Convivium

I was sent this article by my assistant, Eva Elo, who, like Virginia Woolf, is a knitter. It comes from an online knitting magazine, Knitting Daily. I pass it along to all those who are knitters and/or fans of Virginia Woolf. It now seems natural that Woolf, who was always seeking “little daily miracles, illuminations, [...]

I am frankly utterly confused about Thomas Jefferson and how we should regard him as a figure in American history. He drafted the Declaration of Independence. He was Governor of Virginia. He was the third President of the United States. He founded the University of Virginia. But as I have planned our May trip to Charlottesville, [...]

I stayed up late and went outside on the night of Decmeber 20. But the sky was overcast and the moon was no where to be seen. There was a rosy cast to the sky though. Donna Sturla, a friend from  high school now living in California did see the eclipse. Thanks to Facebook, I [...]

My friend Joe Shields just sent me this. I need to pass it along. The Digital Story of the Nativity Plus ca change…. Related Posts:No Related Posts

If you’ve ever studied German (and maybe even if you haven’t), you’re likely to find this short essay to be hilarious. Published as Appendix D from Twain’s 1880 book A Tramp Abroad, this comedic gem outlines the pitfalls one will encounter when trying to wrap one’s mind around the torturous German cases, adjective endings, noun [...]

My brother-in-law told me about an article with this title in the weekend issue of  The Wall Street Journal. Since both my vocation and my avocation are wedded to the idea that that great literature, art and music can and should help teach us how to live well and wisely, I immediately called up the [...]

I grew up with the Mummers. I am from Philadelphia and mummery in the US is as unique to Philadelphia as Mardi Gras is to New Orleans. The tradition of Philadelphia Mummery started in the late 17th century as a continuation of the Old World customs of ushering in the New Year. Thousands of men dress up [...]

I am a dual citizen, having grown up in the US and but living in Canada since 1975. American children receive a strong grounding in their country’s history. Of course history at that age is taught with a biased boosterism. So, as a child I placed all those founding fathers in some sort off pantheon of Dead [...]

Love good theatre? A complimentary premium ticket to either Tennesee Williams’ classic The Glass Menagerie or a dramatic adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata is yours when you register for Toronto Pursuits before the end of this calendar year.* The Soulpepper Theatre evening will take place at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s historic [...]

Andrew Ignatieff is a world traveller but is NOT world weary. Andrew has worked for many years in international development in all corners of the globe. But one place he had never been was India. India called to Andrew and he went. He has been back six times and become deeply involved in the work [...]