Kilted Haka, A Beautiful Male Ritual

Photo: Stevie Weir, courtesy Daily Record There’s something magical about the Haka for me. It’s a primal male ritual that just feels right. It celebrates healthy male aggression in a communal setting. I feel like we’ve made male aggression “bad” in our culture here in the US, and that reality is a source of suffering for […]

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Thar She Blows… Diana is in South Africa

(Now I can only say “South Africa” in Rik Rankin’s accent in my head. Oh well). Diana is in South Africa!! Woo hoo. She and her hubby were headed to set today at around 2:00PM local time, but were delayed by a traffic jam outside of Capetown (for about 2 hours!) so she had time […]

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Why Hogmany is Bigger than Christmas in Scotland; More on Sam’s Fave Tradition, 1st Footing

Photo: The Scotsman, A torchlight procession along Princes Street and up Calton Hill is typically part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations. Image: Ian Georgeson   In this article, The Scotsman outlines why Hogmany is more popular than Christmas in Scotland, and makes mention of Sam’s favorite holiday tradition: First Footing.  “The reason for everyone celebrating new year […]

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