I have an Arab friend who looks very much like a stereotypical western mobster. A gentle spirit, he also reminds me of a boy named Michael, son of Mike Sr., a gangster in the recent Tom Hanks film, The Road to Perdition.
Beyond Sept. 11, which road will we take? Read More »
So the poor Tories, $5 billion in the red, say they might clobber Ontario’s smokers with higher taxes to bankroll new spending. An ex- smoker, I can relate to the pain. Too bad there’s not another easy target. Like qat.
Cheeky Yemen is king of Qat stimulant use Read More »
There comes a time in the life of every person and nation to decide, in the struggle between truth and lies, if they will choose to stand on the side of good or evil — this was the case put by English writer James Russell Lowell 150 years ago. You’d think he was writing about contemporary Yemen.
The tools of freedom Read More »
Thank you for your wishes for “peace and quiet” and “safety and peace.” It seems one can’t keep anything secret any more. The Internet shows newspapers from China to Switzerland to Australia have reported the recent racket in Yemen.
It’s tough to find peace anywhere Read More »
Isaiah must have been crazy. The ancient prophet, a Shakespeare of Hebrew literature, predicted that someday the wolf would lay down with the lamb, and men would beat their swords into ploughshares. He wrote that almost 3,000 years ago.
Building a new Middle East Read More »
I’m sitting in a small, dirty room, on the floor, swigging a cola and chatting with a Yemeni I see for Arabic lessons. It’s my first visit to his place, and he’s given the pop — in one of those old, glass bottles from the ’70s — to make me feel welcome.
Give Anees a shot at his dreams Read More »
So where were you on the Sunday when Canada took back a piece of its soul? I heard you danced on that bright afternoon when our boys struck hockey gold for the first time in 50 years. Coast to snowy coast, 10 million of you including Parliament itself, waltzed in the afterglow.
Culture the true measure of a nation’s soul Read More »
One has to admire Pontius Pilot, the Roman procurator who may share responsibility for history’s biggest execution, but who also wouldn’t budge when pressured by his editors wanting him to change his headline.
Freedom of press a paper-thin thing Read More »
