 | Michael Wray September 19, 2023 |
A PERFECT TURKISH MOMENT
WHY TURKEY? Whenever I visit my homeland, Canada, I inevitably get asked what’s so special about Turkey that I was willing to leave my family and friends and a country that ranks 14th on the list of happiest countries in the world. I explain the great appeal for me of living in a country with such an incredibly…
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| Michael Wray June 9, 2023 |
The Poisoned Chalice
There was once a kingdom divided upon itself, where two dukes sought a coveted chalice. This chalice, said to possess magical powers, was believed to be the key to uniting their land and bringing prosperity and respect to their people. Little did they know that the chalice held a dark secret: the poison of insurmountable problems that could…
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| Michael Wray May 1, 2023 |
AFTERMATH
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back At the dawn of 2023, I was feeling that things in the world had been showing signs of improvement. First and foremost, at great sacrifice to its people and infrastructure, Ukraine had managed to repel the invading Russians from its heartland and seemed poised to launch an effective counter-offensive to its east…
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| Michael Wray March 9, 2023 |
GREEN TURNS TO BROWN
Time, he’s waiting in the wingsHe speaks of senseless thingsHis script is you and me, boy Time – David Bowie Now and Then I’ve been thinking a lot about the relativity of time lately – as one does upon reaching a certain age or point in one’s life. How the summer days seemed endless as a schoolboy,…
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| Michael Wray February 6, 2023 |
Earthquake in Turkey, February 6th, 2023
Not Again! In Turkey the Unthinkable has happened again – a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the southeastern part of the country and Northern Syria at 4:17 a.m. last night, leaving more than 60,000 dead at the latest count. It is the strongest earthquake to have hit the country since 1999 when almost 20,000 people lost their lives…
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| Michael Wray December 10, 2022 |
Winter In Istanbul
It Sure Beats My Hometown This year marks the 28th winter that I’ll be spending in Istanbul, and after growing up in a small town in Northern Ontario, I couldn’t be happier. Today is December 10 and it’s a balmy 18 degrees with gray skies and a high probability of rain. Compare that to my hometown of Sault…
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| Michael Wray June 10, 2022 |
The Sweet Spot
“If you’re sad today, just remember that the world is 4.4 billion years old and you somehow managed to live at the same time as David Bowie.” Simon Pegg Long Ago and Far Away My best friend and I often discuss how lucky we both were to have been born in 1960. We are united…
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| Michael Wray May 26, 2022 |
America, Whither Goest Thou?
The Fall of Rome I’ve often wondered if the normal citizens of Rome realized that their civilization was on the verge of collapse before it finally came to pass. We’re told it was attacks by the Goths and Visigoths that precipitated Rome’s downfall but what if the mechanisms of state had their own demise hard wired into the…
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| Michael Wray April 27, 2022 |
Overwhelmed
Interesting Times Most of us have heard the Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” But I wonder if there has ever been a period of history when people weren’t living in interesting times. It is worth remembering that the grandparents of most Boomers lived through a savage epidemic, two world wars and a global depression. Nevertheless,…
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| Michael Wray March 21, 2022 |
The Mainstream Media
The Problem In the past few years, news media outlets of all sorts have come under increased attack concerning their reliability. Viewers and readers of the news on both the left and the right accuse the other side of presenting “fake news” which increases our suspicion of what is actually real or not. Of course, a lot of…