Traffic’s crawling, drugs are killing But the birds still sing, my friends surround me It will be alright, it will be alright
I don’t know why, I don’t know when It may be in the here-and-now It may be in the afterlife I’ll cast my vote for the present tense Because the future’s looking sketchy
Forests burning, ice caps melting My head is pounding, my brain rebelling But the birds still sing, my friends surround me It will be alright, it will be alright
I don’t know why, I don’t know when It may be in the here-and-now It may be in the afterlife I’ll cast my vote for the present tense Because the future’s looking sketchy
Clans are stirring, the kids are marching A virus spreading, people dying But the birds still sing, my friends surround me It will be alright, it will be alright
“And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven:
this travail has God given to the sons of man to be execercised therewith”.
Ecclesiastes I, 13
Essential Evolution and Nature of Science
In its simplest and etymological form, science means “knowledge”; “knowledge gained by methodical study”.
Even though mankind continuously has gathered “knowledge” over time through trial and error at first, and later through precept, “knowledge gained by study and reasoning” is of more recent origin.
"...without a cause, nothing can be created." Plato, Timaeus
Introduction
The present essay was drafted over a long period of time. Its form and content kept on changing since the early 70's when I had the ambition to formulate a sort of "philosophy of life" through a series of sketches on various subjects.
This is a brief history of the church my wife Valerie and I bought in January 1972 to live in with our three children, Ben 5, Stacey 3, and Beth 1, after some renovations to make an apartment in the church hall/basement. The building had been up for sale for over a year, with a leaking roof, and some hymn books on the pews where the departing parishioners had left them.
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Ah, renovations. What a wonderful word. It conjures up notions of fantasy - a promise of change to newness within the context of your already comfortable, if somewhat outdated but happy existence, with dispatch and little or no pain. After all its not like your are starting from scratch – building a new house or garden. You already have the house and garden. You are simply going to make a few improvements - upgrade some elements, add some new ones, sand a little woodwork, dab a bit of paint, hang some wallpaper, throw down a new carpet, install some new appliances, widen a doorway, throw in a nice Jacuzzi tub. And, you are going to get it all done in a week-end or two so that you can get back to the important things in life - golf, entertaining, grandchildren, golf, holidaying in the Caribbean, golf.
Ottawa, for most Canadians, conjures up images of Parliament buildings, of the longest skating rink in the world, of the site of many of our national institutions such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the National Gallery and foreign embassies. Visitors to the Capital region are also impressed by its beautiful natural setting with the Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau rivers flowing through it against the backdrop of the Gatineau Hills. Plenty of parklands, waterways and greenspace adorn it, with extensive walking and bike paths. In Ottawa, the two founding cultures of Canada meet and interact, contributing to the making of a vibrant community. Formerly known as a government town, it is now also known as a high tech centre with the number of technology workers rivaling that of the government sector. All of these factors play a part in making Ottawa a great place to live.
