An American actor with a cringe-worthy Scottish accent provided an entire generation of Scots with visuals and a battle cry supporting their cause for an independent Scotland. The 1995 film “Braveheart” was a massive success because of the gripping way it told the story of William Wallace, but also because it had a very clear main thread: freedom. Even those…
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I doubt that anyone here remembers that in my sermon delivered half a year ago, on Sunday of the Holy Family, I referred to the James Webb Space Telescope. At that time, it was very topical (it had just been launched into space) and I found the story of its creation a useful analogy for the subject of my sermon.…
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This is a scary weekend: everything seems to be about Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. It’s virtually impossible to avoid stumbling upon all things royal. A couple of days ago I went to do my shopping and ordinary items are now being advertised as ‘Jubilee ready’. The mass media are oversaturated with documentaries, tributes, reports and the like. The prevalent mood…
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Almost one month ago, on Thursday 5th May most of us duly fulfilled our democratic obligation by casting our votes in local elections. Having grown up in an undemocratic, authoritarian country I am determined to take part in every election I am eligible for. This time around I would be away, unable to cast my vote. Yet I was so…
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I’m not as avid a TV watcher as I used to be; nowadays my TV consumption is practically limited to a relatively narrow, carefully made selection of shows. The News at Ten is the main constant on my personal TV schedule as it usually wraps up my day. Quite often I do something else while watching the news – a…