And the beat goes on. I arrived in Simcoe just as the 2008 recession was digging its tenacles into every fibre of society. We more or less recovered, at least economically; but it seems there have been constant and serious seismic shivers shaking life ever since. The past many months have only intensified the severity … Read more

Mis-speaking seems to be almost as endemic in Western society as the COVID virus. Retractions, corrections, additional information and apologies [both abject and ambivalent] are common occurrences in the public sphere. One form of mis-speaking that rarely gets emended is incorrect use of the English language. One misuse in particular has drawn my attention, reflection … Read more

As I sat to write this, we were exactly halfway through the federal election campaign and the ‘V’ word had captured media attention. No, not ‘V’ for vote, but ‘V’ for violence - a party leader cancelled an event due to concerns for safety. The violence was a more vociferous threat than virulent action … Read more

Back in 2016, I spent three months on sabbatical in Edinburgh. One of the highpoints for us was the week we spent on the island of Lindisfarne, about an hour south by train from Edinburgh. What makes Lindisfarne unique is the fact that when the tide goes out, you can drive across to the island, … Read more

Of the many surprises in the recent General Assembly, and the strange twists that the debates took, none was more surprising than an unexpected recommendation, dependent on the passing of the remits, that we apologize to the United Church of Lachine for past wrongs. The recommendation suggested that a great wrong had been done to … Read more