Category World Affairs
Rabban Hormizd II
In most countries a seventh century Christian monastery would be a place of pilgrimage, or at least a tourist attraction. But this is Iraq, and ISIS is only 20 kilometres from here. There are no tour buses. There is no-one else here. Well, there may be a few nuns, be we don’t see them. But […]
Refugees and Migrants III – What’s The Difference?
Sometimes I get sidetracked. I wrote this post a couple of months ago as part of a series, and then never got around to posting it. Given that the Middle East refugee crisis is likely to continue to dominate the headlines in 2016, perhaps it is time to look at the subject again. I am […]
The Queen’s Message
I could do without the music before and after her annual Christmas message (she starts talking just before the two minute mark) , but I really like what Her Majesty had to say this year. I’ve linked to a version with subtitles if you have difficulty with British English. People sometimes forget that one of […]
Frankenstein’s Monster – II
With Donald Trump riding high in the polls his opponents are frequently taking a page from his playbook – they are making their arguments against his candidacy personal rather than destroying his ludicrous policy proposals. I don’t think Donald Trump is a fascist, which has certainly been suggested, though I suppose he could become one […]
Frankenstein’s Monster – I
He’s still the front-runner for the Republican Party nomination to become their candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Logically he should have flamed out long ago, but Donald Trump continues to defy expectations. I will admit to being a bit surprised, not at his popularity but that the party establishment hasn’t managed to reign […]
The Celebration
I didn’t take pictures. I didn’t go anywhere near the window. I know what goes up must come down. I didn’t want to get in the way of that process, even though it seemed unlikely that any of the bullets were aimed in my direction. Earlier in the day I had visited a refugee camp […]
The Prophet
I don’t think he was trying to be prophetic. After all, he was writing about the past. I was reading a century-old short story by James Joyce this week. Yes, I know, I have eclectic tastes. There was one line that struck me from the piece, because it seemed to be describing the British monarchy, […]
Thoughts On The Refugee Crisis
As broken election promises go, this is probably a good one. Canada’s new government has realized that it was unrealistic to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees before the end of the year. The target remains the same, but now it will take a couple of extra months. It is still an ambitious goal. The United States, […]
Waiting For A Plane XIV – Early Morning In Erbil
It seems no two airport experiences are alike, even at the same airport. The last time I passed through Iraq’s Erbil International Airport my bottle of water breezed right through security. Not this time. I had to drink it before proceeding any further. The rules were posted, but last time they weren’t enforcing them. This […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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