I want to thank the folks at ThoughtCo for answering this question. “A Mountweazel is a bogus entry deliberately inserted in a reference work, usually as a safeguard against copyright infringement. The source of the term is the fictitious Lillian Virginia Mountweazel, a bogus entry in the fourth edition of The New Columbia Encyclopedia.” Even more fun is the description of her…

I recently committed to reading a book on the life of Galileo. What a fascinating life! In the 1500s, one of the significant controversies swirling about amongst those who spent time thinking about the world around them was the tides. What made them go back and forth? What forces were at work? The prevailing thoughts…

I first want to say that today, October 1, 2021, is the International Day of Older Persons as declared by the United Nations. This Blog is about how you can participate and make a difference. Impossible, you say. Well, please read on. I know that in the game of golf, there is a thing called…

I recently read that there are more wall-type barriers in the world than before the end of World War II. Whether true or not is debatable. However, there is food for thought. What can I learn from these physical walls, and how can I apply that learning to myself? When governments at any level erect…

I was watching yesterday’s news conference led by the premier of my province. In a very brief summary, we are reinstating many restrictions we are already familiar with but with one significant difference, the inclusion of a Vaccine Passport. Oops, my mistake. Let’s call it a ‘Proof of Vaccination Certificate.’ I’m deliberately going to stay…

I recently watched an episode of The Good Doctor. The main character, Shaun Murphy, has autism and speaks honestly and without a filter. He posed a question to the surgical team. If humans lived for 1,000 years, should the marriage vows still mean “till death do us part?” We struggle with a 50% divorce rate…

I know this title is already tagged to Marshall McLuhan, but I discovered a modern application. In my youth, pictures were black and white. The film, remember that, was mailed away to Toronto for developing and printing. No refunds for blurred images or folks who blinked as the shutter clicked. Poor pictures were costly. I…

I have been very fortunate to have travelled from my home in North America to many countries in western and eastern Europe. I try to honour my privilege by ultimately appreciating the gumption of the people of the countries I visited. Grit and determination abound. Each country has its own biography from different points of…

I was quick to register for the one million dollar lottery prize for having a single, then a double dose of the vaccine. Then I began to hear a different side of the discussion. A viewpoint said these lotteries were not good as they devalued the higher purpose of civil responsibility to help others. This…

I was at home, minding my own business when my phone rang. “Hello. Hello. HELLO” No response, but I could hear voices in the background. Finally, I hear a hesitant “Hello” back. A familiar voice but one I hadn’t heard for quite a while. “Hi, Tom. Long time, no talk!” Yup, Tom had butt dialled…