Category Society
The Face of Contrition
The Teflon Prime Minister gave us an act of contrition that was positively Biblical Thursday. Too bad it was the wrong chapter and verse. In an unusual 8 a.m. Ottawa time press conference (you don’t usually make big statements when half the country is still asleep), Prime Minister Selfie tried to put an end to […]
Fastnacht Begins
When you appropriate the symbols of evil, do you have power over them, or are you unwittingly giving them power over you? I was asking myself that as I watched a group of people in animal costumes and witches’ hats taking public transit in Freiburg. They were jumping the gun on Fastnacht, a pagan festival […]
What Construction?
Back in December I commented on the slow pace of construction of a new building in Sulzburg. I was wrong in calling it slow. I would even be wrong in calling it glacial. It has been two-and-a-half months, and there is not a change in the construction site. The road is still blocked by […]
Forty Degrees of Separation
I turned on Ottawa radio yesterday (online of course), looking for Canadian news. What struck me most though was the weather. In Ottawa it is still winter. Morning temperature was minus 21 Celsius – and that isn’t taking the wind chill into account. It felt a lot colder than that to those leaving for their […]
Lighting Sequence
It is a simple thing, yet it shows a major difference between Canada and Germany. The traffic lights here are different. I haven’t asked why, because I think I figured it out on my own. See if this makes sense to you. In Canada the traffic light sequence is green (go), yellow (caution) and red. […]
Me and The Arrow
Sixty years ago today an event took place that changed Canadian society, the effects of which are still felt, something which would have a major impact my life, though I didn’t know it at the time. In a move that was either absolutely insane or fiscally prudent, the Conservative government of John Diefenbaker canceled […]
Hearts and Flowers
Sometimes important dates creep up on you. I just realized today is Valentine’s Day. Actually, I did remember yesterday, early in the afternoon. Which made it too late to buy my wife a card – on Wednesdays the only place in Sulzburg where I can buy a card closes at 12:30. I don’t recall seeing […]
Fast Moving Events
I had a post planned for today that you will never read. That is the drawback when you choose to write about current events. That post was about the latest investigation by Canada’s Ethics Commissioner into the Prime Minister and his office. I was going to comment on the nature of the scandal (involving interference […]
Is This Really Necessary?
Germany, as anyone who lives here can tell you, is a land of rules and regulations. It is a minefield for newcomers who are going to make some minor transgressions of laws written and unwritten – and you can be sure your neighbors will tell you after the fact. When I saw this sign though, […]
Fighting For Colmar – III
One aspect of the military cemetery in the hills above Colmar and Sigolsheim that I hadn’t considered before was just who fought in the Second World War battles to liberate France. I guess that is a bit of Canadian blindness on my part. Canadian war cemeteries, or at least the ones I have visited, have […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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