Remembering Africa’s worst maritime tragedy

  Twenty years ago today, on September 26, 2002, the Senegalese ferry Le Joola sank with the loss of an estimated 1,863 lives.  That means it cost more lives than the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  Only 64 survivors were found. That makes it the second-worst non-military maritime disaster in history, surpassed only by the… Continue reading Remembering Africa’s worst maritime tragedy

Hypocrisy, thy name is Martha’s Vineyard

  It’s (presumably?) nice to have high-falutin’ liberal-progressive values like these.  (Clickit to biggit.) On the other hand, if those principles are no more than skin-deep . . . Oh, dearie me . . . Sundance notes: According to The Boston Globe, officials in Martha’s Vineyard are holding an emergency meeting to deal with the… Continue reading Hypocrisy, thy name is Martha’s Vineyard

Her Majesty the Queen

  The death of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain yesterday has opened the floodgates of commentary around the world.  I can’t add anything to the plaudits of those who were her subjects, admirers and friends, so I won’t even try.  Instead, I’ll try to portray her as my parents and their friends saw her. They’d… Continue reading Her Majesty the Queen

In memoriam: Mikhail Gorbachev

  Reams have already been written about the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union before its collapse.  I think one of the most appropriate thoughts comes from the blogger at HMS Defiant: Two men encompassed the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Ronald Reagan could not have accomplished… Continue reading In memoriam: Mikhail Gorbachev

The mausoleum of Genghis Khan – found at last?

  Archaeology World reports: Construction workers employed in road building near the Onon River in the Khentii province of Mongolia, have discovered a mass grave containing the remains of many dozens of human corpses lying upon a large rudimentary stone structure. Forensic experts and archaeologists were called to the site, which was revealed to be… Continue reading The mausoleum of Genghis Khan – found at last?

Now there’s an interesting term – “bobbitises”…

  I had to laugh at the headline in this Times of India report. Woman bobbitises live-in partner for trying to rape minor daughter in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri A 36-year-old woman allegedly chopped off her live-in partner’s genitals after he attempted to rape her 14-year-old daughter … Disclosing the sequence of events, the woman said,… Continue reading Now there’s an interesting term – “bobbitises”…

Saturday Snippet: One of the finest historical novelists in the world is being republished

  I was almost giddy with delight this week when I learned that the novels of the late Rosemary Sutcliff are being republished, and in e-book form, too.  She acquired worldwide fame for her children’s, young adult and adult historical fiction, winning many awards in the process.  She published more than 50 books during the course… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: One of the finest historical novelists in the world is being republished

An interesting perspective on morals and virtues

  Larry Lambert published this very interesting diagram on his blog the other day.  Clickit to biggit. I found it intriguing, and looked for more information.  It comes from a Christian academic paper authored by James D. Lanctot and Justin A. Irving, titled “Character and Leadership: Situating Servant Leadership in a Proposed Virtues Framework“.  (It was… Continue reading An interesting perspective on morals and virtues

“The limits of flesh”

  That’s the title of an article by author and friend Sarah Hoyt, in which she considers, in the light of the Roe v. Wade brouhaha, what it means – or should mean – to be a woman.  Here are a few excerpts from a long, but very thought-provoking discourse. … our bodies influence us, in… Continue reading “The limits of flesh”

Psychopaths and where to find them

Mathew Crawford points out an interesting anomaly, and asks some interesting questions. Psychopaths are rare people who neither feel empathy toward their fellow humans, nor care about societal norms … Most people know the chilling tales of the psychopaths most talked about in Seabrook’s article—the 15 to 20 percent of males in the prison population… Continue reading Psychopaths and where to find them