Author Archives: Bert Hielema

Year 9-10 With the white of winter everywhere, will a “Black Swan” be easier to spot? Not really, because a Black Swan is like the wind. And who has seen the wind? The “Black Swan” phenomenon has become popular ever … Continue reading →

Year 9-9 2009 is going to be a colorful year, with lots of pink slips, bank statements printed in mostly red, people feeling blue, hairs turning prematurely grey. Blame the difficult economic times. I grew up in such a time. … Continue reading →

Year 9-8 Year-End Time. Prediction Time. Here is my cluster shot, bound to hit something: next year will be good, bad, excellent, depressing. You take your pick, because your guess is probably better than mine. Here’s a thought: Noah’s Ark … Continue reading →

Year 9-7 The headline in last week’s New York Times was “Bad times are good for evangelical churches.” It reported that: “Many ministers have for the moment jettisoned standard sermons on marriage and the Beatitudes to preach instead about the … Continue reading →

Year 9-6 Adolf Hitler, on September 23 1933, shortly after he became Germany’s “Fuehrer”, attired in brightly polished knee boots and wearing an immaculate military uniform with a swastika armband, stepped on a small hill, scooped up some dirt, and … Continue reading →

Year 9-5 Stephen Harper doesn’t get it. He thinks it’s business as usual. He doesn’t understand that we live in new times that yesterday’s answers don’t work anymore. His loyal lackey Jim Flaherty is also of the old school: they … Continue reading →