Archive

The Resistible Fall of Europe: The Views of George Soros
The CBC in Crisis? The Views of Patrick Gossage
Albert Camus: Born a Hundred Years Ago
Senator Mike Duffy: A Stylish Leader
Søren Kierkegaard — Born Two Hundred Years Ago
A Year After Hollande’s Election, Relations with Merkel Are Worse than Anybody Predicted
Homo Sapiens v. Homo Economicus
Graduate Student Thomas Herndon — World Celebrity
The Queen Should be Allowed to Abdicate
The Joy of Being Wrong
“The Poverty Lie”: Germans Wonder Whether the Bailout Countries Are REALLY Poor
The Unscheduled Rewards of Empire: Portuguese Flee to Angola
Eternal Verities and Twitter
“Mandatory Carriage” — A Hot-button Issue for the CRTC
The One Percent Solution
The Job Market for British Butlers Is Booming
Computer Sales in Free Fall
Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965): An Idealist Who Kept His Word
In the Name of Justice, Let Transparency Prevail!
Boston and the American Immigration Debate
Competition
The Curse of Digital Technology on Campus
Year-long Sugar Feast in Sweden
Widows: Laudable Achievements in Outliving Husbands
The Future of Classical Music: The Views of Eric Hobsbawm (1917–2012)
The Decline of Wine-drinking in France
Melting Andes
Carla Bruni’s New Album
Madness and Civilization
Thoughts About North Korea
The Story of Albert Göring, Hermann’s Younger Brother
Sydney Newman and Doctor Who
Scholars Accuse Shakespeare of Tax Evasion
Why Do People Talk Nonsense in Public?
An Exercise in Naïveté: Advice to the Egyptians and the Americans
An American View of Canadian Healthcare: It’s Dysfunctional, Too!
What Are They Saying in Belgium? “Things Are Looking Up. It’s Time for Your Majesty to Resign.”
A Case Against Materialism: Thomas Nagel’s Book “Mind and Cosmos”
Pessimists Live Longer Than Optimists
The Crisis in Cyprus: An Unexpected Geopolitical Powderkeg
Is Smart Making Us Dumb?
Obama Visit: Dialogue at an Imaginary State Dinner Hosted by President Mahmoud Abbas
Two Years to Save the CBC, Says Author of New Book
Outrage in Cyprus: An Explanation
Dreams
Doug Christie: Excerpts from the Unauthorized Obituary
Paul Krugman: A Trilogy
A Definition of a Witch-Hunt and Three Canadian Cases
Today’s Conclave in Rome: An Imaginary Scenario
Why Stephen Harper May Step Down This Summer
A Scientific Analysis of Pop Music
The Audience — A New Play by Peter Morgan in London’s Gielgud Theatre
Thinking (Again) About Work and Leisure
Frank Stronach’s Crusade to Transform Austria
The (Apparently) Absolute Taboo of Discussing Child Porn in Canada
In Memoriam: Stéphane Hessel
The Italian Election: Two Responses
The Audacity of de Gaulle
The Spiritual Quest Defines All Great Art — Camille Paglia
A Reply to an Operatic Provocation in Toronto’s National Post
Germany is Starving for Scandals
Al Jazeera is Losing Battle for Independence
Of (Lab) Mice and Men
The Case of the People Versus Amazon
The Scientist as Hero: The Case of Galileo
Winds of Change Are Blowing in Sweden
Greenland — A Chinese Labour Camp?
“Arrêtons le France-Bashing!”
Grammar and Politics: The Verb “To Grow”
Annette Schavan and Oliver Sacks
The Appointment of Rahul Gandhi
Discussing the Legal Basis for Killing U.S. Citizens Abroad
My Kingdom for a…
Three Vignettes from the Climate Change Scene in Canada
The Motives of Islamist Actions in Timbuktu: Hatred for the West
Shimon Peres Focuses on the Nano
From the U.K.: The Latest Census Data
The Russian Communist Party “Protects the Spiritual and Moral Traditions of Russia”
Welcome to the Panthéon, Denis Diderot!
What Do Aung San Suu Kyi and Christie Blatchford Have in Common? Respect for the Military.
Cheer Up: The American Economy Is Looking Better
A French Conservative Remembers the Sixties
Planning a Literary Dinner? Read This.
France and the Use of Military Power
Our Truth Is Truer Than Your Truth: The Iranian Response to Argo
What Do the Trojan Horse and Jacques Cartier Have In Common?
Mechanized Dandelions: A Design to Clear Land Mines
The Greek Gold Rush — A Classical Choice Between Desire and Conscience
Don’t Analyze Humour!
First Nations and the Treaty of Westphalia
Shaking Off the Burdens of the Past — New Thinking About Race
2012 — The Year of the Arab Counter-revolution
French Animal Rights Activist Brigitte Bardot Threatens to Request Russian Citizenship
Al Jazeera Buys Al Gore’s Cable Channel
And Now the Good News: The Health of Children in Poor Countries Has Vastly Improved
The Decline of Innovation
Your Report Card for 2012 — Congratulations, You Passed!
This Hour Had Seven Days — and One Driving Force: Doug Leiterman
Twenty Years Ago Today: The 1993 Velvet Divorce
A Somber Statistic to Mark the End of 2012
Of Whom Will You Be Envious in 2013?
The Queen Attends a Cabinet Meeting
The Nobel Peace Prize for the European Union
Mary and Joseph Were Homeless Vagrants
Something to Remember If You are Giving or Receiving a Book as a Christmas Present
Scrapping Welfare: A Canadian Experiment Making the Case for a Guaranteed Annual Income
Boredom May Be Good for You
The Early Success of Laurier Lapierre
Internet Regulation: A Digital Cold War?
On Seeing the Met’s Aida on the First Day of the Referendum in Egypt
The Kaiser and the Huns — Did He Really Say That?
