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Good Friday and Sacrifice

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Good Friday is all about sacrifice, at least according to the Christian bible as I would interpret it. God gave her son to mankind to atone for our sins. (I’m not going to presume to explain that.) We did some bad shit and God said, okay, I’ll sacrifice my only son to make it right.  Most of us, myself included aren’t particularly religious but I think we can understand the meaning of sacrifice. It’s: ·   Parents giving time, sleep, and comfort for the benefit of their children ·   Partners compromising for the benefit of their relationship, ·   Friends showing up when they’d rather be doing something else ·   Soldiers serving to preserve the integrity of our country and way of life ·   Firefighters, healthcare workers, teachers taking risks and burdens for the benefit of others ·   Environmental choices that cost convenience ·   Activists risking reputation or safety for justice. I’m sure you have your own examples. Now, I can’t hel...
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Between the Mountain and the Sky

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Among t he ubiquitous and annoying flow of ads on Facebook , one captured  Nicola’s interest with one that featured a movie  presented by  the Duplass Brothers  called “Between the Mountain and the Sky.”  Nicola likes the Duplass Brothers  even though, upon investigation,  we’ve  not seen a single m ovie or TV show  they’ve  produced, created, or directed.  So, she thought we should watch it.      Okay, I think. Nicola  doesn’t  make a lot of demands on our television viewing except in the negative. I chose, she rings the gong either  directly or by directing all attention to her phone. So, unless  I’m  really loving what  I’m  seeing (like  the Superbowl or Oiler playoff hockey), I  generally respond .  So, I link to the website on the advertised page and low and behold, we have one day to rent this thing and  it’s  going to cost us  a minimum of $15. ...
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Saving Face.

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  North America is getting so cranky these days that if the continent had a face, it would be permanently scrunched up like it just bit into a lemon. Everyone’s yelling, nobody’s listening, and the whole place could use a collective cup of chamomile tea. Meanwhile, across the Pacific, East Asia has been quietly running a 3,000‑year‑long masterclass in not losing your cool in public. It’s called saving face — miànzi in China, chaemyeo in Korea, mentsu in Japan — and it’s basically the social equivalent of bubble wrap: it keeps everyone from getting bruised. Why does it work so well there? Because when you’ve got: ·   China: 150 people per square km ·   Japan: 340 ·   Korea: 500 …you learn very quickly that if you start a shouting match, you’re going to be doing it elbow‑to‑elbow with 499 other people who also had a long day. Compare that with: ·   U.S.: 38 people per square km ·   Canada: 4 (yes, four — basically “moose per capita” territ...
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Numbers and Dag Aabye

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Numbers are everywhere Twenty years ago When I looked at my watch All I saw were two hands And 12 numbers Now, I see a number for my heart rate Another for the number of steps I’ve taken And another for number of floors climbed If I press the down button, I get the date and the watch’s battery level Another, my body’s battery level (Whatever the fuck that is) I press the button again, I get a number for my stress level Another, the elevation Then, my intensity minutes Then, calories burned Then, my sleep score Followed the numbers for the time of sunrise and sunset I could add more numbers calibrated by my watch But I chose not. And that’s just a tiny portion of my life calibrated by numbers. I have a wrist cuff to test my blood pressure On the BC Services Account Card app on my phone I can access more numbers; Glucose, hemoglobin, sodium, creatinine (whatever the fuck that is) And lipids BC hydro tells me my kilowatts per hour for the previous day And the days before that. I have numb...
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