Yesterday evening I attended a meeting of newcomers to Nanaimo. Sitting beside me was a very nice lady who asked me where I came from and as usual, because of my accent, I explained that I was here from Edmonton but originally from the Greater London area of England. Excitedly, she asked “Oh, did you […]
As I walk alongside the harbour, I greet other walkers at least a couple of dozen times in my 2k walk. I have been interested in the differences between “Hi,” “Morning,” “Good Morning,” and “Hello,” each said with varying inflections. I have also noticed that only people who make eye contact will greet me, and […]
This video was created by James and Tiffany Duggar of Eleven Films for the children who have been killed by assault weapons in America. It is very moving. Source: The Independent.
After I had reviewed The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents was recommended to me. It is another brilliant and very readable analysis of the social and racial issues facing the United States. Those same issues are facing other countries, too, but the circumstances Wilkerson describes […]
As I was walking in Strathearn, Edmonton yesterday, I discovered an interesting protest. Outside of a small strip mall there were wheelchairs, walkers, canes, strollers, children’s tricycles, and crutches on display. There was also a tent on which I was invited to put my signature in support of the protest. In order to understand how […]
As I watched the European Cup Final the other day, I couldn’t help noticing the hundreds of empty red seats directly opposite the television cameras at the centre line. I knew that there were throngs of people without tickets who were storming the gates, trying to get in and yet here were all these empty […]
OK, bear with me. This is a completely unbaked but possibly brilliant idea related to the vaccine-hesitant. I live in an area in which a significant minority of the population is refusing the Covid-19 vaccination. Their justifications are varied and often contradictory, but these vaccine resisters are a part of my community. You probably have […]
The first pecking order I became aware of was in housing. My family lived in a semi-detached house (known as a duplex in north America). At some point I began to realize that I went to school with some people who lived in detached houses, some who lived in council houses (social housing), and some […]
Here is a selection of the miscellany of thoughts that cross my mind and questions that Google can’t answer. Does anyone who is not a product buyer for airlines actually buy those hard dry cookies they give you with your cup of tea? Why does my city think icy sidewalks and seniors’ isolation are two […]
In Alberta our bottles and cans can be returned for a refund, so every once in a while we take them to the nearest bottle depot. There are four people in our household contributing to a collection of empties. We put them in blue bags and line them up at one end of the garage. […]
I have a friend who refers to people by their racial characteristics. She does this frequently, sometimes after saying “I’m not racist, but…” In many ways she is not racist. She has friends and romantic partners from various ethnic backgrounds, and she appreciates all their good personal qualities. Yet, she persists in identifying them by […]
Snowbird of Paradise 