What do you remember about your great-grandparents?  I have talked to many, and for the most part, the answer was nothing.  It is academic to ask what one remembers about their great grandparents, other than what had been related by a grandparent.  But of course, if family history is kept, future generations can avail of the many extraordinary… Read More »

PART II Anything above zero in this part of the north is tropical.  At 52 deg. North and just below the tree line, by mid-Oct.  ice starts forming in the lakes.   By Nov., the kids are already playing hockey.  So by late December, it is hard to find open water in any of the lakes surrounding this Reserve. … Read More »

REMINISCING MY YEARS AT THE REZ and the perils of early retirement PART 1 Working full-time in a stressful job was just the recipe for thoughts of early retirement, a “seven-year itch”  three times over, especially for one who’s been at it for more than three decades.  Even for school teachers, long summer breaks, in my case, meant… Read More »

HOW AND WHY DO WE FALL FOR THESE ABSURDITIES: Amusing and laughable,  frivolous, and ludicrous are just some of the characterizations that I share with people who hear about outlandish theories proposed by equally nonsensical people invested in Conspiracy Theories. We will examine the origins and explore why a particular population segment believes them. Early humans understood their… Read More »

BY: EDWIN DE LEON In a rapidly changing world, the dictum: ” Be willing to walk away from things that had succeeded in the past” is more valid than ever before. Unfortunately, many things and practices continue to find a following even when it longer makes sense. The jeepney is one of those symbols of our misplaced tenacity.… Read More »

PART  I BETTY WHITE, dead at 99, just 17 days shy of 100. As of July of 2021, there are 12 822 centenarians in Canada; 80% are women. So one might ask, what’s the big deal then? Betty White was a working actor until the day she died.  And not just a bit player either. She did stand-ups,… Read More »

IT’S WORSE THAN YOU THINK Part II Since the publication of part I, THE CLIMATE CRISIS, in the last month’s BALITA, more intense weather events have been experienced unseen in the recent past. Extreme and historical are the buzzwords—colder, more typhoons/hurricanes in the latter part of the year. On a record-setting scale, typhoon Odette’s toll had reached 407… Read More »

IT’S  WORSE THAN YOU THINK PART 1 “Parade of Storms,” “Atmospheric Rivers,” “Swarms of Tornadoes“: These are headlining in all of 2021, terms that have never been used before.  Just what is a “PARADE OF STORMS”? There is nothing technical about the phrase, only that a storm does not come in one after another, not a day apart anyway.  A typhoon,… Read More »

“The only constant is change.” But, unfortunately, this innocuous phrase has a pace in the homeland that leaves a lot to be desired. I can’t think of a better metaphor than  Rip Van Winkle’s 20-year slumber but waking up to see nothing had changed.   This article will chronicle my own experiences to show how cultural impediments can obfuscate changes and retard… Read More »

“Having the choice at the end of my life has become incredibly important. It has given me a sense of peace during a time that otherwise would be dominated by fear, uncertainty, and pain.” –Brittany Maynard The debate is over.  MAID or Medical Assistance In Dying has been the law in Canada since Bill C-14 was passed in June… Read More »