Essay: "Slacktivism"

Sometimes I've got a vague concept in my mind but don't have a word to express that concept. One of my favourite feelings is when I learn the word for that concept (if it already exists) or if someone invents a new word to do the job. I've got the feeling now, with the word "slacktivism."

News: Book Signing Sunday!

I will be signing copies of my book of short stories, "Deeper", at the Chapters in Etobicoke (1950 Queensway) on Sunday April 17 from 1 pm to 4 pm. Hope to see you all there!

Essay: "As Long As You Have A Why"

One of my favourite quotes was said by either Nietzche or Dostoevksy, I forget which, but I first read it in Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - man can bear any 'how' as long as he has a 'why.'  It was one of those things I'd always known without realizing it. Imagine your boss tells you to work late. Does it make a difference to you if you really need to be staying late? Would it make a difference to you if you were staying late for no good reason? Of course it would. Staying late is a bad thing, but it can be bearable if there's a reason for it.

Essay: "Detroit Needs a Statue of Robocop: Part Two"

So why does Detroit need a statue of Robocop?

Essay: "Detroit Needs a Statue of Robocop: Part One"

On February 7, 2011, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, in response to a direct question on the subject, tweeted that the city had no plans to build a statue of Robocop. The internet being what it is, calls for just such a statue immediately intensified, and a group of artists organized a fundraising campaign to make it happen. Within a week they had raised the necessary $50,000.

Essay: "The Problem of Good"

The "Problem of Evil" is the question of how evil can exist in the world if there is an all-knowing and all-powerful God who is good. It's a doozy. But evil also seems to be problem for secular folks, as well. Whenever anything terrible happens, when someone absconds with the trust funds or when a woman drowns her kids in the bathtub, it always seems like people just can't believe it (as satirized in this Onion article) and search desperately for a reason.

Essay: "Predators"

To see my African pictures, click here.

I recently took a three week trip to Africa which included a four day safari in Tanzania.  You have a guide who drives you around the national parks (including Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti) in a big SUV with a roof that lifts up so you can stand on your seat and look at the animals.  The animals are quite accustomed to the vehicles and so you can drive right up to them but they are otherwise living in an entirely natural environment.  Part of the magic of safari is that you never know what you might see (or, disappointingly, fail to see).

We were lucky and we saw all of the so-called big five animals.  Everyone has a favourite animal but, in general, most people seem to prefer the predators to the herbivores.