaries, blood diamonds, Congo, David Livingstone, Drs Phillip and Nancy Wood, Herny Stanley, suffering / 4 minutes of reading

Dr. David Livingstone, celebrated explorer and missionary to Africa, was once asked by a group back in England, “Have you found a good road to where you are? We want to send others to join you.”

“If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them,” he replied. “I want men who will come even if there is no road at all.”

Some take from Congo, others give Read More »

Time to let the Qat out of the bag…

Leave a Comment / London Free Press, Newspaper columns / May 31, 2003 / 2003 / 3 minutes of reading

Out of the country since last fall, it’s been an experience for me to return and see what’s up here these days. Mad cow, West Nile, SARS. It’s all so dizzying.

Time to let the Qat out of the bag… Read More »

No wonder they claw their way out of jail

Leave a Comment / Christian Week, Newspaper columns / May 23, 2003 / 2003, humour, satire, terrorism, The Great Espace, USS Cole, Yemen, Yemen's jails, Yemen’s culture / 4 minutes of reading

SANA’A, YEMEN ✦ Dohhh! Just when the Yankee cat turns its back to focus on Iraq, the Yemeni mice go out to play.

A gang of al-Qaeda-type jailbirds, including two held as key suspects in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, have apparently vanished from a jail in Aden for good.

Six weeks ago, they escaped in a style that outdid even the Great Escape from Alcatraz.

No wonder they claw their way out of jail Read More »

No wonder they claw their way out of jail

Leave a Comment / London Free Press, Newspaper columns / May 23, 2003 / 2003, terrorism, terrorist escapes, The Great Escape, USS Cole, Yemeni death penalty, Yemeni justice, Yemeni prisons / 4 minutes of reading

Just when the Yankee cat turns its back to focus on Iraq, the Yemeni mice go out to play. A gang of al-Qaeda-type jailbirds, including two held as key suspects in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, have apparently vanished from a jail in Aden for good.

No wonder they claw their way out of jail Read More »

Tell your mother you love her

Leave a Comment / Hamilton Spectator, Newspaper columns / May 9, 2003 / 2003, Froese biography, Jean Chamberlain Froese, maternal mortality, mental illness, Mother's Day, Save the Mothers, suffering, suicide / 4 minutes of reading

Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I’m reminded that I’ve never held my mother, looked into her eyes and told her that I love her. I’ve never offered a soft kiss on her cheek. I’ve never even given my mother flowers. My mom died before I got the chance.

Tell your mother you love her Read More »

Cultural bridges must run both ways

Leave a Comment / London Free Press, Newspaper columns / May 7, 2003 / 2003 / 3 minutes of reading

One of the things I’ve discovered as a part-time resident of the Middle East is how easily things such as cultural nuances can hide in plain view.

Cultural bridges must run both ways Read More »

Who will play the movie’s wacky Iraqi?

Leave a Comment / Hamilton Spectator, Newspaper columns / April 25, 2003 / 2003, Arab culture, Ariel Fleischer, Iraq War, Islamic culture, Middle East culture, misinformation, Mohammed Saeed Sahaf, propaganda, psychological warfare / 4 minutes of reading

Telling Lies in Iraq is my choice for the name of the flick we can only hope will be made about former Iraqi minister of misinformation Mohammed Saeed Sahaf. If it’s anything like a satirical Web site on this new cult figure, a site that once had an incredible 4,000 hits per minute, this movie will be stunning.

Who will play the movie’s wacky Iraqi? Read More »