The Hoax and the Suicide — The Ultimate Question
It’s Not True: The World Will Not End on December 21
Salvador Dalí — Greater than Picasso?
Words of Encouragement to Our Readers in North Korea
The Banning of Old Cars from Paris Streets
A Little More Flagellation, Herr Krugman. Please.
Our Future King or Queen
Good News for Collectors of Napoleon Letters
After Rob Ford: The Counter Revolution
Independent U.K. Booksellers Fight Amazon
The European Union’s Struggle with Austerity
Evictions in Spain
A Visit to a Unique Museum in Odessa
The Tablets: Moses and McLuhan
The Operating System of the BBC’s New Director-General
The Advantages of Being Neurotic
Suggestion: The Nobel Peace Prize for George Soros
Rudyard Kipling Revisited
Could Charles Darwin Have Won?
Don’t Grow Old in Bulgaria!
The Remarkable Resilience of Kurt Masur
The Noble Art of Falling on One’s Sword
Don’t Hold Your Breath: Republicans Will Not Seek Freedom in Canada
A Trajectory of November Remembrances
Who Guards the Guardians?
Death of an American Composer at 103
The Morning After: Think of Something Else
The Ancient Art of Fooling Voters
Rommel: Hitler’s Tool and Victim
Deep Mourning for the Closing of a McDonald’s in Milan
Allan Gregg and the Role of Reason in Politics
Let Us Talk About the Weather, and About Being Wrong About It
An Idea for a Black Comedy
Conrad Black’s Invective: The Word “Bourgeois”
The Difference Between Earning and Deserving
A Reflection on Elitism and the State
Monday’s Debate: The Exchange We Were Waiting For
The Cuban Missile Crisis — What REALLY Happened?
Russian TV Presents U.S. Third Parties Candidates in English with Larry King
Two Encounters in the Heart of Darkness
François Hollande versus Angela Merkel
Understanding Canadian Medicare
Tonight’s Debate: Will the Moderator be Allowed to Moderate?
And Now, a Word from Chris Hedges
What Did You Do During the War, Granddad?
Tonight’s Debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan: Before You Decide Who Won, Count to Ten
Q. and A. about the War of 1812
The Case for the U.N. General Assembly
Mitt Romney versus Big Bird
Why Aren’t Bulgarians Angry?
How Much Wiser We Are Than We Were in 1920 — Or Are We?
Remembering the Great Historian Eric Hobsbawm
Nuclear Iran: A View Rarely Heard on This Continent
Recovering from Three Days of “I Love Culture”
Justin Trudeau Might Set a Precedent
Islam Versus the West: An Explanation
The Situation Is Hopeless…
Glenn Gould at Eighty
Frederick the Great, General de Gaulle and Angela Merkel
The End of Bullfighting in Catalonia
The Cossacks Are Back
Germans Prefer Classical Music to Pop
Brother, Can You Spare Three Hundred Million Pounds?
The Occupy Movement: The First Anniversary
Canada’s Founding Fathers: A Bunch of Losers
A Call for a Banking Union — A First Step Towards European Federation
Young People of France — Get the Hell Out of Here!
The New Government in Quebec and Radio-Canada
The American Conventions and “The Middle Class”
From the Post-Clinton Era to the Pre-Clinton Era
The Euro Crisis: The Conclusions of Frank Stronach
Spectacular Media Manipulation in Tehran: Substituting One Nation for Another
On Election Day in Quebec, Let Us Honour Jean Chrétien
Lunch with Tom Stoppard
Otto von Bismarck — Angela Merkel
The Class System at a Glance
A United Europe? Bad Idea. An Interview with André Glucksmann.
Five Memorable Facts About Goethe (1749–1832)
The Pussy Riot: An English Perspective
Thomas A. Edison and the Holy Grail
Israel versus Iran: A Couchiching Interview with General Charles Bouchard
The Cold War: Part Two
The Curse of the Protestant Work Ethic
A Question for Music-Lovers: Did Beethoven Compose at the Speed at Which He Intended the Work to be Performed?
Mark Thompson, former Director-General of the BBC, becomes CEO of The New York Times
Men of Power and the Creation of Their Own Reality
Mike Tyson — Superhero
How to Overcome the Internal Contradictions in Arab Society: Advice from a Visiting Scholar
It Is True: Popular Music Is Getting Louder and More Homogeneous All The Time
James Joyce, Harbinger of Contemporary Risk Society
Goldman Sachs — A Benefactor of Humanity
The Fanaticism of the Apocalypse
Japan: A Land Without Guns
The Politics of Love: The Case of Nadja Drygalla
Let Us Remember Gore Vidal (1925–2012)
The Meaning of Aleppo: Brush Up Your Shakespeare!
The Whiff of Scandal at the Bayreuth Festival
Jerusalem versus Tel Aviv: Mitt Romney Emulates Joe Clark
The Euro Crisis: Two American Economists Suggest Solutions
Kafka – Kafkaesque. Chaplin – Chaplinesque?
Can You Guess the World’s Fastest Growing Economy? (No, It’s Not China)
Canadians Date Less During NHL Playoffs
This Is Our Life
Napoleon’s Letter in English Sold at Auction for $405,000
Churchill and the Jews
A Comparison between the U.S. Today and the German Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
Belgian Responsibility for Past and Present Troubles in Africa
Risking One’s Life and the Demands of Honour
Ernest Hemingway and Daniel Perlmutter
England Once Again Offers Asylum to Persecuted Foreigners
If It’s True that Mozart Was Autistic – Is That Interesting?
Pessimism for the Future of the Euro
Two Instances of Applied Democracy: in the U.K. and in the U.S.
The Football Hangover: A Retrospective of Euro 2012
A Simple Solution to the Greek Crisis
Karl Marx Was Two-thirds Right
Is Militarism All Bad?
