In a town where Catholic children were not so much taught religion as indoctrinated with it, I always found it difficult to equate the catechism and the commandments with my sense of logic. So did many other kids. But if we dared question any of the farfetched tales from the Bible, the priests and nuns … Continue reading Mary and the Confessional: An excerpt from my memoirs
Communication is complicated in the modern Tower of Babel
“But far more numerous was the herd of such Who think too little, and who talk too much.” --John Dryden. During the early 1960s, I was assistant editor of The Newfoundland Examiner, a weekly tabloid published in St. John’s. It was a journal launched to provide progressive news and views that were not likely to … Continue reading Communication is complicated in the modern Tower of Babel
Scorpions, icebergs, and cancer cells: Three metaphors that help explain why capitalism wrecks the planet
How and why an uncontrolled capitalist economic system has become the deadliest enemy of all that is fair, progressive and wholesome in human society – to the extent of now threatening the survival of sentient life on the planet – could be explained in a long and tedious academic treatise. But it can also be … Continue reading Scorpions, icebergs, and cancer cells: Three metaphors that help explain why capitalism wrecks the planet
Grandpa’s universe: An excerpt from my memoirs
“If you love being alive, you must learn never to squander time, for time is the stuff life is made of.” --Benjamin Franklin. My paternal grandfather was a maintenance-of-way foreman on the Clarenville-Bonavista branch line of the Newfoundland Railway. After retiring in 1930, he came to Corner Brook and helped defray the cost of building … Continue reading Grandpa’s universe: An excerpt from my memoirs
Maintaining a good sense of humour is key to prolonging one’s life span
If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. -- Eubie Blake, on reaching the age of 100. My family and friends treated me to celebratory birthday bashes on my 70th, 80th, and 90th birthdays, and they’re planning another for my centenary in 2026. Each successive milestone has … Continue reading Maintaining a good sense of humour is key to prolonging one’s life span
Fatal crashes that involve heavy trucks could be sharply reduced if road safety were made a higher government priority
The reason there were fewer wrecks in the old horse-and-buggy days is because the driver didn’t have to depend entirely on his own intelligence. – Anonymous For the past several years, on a part-time basis, I’ve been assisting the non-profit Canadian Owner-Operators’ Cooperative (COOC) in its efforts to lower its trucking members’ operating costs. These … Continue reading Fatal crashes that involve heavy trucks could be sharply reduced if road safety were made a higher government priority
Qui bono? Who benefits from government priorities? Usually just the rich and powerful
When it can be said in any country in the world, “My poor are happy; neither ignorance nor stress is to be found among them; my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars; the aged are not in want; the taxes are not oppressive . . . When these things can be said, … Continue reading Qui bono? Who benefits from government priorities? Usually just the rich and powerful
Canadian governments’ revenue would soar by billions if tax evasions were stopped
“In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” --Benjamin Franklin. “In this world death is certain for everyone, but taxation is far from certain for those allowed to avoid it." --Ed Finn. I recently received an unexpected letter from the Canada Revenue Agency. I always pay my income tax on time, but I … Continue reading Canadian governments’ revenue would soar by billions if tax evasions were stopped
Huge wasteful subsidies to corporations deplete funds for social programs
Governments exist to protect the rights of minorities. The rich need no protection. — Wendell Phillips. When it comes to listing countries on the basis of the social services they provide to their citizens compared to the subsidies they heap on their corporations, Canada doesn’t fare well. A recent study from the University of Calgary’s … Continue reading Huge wasteful subsidies to corporations deplete funds for social programs
Old age need not be dreaded if it is the culmination of a well-spent life
If you cultivate the study and practice of wise and decent living, then when you grow old they will yield a rich harvest. – Cicero I am fortunate to have a shrewd and insightful mentor guiding me through the aging process. Although he has been dead for more than two thousand years, the wisdom of … Continue reading Old age need not be dreaded if it is the culmination of a well-spent life
The Nonagenarian's Notebook 