“Lies, damned lies and statistics.” That old saying about the levels of lying both reveals and warns about the excessive use and misuse of numbers. People love numbers. Rankings and ratings are the basis of decisions that may determine matters ranging from which country is a world power to what toaster browns bread best to […]

What do you have planned for World Migratory Bird Day? I’m sure you have it marked on your calendar as the day before Mother’s Day, right? In case it slipped your mind, this year, people in Canada and the United States celebrate our feathered friends on Saturday, May 11, and our mothers on Sunday, May […]

On Sunday afternoon, April 28, an overflow crowd gathered at First Parish Church in Brunswick to celebrate the life and legacy of Hilda Ives Wiley. Memories of that service will stay with me for as long as I live. But first, some context. I first met Hilda’s father, Bob (known as “Bobby”), way back in […]

Projection is a psychological phenomenon wherein an individual attributes their own thoughts, feelings, or actions onto another person or group. Projection is a defensive mechanism often seen in children, and sometimes persists into adulthood. I well remember accusing my sister of behavior for which I myself was clearly guilty. In the realm of politics, projection […]

My mother would have been considered eccentric had she been financially wealthy. She would do almost anything — and wear almost any silly costume — to bring joy into the lives of others, much to the embarrassment of her six children. But she is wealthy in the ways that really matter, and her greatest wealth […]