Delights
Icelandic home full of light and art
Iceland Ambassador Sigridur Anna Thordardottir sometimes answers the phone herself in her small embassy office. With a staff of only two, her driver acts as the receptionist in between driving her to official functions. And this same relaxed atmosphere permeates her residence in the heart of the old village of Rockcliffe. This modern stone house’s […]
A relaxed chic dinner
This is the second article of six highlighting themes from my new cooking and lifestyle TV series, Margaret’s Table. Each theme guides viewers and Diplomat’s readers through practical entertaining options while always maintaining a sense of occasion. Home entertaining is on the rise. And when it comes to entertaining, it is important to be able […]
From Russia with love, the Doukhobors set sail
Bewildered spectators watched as 700 men, women and children trudged through the port city of Batum, Russia, in pairs, carrying boards on their shoulders. It was December 1898 and they were volunteers from a large group of Doukhobors preparing for the largest single migration across the Atlantic to North America. They were bound for Canada […]
The Journey Of Pearl S. Buck
In 1938, Pearl S. Buck, the author of The Good Earth, became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. This simple statement, however, obscures what’s probably a more important one in terms of explaining her career. If you agree that T.S. Eliot, though born in the United States, was actually British, […]
Lessons in leadership Lessons in leadership
Large organizations are interested in identifying men and women with leadership abilities. They spend a lot of time and money hiring outside experts to deliver leadership training. Such training can range from one-hour inspirational sessions to off-site retreats lasting several days. The presiding leadership guru may have written a book, which is distributed to one […]
To hell and back
Dien Bien Phu was made the capital of Lai Chau Province 17 years ago, but partly by default. The previous capital kept suffering devastating floods, caused partly by deforestation. It may soon disappear altogether under the reservoir of a huge hydro dam. But, of course, there was also another reason to elevate the status of […]
The French debacle in Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu is a market town in an almost preposterously remote corner of northwest Vietnam. Today it has a population of about 9,000. In 1953, however, it was so small it wasn’t even considered a community and, in fact, didn’t have a name. The phrase Dien Bien Phu translates roughly as “border-area administrative post.” […]
Thomas Chandler Haliburton, aka Sam Slick
Thomas Haliburton was an upper-crust Tory, a successful lawyer and businessman who was appointed to Nova Scotia’s Supreme Court and held office in England after his retirement. He was wealthy, respected and influential — and deeply frustrated. As a member of the conservative elite, Haliburton could not freely express his progressive opinions in Nova Scotia […]
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