Who Is Teaching Whom? The Soccer Lessons of Kiev.
Canada Day, Big Ben and the Rights of Women
The Royal Family: What Is Behind the Royal Curtsey Row?
Morality in Politics: The Views of the President of Germany
At Last the Twain Meet After All: Aung San Suu Kyi’s Unifying Triumph
Suggestion for the Liberal Party of Canada: Model Yourself on the German Piratenpartei
Agonizing Over Syria
The Far Right in France: The Politics of Public Benches
“The Cost Every Person Has to Pay for His Existence Is a Constant.”
Henry Kissinger Warns Against Military Intervention in Syria
Bill C-31: The Canadian Government Versus Refugees
The Prospect for Greece: The Sun will Shine Again
Nina Khrushcheva, Great-Granddaughter of Nikita Khrushchev, Writes about Putin
New Delhi By-Passes One Century of British Rule
Euro 2012: I Want to Be an England Fan and a Muslim. Why Is That So Hard?
Poland Has Re-invented Itself
Jacques Attali’s Dream for a Solution of the Euro Crisis
Dissecting the Greek Soul — An Interview with Nikos Dimou
One Way to Make It Easier for You to Be Honest
End in Sight for Dominant Role of Orthodox in Israel
Canadian Butterflies Perform Better than British Butterflies — At Least in Numbers
Three Takes on the Quebec Student Protest
Against Ovation Inflation
In the U.S., for the First Time Ever, the Majority of the Unemployed have Attended Some College
Is This True of Young People in Quebec?
The Strange Behaviour of Nobel Laureates
Can You Be Moral and Rich — and Greek?
The Latest News from the Scourge of the Praying Classes
The Closer Spain has Moved to Europe, the More Democracy has Eluded Its Grasp
Cheer Up! We Don’t Necessarily Become More Decrepit As We Grow Older
How to Explain the Mulcair-versus-the-West Polemics to Outsiders
Today as We Celebrate Queen Victoria’s Birthday, Let Us Remember THIS
The Government of Rumania Narrowly Escaped Making a Grave Mistake
The Centenary of the Death of King Frederick VIII of Denmark
The Turning Point Was the Seventies — Noam Chomsky
Let Them Eat Caviar! Soon Some of Us Will.
To Explain the Current Crisis, Who’s Right — The Structuralists or the Anti-Structuralists?
Canada Among the Winners in the New World Disorder
The Pro-and-Con Austerity Debate is Beside the Point – The Basic Problems Are Structural
America in the Computer Age: Technology a Mirror of Society
The Presidency of France Has a Job Description Written by Charles de Gaulle
Swedes are Leading the Way. Canada Should Follow.
Angela Merkel May Lose French Election
Let Opera Solve Your Love or Relationship Problem
Europe’s Far Right Is Stronger Than Ever Since 1945
A Footnote to “Footnote”: The Death of Benzio Netanyahu
Stephen Harper, Thomas Mulcair, J.S. Woodsworth, Mackenzie King and Adolf Hitler
Economic Suicide in Europe
How Do We Become Politically Engaged?
Eurozone Once More in Turmoil
A Nightmare on Trial
The Romantic Origin of Philippe Loret, French Plumber
The Globalization of Health Care
Whistle-blower Julian Assange Is in the News Again
What to Do About the CBC
Günter Grass’s Provocation
What about this — the 108th version of a Titanic movie?
Teaching Greeks to Pay Taxes
Altruism and Nature — Dawkins v. E.O. Wilson
The Chinese in Venice
Darwin and the Internet
The Theatrical Talents of Adolf Hitler — An Assessment by “Putzi” Hanfstaengl
Is There a Science of Art? The Findings of Eric Kandel
Revolutions, Violence and Democracy: The Lessons of History
Classical Music is Good for Mice
When Did the Decline of the West Begin?
The U.S. Supreme Court May Be Out of Step
After the Budget: A Concrete Suggestion for Seniors
An Eco-ethical Fossil Fuel: Compressed Natural Gas
Chomsky on the Study of Language
Picture is Worth Three Words: What a Relief!
“He is Nothing but a Political Opportunist…”
The Limited Support for International Law by the Five Great Powers
The Loss of the Falkland Islands: The Effect on Argentina
Nuclear Diplomacy in the Middle East
Yesterday’s Resignation of Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC
The Civil War in Syria
Dishonesty a Most Welcome Quality
The Grilling of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Despite Austerity, Luxury Goods are Thriving
A Truly Tragic Statistic: The Suicide of Veterans
The Decline of the West and the Two Hemispheres of the Brain
Einstein the Violinist — Did He Really Play So Badly?
Canadian Pension Funds — “Maple Revolutionaries”
Ayn Rand: “The Ugliest Philosophy the Postwar World has Produced”
Joachim Gauck: The New President of Germany — Left-wing, Liberal, Conservative
Edmonton — Music and Oil Sands
Trust Your Intuition — And See What Happens!
The Iranian Nuclear Program — Three Perspectives
Monsieur Lazhar — A Triumph for Quebec Films
Darwin and the Invention of Love
A Key to the Republican Primaries
Angela Merkel Campaigns for Nicolas Sarkozy
Three Musical Landmarks
In the Beginning Was — Music
Is There a Right to Lie?
This Is the House that Wulff Built
Who – or what – is responsible for Greece’s plight?
Iran — Home of the Largest Jewish Community in the Middle East Outside Israel
Immigrants Emigrate — The Effect of Emigration on Rumania
Is American Decline a Myth?
Saving Greece: A German Reality Check
“To Thine Own Self Be True.” Good Advice? Bad Advice?
Italy Paves Europe’s Way Out of the Crisis
Politics and Theology: The Metaphysics of the Canadian Party System
Greed, Capitalism and Human Nature
Alan Coatsworth — The Hero of Toronto Newsboys’ Interfaith Football
Honour Killing
What Is – and What Is Not – Inevitable
The Surrrender of Viktor Orbán
Otto Gross — A Charming Anarchist
Did Hitler Escape from the Berlin Bunker?
