The US Ambassador to Canada seems to have a liquor fixation. He’s been in the news he is talking about American alcohol on Canadian store shelves. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof. You can’t buy American wine, beer or spirits in most places in Canada. Most of the booze trade in Canada is government controlled. […]
Went for a walk with my wife and found these signs. Ottawa is obviously a dangerous place to live! Coyotes generally leave people alone, but that wild parsnip (hogweed in the U.K.) is another matter.
You read it here first. The USA is about to win its first ever World Cup. (That’s soccer/football for you non sports fans.) It isn’t at they are the best team. That has yet to be determined on the soccer pitch. It doesn’t really matter though: it looks like the fix is in. The United […]
America celebrates a milestone birthday today. 250 years old. Yet somehow the celebrations seem muted. I remember the USA bicentennial events, 50 years ago. The whole country was united, and the celebrations ran throughout the year. 2026 doesn’t feel like 1976. Maybe it is the internal divisions. Americans (looking at the country from up north) […]
My umbrella broke. No complaints – it had served me well and faithfully. I didn’t buy a new umbrella. No need, there was another one in the house, though it was a little bigger. The umbrella I used for years was basic black and collapsible. It would fit in the computer bag I carry, or […]
The opening sequence said it all. History and tradition can be powerful motivators. My eyes teared up as the message sank home. The Ottawa Senators were swept in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. The Edmonton Oilers didn’t put up much of a fight in their series. The Montreal Canadiens, who start the second […]
It’s been a week full of family events, including a trip to the National Gallery, where I cam across this stack of boxes that at one time (and maybe still) contained steel wool scouring pads. There are eight in the pile – you can’t see the ones at the back. So our Friday question: Is […]
Being an ambassador is challenging. given the current state of Canada-U.S. relations, being the Canadian Ambassador to Washington is well beynd challenging. Which may be why Prime Minister Mark Carney reached out toa business friend for the position rather than a career diplomat. With trade the major irritant between the two nations, it made sense […]
It is that time of year again. I’m depressed. But I will get over it. It’s playoff time in the National Hockey League. It makes no sense that the emotional wellbeing of millions of Canadians rests on the shoulders of 20 young men they have never met. But hockey is a national obsession, and never […]
The price of gas is supposed to drop at the pumps this coming Monday, as the Liberal government has temporarily reduced some of its taxes. Though not as much as the opposition Conservatives had demanded. There is some question as to whether consumers will actually get a price break, as stations usually switch to summer […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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