It’s a Snow Day!

Awesome, love the positivity!

Life After 50

For the first time, in a very long time, southern Ontario found itself experiencing a snow day.

Monday, January 17th, 2022, was scheduled to be the return date for in class learning for our children who, due to the pandemic, have been out of school since before Christmas.

But Mother Nature had other plans, not only for our children, but for most adults having to leave the house to go pretty much anywhere beyond their front door.

Of course, there are those winter naysayers who only chose to focus on the downside of a snow day, the not being able to go anywhere, the task of shovelling to literally dig themselves out of the house and the snowplow not plowing out their street for hours, but there are so many positives that occur on days like these.

Neighbours helping neighbours, strangers helping strangers, kids squealing with delight as they attempt…

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Setting goals to inspire you … or scare you!

Thanks for the incentive to think a little more about my goals and just maybe push myself outside my comfort zone.

Robby Robin's Journey

Recently I came across a blog post that presents a checklist of some pretty darn thought-provoking tips about setting goals that will really inspire you.  It so happens that the focus of this blog, Mark B’s Big Adventures on Average Talent, is running, as were these tips for goal-setting.  However, it dawns on me that they would be useful in setting goals for all sorts of activities.

It might be an activity that you have been engaged in for many years, but want to try taking to the next level.  Maybe writing or quilting, or skiing.  Or it might be an activity that you’ve been considering trying for some time now but haven’t pushed yourself to take the leap, like painting or pottery, or snowboarding or golf.  Or public speaking!

Think about an activity you’re already fully engaged in or one that you’ve been thinking about trying out for…

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What happens when Earth is hit by a 10km wide banana… — Matthew Wright

This week I watched Don’t Look Up. I was impressed. Others may have different opinions, but to me it came across as a razor-sharp satire on the current zeitgiest, a social commentary of the highest order and a dark comedy with some solid science behind it. The scary part wasn’t the concept of a planet-killer […]What [...]

Predictions for 2022 – what’s going to happen? — Matthew Wright

In my previous post I suggested that 2022 was arriving like a Medieval butt-trumpet, with all that this implies. This wasn’t entirely for satirical effect though, you have to admit, Medieval butt-trumpets are pretty funny. But there’s a serious issue behind it (see what I did there). Back at the beginning of 2021 I joined […]Predictions [...]

A Quebec memorial to 1603′s French-Indigenous alliance seeks to put nation-to-nation conversations back in the story of Canada

Nationalist myths have long placed the birth of New France at Champlain’s flag-planting on the future site of Quebec City. But earlier and farther east, the newcomers and First Nations met as equals – and those nations want modern Canadians to know whyERIC ANDREW-GEEPUBLISHED JANUARY 5, 2022 Chief Martin Dufour of the Innu Essipit First Nation [...]

When do we admit Canada’s health care system just isn’t working?

ROBYN URBACKPUBLISHED JANUARY 5, 2022FOR SUBSCRIBERS967 COMMENTSSHAREBOOKMARKLISTEN TO ARTICLE When we’re not in a pandemic, Canadian hospitals are at perpetual risk of being overrun. In fact, they often are overrun – particularly during cold and flu season – when patients on gurneys are relegated to hallways and storage closets, and when wait times in emergency rooms can [...]

Modes of knowing

I find this a little confusing and non-intuitive, but you make a good case based on our evolution and the state of our world today.

I can't believe it!

In his magnum opus, The Matter with Things, Iain McGilchrist identifies Henri Bergson as a major contibutor to the understanding of the way we human beings know about the world.

Essentially, there are two modes of knowing, which I will characterise in a word as intuition and rationality. Intuition is to do with direct perception of the world and understanding what is needed; rationality is to do with language and analysis, rationalising about the world. Intuition ‘presences’ in the world; rationality ‘re-presents’ the world in its own terms.

These two modes were well understood by many thinkers of the past. In the early 1900s these included Bergson, William James, Einstein (see featured quote) and other quantum pioneers. In earlier times, for example, the Romantic movement of such as Wordsworth and Coleridge strove to emphasise the continued importance of direct perception in an encroaching world of rationality. The two modes…

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Today is for Introverts. Finally.

Ah yes the joys of being alone!

Robby Robin's Journey

This was the header of a promo email I received the other day: ‘Today is for Introverts. Finally.’  As the member of a family that includes many proud introverts (including me), I couldn’t help but be intrigued.  It turns out that January 2 is World Introvert Day … every year.  Who knew?  On the other hand, introverts wouldn’t make a big deal out of it if they did know, would they?! 😉

Although I’m two days late in recognizing this august occasion, now that I know that such a special day exists it seems only fitting to give it its day in the sun.  North America is a world where extroverts predominate.  And there’s a sense that those of us who are not like that, should be.  The kids who raise their hands and eagerly shout out, “Me, me” before they have really thought about what their answer might be…

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The American polity is cracked, and might collapse. Canada must prepare

The U.S. is becoming increasingly ungovernable, and some experts believe it could descend into civil war. What should Canada do then?THOMAS HOMER-DIXONSPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAILPUBLISHED DECEMBER 31, 2021UPDATED 42 MINUTES AGO Washington, Jan. 6, 2021: A police flash-bang grenade illuminates Trump protesters outside the U.S. Capitol, which they stormed after a provocative speech by the [...]

How Can We Set Realistic Exercise Goals as We Age?

Really good advice especially for some of us older folks!

Aging Capriciously

Goal setting is as American as mom, God and apple pie.  Every exercise book, life improvement book and management book has a section on goal setting and accolades for the process.  I also once subscribed to the philosophy that those who did not set goals for their life were losers, losers and bigger losers.  Winners set goals.  When winners reach their goals, they up the bar and set them even higher.  That is the American Way.  Set unreachable goals and if you should meet those goals, then move the bar up, ever up, ever higher.

Well, I am going to tell you that everything in the above paragraph is STUPID advice.  Most of the wisdom around goal setting is simply dumb.  Unfortunately, when it comes to your health, it is not only dumb, it is dangerous.  It was not until 1986 that I met the man who would change my…

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