President Newt Gingrich — Could it happen?
Saying Goodbye to Bernard Greenhouse’s Beloved Cello
France v. Turkey: A Dispute between NATO Allies Seen in Perspective
Female Modesty in Israel: The Ultra-Orthodox v. the Rest of Society
The Falkland Island Dispute Flares Up Again: The Latest Bulletin
The Appeal of Movies about Disasters at Sea
And How Are YOU Going to Celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the Birth of Frederick The Great on January 24th?
The American Religion and the Republican Campaign
How will Christopher Hitchens be Remembered?
Technological Breakthroughs: Who Benefits?
The Ordeal of the Euro: A Surprising Comparison
Communications + Energy = Third Industrial Revolution
France Debates Partial Nuclear Phase-out
A Study in Contrasts: A Man and a Woman — Both Born in Iran
Canada: America but Better
“I am not a crook” — German Version
A Gloomy Prediction for the Future of American Newspapers
The Paradigm Shift in Luggage: From Muscles to Gravity
Germany Nearly Won WWI. Why Didn’t It?
Vital News for Samoans: Last Friday Wiped Off the Calendar
What Does A Liberal Believe? An Answer for 2012.
The Armenian Genocide: Debates in France, Israel and Germany
An Elite Spanning the World: The Views of Arhundhati Roy
Two Omissions in an Advertisement by the University of Toronto
Three Variations of Being Wrong: Christopher Hitchens, Michael Ignatieff and Albert Einstein
In Case You are Giving or Receiving a Kindle for Christmas…
Bartók Trounces Schubert: A Report from the Musical Battlefront
Deploring Other People’s Deplorable Taste: A Comment on a Comment
The King Can Do No Wrong — Except When…
Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914–2003): The Man who Chronicled Hitler’s Death
The Future of Capitalism: Reflections of an Elderly Leftist
Truth and Beauty in the Digital Age — Where are the Standards?
The Muslim Brothers: The Story is Just Beginning
“There Is No Such Thing as National Interest Any More”
A Nobel Laureate’s Advice to Europe’s Leaders
Public Broadcasting in a Streaming Universe
Do You Want to Become an Executioner in Spain? Sorry. Too Late.
Oh Happy Estonia! Such an Enviably Low Level of Debt!
The Credit Crisis: Revelations about National Character
Obliquity: Guiding Principle or Platitude?
Portugal: Don’t Make a Pact with the Devil!
“Muddling Through” — Europe’s Only Hope?
The One Percent: “More Equality, Not More Growth, Matters”
Why the Jews? Equality, Envy and Racial Hatred 1800–1933
Psychopaths: Born Evil or with a Diseased Brain?
How Do We Get Out of This? The Views of Two American Columnists.
To Hear Good News Is a Fundamental Human Right
Let Us Face It: We Have Entered the Post-Charismatic Age
A Comment from the Dean of German Philosophers, Jürgen Habermas
An Objective for the U.S. Occupy Movement: A Constitutional Convention
The Occupy Movement: What Next?
One Easy Way to Save the American Economy
Lloyd George and the Appeasement of Hitler
The Keystone Pipeline Project: The Views of an Anonymous Academic
What Do We DO If We Are Superfluous?
The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete
“The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined”
Confusing Plus and Minus: Germans Clearly Cannot Count
American Politics: The Corruption of Congress
The One Percent: The Search for Explanations
Social Protest and Radical Chic
The CBC as Barometer of Canadian Nationalism
A Matter of Conscience: St. Paul’s Cathedral versus the City of London
What Do You Think of This Idea?
Germany: The Reluctant Giant
Europe: A Success Story
The Occupations: Imagining the Next Phase
Canadian Politics: How Michael Ignatieff Could Have Won the May Election
Pure Exhilaration: The Chagall Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario
A German Answer to the Question: What Exactly Do the Protesters Want?
Philanthropic Lies versus Misanthropic Honesty
The Protestant Work Ethic: Public Enemy Number One
CBC Funding Becomes an Issue in Canadian Politics
“Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.”
The Unprecedented Vanishing of the Centre in Canadian Politics
The Happy Experience of a Beneficiary of the Greek Crisis
No American has Received the Nobel Prize for Literature since 1993. Why Not?
Neuroscientists Report: Our Brains Reject Negative Thoughts
The Difference Between a Thug, a Psychopath and a Demon: The Views of Tony Blair and Michael Ignatieff
Joseph Stiglitz’s Analysis of the Global Economic Slump
Jean-Luc Godard Suggests Solution to the Greek Debt Crisis
Do You Want to Know the Future? Study Today!
The End of the World: A. Imagined; B. Not Imagined
A Comparison between F.D.R. and Obama
The Significance, or Insignificance, of the “Occupy Wall Street” Protest Movement
“Doing Something about the CBC” — But What?
The U.N. Palestinian Debate: One Week Later
Greek Youth Versus the Government — The Government Responds
Einstein and India: A Reminiscence of 1947
The Arab Spring Reaches Russia
1948 — U.S. Recognition of Israel was Touch and Go!
The Joys of Paying — and Not Paying — Taxes
Arab Spring — Cuban Autumn
Regulator Bans Chinese Version of American Idol
Georg Moritz von Altenburg: A Model for All of Us
What is the best way for Czech soldiers to lose weight?
A Way to Resolve the Euro Crisis
Does Karl Rove know something we don’t know?
France and the Palestinian Bid for U.N. Membership
The Euro-Crisis, the Banks and Goethe
Tips for the Many Authors of “The Last Days of Gaddafi”
Sunny Greece’s Plan to Export Solar Energy to Germany on a Large Scale
The Joy of Quoting Marshall McLuhan (1911–2011)
Political Schizophrenia: Americans are Pro-Keynes and Anti-Keynes at the Same Time
The European Union — Too Good to be True?
