I'm taking a Christmas break from blogging. I'll likely be back on either Boxing Day or Monday.

In the meantime, have a great Christmas! While I'm approaching it as a secular humanist, that still goes for those who view it as a religious occasion. :)

Peace on earth. Goodwill towards everyone. May the guns and bombs be silent for a day -- just as a start. [ /30 ]

This is the first-hand account of Frank Gardner, a BBC reporter gunned down in Saudi Arabia earlier this year by Islamist militants. His cameraman was killed.

It's sobering and not very festive, but it reminds you of the tenuous and precious nature of life -- and how destructive blind hatred is.

If there's two screaming kids on a three-hour-plus flight from Edmonton to Toronto, what's the odds both of them would be one row behind me?

Apparently, pretty good, to which I say: Happy flying, Charlie Brown! :)