They called me John Norman, after my two grandfathers. But my Canadian grandfather got to me first, picked me up and said, “Wee Normie”. So it stuck. I got to be one of those unlucky people who goes by the middle name. Bureaucrats hate people like me. But it builds character, so I passed the…
“Second time’s a charm”, the saying goes, and there is some truth to it. Left unsaid, of course, is that the first time probably didn’t work, so against that background, a second kick at the can has to have better odds. Certainly in the professional world we see those coming in from an earlier career…
Herein I try a tightwire act with two strikes against me. First, I have difficulty with brevity. Second, I’m a Canadian-trained lawyer and my understanding of US Constitutional Law is self-taught. So, with those two admissions, here goes. A country’s constitution is its baseline law, and all rights, duties and powers of the state and…
Last week we looked at constitutional interpretation. Today we look at tea leaf interpretation in general. Not as popular as it used to be, tea leaf reading was a hit at country fairs and amongst those who were into crystal balls, ouija boards, and the like. The idea was to make a cup of tea…
I hate it when someone needs to say to me, “Let me finish!” because it means I’ve been caught being rude and interruptive. And whenever that happens, it’s because I have been presumptuous, assuming that the only good ideas in the room were mine. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson I keep needing to learn. It’s more…
The story my Dad told me when I was a little boy had to do with wheelbarrows, but the same parable has been told about donkeys. Doesn’t matter, the point is the same. In any event, there was a man who worked in the factory, back in the day, and every night he would leave…
A kind reader suggested that a good topic was to be found in the proverb, “The outcome of a rain dance has a lot to do with timing.” And of course, the reader is always right! In this case, very much so. The notion has much to do with strategic timing, and all that entails….
Let me indulge my passion about language, and especially the languages of Canada. In English, we open and close windows and doors, but as to house lights, they’re turned on or turned off, as the case may be. Not so in French – one consistently opens or closes windows, doors, and lights. And therein is…
It seems that everyone is outraged these days. Everybody is upset about something, everyone’s feelings seem to be deeply hurt. So, just a few thoughts on outrage, partly as a communication issue and partly as a personal growth piece. But, first a bit of trivia, a juicy tidbit you can pull out the next time…
What a touchy subject! I’ll try to be gentle, balanced, and academic, but some biases may show through. Please don’t curse at me if that’s the case. Profanity, cursing, swearing, or “bad language” is universal and ancient. It’s also the most poorly understood area of language study. To begin with, the blanket term “profanity” actually…