Published in Thoughts And Ideas·May 25Member-onlyIn America It’s Always Time To DieEverywhere you go, everything you do they’ll be killing you. Or, even worse, they’ll be allowing you to be killed. In the United States of America it is, apparently, always time to die. From the moment a person leaves their home, and, to an extent, even while in their home…Guns5 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·May 23Member-onlyAmber Heard Isn’t a Perfect Victim and Doesn’t Need To BeAs much as I love celebrity gossip I have surprised myself by not voraciously following the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial unfolding in a Virginia courtroom. I have — shudder — gotten older and maybe slightly more mature and lost some of my appetite for it. …Amber Heard5 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Apr 22Member-onlyLife Changes In a Tweet“There aren’t two sides to a lie”, tweeted Richard Stengel former editor of Time magazine and former Under Secretary of State in the Obama administration. I don’t know if life changing is hyperbolic but what isn’t hyperbolic is that I felt something shift within me as I read that tweet…Truth7 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Mar 23Member-onlyTwo Knights and No Rabbi Don’t Walk Into a BarEven in the midst of its horror, the world, in its funny and infinite ways, reminds us that it also never fails to surprise and delight. Yesterday, was one of those surprising and delightful days when it was announced that a deal had been struck between two of the major…Canada7 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Feb 24Member-onlyVladimir Putin Did Not Get Here on His OwnVladimir Putin is a demonstrable mad man. He has demonstrated his cruelty throughout his reign and made clear that there is no depth to which he wouldn’t go, if only provided the opportunity. Putin has now received his golden opportunity in the form of a Western hemisphere in a precipitous…Russia7 min read
Published in Freethinkr·Updated Jul 10, 2021Member-onlyLessons From a Dog to His MomTo the little one who has shown me big and important things, thank you. — I’ll just put it out there up front that the dog in the title of this piece is Charlie — my dog — and the Mom, as you have likely deduced by now, is me. …Love7 min read
Published in Thoughts And Ideas·Jul 7, 2021Member-onlyThe Great Unnamed AcheLately, I have been feeling an unnamed ache. It is not physical, but it is present, and it is more than understandable. It is because it is impossible to look at the fractured state of our world and not feel impossibly sad about all that has been lost. I got…Society10 min read
Published in Freethinkr·Updated Apr 3, 2021Member-onlyAnd on the Third Day, He Rose AgainThis weekend the Christian faithful all over the world will celebrate Easter. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension from the dead. During this holiest of weeks as many reflect on Jesus’ ascension, I find myself reflecting on George Floyd. I am reflecting on the video that so clearly reflects George Floyd’s…George Floyd6 min read
Published in Freethinkr·Updated Mar 31, 2021Member-onlyWeirdo Like Me and YouThe other night I was lying in bed reminding myself that I am still a human person with a beating heart. So, pretty usual fare for a Wednesday night. Especially a Wednesday night in a pandemic in which we have all, in one form or fashion, been isolated and living…Self8 min read
Published in Freethinkr·Updated Mar 24, 2021Member-onlyRanunculus SeasonThis year I decided to be a little crazy indulgent and treat myself to a subscription of my favourite flower: ranunculus. I figure we’ll be somewhat at home a while longer, a local farm grows them, and looking at these ruffled beauties from March through June will bring me incomparable…Psychology7 min read