Shadow Lines – a Finnish Spy Story! Helsinki of the 1950s was the focal point of the Cold War. The US and the USSR had different ambitions for Finland. The US wanted a clearly pro-western government and the Soviets ultimate goal was annexation or installation of a puppet government. Shadow Lines tells the story of […]
I keep poking away at the issue of polarizing political views. I published a newsletter on February 25, 2021 about Fact, Fiction, and Opinion. Then on June 12, I wrote about Prejudice, Discrimination, and Hate. Today – the unfortunate politicization of LinkedIn. Was the unfortunate politicization of LinkedIn inevitable? Over the past two years, I […]
Time to buy haggis, neeps, and tatties! Make the Cullen Skink and Clootie pudding! And don’t forget a good bottle of Scotch! On January 25th, the world celebrates all things Robbie Burns with a traditional Burns’ Night Dinner. The menu explained Cullen Skink is a rich and creamy soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, butter […]
I have lamented global responses to COVID-19’s Omicron tidal wave. Criticism is easy, suggesting other strategies more difficult. However, I did commit to putting forward ideas to turn chaos into order. Crisis management is always political Short term crisis management generally works to the political advantage of the governing party. The crisis creates opportunity to […]
The Oxford Learners’ Dictionary defines chaos in five words – a complete lack of order. Well, a complete lack of order defines global Covid-19 responses. The scrambled reactions to the Omicron surge do not leave many world governments looking good. Confusion I don’t know what signals your governments sent you when the Omicron variant emerged. […]
Happy New Year! or in Scots Gaelic, Bliadhna Mhath Ùr! Phonetically, Blee-a-nah Va Oor! The History of Hogmanay Immediately following the Protestant Reformation in 1640, the Church of Scotland (the “Kirk”) declared the Christmas celebration a Catholic / Papist fabrication. Thus, the Kirk banned the Papist Christmas festivities. And that ban survived until the late […]
Christmas Season Evening
What did I write last year? About the slow march from March 13 to December 25. I was hopeful that we would have a sense of normalcy by Christmas 2021. Mid-way through November, I remained hopeful. It looked like we would get to England for a couple of weeks and come back for a family […]
I was born in Scotland. However, my family left our home in Dundee for Canada when I turned three. So, I am more Canadian than Scots. The double “o” sound in spoon is the only remnant that I have of any kind of Scots accent. But, I do a better job than most in understanding […]
We are staying! That is the short answer to the question in The Fairest of the Seasons : “I want to know do I stay or do I go And maybe try another time” We are staying! It was a tough decision. I didn’t like the thought of the quarantine time waiting for PCR test […]