Maybe I won’t have to read a good spy novel this weekend. After all, the CBC has decided to entertain me with just such fare this evening, as they present a documentary looking into the death of the princess. Which princess? Is there more than one? Oh yes, that one. We are at the ten year anniversary, after all.
posted in history | Comments Off on Fit for a spy novel | 302 words
Watching or reading the news is an activity that is fraught with risk. One must tread through the virtual minefield of politically correct sentiment, even as the powers that be change the rules. In fact, there are no facts; all can be revised given enough time and desire. Today, there were two examples, similar in their difference.
posted in history | Comments Off on Corrected or revised | 315 words
When I was very young, we lived under the economic umbrella of the general store. Not that different from one seen in any of the various Green Gable movies and television productions. Also not too surprising, as we were within buggy distance of Avonlea, if such a community had existed and if we’d had a buggy. My grandfather had one, but my father had opted for the more modern pickup truck that was well-suited to clay roads. Where was I? Oh yes, shopping.
posted in economy, history | Comments Off on Shopping in the new world | 326 words
I’m working my way through a book I picked up during a visit to the local public library branch while waiting for a slow bus, and I have to recommend it to anyone who a passing interest in American history from the last century. In particular, this book, Empire Rising by Thomas Kelly, is set in New York City in 1931, when the Empire State Building was under construction. The tallest building in the city went from a hole in the ground to a great observation point in just over 400 days. Take that, the people who never seem to finish megaprojects.
posted in history | Comments Off on Iconic images | 298 words
I like history. Not the seventeen kings of a foreign land kind, but the stuff that is based on me, the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met. Goes well with genealogy. Goes well with old maps, and pictures and the other little bits of stuff we accumulate over time. The more time you spend accumulating, the more fun it is. Long life and history! There, if you are in need of a good toast, you can borrow it.
posted in history | Comments Off on It happened before my time | 425 words
One amazing thing about the brain is its ability to expand, like some sort of elastic knapsack, to contain an ever-increasing number of memories. At least, until it starts to leak around the seams, and the memory set drips away. That must bring sadness. I rather enjoy the number of things I can live, again and again, through the magic of mental images. I’m not sure if it counts as living vicariously, the second or third time around, but it fills up those moments in our daily lives where routine has made for memory fodder that resembles porridge.
posted in history | Comments Off on Another in a series of “It seems like yesterday” | 410 words
Tonight brought the second portion of The Great War on CBC. I watched it with my youngest son, and I believe it did what the producer intended; it inspired questions and reflection.
posted in history | Comments Off on History redux II | 263 words
As we move through this Easter weekend (a tale of history in its own right) the top news story took place ninety years ago. If I’d been around then, I would not have been privy to much detail, because a policy of disinformation made sure that those “at home” were shielded from the horror. Now, we can reflect in serenity over past battles, and perhaps learn.
posted in history | Comments Off on History redux | 265 words
Sometimes a sad story hides behind another. Today, while local attention was concentrated on the election in progress, the local cheese factory announced it was closing. Just another economic downturn? Not quite, as this factory has been running a deficit for more than four decades. Obviously it was time to stop spilling milk. Not quite. This cheese was special.
posted in economy, history | Comments Off on And then there was no more cheese | 287 words
posted in history, media | Comments Off on And on this channel, my childhood II | 416 words
