Category Society
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 […]
Thoughts on Martin Scorsese’s “Silence”
It bombed at the box office, which didn’t surprise me. I saw it a couple of weeks ago at the tail-end of its theatre run, and have thought for a while about what I want to say about it. It is not your usual Hollywood fare, far too serious at a time when America is […]
It’s Flag Day!
I remember the day, February 15, 1965. I was a student at Thorndale Elementary School in Montreal. The entire school was mustered outside as Canada’s new flag was raised for the first time on the school flagpole. It was the culmination of a national debate, first over whether Canada needed a new flag, then what […]
Valentine’s Day 2017
Suppose they create an artificial holiday. Do I have to participate? Today is Valentine’s Day, and I admit I struggle with the observance of it. It seems so artificial somehow, one day out of 365 in the year set aside to celebrate love. Shouldn’t we be celebrating love every day? I’m not sure how historically […]
Presto Woes
I’m finally getting my money’s worth on my daily commute. I am riding for free. My schedule this month has me not going into the office as much as usual. It didn’t make financial sense to purchase my usual monthly transit pass. I decided to “pay as you go.” Ottawa, like many cities, offers a […]
Riverdale
I read in the newspaper that Netflix was adding a new television series, based on the Archie comic characters beloved by millions. I also read that it was an updated version, a reflection of 21st century social conditions. Forewarned, I watched the first episode of Riverdale anyway. The characters names are the same as in […]
The Shootings
The news was horrific, the reaction predictable. Sunday night there was a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City. Six people dead, many more wounded. Details were of course sketchy at first, and are still becoming known. Politicians were quick to label it a terrorist attack, but at least refrained from assigning blame. Certainly it […]
Climate Change Secret
It’s quite pleasant in Ottawa today, especially if you like snow. Admittedly, if you have to drive in the stuff you might be less than thrilled at the white stuff falling from the sky, causing problems for your morning commute. Overnight low was minus three (all temperatures in this post are Celsius. For Fahrenheit conversion […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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