by  By Russ Hamel  ~ I've Tried EVERYTHING E ver get insomnia? Of course you do; we all suffer sleepless nights from time to time. Yup, whether it's our overly religious, self-righteous family, co-workers and acquaintances, or in my case, the insecure, back stabbing, child brainwashing jerk (aka natural father of my two step-daughters), like the common cold, nobody ever completely escapes the occasional nocturnal insomnolence. Right now, I've got insomnia... big time. I've had it for close to a month now. What scares me is that I know it's becoming a serious problem in my life. "How's that, Russy?" I hear you ask. See, I told you it's serious... I'm even hearing things now. :) Oh, I tried the usual suggested solutions from reading our huge City of Toronto phone book to studying and memorizing the boring parts of the Bible (um... that would be ALL of it, especially if you are using a King James version.) However, when I'm...

By Russ Hamel ~ Do Non-Practicing Catholics Really Have a Choice? W hen it comes to spirituality, this type of story always makes me cringe. It's the very reason I personally choose not to be associated with any one particular religion. Here is an account describing the lengths one non-practicing Catholic couple was willing to take in order for their sons to 'fit in' at the school of their choice. (It's really MY story in disguise - a few names and other details have been altered to protect the innocent, as well as those not so innocent). Location, location, location. Real estate agents know that for growing families with school-aged children, location - especially that of the school - is of prime importance. For Bill and Agatha Dickerson, the location of the Catholic school just around the corner from their modest bungalow was perfect. What delighted them even more though was that the school was small, with a student/teacher ratio of about 18:1, far lower t...