Culture Archive
05 Nov 2021
The unmistakable sound of revving motors
Today when I went thru the outside doors to the food court at the mall, I heard this odd whirring sound up ahead. It was clearly an electric motor, but I couldn’t remember hearing it before. Hearing loud noises at the food court is not unusual. Young kids seem to like the echo and hearing
17 Oct 2021
Responsible government and voting in early Canada
Nellie McClung was an activist and “suffragette”, elected to the Alberta legislature in 1921. This article is about the development of “responsible government” and universal suffrage (the right of all adults to vote) in Canada. The granting of responsible government – where citizens rather than autocrats made decisions about governance – was a process that
31 Jul 2020
My Eddie Shack story
A few days ago I heard that Eddie Shack died at the age of 83. I was never a fan of the Leafs, but it was hard not to be a fan of Eddie Shack. About a decade after Shack had retired (in 1975) I was involved up to my wahzoo in minor hockey. I
02 Jun 2020
What happens when your freedom conflicts with mine?
It is not uncommon these days to see people protesting the way authorities are “violating their freedom” by enforcing things like social distancing, encouraging the wearing of masks in public, or not allowing businesses like restaurants to openly conduct business. This type of protest is much more common in the United States than it is
28 May 2020
Will online education finally start to take over?
The lockdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has meant kids of all ages are unable to attend school classes. This is particularly problematic for older kids – advanced high school and post secondary – because their future careers are being interrupted in a significant way. This is not so much a factor for younger
01 Sep 2018
The Evolution of Modern Logo Design
The way corporate logos are designed has evolved a lot, especially since after WWII, the advent of television, the “visualization” of popular culture, and the explosion of consumerism that really took off in the 1950s and 60s. Here is a short video published in The Atlantic in August, 2018 featuring one of the firms involved
11 Aug 2018
The HMCS Ojibwa impressive but needs work
We visited the submarine display in Port Burwell a few years ago, and were impressed enough to take two of our grandsons, Liam and Jack, to visit the display this week. The HMCS Ojibwa served in the Canadian navy during the Cold War from 1965 to 1998. The ship was mothballed for a few years
10 Aug 2018
Nice B&B in Springford with Alpacas
We spent a couple of days this week with Liam and Jack (two of our grandsons) golfing and visiting a few interesting spots down near Tillsonburg, Ontario. The highlight was a personal tour of the Alpacas B&B in Springford. Many thanks to Roelf and Francien owners of the Alpacas B&B for taking the time to
26 Jun 2018
History of the Guitar
The evolution of the modern guitar is a complicated one. Stringed instruments with some of the features of modern guitars have been used for about 4,000 years, as can be attested by archaeological evidence from digs in Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, and elsewhere where organized human civilizations have been found. The guitar didn’t really start to
24 Jun 2018
Universal Basic Income podcast
I just listened to Sam Harris interview Andrew Yang about his proposals for a Universal Basic Income in the U.S. They also touched on Yang’s campaign to become President of the U.S. in 2020! If you don’t know, a the Universal Basic Income proposal (UBI) is the idea that every adult citizen would receive an
24 Jun 2018
Why is the Guitar tuned like this?
It may not make sense to you at first, and you might just never think of it. The guitar is tuned the way it is for good physical-mechanical reasons. You have four fingers on your fingering hand, so the guitar strings are tuned 5 frets apart (except for the B string). That means you can
19 May 2014
Is There a Non-Believer Substitute for Religious Community?
Let’s pretend organized religion fell seriously out of favour and there were no churches. Would we be missing anything? I suspect there are many people who would be nostalgic for some of the things we get from religion. But it is more than nostalgia. I’m sure church provides members with practical benefits as well. What
04 Nov 2013
Governor General helps launch volunteerism campaign
Governor-General David Johnston has recently kicked off the “My Giving Moment” campaign to encourage young people to volunteer. A new campaign to encourage volunteerism, especially by younger people, has been kicked off by Governor General David Johnston. The campaign consists of print, TV and radio ads as well as a website mygivingmoment.ca Recent statistics show
31 Oct 2013
Hallowe’en Brings Back Fond Memories
Hallowe’en is all about kids. The special day seems to actually be growing in significance, at least in some cultures, Canada among them. It is not just the commercialization, although that is certainly a factor. For kids it is a night filled with excitement over getting dressed up and canvassing the neighbourhood for candy and
30 Oct 2013
Calgary Catholic School Drops Academic Achievement Awards
Many parents are up in arms after a Calgary school decided to drop all academic achievement award ceremonies. The school board wrote in a letter to parents that awards don’t mean much to their recipients and “often hurt the self-esteem and pride of those who do not receive a certificate.” Many parents think these awards
29 Oct 2013
Malcolm Gladwell Pays Tribute to Former Elmira High School English Teacher
Malcolm Gladwell, best-selling author of books like “The Tipping Point”, “Blink”, and his latest “David and Goliath” has been making making the rounds in Ontario, presumably promoting his new book and renewing old ties. He went to high school for a few years in Elmira, just down the road from Conestogo. One of those old
14 Oct 2013
Woody Allen’s Moose Sketch
Here’s a classic Woody Allen performance from 1965. Woody is at his quirky best. The famous “moose sketch”… Related Posts:No Related Posts
29 Sep 2013
Atheism Has a Bad Name
One of the more interesting suggestions made by one of the “new atheists” over the last 5 years or so, is that the term “atheist” should be jettisoned from the sceptic’s lexicon. Sam Harris’ contention is that “atheism” and “atheist” have received such a bad press – especially in the U.S. that non-believing people who
23 Sep 2013
There’s No Substitute for Practice When it Comes to Learning the Guitar
The other day I saw a promotion for a new mobile phone app, supposedly created to help you master the guitar. I left a comment in which I said that an app won’t do you any good unless you put in your time, work at it, and practice on a regular basis. That comment immediately
20 Sep 2013
Online Guitar Lessons – Part 1
There are hundreds of free guitar lessons and demonstrations on Youtube. Many of them link to websites where you can find more free lessons, and, more frequently, packages of instructional videos you have to pay to access or download. How effective are free guitar lessons like this? Can they be as good as traditional lessons