On a news report the other evening, it was mentioned that enrolment in the humanities (philosophy, literature, history, to say nothing of theology) has dropped by 50% over the past ten years in our universities. Burgeoning onwards with full enrolments, on the other hand, are the S.T.E.M. studies, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with which […]
*Anyone who is remotely interested in the state of the Canadian university, and especially all the parents pondering where to send their children, and all the high school graduates wondering where to go next year, must read this recent essay by Professor Ron Srigley of the University of Prince Edward Island, on how truly corrupt these […]
As we near the over-hyped commemoration we call ‘Valentine’s Day’ (Valentine was a rather obscure third-century martyr, of whom we know little, but legends abound) in these early days of Lent, I was pondering, given some recent events, the darker side of love. Particularly, the connection between intimacy and violence, which is a curious and, […]
*The migrant/refugee debacle continues, with assaults, rapes and (so far, thankfully foiled) terrorist plots in Germany, Sweden and other countries, who have bent on an emotional and irrational desire to welcome all and sundry from Syria and other war-torn regions. As I have written before, there is nothing wrong and indeed much good with the motivation to […]
*Officer James Forcillo has been found guilty of attempted murder, a curious conviction considering that he had already killed Sammy Yatim. That is, the jury found the officer’s first three shots to be justified in some broad notion of legitimate defense (itself dubious, as I wrote previously), but the other six shots into Sammy’s dead […]
*Ah, the public boondoggle waste of our tax dollars continues by an incompetent Ontario government run by our disordered Premier: A main bridge on the Trans-Canada, built but a scarce two months ago to the tune of $106 million, collapsed on the weekend, forcing the closure of the only land route across Canada. Trucks and […]
Yes, a cheery title for an article, but we are in a serious business, for unless the Supreme Court decides otherwise, Parliament must come up with a law for ‘physician-assisted suicide’ by this February. The government has petitioned the Court for a six month extension, but one way or the other, a law is coming […]
I wonder how many of us still use cash? Reports state that we are becoming more and more a cash-less society, with Sweden (yes, always Sweden) being the most ‘advanced’ in this area. A recent article in the National Post highlighted Bjorn Ulvaeus, one of the original ABBA members (who, to be fair, does not […]
I attended a winter wedding this past weekend, something I have the honour and privilege of doing more often than most (attend weddings, that is, not specifically winter ones), as many of my former students make that bold and hope-filled move of tying the irrevocable knot. I don’t think you will take it as […]
Marc Bauerlein has an insightful essay on false innocence in the recent issue of First Things, describing those who feign an innocence that, perhaps at some level they think they have, but, deeper down, in their heart of hearts, in that still, small voice of conscience I alluded to in my last post, they know […]