Many Are Cooled but Few are Frozen
She paused in the doorway, a tall silhouette out of Vogue by Charles Addams. “T,” she said. “R. U. B. B. E. L” Right away I knew: this dame spelled trouble. Her way. She had more curves than the Thomson Highway and…
Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan
Inside Herbert Bix’s monumental Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan are two books struggling to get out. One is an impressively detailed academic study of the Japanese emperor’s education, character and rule in the context of post-Meiji Japan’s intellectual, political and…
Canadians at Work
Faithful bout readers may remember a black-and-white photographic feature we ran in our Spring 1997 edition, under the title “Harvest Pilgrims”. The item consisted of a small selection from a photographic exhibit by Canadian photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo that toured, to considerable acclaim…
The Middle East Peace Settlement of 1229
As recent events have shown, one of the most intractable obstacles to any lasting peace in the Middle East is the question of Jerusalem. For the past three thousand years this city, holy to three faiths, has changed hands many times, often…
Professor Plumptre’s Quiz: Economic Questions — and Answers?
Before, during and after the Second World War, economic issues were increasingly prominent on the international agenda as well as in the reckoning of Canada’s interests in world affairs. Though there were some members of the foreign service with a sound grasp…
J. Russell McKinney 1923–2001
Christian, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, sailor, air and marine navigator, cyclist, fisherman, skier, writer and commentator, epicure, political and economic analyst, foreign service officer emeritus, senior public servant, Ambassador of Canada, founding member of RHOMA and maker of truly memorable braised ribs.…
Alexander D. “Sandy” Bryce 1940–2001
Friday, 31st August, 2001, St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Ottawa
Trading Places
Hello from Tel Aviv. I am here for the next 5 weeks and a bit, on temporary duty, filling the gap between the departure of the former trade program manager and the arrival of the new one. Having such exposure to the…
Charles Ritchie — No Wonder We Thought Him Special
In another era, when, possibly, Foreign Service Officers remained starry-eyed and grateful for the opportunity to “serve” rather longer than they are said to do these days, our commitment was in no small measure due to the heady wine of being linked,…
Charles Ritchie — Diplomat, Diarist and Friend
The editorial board and readers of bout de papier are delighted that McClelland and Stewart Ltd., The Canadian Publishers, have reprinted the published diaries of our late colleague, Charles Ritchie, as well as his reminiscences (My Grandfather’s House) in an attractive new…