The Holy Ghost — The First Model of an Egalitarian Community
Franz Schubert’s cri de coeur
A Royal Wedding and a “Royal” Wedding
The Chairman of Google Deplores Drift to the Humanities in U.K. Education
Mourning Jack Layton: An Interpretation
The Blurring of Borders in Central Europe: Poles and Czechs Move West
Crisis in the U.S.A.: Will Americans Emigrate – to China?
The Middle East: Redrawing the Colonial Maps
Is Every Hunchback a Murderer?
What About This Scenario: Jean Charest Succeeds Stephen Harper as a Moderate Conservative?
Human Memory and the Libyan Decision: Part Two
America, You Are Better Off — A Poem by Goethe
The Tea Party: Roots in the American Tradition
The English Riots: Question Marks
The Selfish and Narcissistic Gardener
The Debt Crisis: Why Now?
What Happened to Obama?
The Financial Crisis: China Lectures the West
What do Jay Naidoo and Naheed Nenshi Have in Common?
Washington’s Troubles — Could an American CBC Help?
A Devastating Blow to Cultural Patriots in Germany
Sounds Familiar? The Politics of Broadcasting in Hungary
Old Europe Needs Young Ideas
The Difference Between an English and a French Lunch: An English View
A New Young Face Brings Hope to Pakistan’s Tortured India Relationship
Is “Diallo” the “Smith” of West Africa?
A Norwegian Contrast: The Prime Minister and the Killer
Israel in Bayreuth: Wagner Festival Shatters Taboo
The English Genius for Making the Vulgar Lovable
Cheer Up, Everybody, in Three Capitals: Brussels, Washington and Oslo
The Euro Crisis and German Politics
Today, Marshall McLuhan Would Be 100
Money and Happiness
Warning: Mature Content
Rupert Murdoch, Margaret Thatcher and Dennis Potter
The Burial of Otto von Habsburg
“The Greatest Scientist of Our Time” Links Science with Democracy
The Euro Crisis: Two Comments
Reviving the British Commonwealth — With India at the Centre
The New Look of Nuclear Power in Europe
Cinderella and Carla Bruni
Offering Asylum to a Cousin: 1917 and 1940
The Greek Crisis and the European Idea
June 22, 1941 — The German Invasion of Russia
A New Special Relationship: China and Germany
The Possible Collapse of the Case Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn
How to Teach the Greeks to Pay Taxes
Why is Prince Charles smiling?
China Down — India Up
What is more dangerous: The war on terror or counter terrorism?
Northern (Red) Lights
The Weatherman: Not Guilty
Being Lazy — Like Gustav Mahler
“Old Men Are Dangerous”
Truth, Beauty and Good Business
New Concept in Higher Education Triggers Polemical Fireworks in the U.K.
“A Taste for Shiny, Pretty Things”
The Flower of Youth
The Road Not Taken
Will the Common Sense of “Ordinary Canadians” Destroy Canada?
Civic Canada, Internet Privacy: A Nearby Choice for the Long Run
The Inseminator
Danish Jokes
Bridal Shower
Culture and Empire, Canada and Asia Then and Now: Part 2 – Canada
Culture and Empire, Canada and Asia Then and Now: Part 1 – Asia
Silver Tsunami or Silver Glacier? The Impact of Aging on the Sustainability of Health Care in Canada
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and the Controversy over Smallpox Inoculation
Is there a Libya?
Palestine versus Israel: The September Scenario
Pew Research Data on Muslim Support of Hamas and Hezbollah
The Condition of Europe: An Italian View
The Euro-Crisis: Learning a Lesson from the Past
The G-8 Summit and Syria
Hybris: Two European Views
The Triumph of Capitalism
The Test That Tells You How Long You Will Live
Responses to l’Affaire Strauss-Kahn
Explaining the Difference between Private and Public to an Eleven-year-old
A Cool Meditation on the Hot Subject of Coalitions
The Arab Spring and China: Hillary Clinton’s Views
“Television — A Vast Wasteland”
The Pre-History of Luggage
A Nightmare Scenario: Pilsner Urquell from China
Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%
Is Patience a Virtue?
One Interesting Israeli Reaction to the Creation of the Fatah–Hamas Unity Government
Dinner with Osama Bin Laden
Slums and our Next World
A Linguist’s Notes from the Royal Wedding
Bad News from Egypt
The Wedding of George III
Friday’s Putative Guest List
Prince Charles, Limited
Richard Strauss and Toscanini’s Hat
How to Explain the Role of the Bloc Québecois in the Current Canadian Election
A Brave People, These Icelanders!
Adolf Eichmann: Mass Murderer of Conviction
Libya: The Limits of Physical Power
Google Versus Art Galleries — Will Google Lose?
A Prediction of an Economic Volte-Face in China
A Swedish Paper Comments on the Persecutions of Christians
Social Mobility in the U.K.: A New Initiative by Nick Clegg
Bulgaria — A Mafia State?
China’s Emerging Place in the Art World
How Much Ivory Is in the Ivory Coast?
Bismarck: Master Statesman — A Book Review by Henry Kissinger
Medvedev Contradicts Putin: A First
The French–German Estrangement: An Extraordinary Interpretation
Television and the Arab Spring
The Borgias: Something to Look Foward to
Why don’t the Japanese loot?
Louis XVI and the “International Community”
Three Cheers for the Enlightenment
Help, please! Is it true that the real issue about Libya is oil?
The Gaddafi War in Hindsight
Italy’s 150th Birthday: A Melancholy Celebration
The Devil Has All the Good Lines
Human Memory and the German Abstention
With Libya, is “Obama Doctrine” on War Emerging?
