Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock

I have been listening to this again and again for the past few weeks: I went back and looked it up because someone my granddaughter's age expressed enthusia...

Gender War

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo points out Donald Trump's greatest weekness: There are numerous articles I've seen this morning talking about the emerging "gender war" in the 2016 general election, which now seems officially underway. 'Trump’s ‘woman’s card’ comment escalates...

Canada’s multiculturalism: A circle, ever edging outwards, by JOHN RALSTON SAUL

Canada’s multiculturalism: A circle, ever edging outwardsJOHN RALSTON SAUL Special to The Globe and Mail Published Friday, Apr. 22, 2016 1:15PM EDT Canada is now the only Western democracy in which there is no serious argument among the citizenry or politicians over the importance of immigration. Canadians understand that immigration is not migration. It must be seen as the first...

A great loss

Intense public reaction to death of Prince makes me wonder how many more such episodes we are going to have before we burn out. It seems to me that we have a potentially very large number of musicians and actors and other public figures who symbolize an important aspect of life for millions of people, any of whom could spark such a reaction.I think it's pretty obvious that we (some...

Murdoch's Mysteries: we live in a new and incredible age

For about a decade, CBC has been broadcasting an interesting murder mystery series set in Edwardian Canada, or rather, Edwardian Toronto. I have been watching reruns of the show over the last two or three weeks and like most series television, it is much more enjoyable when seen...

The people who turn the wheels of the world

As a result of a bout of cancer, I am undergoing hyperbaric therapy (the therapy that was developed to help divers recover from the bends). The closest hyperbaric chambers are in Hamilton, Ontario, a three-hour drive from home. The treatment is "free," paid for by the province, but there are other expenses not covered by our health insurance. I have to be in Hamilton all weekdays...

"Two Worlds Become One: A 'Counter-Intuitive' View of the Roman Empire and 'Germanic' Migration" by Guy Halsall

This is an interesting re-interpretation of the "migration" period, part of a debate that has contemporary resonances and which has been going on for decades now. Here is the abstract:AbstractThe Roman Empire and barbaricum were inextricably linked throughout the Roman Iron Age. By late antiquity, Germanic-speaking trans-Rhenan areas were inundated with imperial influence....

The state of affairs, April 2016

My various projects, including this blog, are progressing only slowly. I am undergoing medical treatment at the Hamilton General Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. It's nothing to be alarmed about, but being away from home does make it difficult to work on my translations. A couple of years ago another health problem gave me the opportunity to see London, Ontario, a place known to...