Wandering Worldwide

Photo via: The Daily Mail AT THE FUNERAL of Petty Officer Jon Tumilson last week, his dog, Hawkeye , laid beside his casket during the service. Jon was one of 38 service members killed on August 6th when their helicopter was shot down by Taliban forces in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. When the helicopter went down , I read the news with one hand over my mouth, and one hand holding my husbands, who is active duty Navy. I thought instantly of the wives and sisters and daughters and neighbors of those who had just experienced their (and my) worst nightmare. Much has been said about the highly trained, mysterious SEAL Team Six, and how tough they are. This image is powerful because it reminds us that they are also young men whose dogs love them. Rest in peace, Jon.

Photo: Paleontour Can our well-wishes, however well-intentioned, have the opposite effect? AFTER THE LAST text from my friend, Shannon, that told me when shed arrive, I almost replied with something like, drive safe or safe travels. I decided not to in the end. She was coming to town for a visit. She lives in Nelson but moved for the summer to go fight forest fires. Shes been stationed in Salmon Arm, a town about 350km (217mi) northwest of here. Ive always been the kind of person to end a conversation with some sort of kind farewell, wishing them good luck or safety. I dont know why, but this particular time I caught myself and questioned why I do that. Why we do that. On the surface it just seems like a nice gesture. But it also reminded me of the time I was with my wife, how I always had to have the last say when we parted. Like if I didnt say something and something terrible happened it would somehow be my fault. I guess for me, in a way, its insurance against feeling guilt down th...

Photo by shannonkringen To what extent are introspection and engagement compatible when you travel? IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, and are looking for a mentor for your next African journalistic masterpiece, Michaela Wrong is taking applications . I have massive respect for the author of In the footsteps of Mr Kurtz and Our turn to eat . As far as the work of learning and writing about possibly the most misrepresented continent (some folk still reckon its a country) on earth goes, Wrong is one of the best writers in the field. So when she compares, anecdotally, the attitudes of male and female western journalists in Africa, I cant help but pause and reflect on it. Wrong makes the case that guys traveling through the Congo and other countries to entertain their literary ambitions tend to put themselves and their experiences first, and the country second. If anything, they have too much confidence in themselves, and it is crippling. In contrast, Wrong argues that: Africa is full of female reporte...

Photo: familymwr Like Rodney Dangerfield, atheists get no respect. LAST SEPTEMBER, Rock the Fort a Christian-themed concert backed by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association was held on the US Army base Fort Bragg, NC. Through the Freedom of Information Act, it was discovered that the base gave over $50,000 to support the concert. Military atheists werent happy. After several complaints launched by various church-state separation watchdog groups, military officials agreed to give support to another concert at Fort Bragg. On March 31, 2012, Rock Beyond Belief will take place (free for everyone, including civilians) with Richard Dawkins scheduled as a guest speaker. Theyve even managed to squeeze out another $50,000 from the Army for this show. The main organizer for Rock Beyond Belief, Sgt. Justin Griffith, wrote on the concert blog, There is no going back in to the atheist closet. Were going to be supported on post for the first time. Speaking of the blog , there are some inter...

Powershift 2011. Photo: linh.m.do Its 2040. Tara Mahoney reflects back on her generation to issue a rally cry for a potential future. DEAR GEN WHY: I know of no other advice than this: Go within and scale the depths of your being from which your very life springs forth. Rainer Maria Rilke, February 1903, Paris This quote reminded me of our generation back in 2011young and on the edge of a new world. I smile when I look back at us, vibrating with excitement, trying to shape the society that was emerging. Those days were precious. Hard. The best times of life. For the 50 years leading up to 2011, scientists warned of nuclear proliferation, an exploding population, runaway corporate power, species loss, deforestation, economic and ecological collapse, and widespread famine. For the most part, our society ignored them. We razed our forests, over-shed our oceans, over-cultivated our land, and poisoned our fresh water with toxins, oil, sewage. Quick, radical, peaceful change was vital. Hu...

Powershift 2011. Photo: linh.m.do Its 2040. Tara Mahoney reflects back on her generation to issue a rally cry for a potential future. DEAR GEN WHY: I know of no other advice than this: Go within and scale the depths of your being from which your very life springs forth. Rainer Maria Rilke, February 1903, Paris This quote reminded me of our generation back in 2011young and on the edge of a new world. I smile when I look back at us, vibrating with excitement, trying to shape the society that was emerging. Those days were precious. Hard. The best times of life. For the 50 years leading up to 2011, scientists warned of nuclear proliferation, an exploding population, runaway corporate power, species loss, deforestation, economic and ecological collapse, and widespread famine. For the most part, our society ignored them. We razed our forests, over-shed our oceans, over-cultivated our land, and poisoned our fresh water with toxins, oil, sewage. Quick, radical, peaceful change was vital. Hu...

Photo by wwarby Leaving a white world can be a route to confronting whiteness. TOM MATLACK at the Good Men Project recently reflected on the experience of being white during a journey he took to Kenya. Being white, and from South Africa, some of the questions Tom asked feel fundamental to the world I live in. Mine is a country where racial divisions remain, and are as embedded in daily life as they are repressed in the interests of national reconciliation. After years of economic inequality, white privilege in South Africa is entrenched, problematic, and largely invisible. Its not even a matter of consenting to privilege history just meant that as a white person, I was part of an ideological universe that cut me more slack, offered me more opportunities for education and advancement. How wide and pervasive that world is, is often invisible to participants. Confronting it is like trying to ask fish to confront water. Or an entrepreneur to confront the damage and inequality that is a ...