In Opera, What Comes First — Words or Music?
A Marshall Plan for the Middle East?
Einstein and the Atom
The Lisbon Earthquake and the Enlightenment
Global Enemy Number One: The Arms Trade
Advice to NPR: Do Without the Federal Subsidy!
David Brooks: The Unconscious Mind and the New Humanism
Syria: Why Is There No Egypt-style Revolution?
Jacques Chirac, Former President of France, Is on Trial for Corruption
Helpful Hints for a Doctoral Thesis about Two Doctoral Theses in the News
March 3 Was Mistress Day in China
Revolution: 1848 and 2011
A New Look at the Origins of Nazism
Helen Mirren Talks about Her Role as Prospera in The Tempest
The Morning After: The Coronation of The King’s Speech
Humility Pays: The Case of the “Baron of Lies”
Is Bahrein More Important than Libya?
Revolution Spreads to the United States
Gene Sharp, Author of the Non-violent Revolution Rulebook
The Sarkozy–Mubarak Mediterranean Union is Dead: What About a New One?
A Negative View of the Role of Social Media
It Is Not True: Jews Have No Claim on the Pyramids
This Is the Time for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement
The Revolution in Egypt: “The Triumph of Irresistible Consumerism”?
Hosni Mubarak Is in Sharm el-Sheikh. For how long?
A Quotation from Sarah Palin
Germany’s Secret Weapon in World War One: A Global Jihad
Silvio Berlusconi Is Just Like You and Me
The Fountain of Old Age
The Case Against Multiculturalism
Egypt: Opinions from Al Jazeera and Ha’aretz
Putin the Sun-King?
Facebook Chief Meets Alter Ego
Mubarak’s Choice of Language
Tunisia, Egypt, WikiLeaks, Secrets, Politeness and Tact
Selected BBC Reports from the World Economic Forum in Davos
Suggestions for Ph.D. Candidates Looking for Subjects for Dissertations: The Impact of Twitter
An Explanation for the Tunisian Revolution: Ancient History
The Political Use of Irony in the US and in China
How to Write a (Good) Sentence
Wanted or Not Wanted: A Public Intellectual Like Bernard-Henri Levy?
Union of British Underground Drivers versus William and Kate
After Capitalism – What?
The Military–Industrial Complex: 1961–2011
What to Tell the Axe-man: Views on Lying by Mark Twain and Immanuel Kant
The Charms of the New British Skyscrapers
The CBC: Now Would be an Excellent Time to….
Mid-Winter Reflections on Fur
Indignez-vous! Stéphane Hessel, the 93-year-old Former Fighter in the French Résistance, Speaks Out
Goldman Sachs and The Nerd: A Synopsis of a Smash Musical
Do you have a Cellphone? No? Then You Are a Second Class Citizen!
Arts Cuts are Like Ripping up Magna Carta
The Irish Double Challenge: Saving the Economy and the Language
Welcome to the Digital Economy!
A Reaction to the McLuhan Posting
Why 2011 will be a Happier Year
Mordecai Richler’s Meditations after Watching Barney’s Version
Intertwining Bodies in Wagner’s Music
China and the Euro Crisis
Marshall McLuhan — Brilliant Analyst, Prophet and Gravedigger?
An Amazing Discovery While Listening to Handel’s Messiah
The Denial of Communist Crimes
Of Things to Come: The Personalized Online Newspaper
Free Trade: Mythology versus History
Corruption There and Here
The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize — Flowers for the Chinese Ambassador
Today May Be Beethoven’s Birthday
Aristotle Supports Assange!
The Nightmare of Haiti and the Lies of Literature
Charles and Camilla on the Way to the Guillotine
European Culture — Greek-Roman or Christian?
Erasmus of Rotterdam on the Future of the Book
Not Rocking the Boat in Egypt
The Sovereign Debt Crisis: Why Can’t We Do the Obvious?
Embarrassment Is the Shame You Feel When Your Inadequacy or Guilt Is Made Public
Eric Koch Reviews His New Novel: The Weimar Triangle
Eric Koch’s New Novel, The Weimar Triangle
Introducing Eric Koch’s New Novel, The Weimar Triangle
Next Chapter: WikiLeaks for the Common People
What Should We Say to Grandmothers Who Worry About the World Awaiting Their Grandchildren?
From Lisbon to Vladivostok: Putin Proposes Harmonious Economic Community
Are the Americans Giving Thanks for the Constitution?
Aung San Suu Kyi’s First Interview with BBC after Her Release
Play Money
Tolstoy Died a Hundred Years ago Last Saturday. Why Are Russia’s Celebrations So Muted?
Hollywood, Wall Street and the Universities
Forget William and Kate: Think Yemen!
Freeman Dyson and His Son
The Fall of 2010: Forms of Rebellious Discontent
What Western Business Can Learn from Somali Pirates
Life’s Too Short Not to Be Irish! – Irish Saying
The Politics of Naming Children
Richard Wagner — The Spiritual Father of Israel
You are in Good Company: Everybody Procrastinates!
What a Contrast! Yesterday’s Election in Burma
Friedrich Anton Mesmer, Mozart and Sarah Palin
Harold Bloom on the American Religion
Spellbound: Inside West Africa’s Witch Camps
Americans — Enjoy Your Decline!
The Complicity of German Diplomats in the Holocaust
Two Views on Tolerance: Bayle and Chomsky
From Roads to Rail: Two Stories from Europe
Suppose the Jobs have Disappeared Forever…
The Morning After Toronto’s Civic Election
Some of Us are More Evil Than Others
The European Budget Cutters versus John Maynard Keynes
Angela Merkel: “Multiculturalism has Been an Utter Failure”
A New Explanation of American Conservatism — Suspension of Karma
The Job Market for Philosophers
The Chilean Rescue: Three Reflections
A Mishap in Moscow
Good English and Good Estonian
Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo: The Words that Enraged the Chinese Communist Leadership
The Selfless Gene: Is Altruism in our Nature?
