Recently, suffering from a flu bug, I watched Melancholia, a 2011 psychological sci-fi drama film by the controversial Danish director Lars von Trier. The film revolves around a soon-to-be-married couple and a group of their guests who gather at an elegant country estate to celebrate the wedding, just as a rogue planet (named “Melancholia,” giving… Read more »
“Fully immersing ourselves in a creative project activates a different part of our brain. We lose track of time and our surroundings. Minutes blend into hours, and there are no thoughts apart from what’s happening in the present. It’s very much an exercise in mindfulness. I didn’t know it at the time, but my high school… Read more »
A whirl of activism about climate change hit this week. With everything from a young girl scolding the leaders of the world at the UN to climate change rallies with school children in various nations around the globe. We’ve known about this stuff for over 30 years now. We’ve had an amazingly strong consensus of… Read more »
Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818–December 30, 1894) was an editor who wrote for the women’s right and temperance movement. She was the first woman to own and operate a newspaper (The Lily) written exclusively for women. The Lily was published biweekly from 1849 to 1853 with an eventual circulation of over 4,000. Most of… Read more »
The big news this week in politics, other than the campaign for the 43rd General Election officially starting, seems to be Mr. Trudeau’s photographs of him in “blackface” or “brownface” when he was younger. I’ll admit, at first, I didn’t really understand the big deal about this. These weren’t obviously done to ridicule those races,… Read more »
“Religion isn’t about believing things. It’s ethical alchemy. It’s about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness.” – Karen Armstrong Skeptics often wonder out loud why religion is still a thing. The prevalence of scientific thought alone puts a singular kibosh to faith, but, if that weren’t… Read more »
A little perspective never hurts; autumn can be a great time to take stock of our lives. As a kid, I’d look over my shoulder this time of year and long for summer’s return. Now that new teachers and schoolwork had lost their vague thrilling pangs (like the sensation of walking barefoot on smooth gravel,… Read more »
