dunesifter

What else would you call the latest news from Alberta regarding baby names? According to an article in the Ottawa Citizen, one girl last year was named ‘Unique’, which is so unusual, that methinks perhaps the parents didn’t know how to spell ‘Monique,’ Other odd girls’ names were Glee, Gladness,... Sign in to see full entry.

An analysis by the Canadian Council on Learning states that - ‘55% of working age Canadians lack the literacy skills to follow directions on pill bottles, give informed consent, read nutrition labels or understand safety instructions for equipment or machinery.’ They have trouble understanding what... Sign in to see full entry.

..is where I am living today. The very air is sparkling as the flecks of snow drift off the trees. It is an intoxicating, exhilarating day with the sun shining and the river misting over. First thing this morning, I could see two hundred yards onto the river. As far as the banks of mist caused by... Sign in to see full entry.

Two villages lose their electrical power and their phone lines and I get the blame? Two fire engines and two police cars turn up and the finger’s being pointed at me? Is it my fault one of he police cars slid into the ditch and the highway had to be closed? The chaos wouldn’t have happened at all if... Sign in to see full entry.

Humanity is doomed, despite decades of experimenting, no way has been found to breach the ring of satellite fragments orbiting the planet. By this stage, scientists had worked out that we would have advanced enough to save ourselves by abandoning Earth and moving to Mars. After turning the planet... Sign in to see full entry.

...at the previous Canadian funerals I’d attended, so I wasn’t looking forward to the funeral on Wednesday. I said as much, to Ell, who shook her head at me - I think it is now a permanent disability. “Those were Catholic funerals, and they weren’t funerals, they were viewings.” I cheered up... Sign in to see full entry.

The name popped into my head yesterday for no apparent reason. One of Jim Tripney’s jobs was to keep me, the office boy, in line. He didn’t like doing it, but he was damned good at it. In those days there were no personal cubicles for you and your desk. We sat on stools, which you had to hitch... Sign in to see full entry.

Ell MacNab’s life was threatened one and a half hours into the New Year. Within 90 minutes of wishing each other a Happy New Year; linking arms and singing ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ I promised to kill her. We attended a New Year’s Eve party 20 miles from home. It was a party which left us wondering why we,... Sign in to see full entry.

‘twas the night before Christmas’ – and up loomed the freighter. Two unusual things happened on the river on Christmas Weekend. The first was our seeing an odd looking vessel. It looked nothing like a private yacht, or freighter. We could see no name on it as it passed, be we were so intrigued that... Sign in to see full entry.

No matter what line of belief or non-belief you take, you must be aware of the different sides of the story. Did God start the Universe with a Big Bang, and if so what caused the bang? Had he had too many beans the night before? Did he suddenly decide, “Oh! I think I’ll construct a Universe, where’s... Sign in to see full entry.