New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was a distinguished presence at the Commonwealth meeting in London this week. Ms. Ardern, who was present with her partner Clarke Gayforde, is expecting. She wore an elegant Maori cloak called a Korowai. Her toast at Buckingham Palace is worth a listen. Could we transplant this woman to the Canadian Commons please? Then, also distinguished, Ottawa inventor Midia Shikh Hassan, honoured by the Queen for her work in the making of prosthetics. Below that, drop in at the Met in New York and catch a phrase or two of Verdi’s melodic Luisa Miller. The stars are luminous. Finally, soprano Greta Bradman talks of her love and admiration of her granddad, a cricket star who was also a composer. Distinguished. You bet.
