Category Society
Advent Continues
Today is the last Sunday of Advent, the season of anticipation of the birth of the King. Advent wasn’t a big thing in my Baptist childhood – but I married into a family with a lot of traditions which became mine as well. Those traditions were passed on to our children. Four years ago my […]
Shutting People Down
I understand politicians are feeling a little overwhelmed right now. They’re human after all, and it has been a touch year to be in leadership. So I generally cut them a little slack when it comes to questioning the wisdom of some of their pandemic-related decisions. I figure they mean well, even if their actions […]
Christmas Decorations
I hadn’t realized how much I missed being in Sulzburg last December until I saw the Christmas decorations going up in the market square. Sulzburg is beautiful at Christmas. European towns make Christmas a big deal. There may not be much faith left on the continent, but the traditions remain. Even in 2020, when so […]
Free At Last!
It was only two weeks – but it was a long two weeks. Today I will celebrate by going for a walk. COVID-19 restrictions vary from place to place, and are never easy. In Canada those arriving from overseas must quarantine for two weeks, whether they show any signs of illness or not. I understand […]
A Sad Anniversary
Being in quarantine means I’m not paying attention to dates. Which is how I missed yesterday’s 40th anniversary of the murder of John Lennon. It would be tough to understate Lennon’s influence on culture. He was a musician and peace activist who first came to fame as a member of The Beatles. I didn’t see […]
A Feeling of Emptiness
The retail sector has taken a beating this year, with lockdowns and enforced closures. The number of bankruptcies is soaring. Many stores, especially small ones, are not expected to survive the pandemic. Living in Sulzburg I knew that intellectually, but it hadn’t really hit home. Our stores haven’t been hurt. That may be because there […]
Reflections on Advent
This is the second Sunday of the Advent season, the time set aside to prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time of anticipation, and spiritual reflection. Most years there is a Christmas Market in in front of the Rathaus (city hall) in Vienna. It is big and colorful with lots for […]
Is This Overkill?
It was more than 30 years that I first saw a group of Asian tourists wearing face masks. I was not impressed. I understood that the air might be polluted wherever they were coming from, but this was Canada. You would think they would take off their masks and enjoy our fresh air. In 2020 […]
Wandering Through The Neighborhood
I have a confession to make. I never watched Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I’m the wrong age. By the time the program started, I was no longer interested in children’s shows. My children watched it, I think, though not that often. I was careful about their media consumption, but that show I didn’t need to watch […]
One Every Minute
Nineteenth century American showman P.T. Barnum is usually credited as saying “there’s a sucker born every minute.” Certainly there’s a new one in India. Barnum didn’t actually say the words attributed to him, but he was not averse to a bit of fakery in his exhibits. He knew people were happy to buy illusion, even […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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