Category Society
A Walk in the Vineyard
It is always nice when you can combine business with pleasure. Last week, having newly arrived in Germany, I had a leisurely walk with my new boss. It was supposed to be a half hour, just to stretch our legs, but it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon, and there was no reason we couldn’t talk […]
Hefner and Disney
Hugh Hefner is dead. The damage he did lives on. The details on that would be book-length. The Playboy founder was 91when he died. Possibly most people thought he was dead already – Playboy hasn’t been a cultural force for decades. His magazine pretty much ignored God. I wonder about the discussion Hefner is having […]
Not Taking The Bus
OC Transpo, our municipal transit service, is down 1.5 million riders from this time last year. That is a significant drop. There’s a cliché about rocket science that I am going to forego here, no matter how tempting. Apparently the people in charge haven’t quite figured out why people are no longer taking the bus. […]
Policing Marijuana
Canada is decriminalizing marijuana next year. As of July 1 the entire country can get stoned at will, with drugs purchased in government sanctioned shops. I’m not convinced it is sound policy. Indeed, I think the decision was based not on science, not on evidence of social harm or benefit, but rather on a calculated […]
A Matter of Life or Death
I’m not sure if I have an opinion as to who should win, but I am very curious as to the outcome of a recently filed lawsuit here in Ontario. It is a matter of life and death, but also a question of taking responsibility and discovering actions have consequences. A seriously ill man is […]
A Blind Eye To Corruption
The Premier of Ontario is in court today. Kathleen Wynne should be embarrassed by that. But she probably isn’t. Wynne is a witness in what essentially is a corruption trial involving her political party. It is alleged that inducements were offered to a potential candidate to stand aside so that the party’s preferred nominee could […]
Breaking The Chain
It was between two file folders in the filing cabinet. It was postmarked “Petawawa, November 2, 1988. That’s a long time ago, or at least it seems that way. Except I remember receiving the envelope in the mail, and how upset I was because someone sent me a chain letter. I was so annoyed that […]
The Buxton Memorial
I know I must have seen this structure before on previous trips to London. It is right by Westminster and I have walked in that park on several occasions before. But I don’t remember it. Earlier this year though I took a closer look at the Buxton Memorial. It was erected to commemorate the emancipation […]
They Did It Right!
About a decade ago, my mother mentioned that the small Baptist church she attends in downtown Ottawa had seen an influx of newcomers whose English was limited to non-existent. She didn’t know much about them. They were Karen people from Myanmar (or Burma as it is sometimes known – the name keeps changing) who had […]
The Rip-Off
How do you react when someone lies to your face? What do you do when you have no recourse? No, I’m not talking about Donald Trump. When Hurricane Harvey was heading for the Texas coast, more than a week ago now, there was speculation as to what effect, if any, the storm would have on […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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