To rebuild or not to rebuild – that is the question. Following the devastating fire in the iconic architectural wonder and religious symbol our priorities as a society are on full display. In a world of desperate poverty, disease, pollution, refugee camps and the survivors of war is it moral to spend billions rebuilding Notre Dame? The answer should be an emphatic no but capitalism and the Catholic church have other ideas. However, if we only respond at this surface level seeing Notre Dame as an architectural and religious icon to be preserved we miss the point of the cathedral fire. Continue reading →

Unpublished Op-Ed submitted to the Toronto Star

“Swear words, sexually charged and blasphemous words: Unless they are in direct quotations, they should rarely be used. In publishing obscenities, we use short dashes following the first letter, except in rare cases, determined by senior editors, where spelling out the word in full is considered central to understanding the context of the news.”

I was aghast to read the Journalistic Standards of Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. which under the category TASTE directs journalists and editors to be very careful with “swear words, sexually charged and blasphemous words” that should only be used rarely and after consultation with senior editors. Continue reading →