I’m wondering if people study too much local history or not enough, around here. While the newspapers of the world find all sorts on interesting things to divulge, locally we’re caught up in a bit of a time warp. As if there was something in the air or the drinking water that caused a tear in the fabric of reality.
posted in history | Comments Off on Recreationist tendencies | 285 words
Since happiness is contagious, I’m really very happy right now. Our neighbours to the south are engaged in a huge party, with millions of well-wishers lining the reflective pool and getting ready to watch “the man” put his “hand in the air” sometime later this week. Noon on Tuesday, for those who need to be exact, and that’s Eastern Time, for those who live in other clock zones. I am happy, because no matter how much we like to show disdain for their system, they do throw a good parade. Did you see those eagles (on tethers) this afternoon?
posted in history, politics | Comments Off on Inaugurations are just parties in disguise | 281 words
The news that Patrick McGoohan died earlier this week left me nonplussed. I recognized his face, and I know that he was the star in a program that still receives critical acclaim, but after that… The Prisoner has taken on a larger than life significance among “important TV series of the past”, but to be fair I was barely into high school when he was sent to that mysterious Village, and there may have been other, more relevant things going on in my life.
posted in history, media | Comments Off on Learn about Number Six | 282 words
Attachment to a place is something I can understand. I have deep feelings of attachment for my birthplace. However, I draw the line at remaining in a state of war for a lifetime. We are not all created equal, if the stories in the world news columns are true. Consider the area along the Mediterranean Sea that seems to have kept world attention for longer than I can remember. Literally.
posted in history, politics | Comments Off on Changing the blame to other shoulders | 326 words
When you don’t know whether you should laugh or cry, follow the lead of American television, and show an evening of political satire. After all, if even one more person is scared enough to go and vote then the goal has been met. These are tense times; somebody crack another joke, please!
posted in computing, history, pets | Comments Off on Satire, nostalgia and a dog with retrieval disorder | 261 words
Six long months have gone by since the city started lighting the candles on a virtual birthday cake. Back on the end of New Year’s Eve, we stood in a very cold parking lot to watch the shock and awe from the city centre. Tonight, some of the family are enroute for part two, bigger and better, the best ever according to all the media. Thirty minutes of fireworks from a set of barges anchored in the middle of the river. My ride fell through, with only minutes to go, so I’ll listen to the play by play on the radio and pretend that I see all the colours.
posted in history | Comments Off on The party continues | 369 words
Back in 1852, when the Free Education Act authorized Island communities to establish their own schools, proximity was everything. If the law said that schools could not be any closer than three miles from one another, then that’s how things would be. And if you couldn’t face the long mile-and-a-half uphill through waist deep snow, then you took the family horse. Exercise was part of daily life, and the local fitness club simply didn’t exist; it didn’t serve a purpose. Above all else, school was accessible.
posted in education, history | Comments Off on Walking is healthy, kids | 321 words
Now that I go to bed early (because waking up is hard to do), I’ve had to swear off late-night TV. No more monologues from the triumvirate, or goofy walk-ons from the cinematic butterflies that have a new movie to flog. Except that once in a while, sleep remains elusive and I’ll find the two remotes needed to get a picture up on the wall above our bed. Like last night, when I stumbled across a documentary.
posted in history, politics | Comments Off on In the wrong place at the wrong time | 463 words
The ancients (meaning anyone over 30 according to certain among us) believed that the world was composed of four elements: earth, air, water and fire. Any one of these can be beneficial or damaging. Last night, one of the “landmarks” (in a city composed from hundreds) was destroyed by fire. From which springs the question: is a city composed of its elements?
posted in environment, history | Comments Off on Fire in the drill hall | 338 words
Strangest thing… I just hung up the phone, after a long distance call from a pollster, wanting to know if I supported the current prime minister. The only reply is “Of course. I support them all. I pay taxes”. Without getting lost in the maze of twisty little passages (complete with a thief that steals all your belongings), I now wonder if an election is closer than it appears in the mirror. It would be silly to go out on the hustings at a time when most voters can’t find their own houses due to the snowfall.
posted in history | Comments Off on A poll, a park and some spicy pork | 292 words
