I know that covers sell books, well, at least for now, before e•books run us over, but do titles do the same? Is it best to plagiarize an existing best•selling title, and modify it a bit to ensure that unintended searches will unearth your book and present it to an unsuspecting reader? I know I […]
Do titles sell books? Read More »
It seems that fear and greed have taken firm hold of the world. Aided by instant communications that keep us up•to•the minute on everyone else’s fear and greed, we are able to spread this contagion everywhere. In good times, we want more: greed (or in stock market parlance “buy, buy, buy, borrow and buy some
Caught between Fear and Greed Read More »
I was trying to find an analogy for writing when farming came to mind. A new novel is like a farmer’s new crop. Consider what goes into getting the novel to that stage: first there are the seeds of an idea, then the first drafts, then the feedback, the hunt for a publisher, chasing the
Is Writing like Farming? Read More »
I was in a blog slump when I read about the Mayor of Toronto’s bid to sell off some theatres and the city’s public library (the largest one on the continent, I am told, in numbers of books borrowed) and I woke up pretty quick. Sell the library…what retrograde buffoonery is this? Sell the soul
Toronto Public Library for sale? You’re kidding!!! Read More »
I’ve started to slack off from blogging. It’s been nearly three weeks and I haven’t posted anything. Three weeks? I, who in the beginning, posted twice a week on average. Have I said everything I’ve had to say in these four years of blogging? Is the average life span of a blogger four years and
I remember the day my old high school staged the musical “Oliver” on what was then the national theatre in the old country. We were ecstatic, we had hit the big time – we were stars! On the morning of opening night, our producer, who was also the school principal, summoned the cast into a
There’s got to be the morning after Read More »
They bear many names: Echo Boomers, Millennials, Gen Y, Boomerang Generation, Trophy Kids—our kids—born circa 1980•2000. They have been characterized as left•leaning team•workers (counterbalancing their parental neoliberal inheritance), technologically adept multi•taskers, cultural liberals, and social conservatives with high aspirations towards work and career. They are also classified as possessing delayed maturity for taking longer to
The Burden of the Echo Boomers Read More »
“Last year, crude oil prices were around $140 per barrel and the gas price at the pump was $1.35 per litre. Now, a barrel of crude is $98 and the pump price is at $1.41,” says our Industry Minister. What happened to this unregulated, open market industry where in a state of perfect competition, prices
The Economics of Greed and Fear Read More »
The global shift to the right has resulted in governments of countries trying to run themselves like corporations; Dubai and Singapore are examples that come to mind. Privatization, less government, less taxes, and less social benefits are in fashion. And yet some governments are on the verge of bankruptcy, if not broke already. Is this
Can a government run like a corporation? Read More »
It’s election time in Canada again and I can’t avoid pondering matters political. Nothing much has changed from the last election it seems, and therein lies the question. Will there be voter apathy this time too? Too many people saying, “Well, it’s the fourth election in seven years and it will end up with another
To vote or not to vote – that is not a question anymore Read More »