A (Canadian) Thanksgiving Present
Mossad’s Seductive “Honey Trap” Is Kosher, Rabbi Finds
One and a Half Cheers for American Decline
A Nobel Prize for Playfulness
A Low Opinion of Leonardo da Vinci
Reparations for WW1 — Paid Up at Last
The Wedding of Germany’s Foreign Minister
Why Sarkozy is Moving to the Right
Berlin — Magnet for Young Israelis
Cardinal Newman and Christine O’Donnell
After Capitalism, What?
Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama — Differences and Similarities
Flash News: Women Dominate New Swiss Cabinet!
Woody Allen, the Sarkozys and the Press
Success and Failure Today: Death of a Salesman Revisited
Hope for Gypsies in Europe: The Spanish Example
Why Learn Another Language?
An Open Letter from Noam Chomsky
A Portrait of Jean-Paul Sartre
What do Alan Greenspan and Fidel Castro Have in Common?
The Real Danger — Internal Conflict Within the West
Give Back Our Kremlin!
Gadaffi’s Lesson on Elegance and Sensuality
Immigration and Integration — A Raging Debate in Germany
Did God Create the Universe?
Can Ants Pose as Models for Human Labourers?
Swearing in Denmark: Wishful Thinking
Compare Today’s Iran with the Soviet Union Shortly Before Its Downfall
Deutschland Deutschland über Alles!
Sketches: One year without Pollyanna or Gloom and Doom
It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again
Indian Aid to Pakistan: A Glimpse at India-Pakistan Relations
Europe Versus the Gypsies: The Case of Carmen
How to Think about the Forthcoming Middle East Peace Talks
Financing a Royal Honeymoon: The Swedish Model
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
The White Man’s and the White Woman’s Burden: An Editorial in Al Jazzeera
Health Care in Hungary: A Profound Insight
The U.S. Military — A Giant Jobs Program
The Tamil Ship: What the Immigration and Refugee Tribunal Should Know
Muslimophobia: Six Questions and Six Answers
The Importance of being Ernest: A Topical Fairytale about Populism and Elitism
The Rich and the Rest of Us
The Latest News Report about John the Baptist
The Twilight of the Castros: Two Contradictory Messages
Watershed Moment or Wasted Opportunity?
Gas Stations Should Stop Selling Alcohol!
China: Elite Exodus
Tattoos — Who Has Them and Why?
Never Explain, Never Apologize!
What Do Mahler, Rilke and Kafka Have in Common?
The False Teeth that “Helped Win WW2” are Auctioned
Fiction and Truth: Richard III and Napoleon
How to Think Clearly About the Future of Conrad Black
A Short Treatise on Dumbing Down
The Death of Tolstoy in 1910: The First Russian Media Event
Syria and the Politics of the Niqab
The End of the Book — Where is the Silver Lining?
Parents Beware: Opera Can Be Dangerous!
Transparency and the New Canada–China Relationship
The Latest World Heritage Site: The Atmosphere
What Happened to “You’re Welcome”?
Who wrote Montezuma? You guessed it: Frederick the Great.
Remember The Third Man? Vienna Lives!
In the Islam World: The Road from Autocracy to Democracy
How to Celebrate the World Cup Finale: Play Beethoven’s Egmont Overture
Let Belgium Split Up — Small is Beautiful
Al Qaeda’s First English Language Magazine Is Here
Cause of Cleopatra’s Death: Suicide. But How?
Afghanistan: Only the Regional Powers Can Deliver Lasting Peace
Jon Gnarr, Comedian and Rockstar — Mayor of Reykjavik
A New German President and the Twilight of Angela Merkel
Seven Eligible Royal Princes
Capitalism–Socialism: A Political Rhetoric Test
Madame Roland and a Weekend in Toronto
The End of Men
General Stanley McChrystal and General Hans von Seeckt
The Right Therapist Wanted for the G20 Summit
The Koran, Muslims and Violence: Six Debating Points
What the Internet is Doing to our Brains
De Gaulle: June 18, 1940 — One Unknown Man Alone
The World Cup: Will Slovenia Defeat the USA Today?
In Which City Would You Like to Live?
European Headaches
The Public and the Private: A New Mix in the World of Art Galleries
Iran: The Logic of Events
Yesterday’s Dutch Election: A Coalition with the Bogeyman?
In Praise of Pessimism: A Conversation with Jacques Attali
The Kremlin’s Dramatic Suggestion: A Russian Orthodox Cathedral near the Eiffel Tower
Two Hundred Years Ago Today Robert Schumann was Born
Shock or Pleasant Surprise? “America’s Favorite Soprano” sings Rock
Innovation: The Twelve Winning Countries
Interpreting Society Through Music: The Theories of Jacques Attali
Number of Books in Parental Library: Key to the Future
A Close Look at the Attitudes of American Jewish Students towards Israel
Decoding Martin Heidegger: What is – and What is Not – Hard to Understand
In Toronto Next Month at the G20 Meeting: Dominique Strauss-Kahn
A Whimsical but Daring Question about a Possible Analogy between Thailand and Canada
You Can’t Go Home Again, Nefertiti
Refusing To Be Enemies
The Economics of Heisting: The Market for Stolen Picassos
The Pleasures of Gloating: Switzerland a Triumph of Virtue
Sibling Rivalry for the Labour Leadership
The German Inflation of 1922–1923: The Collective Nightmare
August 1914 and the Situation Today
The Bedroom at 10 Downing Street
The Importance of Being Etonian
Charlemagne: The Latest News
A Homecoming for Karlheinz Schreiber
Greek Plight — Turkish Delight
The Crisis of Legitimacy in Europe
A Possible Result of the Economic Crisis: New Thinking about Time
We Are Stumped
Switzerland Should be Dissolved as a State
Revisionist History: How Russia Defeated Napoleon
A Writer’s Dilemma: Silvio Berlusconi versus Roberto Saviano
Please Stop Derivatives-bashing!
