Posted on May 12, 2010 by Ray Argyle
Amid the breaking news of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the new British cabinet, the Globe and Mail has been featuring coverage of Africa and its problems. The paper brought in rock and rollers Bono andf Bob Geldorf, well-known for demanding more Western aid for the developing nations, as special editors. It’s been a clever [...]
Filed under: Books, Uncategorized | Tagged: abortion in Africa, Harper's maternal health plan, Kevin Bloom, South Africa's dilemma, Ways of Staying | Leave a Comment »
Posted on May 4, 2010 by Ray Argyle
There’s a delightful piece in the Globe and Mail in which Elmore Leonard, mystery novelist and author of 10 Rules of Writing, tosses off one of his favorite mantras: The trick to storytelling, Leonard believes, “is leaving out the parts readers skip.” Oh how every writer wishes she could do that! Leonard was talking about [...]
Filed under: Authors, Books, Uncategorized | Tagged: Elmore Leonard, Justified, Rules of Writing | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 4, 2010 by Ray Argyle
I’m back, and anxious to tell you about my introduction to the Sony Reader, the ebook device that along with Amazon’s Kindle is said to herald the next era in reading. This little machine came to me as a Christmas present (my thanks to the giver) and as with all new technology toys, it takes [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Cormac McCarthy, ebooks, Kindle, Sony Reader, The Road | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 4, 2009 by Ray Argyle
I can’t recall an event in the recent past that has aroused such public interest and emotion right across Canada. I’m referring to the tragic street accident involving the former Attorney General of Ontario, Michael Bryant, and the bicycle courier, Darcey Allan Sheppard. As I write, this, The Globe and Mail web site has no [...]
Filed under: Automobile industry, Culture, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: bike-car collisions, Darcey Allen Sheppard, Ex-Attorney General Michael Bryant, restoring damaged reputations | Leave a Comment »
Posted on August 23, 2009 by Ray Argyle
The slow and difficult process of counting votes is underway in Afghanistan following an election that is said to be a test of the West’s determination to build a viable regime that will be able to fend off future Taliban attacks. The expected charges of vote-rigging are flying, as reported here. And out in the deserts, thousands more [...]
Filed under: Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: Afghan election, mujhadeen, The Beast | 1 Comment »
Posted on August 16, 2009 by Ray Argyle
Update: (Aug 21) Ms. Mohamud and her lawyers have launched a lawsuit against the Canadian government seeking $2.5 million in damages. I’ve been trying to concoct in my head a scenario that would explain the outrageous treatment of the Canadian citizen, Suaad Hagi Mohamud, who our government threw in jail when she showed up [...]
Filed under: Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: Canadian High Commission Kenya, Liliane Khadour, Passport pictures, Raoul Boulakia | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 6, 2009 by Ray Argyle
The 65th anniversarycommemoration of D Day this weekend is a reminder that for all the unity and common purpose that Europe exhibits today, the wounds and trauma of history’s greatest war run deep and permanent. The moving ceremonies on the beach at Normandy on June 6, 2009, brought together the leaders of France, Britain, the [...]
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: D Day 65tth anniversary, Germans and the Nazi Party, Nazi oppression | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 4, 2009 by Ray Argyle
This being my 100th post since starting this blog, I was thinking of what to write as I stood in line at the drugstore checkout. Then my eyes lighted on the array of weekly celebrity tabloids that are standard fare at most checkouts. And one stood out: Kennedy: HIS FINAL DAYS, screamed the headline in [...]
Filed under: Culture, Uncategorized | Tagged: Flash, Frank, Hush, scandal sheets, Supermarket tabloids | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 23, 2008 by Ray Argyle
Wishing all my readers and friends the Best of the Season
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 15, 2008 by Ray Argyle
Stephane Dion gave his best speech of the election on election night. His English was very good, he spoke forcefully and with clarity, and he addressed the most important issue facing Canadians: the problems of the economy. It’s an irony of politics that his remarks came in a concession speech. Had he been able to [...]
Filed under: Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged: Conservatives, Dion, Election, Harper, Liberals, May | 1 Comment »
