Randy | April 8, 2014
Literacy is a set of skills based upon three legs; one passive, and the other two active. The passive one is Reading. It requires no output on the part of the participant, necessitating only the ability to comprehend the written word. The two active legs of the Literacy tripod are: Writing; and Speaking. Now, when […]
Randy | March 20, 2014
On this day, Peter Ashley Thompson has succeeded in turning 58 years of age – a thing so singularly amazing that it’s unlikely he’ll ever manage to do it again. To commemorate this occasion, we’re offering this. Ode to Thompson by LFM Peter Thompson’s fifty-eight, Above the sod, don’t call him late, He’s white of […]
Randy | February 22, 2014
I’ve mentioned my Esteemed Friend and Fellow Fiend Jim Keating more than a few times here, and no doubt will again because he persists in provoking me. His daily updated MAAJAK World (pronounced “MAGIC World”) ezine (MAAJAK = Master At Arms James Albert Keating) has been a daily morning stopping point for me since I […]
Randy | February 9, 2014
It is always with the greatest of joy that I greet every morning, just because of who I wake up next to, and today marks yet another reason to be both joyful and thankful – the anniversary of my incomparable Wife’s birth! So to you, my Love and most powerful inspiration, there’s this. The happiest of […]
Randy | February 5, 2014
To many a modern fencer, the “weapon” in hand is no weapon at all, but an instrument of athleticism no different and more deserving of noble regard than a tennis racquet. In discussion with one who openly brings concepts of martial artistry into fencing practice, even accomplished fencers routinely ridicule any such idea as archaic […]
Randy | January 12, 2014
Once Wendell Phillips and a young friend were sitting by the fire. It was a memorable evening. Recollections had flushed the cheeks of the veteran campaigner. Memories of former heroic days had loosened his tongue. He had completely lost himself in the thrilling recital of the past. The young visitor sat enthralled. At last, when […]
Randy | January 5, 2014
“I will not stand for trivializing the sacrifices made by those who fought and often died so I can sit hear speaking the truth as I see it, and to my mind the title of “Hero” is thrown around entirely too easily these days. There are times and situations in history that few of us […]
Randy | December 26, 2013
Nova Scotians complaining about the state of the province’s roads in the wake of Sunday’s winter storm should be careful how much they grumble. An old law still on the province’s books can order “all physically fit male persons” between 16 and 60 years of age to shovel out highways made impassable by snow. At […]
Randy | December 23, 2013
Winter, in latitudes where sub-freezing temperatures can occur, brings with it harsh realities that only frantic and organized preparation in the months prior can meet with any hope of success, leading to the passing down of parables such as the story of the ant and the grasshopper, and the legend of the Wendigo. This is […]
Randy | December 22, 2013
Written words are visual guides to the making of sounds that, when uttered aloud, convey meaning. An example is the word “label”. A label can be a physical object that, when applied to another object, conveys important information about it. What it’s made of, how to use it, how long it may be kept, and […]