Let Us Examine the Word “Prolific”
Plastic Surgery: Youth and Beauty for One and All
The British and French versus the Niqab and Burqa
Houdinis Are Hard At Work
Sartre, Churchill, Nabokov, Adorno, Huxley
In Praise of Non-Violence
The Meaning of Kyrgyzstan
The Welfare State and the Criminal State
Two Cheers for Old Age
Gandhi and Schiller
It’s For Your Own Good
Who Needs It?
Who Said Most Muslims Are Afraid of Dogs?
Sardonic Sardines
Martin Heidegger: Philosopher Among the Nazis or Nazi Philosopher
Aimez-vous Lady Gaga?
Miss Russia U.K. — A Beauty Contest in Londongrad
Incriminating Stimuli: A New Concept for Airport Security
Richard Wagner’s Eyeglasses
Frog Reveals Secret of Monogamy
A Succinct Political Comment
High Drama in Paris: Villepin versus Sarkozy
Celebrity — The Great New Art Form of the Twenty-first Century
That Was David Frum’s Week That Was
From Gucci Capitalism to Cooperative Capitalism
Why Tony Blair Did Not Sue
Kurdish Zionism — An Aberration?
Cassandra, Jeremias, Savonorola
Blood, Iron and Health Insurance
Pay TV in France: Counter-Intuitive, Unexpected, Amazing
The Two-Cultures Split Revisited
The Strong and the Weak in Europe
What is Truth? The Latest Chapter.
Justice versus the Rule of Law
Governing is Heck
The Use and Abuse of Mozart
Please Do Not Spread This Absurd Rumour
Islamic Cleric in U.K. Issues Anti-Terror Fatwa
Thinking the Unthinkable: A U.S.–Iranian Deal
The Irish Thinking Cure
The Danish Cartoons: Conflict at Yale
Robert Gates versus Albert Einstein
After Seven Hundred Years — At Last…
Composers versus Performers: An Argument among Music Lovers
Twilight of the Generals
The Night of the Generals
An Oligarch on Fleet Street
The Answer to All Our Problems
The Sketches Logo
Separating Art from Artists
Beware of Pity
My Pipeline is Better than Your Pipeline!
Let Them Eat Seal!
The State of the Presidency: David Brooks on Charlie Rose
The Drop in Population in Europe: No Need to Worry!
Dying Languages
The Young Victoria: The Scene Left Out of the Movie
The Temperature of Canadian Patriotism
Music and Murder
Nicolas versus Dominique
The Medium — that is, the iPad — is the Message
Sorry. I mean, excuse me.
The Devil Had None of the Best Lines
How to Become Rich and Famous and a Great Human Benefactor
The End of Decayed Gentility in the U.K.
An Obvious Idea for a Movie
Bribes and Non-Bribes: Questions raised by a Report from Afghanistan
The Case of the Pirate’s Skull
The Secrets of Prague: Kafka in a New Perspective
Biblical Guns — A Report from Afghanistan
Google versus China: Two Views
Freedom: yes, please. And, no, thank you.
Widows: Laudable Achievements in Outliving Husbands
Why Lisbon? Questioning the Reason for a Historic Earthquake
Superb Sadism
If Napoleon Had Won the Battle of Waterloo
In Praise of Older Women: Part Two
In Praise of Older Women: Part One
Perfection
Goodbye Sovereignty?
Life After Fidel
Unheard Melodies, Part 2
Can We Trust Them?
Unheard Melodies
What’s a Decade?
Happy New Year!
The Keynesianism of Scrooge
Absolutely Chinese: The Relationship between Music and Language
Pythagoras
Enjoy the Festival!
Suggested Topics for Christmas Dinner Conversation
Soul-Searching in France
The Sex Life of Robinson Crusoe
Memo to Quebec Separatists
The Common Thread
Dreams and Responsibility
The Limits of Growth Revisited
December 15
This is the Season
Sex and Botticelli
Swiss Minarets: Part II
Swiss Minarets: Part I
A Fiction about Glenn Gould: Part II
A Fiction about Glenn Gould: Part I
Amateur Experts
SF
Sounds Familiar?
Vigilance
From Tokyo to Mecca
Churchbells in Copenhagen
Ontario Drivers — Cheer Up!
The Case for Sparta
The Ultimate Tax Reform
Lawyers Beware!
Spoilsport
Beethoven and the Modern
How young are you?
Who is a Jew?
Citizen Journalism
Words
The Fourteenth Colony
Crying Accents
A Sisterly Kiss
November 9th
A Nonsense Test
Unexpected and Surprising
Matriatism
Agent Provocateur
Be Proud of Your BMW!
Shoes: Part Two
Shoes
Our Own Pirate
Your Grandchildren Won’t Believe This
Capitalism: An Islamic Story
Book Olympics
Art v. Politics
The Uselessness of History
Wagneritis, Part Two
Wagneritis, Part One
Auden Poem
Blame the Media: Part Two
Norman Bethune
The Zürich Agreement
Ethics versus Morals
Paris: City of Two Towers
Good News from California
Guido
Murder Mystery
Cleopatra’s Belly Dance
Blame the Media
The Global Middle Class
An Affair of State
Perfection
The Seventh Commandment
Latin Lovers
The Wimps and the Non-Wimps
Hitlerology, Part Three
Hitlerology, Part Two
Hitlerology, Part One
The Prince of Denmark Competition
The Decline of the West — A New Board Game
A Fox in the Henhouse?
Could It Be True?
The Canadian Formula
A Good Conduct Code for Governments
Moving to Bulgaria?
I Know that I Know Nothing

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