Although he later became a helicopter pilot, Prince Andrew in his youth was never able to fly below the radar of the British tabloids because he was such an obvious target. Before getting married, he was relentlessly tracked by the paparazzi for the sheer number and diversity of his dates – college girls, actresses, models, […]
Jerry Falwell: thumping more than his Bible?
“Rahu made me do it,” Falwell explains to a packed media scrum, in response to a series of allegations, revelations and speculations that have come spilling out of his now-unzipped private life. For years, it’s been an open secret at Liberty University, the flagship of Christian evangelical higher education where Falwell was President until this […]
Ghislaine Maxwell, procurer for the privileged?
Ghislaine Maxwell, now under arrest and suicide watch, has fallen from the privileged perch she once held as alleged procurer of girls for the pleasure of powerful men. Maxwell is the long-time intimate of Jeffrey Epstein, who supposedly killed himself in jail last August awaiting sentencing for sexual abuse of multiple underage women. Maxwell and […]
Jian Ghomeshi: unrepentant teddy bear of love
In 2009 Jian Ghomeshi, then host of the CBC’s popular radio talk show Q was diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder. He began seeing a psychologist on a weekly basis to deal with a range of topics – feeling like an outsider because of his Iranian background, having trust issues, and just not feeling good […]
Harry & Meghan: Marriage of the century or star-cr
Backstory: In July 1981, I went on a national radio talk show in Montreal to discuss the upcoming Royal wedding between Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. To the surprise of the moderator, I said their marriage would fail within seven years. The switchboard promptly lit up with agitated callers, castigating me, and astrology, and the […]
Hugh Hefner: Playboy of the western world
Author’s note: I know at first glance this might seem inappropriate, posting an article on Hugh Hefner the week after the Harvey Weinstein scandal, revealing the latter’s systemic sexual harassment and assault upon young women in the film industry. Bad timing for this article, perhaps, but good timing for Hefner to have died just three […]
The Mathematics of Yogas, part 6: Viparita Raja Yo...
Viparita Raja Yoga Not every cloud has a silver lining, but when it does, it provides an example of how Viparita Raja Yoga works. This yoga operates on the principle that, effectively, two wrongs make a right. For the mathematically-inclined, this is like multiplying two negative numbers and getting a positive, as in (-2) x […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 3
24 September 2005 Another beautiful day at the Dayananda ashram in Rishikesh, and Swami Brahmavidyananda is explaining some basic principles of Vedanta… Thinking covers a broad spectrum, he tells us. Just as there are shades of grey between black and white, so thinking can vary in its quality. Certain objects give us pleasure. Therefore, we […]
Muhammad Ali: noble warrior
“I’d like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right,” Ali wrote before his death. “As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him. As a man who tried to unite humankind through faith and love.” For […]
Prince: Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down...
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today 2 get through this thing called life.” Prince was hailed as an innovator, and known for his flamboyant stage presence, vocal range and guitar virtuosity. His music integrated a wide variety of styles that included rock, R&B, funk, soul, psychedelia and pop. He was a singer, songwriter, record […]