Category Society
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
My family came to Canada from Ireland in 1846, so you would think I would be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today. But I’m not. Our Irish sojourn was a short one, 1843-1846, so I don’t really qualify as Irish. Also, as Protestants, Presbyterians in fact, I don’t think my ancestors would approve of my taking […]
The Apostates
Life is an unending series of choices. Some are rather trivial: should I have cereal or toast for breakfast? Why not both? Others have more impact: should I take this job? Should I marry this person? None though is more important than the choice involved in religious belief. The question of God and our relationship […]
Visions of Empire
It’s a huge monument, popular with tourists and pigeons alike, right in front of Buckingham Palace. Looking at it had me thinking about just how much times have changed in a little more than a century. The Latin inscription reads ‘Regina Imperatrix.” My high school Latin translates that as “queen and empress.” The empire is […]
End of An Era
The day was inevitable once someone figured out how to digitize music, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. HMV, Canada’s last remaining national record store chain is closing its doors. At a time when it seems the majority of people download their music (and frequently without paying), it is not surprising that a […]
Whose Rights?
I get so tired of people whining about their “rights.” What they usually mean is their “right” to impose their viewpoint on others and insist everyone agree with them. My latest trigger was a radio interview with an activist protesting an Ottawa appearance by psychologist Jordan Peterson. He has some ideas on gender that the […]
Do You Find This As Strange As I Did?
In my youth smoking was not seen as the social scourge it has become. You could smoke anywhere. Everyone had ashtrays in the house, because if you didn’t smoke your guests did. Athletes smoked. Doctors smoked. Politicians smoked. Entertainers smoked. Even some pastors smoked, but only in those “liberal” churches. Or perhaps Christian Reformed. The […]
And The Oscar Goes To…
They hand out the Oscars on Sunday. For the 50th straight year or so I will forego the pleasure of watching the telecast. I didn’t bother watching most of the movies either. However I did recently see Toni Erdmann, which has been nominated for Best Foreign Film. It’s the only nominee in that category that […]
Hot Dog!
French Canadians jealously guard their language from Anglo inclusions. Their French cousins have a more laissez-faire attitude towards English. Or maybe they are just lazy. I grew up in Quebec, where a weekend was fin de semaine, parking was stationnement, stop was arret and a hot dog was a chien chaud. Even new words, like […]
Drinking At The Eagle
I was in Cambridge and reading a history of Christianity in England that was part of a display in The Round Church (more on that place at a future date). The panel on the 18th and 19th centuries mentioned William Wilberforce and his accomplishments. When he was a student at Cambridge, in 1777, Wilberforce it […]
Politically Incorrect
Sweden’s royal family has its armour and weapons on display, but there isn’t all that much to see. Sweden has been officially neutral for a couple of centuries, and kings and princes don’t go into battle anymore anyway. Except perhaps for the British. So I guess it is not surprising there is a children’s clothing […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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