The following synopsis is from the following source: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_Lawyer

Sebastian Rudd is a street lawyer, but not your typical street lawyer. His office is a black customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge, and fine leather chairs. He has no firm, no partners, and only one employee: his heavily armed driver, who used to be his client, and who also happens to be his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, golf caddie, and his only friend. 

Sebastian drinks small-batch bourbon and carries a gun. His beautiful ex-wife is a lawyer too, and she left him for another woman while still they were married. He only gets to see his son for 36 hours per month and his ex-wife wants to stop all visits. 

He defends people other lawyers won't go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult who is (falsely) accused of murdering two girls; a vicious crime lord on death row who ends up escaping before Rudd's eyes; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house, and killed his wife and dogs; a Mixed martial arts fighter previously financed by Rudd who killed a referee after losing a fight. In between these adventures, he's contacted by a serial kidnapper and killer who's involved in human trafficking, and knows the whereabouts of the assistant chief of police's missing daughter.

Personal Commentary: This novel is about intrigue and suspense that leaves the reader wondering about the reality of this kind of legal environment. Thus it feels unbelievable and possibly true as the times are a changing. 

In Conversation with CNN's Fareed Zakaria moderated by Matt Galloway, CBC Radio

                                                                                                           

On Tuesday, November 11, 2025 I listened to the livestream event with Fareed Zakaria presented by the Rothman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The following is a synposis of Zakaria's presentation.

Known for his ability to make sense of complex international issues, Zakaria brought a rare perspective that bridges politics, economics, and culture.

Matt Galloway, host of CBC’s The Current moderated the conversation.

In his timely new book, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, Zakaria explores how sweeping political, economic, technological, and cultural transformations have shaped the modern world, and how the upheavals of our own time may define the decades to come. From the Industrial Revolution to today’s digital age, Zakaria traces the forces that disrupt societies, reorder power, and redefine what is possible.

With his hallmark clarity and breadth of vision, Zakaria guided the listeners through the great transformations of the past to illuminate the challenges and opportunities of the present.

Personal Commentary: During his presentation, Zakaria clearly expressed his viewpoints that made it easy to understand the world events as they unfold on a daily basis.

Walrus Talks: Sovereign Canada

WALRUS TALKS 

Topic: Sovereign Canada: Exploring the past, present, and future of Canadian sovereignty in a changing world

Date: Tuesday. October 28, 2025

Location: Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W, Toronto, Ontario.

Hosted by:  Jennifer Hollett, Executive Director, The Walrus 

Welcome Remarks by: Colette Watson, President, Rogers Sports and Media

Featured Speakers:

Stephen Maher, Journalist and Novelist

Marisa Beck, Research Director, Clean Growth, Canadian Climate Institute

Jesse McCormick, Consultant, Indigenous Participation in Major Project Developments

Richard Sturberg, Former Media Executive, Assistant Deputy Minister for Culture and Broadcasting, and Head of English Services at CBC

Deanna Horton, Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School ofGlobal Affairs and Public Policy at

the University ofToronto and at the Asia Pacific Foundation ofCanada

The Hon. James Moore, Former Minister of Industry

Sean Speer, Co-founder and Editor at Large at The Hub

Personal Commentary: This session was explanatory as delivered by the above-named speakers. It provided a wide range of descriptive notions of Canada as experienced by a culturally diverse Canadian population. 

TED Membership Event: Chris Hadfield

On October 28, 2025 I listened to the virtual TED Membership Event: Chris Hadfield.

Brief Background: Chris Austin Hadfield (born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, musician, and writer.


As the first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS).

Prior to his career as an astronaut, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 years as an Air Command fighter pilot.

Personal Commentary: It was superb listening to Chris Hadfield speak about his experiences as an Astronaut and specifically his experiences of being in space.

Book Launch: Against the Grain by Terry O'Reilly: Non-Fiction

Book Title: Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World

Speaker: Terry O'Reilly, Host, CBC's Under the Influence

Moderator: Brett Hendrie, Director, Strategic Events, Rotman School of Management

Book Synopsis:

In Terry’s bestselling book, My Best Mistake, he uncovers the surprising power of screwing up. Now, he turns his incredible eye to the mavericks who go “against the grain” in their work to see what makes them tick and to explore what lessons we can learn from them. People who chose to ignore conventional wisdom, found or invented a better way, questioned the status quo at great sacrifice and pushed for change against all odds.

Some were drummed out of their careers for it but in the end were proven right (Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis). Some were celebrated but had to fight every inch of the way (Norman Lear). Some re-invented their industry but preferred to stay an outsider (Tom Laughlin—aka Billy Jack). Some confounded their competitors with ingenious strategies (NHL coach Roger Neilson). One even saved millions of people around the world, but was humiliated, demoted, and dismissed for her entire career (Dr. Katalin Karikó—co-creator of the COVID vaccine). All persistent visionaries, each covered in battle scars.

Personal Commentary: On October 23, 2025 I attended the Q&A session held at the University of Toronto, Desautels Hall, 105 St. George St., Toronto. As I regularly listen to Terry O'Reilly on the CBC Radio it was wonderful to see and hear O'Reilly speak about his latest book entitled: Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World. This book outlines the importance of being persistent in pursuing one's ideas despite the odds and obstacles one may encounter. If you believe in your idea do everything possible to make your idea come to fruition.

Eternal: Historical Fiction by Lisa Scottoline

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline is a World War II historical fiction novel that takes place in Rome, the Eternal City. The prologue of the story begins in 1957, when the character Elisabetta decides it is time to reveal to her thirteen-year-old son who his father really is. She must also explain why she hid the truth from him until he was old enough. Elisabetta knows she must come to grips with the incidents that shaped her youth during the ventennio, which was the twenty years of Mussolini’s rule, and during World War II, before she can explain these things to her son.

Then the reader is taken back to Rome, 1937, when Elisabetta and her two best friends, Marco and Sandro, are carefree teenagers. Both boys have taken an interest in Elisabetta, and she, in turn, likes both of them. The boys agree to let the best one win her heart. As tensions grow in Italy, so does the relationship among the three friends. Elisabetta’s family disintegrates, and she must learn to take care of her alcoholic father and herself by waitressing. Sandro, who is a math genius, is forced out of school because he is Jewish. His father, a tax attorney, becomes active in the Jewish Ghetto community. Sandro’s mother, a beloved OB-GYN, is forced to give up her medical practice. Marco, who has a reading disability, drops out of school and begins working full-time for the Fascist government. Unbeknownst to him, his brother, Aldo, is working for an anti-fascist group.

The above description is taken from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40204619-eternal

Personal Commentary: This historical fiction illustrates the realities of post-war life in Rome, Italy.  It is described through the eyes of teenagers who cope and survive during this period of time. 

Presentation Topic: Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Location: Charbonnel Lounge, St. Michael’s College, 81 St. Mary Street, Toronto, Ontario.

The opening Salon featured Tom Cooper's presentation and Paul Levinson's response to Cooper’s new book entitled: Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan. 

The discussion was moderated by Paolo Granata.

Wisdom Weavers is the first comprehensive dual biography of two of Canada’s most influential thinkers. It follows the intertwined lives of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, their spirited exchanges, and their transformative ideas on media, communication, and culture—ideas that continue to shape our understanding of technology and society today.

Personal Commentary: This presentation was excellent. As part of the audience, I broadened my knowledge and viewpoints on the works of Innis and McLuhan. It was a fantastic session.