I have a friend who is a computer wizard, and who tells me that Artificial Intelligence is developing apace – bigger, faster and more widespread with every month that passes – and I should get more involved with AI programmes. Its use increased by 61% across all countries in 2025. The growth is accelerating in…
A disobedient child used to be called ‘bold’ in Ireland, ‘naughty’ in Britain and ‘méchant’ – which can also mean ‘bad’ or ‘nasty’ – in France. Occasionally, the more forgiving term ‘contrary’ might be applied. And bold children were slapped for their wilfulness or sent out of the classroom to be given a humiliating scolding.…
Everyone blames ‘misogyny’ for the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – since his treatment of young girls, and women in general – was blatantly abhorrent. Epstein’s awful emails may yet bring down the British Prime Minister – because he appointed an Epstein crony, Lord Mandelson, as Ambassador to Washington. The Epstein scandal has seriously damaged the British…
Do you still address individuals as Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms (or Doctor, Sister or Monsignor)? Such old-style forms of nomenclature seem to be going out of fashion. And in tune with today’s vibes, The Irish Times newspaper has announced a formal dropping of all honorifics and courtesy titles such as Mr, Mrs or Ms.…
Family hostilities have always attracted attention because the family is universal, and almost everyone knows what it’s like to experience family tensions. Not for nothing has the mother-in-law joke long been a stock in trade, or the figure of the heartless stepmother appear in fables like ‘Cinderella’. Unsurprisingly, then, the saga of Brooklyn Beckham, first-born…
Are women to blame for the social and political phenomenon known as ‘wokeness’? That’s the controversial view of the American commentator Helen Andrews, whose broadcasts and interviews on this topic are all over YouTube. Ms Andrews has written that “wokeness” is not a new ideology, or an outgrowth of Marxism, as sometimes claimed. “It is…
Here are some of the posts I’ve shared, or followed, on the social media platform ‘X’ over the last few days (at the time of writing). A wonderful ballet performance in the streets of Paris, accompanied by a pianist playing Tchaikovsky; a posting about Ireland being No. 1 among the “most educated countries” in the…
The United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary of its foundation this coming July, but I wonder how many people in Ireland – or Europe generally – will join in the celebrations? For much of its history, America was seen as a beacon of light, freedom and goodwill, as well as prosperity and opportunity.…
Predictions are always a risky enterprise, since nothing is certain in this life – “we live in no abiding city,” as the Gospel puts it. Yet the world we are entering in 2026 has already been ascertained, in one predominant aspect: Europe is an ageing society. The EU is already the oldest society in the…
Spare a thought for the people of Denmark, who are posting their last Christmas cards, in this year of 2025. For, after a catastrophic fall in the sending of letters and cards via the postman, Denmark is bringing an end to its traditional postal service on December 30. No more letters in the land of…