The more I read about the Excited States of America, the happier I am that I chose Canada to be my escape from England. In a country where it’s easy for anyone to wander into a store and buy a gun designed not to shoot game for dinner, but to kill human beings, children are being sheltered from reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Mark Twain’s beloved book that has certainly stood the test of time, is on the new list of books banned in Florida schools. Another is The Diary of a Young Girl, the incredibly touching story of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who kept her diary while in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. She was found, shipped with her sister to Auschwitz and died there at the age of 15.
It should be essential reading. How are we going to learn from mistakes unless we are reminded of them? Educational values need a range of human experiences.
Stephen King’s Gunslinger is also on the list, but kids can handle stuff like that. I admit that we all passed around the famous Penguin edition of banned Lady Chatterley’s Lover when I was at school.
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Kudos to the Calgary Board of Education for ignoring the whiners who wanted to change the name of John A. Macdonald School. We are honouring our first Prime Minister – and that’s good. He may have made mistakes, but who hasn’t. Churchill was no saint, but thanks to his leadership, Londoners came out of the cellars and onto the roof tops with their buckets of water to ward off the incendiary bombs.
Let those with no guilt throw the first stone.
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Emails from both of our national air carriers continue to annoy me – at least weekly – offering cheap fares to exotic places, at a time when we are so nervous about planning a trip in Canada for fear of cancellations.
It didn’t help in getting an offer to go to Oahu on vacation for the same price as I have to pay for the necessary trip to Kelowna.
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The news that Edmonton’s much-lauded trial with electric buses has failed certainly hasn’t deterred our city spenders. Maybe they rub their hands together thinking that government grants are meant to be spent – but it’s still your money and my money.
A fleet must mean detailed scheduling in charging their batteries, unless they have their own power station. We do have a new electric fire engine, but I’m relieved to see it has a back-up diesel system.
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This month’s engineering plea is for an APEGA member to design a workable opener of a tin of shoe polish. The little twister always breaks after a couple of yanks, and then it’s nigh impossible to open the so-tightly sealed lid.
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I have books in my collection on the history of Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise and Emerald Lake Lodge, but had nothing on the iconic Palliser Hotel. Until now. ‘Fairmont Palliser’ by local historian Harry M. Sanders has been published by general manager Ken Flores; a great read, and I had the privilege of writing the foreword.
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Final Words: The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust
