With the stealth of a Covid variant, the meaning of many things that matter is being distorted by ever-more ubiquitous use of weasel words, which despite being two words, is defined as: “A word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position.”… Read the rest
Like many of my (male) contemporaries, I have no objection to — and truth be told am happy to revel in — being called “a certified old fart”. I do, however take serious umbrage at the suggestion that age is by definition a deficiency.… Read the rest
Over the course of two days this week I spent nine hours in my kayak, but not in my usual pursuit of soothing my soul by communing with the wildlife. I was part of an ongoing struggle against an invasive species, a seemingly Sisyphean task that serves as a metaphor for our troubled times.… Read the rest
Every so often on an early morning paddle, I come upon a great blue heron. Poised with silent, eerily-still elegance, it’s waiting for small fish or frogs to come within striking distance of the dagger-like beak at the end of its long, sinuous neck. The bird’s infinite patience and way of dealing with unwanted distractions are traits many of us who are perplexed or vexed by much of the world could use.… Read the rest
Most efforts to treat the world’s myriad ills have fallen short of intentions, never mind expectations. To give them a booster shot, I suggest looking to Shakespeare; specifically, Juliet’s famous lament ‘What’s in a name…”
Think “Monkey Pox”.… Read the rest
“I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples.”
That sincere, if long-overdue apology by Pope Francis for the Catholic church’s role in the iniquities of Canada’s residential schools, was welcomed by many and considered not sufficient by others. Be that as it may, his penitence carries a lesson for secular zealots.… Read the rest
As I slid past a thirty meter-high granite cliff in my kayak this week, I noticed a slash of white just below a small cave-like crack in the rock. It brought to mind the proverb: “It’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest”, a typically human way to characterise foolishness by casting unmerited aspersions.… Read the rest
Slogans on tee shirts generally seem to run from garish to inane and over-hyped. In a place I’d rather not have to spend time, I’ve finally seen one that accurately describes those who wear it as they go about a job its most famous practitioner called her “God-given calling.”… Read the rest
I have come to accept that politicians can lie as easily as they breath, and the most blatantly ambitious ones do it almost as often. I suspect many people who live in democracies would agree. But when they do it in an international setting, they make all of us liars. And that is not acceptable.… Read the rest
The proverb “Birds of a feather flock together” has been in use since at least the mid ‑16th century, so applying it to the new rapprochement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia is apt. It’s close to the century and values of their respective leaders’ mindsets and actions, and an augury President Joe Biden might bear in mind on his upcoming Middle East jaunt.… Read the rest