Beauty pageants are always worth a look. They had one in Ireland last week. The winner, the new Miss Ireland, was 26-year-old Pamela Uba, and a bonny colleen she is. Another thing she is, is … black. Ms. Uba immigrated from South Africa at age seven. Now she is the very first black Miss Ireland,... Read More

When I read news from the country of my birth, the emotions I experience (with rare exceptions) are disgust, horror, and despair. This last week, for example, saw the sentencing of the Woolwich killers. These two young men, English-born to Christian Nigerian parents, converts to Islam, ran down an off-duty British soldier in May last... Read More

Last week I took a trip back to England for a family event. It was my first time in the Old Country since 2008 (for a different family event). Family business took up most of my time; I had little opportunity for exploring. What follows are some random notes and observations. In a way, the... Read More