Hamilton Saint

I watched a blu-ray edition of The Third Man a few days ago. One of my favourite films. I must have seen it a dozen times, or so, over the years. Brilliant film--with terrific performances from Joseph Cotton, Trevor Howard, Orson Welles, and Valli. The cinematography is superb--one of the great B&W films. And wonderfully atmospheric zither music from Anton Karas.

But they do have concepts of a plan.

1. Acropolis (and Parthenon)--Buy tickets ahead of time, and go early or late, to avoid the midday heat. 2. Lycabettus Hill (via the funicular on Aristippou St.)--Fantastic view overlooking the city, especially looking south towards the Acroplis and the harbour of Piraeus. 3. The National Garden (Zappeion Park)--south of the Hellenic Parliament on Syntagma Square. Good for an hour's walk in the shade. 4. Arch of Hadrian and The Temple of Olympian Zeus--south of Zappeion Park on Vasillisis Amalias Boulevard 5. Acropolis Museum 6. Ancient Agora--just north of the Acropolis 7. National Archaeological Museum (on Patision St.) 8. Plaka area (east of Acropolis)--for tavernas at lunch time and in the evening, and also for places to drink

Speaking of Beck, I'm a big fan of his two moody, atmospheric albums "Sea Change" and "Morning Phase". I just read in The Guardian that there is a third, trilogy-ending album about to be released. It's called "Ride Lonesome" and it gets a glowing review by Alex Petridis in The Guardian. Should be worth a listening--if you liked the previous two. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/sep/14/beck-ride-lonesome-review-stunning-end-to-the-heartache-trilogy-of-sea-change-and-morning-phase

Wowser! Well, we'll welcome warily what we witness, Wodin willing, won't we?!

Schlotterbeck. It's not difficult: 'Sch' in German is 'sh'; 'otter' is 'otter'; and 'beck' is 'beck'. So, "shl-otter-beck".

... which was another lie. 70 Pine Street would have been the tallest skyscraper in Manhatten, not Trump's building at 40 Wall Street. As Chris Stein mention's in this Guardian article today (September 9th). https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/09/trump-911-falsehoods

A music video, before there were music videos (1966). Great song!

Lawrence of Arabia 2001: A Space Odyssey Casablanca Citizen Kane Dr. Strangelove If .... Apocalypse Now Zorba the Greek High Noon The Graduate A Hard Day's Night

You've been reading David Hume, haven't you. The Scottish philosopher called this kind of thinking "inductive reasoning"--as opposed to its opposite, "deductive reasoning". I knew my Philosophy degree would come in handy some day!

I don't dispute any of that, of course--just that it's not only one country. By the way, there used to be two Canadian teams: the Montreal Expos played in MLB's National League East division from 1969 to 2004, before the franchise folded. The situation is somewhat analogous to the FA's decision to change the names of the former Divisions One and Two to the Premier League and The Championship--although "World Series" does win the prize for grandiosity!

This is a common error: The World Series includes baseball teams from two countries. The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993.

If you want to experience The Odyssey and The Iliad of Homer in a deep way--a way that is not mediated primarily through a Hollywood-spectacular vision, I recommend reading them. This was how I first experienced them--during a Classical Civilisation course in university back in the late-1970s. Doing them like that--being guided by an academic familiar with the world of ancient Greek language and culture--provides something so much richer than a mere cinematic spectacle. The versions of the text that I read were translated by Richard Lattimore. I've read them a couple of times since them (because they were sitting there, waiting patiently, on my bookshlef). More recently, I read on The Guardian's website about Emily Wilson's new translations of Homer--2018 for The Odyssey, and 2023 for The Iliad. I was intrigued by the praise given these new translations and, being the grecophile that I am, I bought both to get a modern view of these epics. The best thing about reading them was that both translations begin with a long introduction that provides crucial insights into the style of Homeric epic and the cultural beliefs of ancient Greece that underpin the stories. Without these elucidations, many of the events will be outlandish, repellant, and inexplicable to the modern sensibility. It is so much more rewarding to spend a week or so immersed in the Homeric world of the Odyssey, than to get a superficial, warped, and cinematic version that will never satisfy you in the same way. IMHO! If you have the patience and curiosity to give the real thing a try, I recommend tackling the ancient text (in translation). By the way, the original thing was designed to be heard in recitation, rather than read--which has a lot to do with its particular style.

Which means it's available on DAZN in Canada.

We have come to enjoy visists to NYC more than in our earlier days. But we are in solidarity with most Canadians in refusing to visit the U.S. (and thereby support their economy) as long as The Donald is president. This goes back to early in the year, when He shat all over Canada and things Canadian. We have boycotted the U.S. since then--avoiding their goods and services wherever possible. He has ruined once-cordial relations between Canada and the U.S. irreparably, perhaps. Well, for a generation or two. Trust has been permanently damaged.

FYI: Mark Carney is Prime Minister of Canada, not its president. Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Our Head of State is King Charles; he is represented in Canada by its Governor-General. The federal government is organized like the Westminster parliament.

For a long weekend, it is hard to beat Rome: lots to see, but it's a compact city that is much more manageable to stroll around. Paris and London also have loads of places and things to see, but require at least four or five days to experience properly: they are much more spread out and it can be exhausting to walk about the streets. Of couse, if you just want to visit the main sites, and are not the flâneur type, and are skilled at using public transportation, most of that is irrelevant. We're going to Paris next April, and London is high on our list of probable destinations in the not-too-distant future.

Yes, no shame at all. They did the country proud. Canada played with a lot of effort and initiative, and pressed their opponents continually. None of this endless sideways and backwards passing nonsense, and low block defending!

Canada outplayed Morroco in that first half. The Morrocans look bewildered at the constant Canadian press that denies them the chance to settle on the ball for any length of time. Canada needs a finisher in the box. Guess who?

That was a horrendous thing to do--breaking the solidarity of the team in the last few minutes of extra time. Beach had an excellent game and was in the zone. Popovic should have stayed with the goalie who got the team to the verge of victory. Terrible decision.

It's a key travel hub: you can fly to Athens and then get a quick connecting flight to the airport in Naxos. It's also on the ferry route through the Cyclades from Piraeus to Santorini (and on to Crete). After flying to Naxos, you can also get ferries west to Paros, or south and east through the Small Cyclades (Iraklia, Koufonisia, and Donousa) to Amorgos. As far as Naxos itself, it depends what you're looking for, of course. If you want to spend a lot of time at the beach, it would be ideal: a string of beautiful sand beaches running along the west coast, south of Naxos Town. If you like to explore small rural villages, you can rent a car. We did that--rented a car and did a clockwise loop drive through the high hills, which have some spectacular scenery, stopping at Apollonas, Koronida, Apeiranthos, and Filoti. You could also stop once or twice and then go for an extended hike, if you enjoy trail walking. The main town of Naxos is quite attractive, with a beautiful walk out to the picturesque Temple of Apollo (Portara) on the north end of the harbour. Naxos is one of the largest islands in the Cyclades. It can be very crowded in the high season--too busy for my liking. But the size of the island allows you to rent a place away from the main town, where you could enjoy quiet trails and beaches. And it's Greece, FFS, what is not to like?!

... and it's an opportunity for the TV spectacle to help raise the profile of football in Canada and the U.S.

Why? There are three different nations expending large amounts of time, effort, and money to host a huge and complicated tournament. Having only one of the three nations open the tournament would be like singing only one of the national anthems before each match.