Category: Memoir
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24. Of Prepubescent Savagery and Redemption
In a recent Ezra Klein podcast, the science writer Michael Pollan made some amazing claims about the nature of consciousness. His interview ranged from his insights of psychedelics to the possibility that human consciousness may not be exclusively brain centered. He remarked that even the simplest life forms use their sensory inputs to infer and…
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22. Lamenting a Battered Defiance
1 It can be revealing to recall the evolution of one’s political persuasions. For example, my early notions about Cuba were formed in utter ignorance of facts: The country came first to attention through the historic address of President JFK watched live on TV in October 1962. Kennedy announced that the Russians had sneaked nuclear…
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20. Celebrating Mixed Marriage
Within a week of marrying in late December 1984, my Zimbabwean wife, T., and I arrived at Heathrow Airport enroute to Canada. The female immigration officer who checked our passports had reddish grey hair and a severe expression. She resembled Maggie Thatcher. “And what is your relationship?” She glanced stonily between faces and photos. “Husband…
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11. Acknowledging a Shared Humanity
A recent CNN interview did not pry any answers from the architect of Trump’s draconian deportation plan–– but it did reveal his character. Throughout the interview, Stephen Miller dodged questions, talked over the host and smirked. In response to Jake Tapper’s repeated queries about the impact of mass deportation on US agriculture––Miller claimed that the…
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4. The Ghost of Franklin de Soiree
Ghosts sometimes perch at my shoulder as I take notes for my journals. However disquieting their whispers–– they are never to be ignored. Notable among such ghosts are those of a few characters briefly encountered nearly half a century ago: In 1975, I worked on a social service project in the Vancouver Fairview neighbourhood. Our…
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2. Celestial Wonders Missed
‘Did you see the northern lights last night?’ My elder daughter asked in her text message from Toronto on the morning of May 11th. ‘I’ve seen tons of photos from my friends who just literally stepped into their backyards or onto their balconies and saw them clearly.’ It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard the prediction.…
Coprolites in Amber (etc.) 