Findings, open questions.

Good day.

Questions after reading the Globe and Mail.

i - Does it matter if a professional athlete, in a team sport, is gay? Does it matter that Leaf's GM Brian Burke's son is gay?

ii - How important is eating local? No, really?

iii - why are tourists in Canada playing frugal?

iv - which wine do I pair with my cheese? White? really...

Other thoughts.

v - Happy for Amanda Lindhout. Will probably read the book.

Also. Thought I would be the first MRU student in my class to get a byline in the Globe and Mail. Close, but nice one Edward. Question: Who helped free Amanda?

I worked on a similar story from Glasgow this summer Sadly, all the captives ended up dead.

Sunday Reading

Ahoj,

On another quite Sunday, apart from brainstorming story ideas for a Czech magazine, arranging interview subjects for an upcoming trip to Central Europe, and putting together a presentation on genderlect theory (watching When Harry Met Sally for reference), I've come a cross a few articles of interest.

Photo: JLM

Thoughts on history, on the media, on war

Hey, still blogging.

Listening to Radiohead, drinking tea, and scanning the news as always.

Trying not to live in the past, but events and anniversaries of this week -mostly from the 20th Century - always lead to reflection on where we have been and where we are going. Canada, the West, the Middle East. Walls and anniversaries. It's been 20 years since East Berliners tasted some sort of freedom and the wall came crumbling down. The Iron Curtain was lifted; Poles, Hungarians, Romanians..many more, also tasting democracy.

A day of remembrance. The First and Second World wars on the mind. Afghanistan too. 71 years since Kristallnacht. Wow. Have we really come a long way? Is this really a new generation? Africa on the mind, North Korea, China, Cuba. Walls and war, Communism and oppression.

A winter chill again in the air; gloomy and dark memories of the past, events which lead us to the light.

A gripping fear of pandemic will perhaps leave me inside today. Maybe not. Ha.

a - What is a Canadian? Really, what is Canada? Not just hockey, snow, Tim Horton`s and flag-waving you see. Canada has a distinct past; a distinct people. Hmm. Well, now we will finally know what it means to be Canadian. Apparently. The government is going to tell us what that means you see.

A Tuesday of random thoughts

i- On the restaurant industry and perfect service. 100 points of great service; things I would want done in my establishment. Notice, point #7. "Do not announce your name. No jokes, no flirting, no cuteness...." Thank-you to the writer for saying this. You're here to eat and relax in the company of friends and companions, not to hear about me. Personal note, I never give my name and never will. Don't worry, I'm there when you need me and am not memorable simply because your dinner was spectacular and your guests were overjoyed.

Also, point #8. "Do not interrupt a conversation." Too much talk, no service.

A ha! Point #26. "Never assume people want their white wine in an ice bucket. Inquire." correct. If I order white Burgundy and you put it in an ice bucket, you're an idiot.

On Calgary growth and urban sprawl

--Daniel Bach for the Calgary Journal--

I’ve always been a curious citizen and witness to Calgary’s booming growth.

Recently, while combing through an archive of books and articles related to Calgary’s contemporary growth and development, looking for a work that would give me a sense of where the city is at today, I was instantly enthralled upon finding a book first published in 1974 to celebrate Calgary’s centenary the following year.

Calgary: a not too solemn look at Calgary’s first 100 years, written by Bob Shiels, a former University of Calgary professor and newspaper columnist, chronicles the city’s growth, from its beginnings as a tiny settlement along the banks of the bow, through the oil boom of the early 20th Century and into the massive refurbishment and infrastructure development years of the late ‘60s and ‘70s.