I WENT to Edinburgh University in 1985. At that time, it was only 40 years since the end of the Second World War. It seems extraordinary that it is almost 40 years ago from now. Everyone smoked. Everyone went to the pub. It was cheap. I was on a student grant supplemented by benefits in […]
THIS is our daily open forum where readers can discuss current topics, bring up ideas or simply chat. We suggest you keep your comments to no more than 250 words (and please respect our comments policy and be patient if your comments don’t appear straight away – it is not personal, it is Disqus and bear in mind that […]
Myth, J.R.R. Tolkien thought, can convey the sort of profound truth that is intransigent to description or analysis in terms of facts and figures. But, Tolkien admitted, myth can be dangerous if it remains pagan. Therefore, one must sanctify it. To enter faerie—that is, a sacramental and liturgical understanding of creation—is to open oneself to […]
Fantasy shows us ourselves in the light of the fullness of the natural and supernatural reality in which we find ourselves. Does so-called fantasy literature have any relevance to the so-called real world? Such a question is worth asking and indeed answering but can only be addressed if we have a clear understanding of what […]
Here are some news stories that might be of interest. Most articles will be more or less summarized in the headline. You can skim the headlines and summaries, and click the links if they are of interest. Keep in mind, many of these reports are products of an unreliable news media, so although they will […]
The film “Maestro” is certainly well made—there is striking imagery throughout, in both black-and-white and color—and well-acted, with Bradley Cooper (who also directed) carrying off a spot-on impersonation of Leonard Bernstein. But at its core is an emptiness that no mere artifice can fill. Writers for the movies, I have found, don’t seem to know […]
THIS is our daily open forum where readers can discuss current topics, bring up ideas or simply chat. We suggest you keep your comments to no more than 250 words (and please respect our comments policy and be patient if your comments don’t appear straight away – it is not personal, it is Disqus and bear in mind that […]
I find that acknowledging my enemies does not make me hate them more. It makes me less resentful than thinking about them as traitorous friends. Having more enemies, I believe, will sharpen my mind to the reality that in this new year I will have many fights that I must fight and also many opportunities […]
Here are some news stories that might be of interest. Most articles will be more or less summarized in the headline. You can skim the headlines and summaries, and click the links if they are of interest. Keep in mind, many of these reports are products of an unreliable news media, so although they will […]
Over the Christmas break we are revisiting some vintage children’s TV programmes. This is the last in the series. ONLY 13 episodes were made, they each lasted less than a quarter of an hour and the main character was a saggy old cloth cat. Yet the 1974 series Bagpuss is lodged in the hearts of generations of […]
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