Category: Current Affairs
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ALEX’S LAST GOOD TURN
As a boy growing up in rural Wisconsin, I used to ride my bike every Monday to the VFW hall, raise my hand and recite the Scout Oath. “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country … and to help other people at all times…” Scouting instilled in me the value of doing one good deed daily. It didn’t have to be a big deed. Just something that would help someone in need. Like the old cliché about Scouts helping a granny…
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2026 IS THE NEW 1984
Back in 1984 I read ‘1984’ to see if George Orwell’s prophecy had been fulfilled. I thought it was a great yarn but it was a dystopian scenario that would never actually come true. At least not in my lifetime and certainly not in the United States of America. How wrong I was. ‘1984’ is a warning about how power survives by controlling truth, language and what people are taught to see. In 2026, we need to heed that warning. “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes…
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THE SIGN IN THE WINDOW
I don’t know how many times I’ve yelled at my television and told world leaders, politicians and CEOs to get a spine and stand up to the bully in the White House. I’ve become pretty hoarse. But I know the reality. When that bully has control of incredible military, economic and political might you just have to bow and kiss the emperor’s ring for your own self-preservation. So, we’ve got a lot of invertebrates calling the shots around the world. But at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Canadian…
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FAREWELL PAPA
As the sun sets here in Halls Head on Easter Monday, we say farewell to Pope Francis. Much will be said about Pope Francis and I admired him greatly. But for me I admired him mostly for his stance on the environment, which came to light in 2015 when he published his ‘Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home’. He professed that the environment is a shared inheritance and its protection is a duty owed not only to the planet but to each other—especially the poor and future generations. I…
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PARALLEL UNIVERSES
There’s this movie I once saw … or maybe it was a book … about the main character living in parallel or alternate universes. In one universe the character gets up on the left side of the bed and in the other on the right. And that little act changes everything from that moment on. I didn’t even need to get out of bed today to experience different universes. My usual news feeds documented a global stock market crash which hadn’t been seen since COVID. But this time it wasn’t a…
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THE WOODEN BELL
If you travel a lot … or if you live a long time … you acquire a lot of trinkets. Souvenirs of travels. Memories of events. I bought a little polar bear when I was in the Arctic. It sits in our living room now. It brings back nice memories of my trip to Norway last month. But most of the trinkets I’ve collected now reside in cardboard boxes in the garage. They’ll probably never get a chance to collect dust in the limited trinket display areas of our home. My…
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SAFER, STRONGER AND MORE PROSPEROUS
I don’t know where to start to comment about this insanity. I’ll just share my personal perspective. I’ve always been proud about two things as an American: the Peace Corps and USAID. To me, they are symbols of an altruistic country who deeply cares about humanity. Both are the legacy of an inspirational national leader, John F. Kennedy. And both are the best tools to make the US “safer, stronger and more prosperous”. I first started meeting USAID staff in the early 1980s when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. I…
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MAKE EARTH GREAT AGAIN (MEGA)
I remember when we believed we could change the world with a poster and a chant. That belief never really left me—just got bruised along the way. But I’m still marching, still stubborn, and still hoping we can learn to love this planet like it’s the only home we’ve got.
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UNDERSTANDING MERCY
During my travels, I have learned about the world’s religions and have met and have befriended people of many faiths. I struggle with the parts of their faiths which deal with creation stories and pantheons of gods, but I do accept a common thread: acts of mercy. In one way or another all religions encourage their followers to go beyond self-interest and to foster a compassionate community and address suffering. As a teenager, I learned about Christianity when I attended weekly confirmation lessons. I think I have a pretty good understanding…
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