truth and reconciliation for canada’s first nations residential school victims

this week, prime minister stephen harper will issue an official apology about the abuse that happened during canada’s apartheid time, when for decades, first nations (aboriginal) children were taken away from their families and boarded in residential schools where they were to be made into white people. more often than not, on top of the… Continue reading truth and reconciliation for canada’s first nations residential school victims

albert schweitzer: reverence for life

the other day i found a little post on resonant enigma’s about reverence. these words here are inspired by this; in fact, it’s a slightly rewritten excerpt of a paper i wrote quite a few years ago in a course on environmental philosophy. here it is: my great-aunt mathilde had lots of books, but two… Continue reading albert schweitzer: reverence for life

quickie: enviro peeves

alexander over at planet thoughts asks, “what’s your pet enviro peeve”? what a great question! i’ve left a comment there (hope it’s approved by now) about plastic bags at the supermarket. another one of mine is public transit. coming from europe, and having lived in south america, i’m used to public transit in all shapes… Continue reading quickie: enviro peeves

frozen pea friday post: health and poverty

in last week’s frozen pea friday post – the weekly post about people dealing with cancer, inspired by susan reynolds and my friends who are dealing with cancer – we alluded to the difficulty of paying for the necessary care needed for people living with cancer. this immediately led me to thinking about the connection… Continue reading frozen pea friday post: health and poverty

ernesto cardenal: verses from the pluriverse

still in the spirit of poetry month, an excerpt from ernesto cardenal’s versos del pluriverso (verses from the pluriverse): if there is an endless number of worlds, they say, there is also a world where napoleon won the battle of waterloo. and a world where she requited my love, in granada. but these worlds and… Continue reading ernesto cardenal: verses from the pluriverse

a global community celebrates earth day

a friend of mine sent me this for earth day: * think of no-one as ‘them’ * don’t confuse your comfort with your safety * talk to strangers * imagine other cultures through their poetry and novels * listen to music you don’t understand * act locally * notice the workings of power & privilege… Continue reading a global community celebrates earth day

happiness – a group writing project

a while ago, alex shalman interviewed 34 people on the subject of happiness. following up on this, he created the happiness project, a group writing project where everyone who wishes answers questions about what happiness is for them. these posts then are gathered on his blog, here. below are my answers. and if you’d like… Continue reading happiness – a group writing project

a buddhist carnival – march 2008

hello friends, and welcome to the march edition of the buddhist carnival. free tibet this is written while monks in tibet are asking/fighting/praying/protesting for a tibet that is free from occupation. after all, when we do metta, we say, “may all beings be happy, may all beings be healthy, may all beings be free.” danny… Continue reading a buddhist carnival – march 2008

some thoughts on the robert latimer affair

today, the appeal division of the national parole board overturned a board panel’s decision to deny robert latimer day parole. latimer, who has served seven years of a life sentence for killing his severely disabled daughter, will soon be released to a half-way house. here are a few blog reactions to this. what are your… Continue reading some thoughts on the robert latimer affair