M Squared

Yes, winter is winding down and summer seems to be on its way... I guess that's the definition of spring. Around here (at least on the "Wet Side") it starts in February and continues... more or less through May. April was a very interesting month for outdoor activities in our household. On the first, Trevor and I went downhill skiing . We took a friend of Trevor's and his brother and Dad. The four of them had taken snowboarding lessons earlier in the winter. Seemed a little strange to be skiing on April Fool's Day but the joke was definitely not on us. We had a great day. Then sailing started the following week. We're happy and thankful to have our local lake back again. The original earthen dam was build in the 40's and the drainage system was failing. (Earthen dams actually leak but it's supposed to be a controlled leak...). Somehow the Army Corp. of Engineers prioritized the repair project higher and found the money to fix it last summer. We were p...

In his second foreign policy speech (in a three part series), Tony Blair addressed the Austrailian PM and Parliament. He continues to make a good case for a broader concept of globalization based on shared values. He said, "Globalisation is a fact. But the values that govern it are a choice." Driven largely by technology and capitalism, globalization's primarily impact has been on economics, communication and culture. Blair contends it must also include politics which will influence and define the "values in the common ownership of humanity, universal values that should be the right of the global citizen." He calls for the building of a global alliance for these values. As the world becomes more interconnected we don't have any other option. It's also a matter of consistently applying the values throughout the world... not selectively. Whether it's world trade, global climate or "Islamist extremism", we are all in this together. Good stuf...