Monthly Archives: October 2026

Rooms That Put People to Sleep: Environmental and Behavioral Causes of Drowsiness in Gathering Spaces, and Practical Countermeasures

Posted on October 3, 2026 by nathanalbright

1. Executive Summary Certain kinds of rooms have a lasting reputation for making people sleepy. Church halls, lecture halls, courtrooms, conference rooms, and public meeting chambers all host gatherings where attention matters, yet attendees routinely struggle to stay awake in … Continue reading →

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The Survival Problem: Early French and British Settlement on the North Atlantic Seaboard, 1600–1635, in Comparative Perspective

Posted on October 2, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The settlements commemorated as the first lasting French and British footholds in North America after Saint Augustine (Port-Royal in Acadia in 1605, Jamestown in Virginia in 1607, Quebec in 1608, and Cupids in Newfoundland in 1610) are usually … Continue reading →

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Psalms 120 and 140 for the Road Home

Posted on October 2, 2026 by nathanalbright

[Note:  This the prepared text for a sermonette given to the brethren at the Feast of Tabernacles in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Thursday, October 1, 2026.] Good morning, brethren.  The Feast of Tabernacles is nearly over. As much as we … Continue reading →

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The Unrepresented Federation: Canadian Regionalism Beyond Quebec and Alberta

Posted on October 1, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Public discussion of Canadian regionalism tends to focus on two cases: Quebec, with its language, distinct national identity, and two sovereignty referendums, and Alberta, with its energy economy and recurring western alienation. These cases are important, but they … Continue reading →

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Promises at the Threshold: Newfoundland’s 1949 Terms of Union in Comparative Perspective

Posted on October 1, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary When Newfoundland entered Confederation in 1949, it did so on the strength of written Terms of Union and a set of broader expectations built during the referendum campaign. Some of those commitments were honored, some were reinterpreted, and … Continue reading →

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A Day Observed Unevenly: The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Across Canada

Posted on October 1, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal day of remembrance for the children who attended Canada’s Indian Residential Schools and for the survivors, families, and communities affected by that system. The day grew … Continue reading →

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From Sunday Pot to Tourist Plate: Jiggs Dinner and the Staging of Everyday Food

Posted on October 1, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Jiggs dinner, the boiled dinner of salt beef, root vegetables, cabbage, and puddings, is for most Newfoundlanders simply what the family eats on Sunday. Over recent decades, restaurants, dinner theatres, and tourism marketing have presented it to visitors … Continue reading →

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The Dominion That Remains: Newfoundland’s Separate Past and Its Persistence in Local Identity

Posted on October 1, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary For most of its modern history, Newfoundland was not part of Canada. It governed itself as a British colony and then as a dominion, formally on par with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, until it joined Confederation on … Continue reading →

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