Tag Archives: arts and crafts

Religion has been at the centre of countless world conflicts since time immemorial – as I was reminded by an article about religion and politics posted on Facebook this morning. Religion is also integrally entwined with the role politics plays in managing societal organisation and ensuring civil order: in many parts of the world, religion shapes every aspect of […]

View full post »

Do you remember The Little Engine That Could? The story about the little blue engine who took on a job that was far too big, but through positive self talk (“I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can”) succeeded in pulling a long train over a high mountain pass? Well, this is a story about The Little Town That Did. Once upon a […]

View full post »

It seems like half the North Americans I have ever met have at least a drop or two Irish in them! Not surprising, I suppose, in view of the continued growth of the Irish diaspora.  Three million people outside Ireland  (a country of less than 5 million internal residents) have legal claim to citizenship, and between 80 and 100 million more have […]

View full post »

It was hot. And dark. And – unless you enjoy clanging discordant pentatonic music – noisy. It was almost time for the evening performance at the Mandalay Marionettes Theatre. As we filed into the tiny space, a small band played Burmese classics to welcome us. Yoke Thay, traditional Myanmar puppet theatre, dates back several centuries. It was entertainment, held […]

View full post »

“I love the Burman with the blind favouritism born of first impression. When I die I will be a Burman … and I will always walk about with a pretty almond-coloured girl who shall laugh and jest too, as a young maiden ought. She shall not pull a sari over her head when a man […]

View full post »