Category Society
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 […]
No Game Today
For the first time in my life, there is no Grey Cup game. Canada’s national football championship, scheduled for today, has been canceled. The Canadian Football League is a gate-driven enterprise. Unlike the league to the south, television revenues are not enough to allow the teams to break even, or even operate at a small […]
What Customer Service?
It seemed like such a simple thing. How could it have gone so wrong? And why isn’t the system better? We needed to make changes to our bank account, which necessitated a trip the the branch around the corner. I normally do my banking online. The teller asked for our ATM cards. They do that […]
Cultural Assimilation
Back in 2016 I wrote about the way the American shopping frenzy know as Black Friday had crossed the border into Canada. I didn’t see it as a good thing. For Black Friday to become part of the Canadian shopping experience I can understand – the two countries are so close. But why has it […]
Ever Heard of Him?
One of the delights about visiting someplace new is learning bits of local history, things you don’t read in history books. I, for example, had never heard of Saint Arbogast. Had you? Walking through Dottingen one afternoon, I visited St. Arbogast’s Chapel on the spur of the moment. I’d seen the tower from a distance […]
Difference in Perspective
Another day, another extreme weather warning for Sulzburg. Why do I read these things? The weather app on my phone occasionally gives me alerts about unusual weather expected in my area. They are generated by the German meteorological service, so they have a feel of authority to them. What they don’t have is me taking […]
Eggsactly
We were early at the playground to meet friends, so there was time for a short walk around the area. You’ll never guess what we found. It was the free-range chickens that first grabbed our attention, then we saw the vending machine with the eggs. Up close we realized there were more than eggs. In […]
What Is This?
Are you sure? I know it looks like a lemon, but maybe it is an artist’s conception of a canary. I love public art. I get frustrated though when there is no accompanying plaque to tell me what the significance of the piece is. This one can be found just outside the pedestrian core of […]
Setting The Age Limit
In Canada you must be 18 in order to vote. It is like that in most countries. You can join the military before you turn 18, but you have to have parental permission. In some places, such as British Columbia, a parent’s consent is required to obtain a driver’s licence if you haven’t reached your […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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