Are vegetarians killers?
A gentle friend has a small farm he loves, and one of his prime pleasures is talking about how he’s improving it, and the affection he has for the ...
Articles
The domino effect
During the Cold War, the domino effect meant a political chain reaction. It still applies with Donald Triumphant in the White House wanting dictatorial control of power; he commands and ...
Too much of a good thing
We’re all subjective when it comes to what we consume for sustenance or pleasure. The rich can be picky and pricy about what they eat, the poor are stuck ...
My war is/was more important than yours
An Irish friend in Thessaloniki wondered why there was little coverage in Europe on the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, a member state, part of whose land is ...
Have politicians lost all compassion and conscience?
Absolute power, especially held over long periods, can corrupt absolutely. Not always in evil ways, but in how the powerful can feel no compunction, once in office, to serve as ...
Holding out for a hero, Denzel!
I love Denzel Washington and although I hate violence, I watched Equalizer 3. He’s showing his age, yet unlike some of his fellow elder actors, there is something believable in ...
Separating wheat from chaff
A government in a precarious world economy fights for its survival by implementing cuts, as the Cyprus government has done, seeking out welfare/benefit malingerers.
However, careful scrutiny should ensure ...
Why the Irish are so proud of Bloomsday
The Irish celebrated Bloomsday on June 16 honouring James Joyce’s unique publication Ulysses.
It’s a rare day dedicated to a work of art, now evolving into a week’s ...
Noise can kill you
I only heard parts of an interesting programme on the BBC, because phone calls prevented me getting the title or presenter who subjected himself to reacting to various noise tests. ...
A teacher makes the difference
Would a primary or other headteacher in Cyprus kill him-/herself if their school was given a one-word, inadequate, label? That tragic result happened in the UK where Ofsted assesses ...
If only David ruled the world
The recently-widowed and aged Cypriot neighbour of a friend took to going to church in the evenings unaware she was being watched. One night, she returned to find her home ...
How much did Francis really know?
Greek American David Sedaris is an inimitable raconteur, an irreverent and brilliant wit whose jokes can be blunt, but never tainted with coarseness or discrimination. He’s gay, happy in ...
DNA and language
I’m Irish, love my country and my culture. My father’s name is described as Normo-Celtic, my sister, older by 16 years, always told me I had a retrousse nose, ...
Those who do nothing are complicit
My early impressions of Cypriots were formed by friends introduced to me by my late husband, Andreas, a very good man, therefore the friends he chose were good people and ...
Psych evaluation of authority figures
The word empathy means the ability to see the other person’s perspective. Netflix’s Zero Day with Robert Di Nero features tech havoc from within, stoked by dissatisfaction at ...
Body discipline and mind control
A retired martial arts master and I have laughed over on-screen fights where heroes seem impervious to the consequences of prolonged hits on their bodies. I once saw a young, ...
Lower than a snake’s belly
As Donald Trump’s vision of a Gazan Riviera landed like a fart bomb, Vladimir Putin must have been crying ‘Da! Da! Da! Trump has lost his marbles and I’...
Where do you come from?
Once, when this question was asked, it was out of interest and the person being asked need not take fear it actually translating into ‘You don’t belong/come from ...
What’s another year?
A long-time Cypriot friend absolutely adored Johnny Logan and What’s another year? On her greetings cards she writes rhyming poetry, declaring ‘The other kind is just chopped up prose!’ ...
An eve to remember (based on a true story)
‘I’ll never forget the New Year I was 15,’ an Irish friend told me. It was near lunchtime, the extended family in the living room. There was a bang on ...
The handmaiden’s tailors
Soon president-elect Donald Trump will rule the White House once more and an intelligent, educated woman I know, is ecstatic. When I asked her if his attitude and that of ...
The day after tomorrow
I watched The Day After Tomorrow when it first came out and was impressed with the terrifying special effects. The second time round, I was impressed and worried by how ...
Thieves and trust
It’s fair to say humans have stolen from each other since the beginning of time. Thieves reap the benefits of other peoples’ labour without the slightest pang of conscience, ...
Ancients, apocalypses and space skittles
I watched Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix. Interested in two strands of human development: space, and human advances towards civilization, the series drew me in. The sky and what evolves up ...