Conversations and Considerations

Author: martin

  • Hobbies

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    martin
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    I’ve had a variety of hobbies in my life, many of which I retain in some way or another. This is a bit of a list of some of them.

  • The speed of trust

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    martin
    in ,

    This is a reflection I wrote for and delivered during a service at First United Church recognizing Indigenous People’s Day in 2024.

  • Sugar Shacks

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    martin
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    The Ottawa/Gatineau region has a long history of maple syrup production. Each year, maple farms open up seasonal restaurants, serving pancakes, bacon and sausages, and other items that go deliciously under a generous helping of maple syrup. Breakfast is one of my favourite meals, and sugar shack breakfasts are the best. Here is a list…

  • God Between Us

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    martin
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    My onetime roommate and friend Shawn came to visit Ottawa a couple of weeks ago. I know a few Shawns, and more than one of them have been my roommate. So, to be clear, I lived with this Shawn for six months just prior to moving in with Brigitte, and immediately before the COVID epidemic…

  • Letter to PM Trudeau

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    martin
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    I sent this message by e-mail to some of our Canadian politicians today (in particular, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Global Affairs, and the Minister of International Development and Assistance). I would encourage everyone to send a similar message, if you agree with the intent. Feel free to copy or adapt mine, if that…

  • On regret

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    martin
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    Individuals really do get screwed around by systems… Over the last few days I’ve had a number of conversations that have led me to think about the structural-functional role that personal guilt plays in maintaining problematic social structures. Even reflecting on my previous blog post brings up this issue. For years we were told that…

  • 1.48 degrees

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    martin
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    I’ve been worried about the environment for a long time. In fact, my concerns about the environment were the root for what was likely the most significant crisis in my life. It was a long time ago. More than 33 years. When I was in high school I joined the first environmental club ever formed…

  • One small step

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    martin
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    A few months ago I decided to once again set up a home server for hobbying and file management purposes. A major goal was to try hosting my own mastodon instance. I also wanted to give a space for my son, Noa, to host a minecraft server. Those things are both live on this machine,…