For many, Sunday's beatification of Pope John Paul II was a religious event but for Poles, it wasn't all spiritual. Indeed, says Polish Ambassador Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, Blessed John Paul II, as he is now known, had a deep political influence on the country, particularly with respect to its post-Communist independence.
When Romanian foreign affairs minister Teodor Baconschi was in town recently, he was talking tough on the visa issue.
Japanese Ambassador Kaoru Ishikawa says his government is not hiding information from the public in the wake of the disruptive earthquake and devastating tsunami of March 11.
By the end of his post, British High Commissioner Anthony Cary had become quite outspoken about Canada's environmental responsibility with respect to climate change. Expect his successor to be more, well, diplomatic.
First things first. Mom, happy Mother's Day. To my lovely wife, Jenny, happy Mother's Day to you, too (I think there's a present from Aidan coming with this morning's breakfast).