by Max Planck Society, edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan A new study by an international research team led by Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig) has revealed striking similarities in the way humans and dogs interact in very different societies. The research is published in... Continue Reading →
Faux Fan Fun (Or should I say, fury?)
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not a true-blue Toronto Blue Jays fan. I am a “faux” fan, a “sort-of” fan, one who checks the score online before watching game recordings, one who seeks to avoid what the historic ABC Wide World of Sports called, “the agony of defeat.” I remember watching that poor skier crash down... Continue Reading →
Where do I fit around here? – An Anglican clergy retirement experience
A retired bishop told me recently that “when you retire, the church forgets you.” While blunt, I think they may have a point. Writing in UK Church Times: “Retirement: The Church of England depends on retired clergy, 19 June 2026, Bishop Colin Fletcher argues that “much more needs to be done to nurture clergy retirees.”... Continue Reading →
A gift to our friends, Ron and Jennifer
Rachel Ward's journey from Hollywood to regenerative farming - Reposted from Forgotten Facts on Facebook In the spring of 1983, a British actress named Rachel Ward appeared on American television for four nights, playing a character named Meggie Cleary in a miniseries called The Thorn Birds. Around 140 million people watched. For four episodes she... Continue Reading →
A very personal Dictionary of Quotations
Not everyone has their own personal Dictionary of Quotations, myself included. It is time, however, to rectify that omission. I love hunting down quotations, for sermons, articles, or blogs. So often, others can say things better than I can. So I will use their words, with attribution. I remember buying my first Oxford Dictionary of... Continue Reading →
“On Eagle’s Wings”: The composer; the song; the story, blessing us all for 50 years and counting
Author, composer and professor Fr. Michael Joncas holding a June 2024 letter from former U.S. president Joe Biden by the bookcase where he framed and displayed the original 1976 score of "On Eagle's Wings," in his apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 2026. (NCR photo/Camillo Barone) by Camillo Barone, NCR staff reporter By the mid-1970s, Fr.... Continue Reading →
Another “easier said than done” blog – How to Stop Taking Things Personally
I still miss Chris Lind, very much. Aged 61, he died far too soon during his time as director of the Sorrento Retreat and Conference Centre. Decades earlier he was my ethics professor at the Saskatoon Theological Union. Later we served together on the General Synod EcoJustice Committee. Finally, when I was in Kamloops we... Continue Reading →
Natan Obed on Mary Simon – “An Inuk woman and the Crown’s representative in Canada”
By Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press Last Updated June 7, 2026 7:41 am. OTTAWA — Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says he’s proud of how Gov. Gen. Mary Simon used her time in office to seek a balance between her dual identities as an Inuk woman and the Crown’s representative in Canada — roles... Continue Reading →
Forget the “Wind beneath your wings” – What really matters is the stuff beneath your feet
The Good Book says: Who having ten silver coins, if they lose one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until it is found? — Luke 15:8 [Ken Gray] Many years ago we had a Yellow Lab named Cleo. As with all our dogs we often went to the... Continue Reading →
Meet my (our) friend, Christina
Truth be told, Christina is more Kathie’s friend than mine, though for the purposes of this blog I will claim her nonetheless. We first met at the Peach Orchard Dog Park. (Where else?) At the time she and husband Doug owned one border collie, Nik. Eventually they rounded out their flock adding Sky (called Sky... Continue Reading →