Creative commentary plus crafty composition

Posts tagged ‘Social / Political Commentary’

Whatever Happened to Esperanto?   

Some of us are old enough to remember that, before the end of the last century, there seemed to be momentum from supporters of Esperanto, promoting it as a universal language for our world.  Conceptually, this still sounds like a laudable goal.

Deservedly or not, nowadays one seldom (if ever) hears stories about it having impact. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Lifestyle & Travel, Opinion, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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Life Lessons from THE GOOD FIGHT

Now in its second season, TV series THE GOOD FIGHT, a spin-off from the seven years’ run of THE GOOD WIFE, seems to be firmly grounded in being topical and controversial.  Moreover, the controversy angle has explored more rarefied plateaus, with numerous references to the twists and stumbles, and worse, of the current U.S. administration.

Its opening title sequence, for many series, increasingly has become an art form, and this one certainly fits the bill. (more…)

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Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Opinion, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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What is ‘Independent Advice’?

An article in the current edition of The Insurance & Investment Journal raises the age-old conundrum of receiving ‘independent advice’. It should be noted that the report is in support of the idea.

Why has this been such a prevailing issue, frequently a hot topic of reportage? (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Business Commentary, Financial commentary, Opinion, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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A Hurdle is not a Stop Sign

Perhaps all of us, at one time or another, have been tempted to feel discouraged, perhaps quickly, by setbacks on the long journey to accomplishing major goals.

Indeed, if looking at statistics, one can easily be ready to throw in the towel, especially if that towel is frequently coated with rejection.

Many of us are familiar with the 80/20 rule, which anecdotally applies to a wide range of endeavours: (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Business Commentary, Personal Development, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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You Know It’s Time to Move On

I have a friend who is being compelled to move from her longstanding residence shortly, due to a very unfortunate set of circumstances. She is quite unhappy, having to give up the apartment, albeit in a creaky old house, given its scenic, multidirectional view, but the environment has become untenable.

One of the constants of life is change – but some changes are much earlier to adapt to than others. (more…)

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Business Commentary, Humour, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Top 10, Uncategorized

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Charitable Rewards

According to a recent report from the Fraser Institute, using tax data, the percentage of Canadians giving to charities has diminished to about 21% from a level of 25% ten years earlier. It has also gone down as a percentage of income.

Americans compare more favourably on this particular scale, with nearly 25% contributing and at a much higher rate of income than Canadians. (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Business Commentary, Financial commentary, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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TOP 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2018

It may be a new year, but there’s still baggage on the horizon…

  1. Lose weight by trimming your bling or dysfunctional cosmetic implants, whichever is heavier
  2. Get brochures or postcards of travel destinations you would have gone to if they were more affordable
  3. Set up a dart board with images of individuals or businesses which would benefit from getting the point
  4. Post a list of resolutions in declining font size and brightness so the later ones can be overlooked more easily
  5. Use a business card with a chip which allows for it to be remotely dissolved if the cardholder proves unworthy
  6. Invent a new species and become its trusted advisor in bilateral negotiations
  7. Memorize the first and last lines of book chapters so you sound like you are well read
  8. Develop a new social networking site which functions strictly to vote and comment on other social networking sites
  9. Eliminate any references to ‘trumped-up’, since that expression now has an inescapably deflating political connection
  10. Take back-to-back courses on empathy and callousness, then have a point-counterpoint debate with yourself

(more…)

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Art of Communication, Humour, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Top 10, Uncategorized

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The Untapped Insurance Market

The year-end issue of The Insurance & Investment Journal continues its core mandate of covering the inexorable evolution of these integral aspects of personal financial planning.

No matter what the product or service being offered, WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) is always paramount for the prospective buyer, or, put another way, the cost/benefit analysis needs to favour the latter part of the equation.

But what of products or services appealing to limited, niche markets? (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Business Commentary, Humour, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Common Experiences, Not for Everyone

Currently, in the Ottawa, Ontario area, midsummer weather has returned with a vengeance.

After most of this summer being of a relatively moderate mode, with concomitant complaints from those who prefer more opportunity to fry their skin, in the last week of the season and beyond we have hit a heat wave, which any prolonged period in mid summer would be proud of. Running several degrees above normal, both daytime and evening, it just goes on, getting even hotter, but more significantly more humid. (more…)

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Art of Communication, Behaviour & Relationships, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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Urban vs Rural Driving

Likely anyone who has driven for any significant period has experienced driving both in the city and in the country. Likely familiarity alone makes many prefer one driving environment versus the other. Of course, too much of a comfort zone could cause one to become blasé behind the wheel, no doubt a contributing factor to many accidents.

Few, I believe, would argue that there’s not a distinct difference in one’s mind-set between city and country experiences, especially with driving. (more…)

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Humour, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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