Category Society
Cultural Differences – I
I mentioned not long ago that I was planning on doing a series of posts on cultural differences I had discovered between living in Canada and living in Germany. I’ve got a few posts started, but nothing finished yet. Then I remembered. When I started this blog most of my posts were reflections on a […]
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 […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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