In the spring of 2005, my attention was curiously piqued by two major train wrecks in Asia. The first occurred during rush-hour in Tokyo on Monday, April 25, when an intercity train derailed with such force that it became embedded in the ground floor garage of an apartment complex. Investigators concluded that the crash occurred when the driver attempted to manoeuver a curve at 100km/h at a point on the track when the maximum speed was 70km/h.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four encompasses powerful social commentary that eerily portrays the reality of contemporary American society. The invisible Big Brother makes his presence felt through the totalitarian Party that is committed to the enforcement of mind control and is quick to criminalize independent thinkers for their thoughtcrimes. In the modern American context, Big Brother’s Party enjoys the support of both donkey and elephant and feels equally at home in a red or blue environment.

Bob Marley will probably be remembered as one of the greatest social prophets of the twentieth century. As a result of the enduring popularity of his lyrical and musical compositions, many of his moving creations have been embraced as classics that will withstand the whims of popular ditties whose only purpose is to temporarily excite. Those who have studied the lyrics to his socially conscious songs are fully aware that this son of St. Anne, Jamaica was gifted with a unique ability to expose the negative while elevating the positive.

Carlos Raphael of Louisville, Kentucky graciously granted me permission to use one of his artistic creations for the cover design of my book, The Faith Factor. Titled “Ms. Rosa in Strength,” the painting depicts the painful struggle for Black liberation in the United States of America during the Civil Rights era of the 1950s and 60s. At the center of the otherwise somber collage is the profile of a colorful and jovial Rosa Parks who is encircled by strategically placed sepia portrayals of three contemplative religious icons of the movement: Dr.

It was Shakespeare who opined, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” These famous words from the pastoral comedy, “As You Like It,” serve as the first two lines of a monologue depicting the seven acts experienced by every human on the journey from birth to death. However, in our age of reality television where newsrooms have been hijacked by shameless ideologues and provocateurs of sensationalism, the relevance of these lines extends beyond the individual to include all who have become objects of the public eye.

I’m not an avid nature enthusiast, but I always cherish opportunities to get closer to God’s creation. I’ve made my fair share of treks to the Chattanooga and Shedd aquaria, and plan to visit the world’s biggest in Atlanta in the off season when I can appreciate the multitude of specimens in relative quiet. I’ve visited a few botanical gardens, from the grandiose assortment at Kew in the United Kingdom to the quaint collection in Huntsville, Alabama, where I currently reside.

There is absolutely no logical reason why Mitt Romney should be leading Barack Obama in any state. More than any campaign in recent history, the Romney camp has adopted a strategy of flagrant lies and delirious deception, and it appears to be working for them. The extent Romney’s surrogates go to cover the lies would make a beetroot blush.

LAST MONTH’S COLUMN WAS A SNAPSHOT OBITUARY OF STANLEY “TOOKIE” WILLIAMS. THIS MONTH’S COLUMN COVERS EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II. THESE ARE THE FIRST TWO OF A SHORT SERIES OF OBITUARIES.

At 12:35am on Tuesday December 13, 2005, prisoner number C29300 was pronounced dead. The twelfth man to be executed by the state of California since the death penalty was reinstated in 1992, this prisoner had garnered the attention of the international media and had become an unlikely poster-child for opponents of capital punishment. The burly convict entered the execution chamber one minute before midnight, and cooperated with the guards as they removed his shackles and strapped him to the table.

Last month, if anybody had mentioned the name “Dan Cathy” I would have asked, “Who”? The truth is, for most people his name would hardly register on the fame-recognition-meter. Thanks (or no thanks) to recent events, the name of Chik-fil-A’s  President and Chief Operating Office has been added to the Hall of the Infamous by an angry lynch mob who are bent on bullying his business into bankruptcy. His crime?