William Bedford

The way we are

THE FEARS AND TEARS OF CHILDHOOD YEARS

Body-Scanners

It's easy to see why Canadians are not too happy with the airport body- scanners.

Pentagon Puzzle

The U.S. military claims to be so short- handed that it is forced to sends troops on two and three consecutive tours in Afghanistan.

Re ” Tough U.S. security rules may target foreign-born Canadians.”

Having a birthplace stamped on their a passports can indeed cause problems for many foreign-born Canadians. I recall where an Italian-born Canadian, who had lived in Canada since he was a baby, being drafted into the Italian Army while on a visit to Italy.

Re “Air Canada to create nut-free zones on flights.”

Air Canada's announcement that it intends to create nut-free zones on all its flights should have made headline-news everywhere.

PETTING TIME

FLUFFY LITTLE KITTENS SAY MEW WOOLY LAMBS SAY BLEAT PUPPY-DOGS SAY BOW-BOW -BOW

Revenge

It's true that outing the identities of those in the frontlines against the Mexican drug barons would put them and their families in danger of reprisals.

OVER

You talk of things that used to be you sigh for times gone by but when I think of all that was

NEW YEAR DREAMING

THE OLD YEAR OUT THE NEW YEAR IN THE AIR IS FILLED WITH JOYFUL YELLS

COLD KINGDOM

THE NORTH WIND WHIPS BITTER COLD ACROSS THE FROZEN LAND THE GROANING, SHIVERING LEAFLESS TREES

Peace, Order and Goodies from the Government

Politicians, no matter which party they hide out in, are forever taking polls to find out just what they have to give us to insure their continued life of privilege at the bottomless public trough.

Christmas is in the air

CHRISTMAS IN THE AIR When December days turn dark and bleak and the snow begins to fly and the icy winds howl over hills and dells,

Memories of Yuletides Past

The swirling snow makes whirlpools In the moonlight the tree is all-aglow at Eventide The sounds of home come calling down the years

Words to live by

Pin this adage on your fridge door: It's not what you eat between Christmas and New Year,

Yonge Street Then and Now

Only old folks would think of calling Yonge Street Toronto's "signature thoroughfare," in fact, it's been a long time since it was Toronto's main drag. The great landmarks of old Yonge Street are long gone. In those good old days you could shop at Eaton's and Simpson's, have a top steak in Lindy's, grab a hot dog at the lunchcounter in Ford's drug store, have a cocktail in any of the fancy bars From the Pilot Tavern, "way up north" at Bloor, to the Town Tavern, downtown, ( which featured jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman) You could take in a movie in opulent theatres like the Imperial, and Lowes (both up-town and down-town).

UTOPIA

In Ontario life is tough, but there is a place to shed our woes, beneath the balmy, western sky where the wind-of-worry never blows.

Hamilton: A lunch pail town, not

While Toronto and Niagara Falls are recognized far and wide as the top tourist attractions in Ontario, there’s a place about half way between these two tourists Meccas that few people ever consider visiting even for a day-trip. They don't know what they are missing. The place I'm referring to is the city of Hamilton and its environments. All that most Ontario people know of Hamilton is that it's the steel-making center they glimpse from their cars as they speed past it on their way to Niagara Falls.

The Begging Game

Once upon a time in an Ontario far away there were so many charitable organizations fighting for our hard-earned dollars that someone, or, this being Canada, probably a committee, came up with the bright idea of lumping them all together into one big United Appeal. Alas, just as the merger of Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists into one big United Church of Canada resulted in four churches instead of the one that was visualized, so too, the United Appeal succeeded in adding one more charity to the long line of solicitors. And over the past few years that list has gotten to be as long as a politician’s promises list.

Dave and the Dragon lady

When I came across her name in the obituary column, I wondered if there would be anyone to say a few kind words about her, but somehow I doubted it. She and I had lived in the same apartment building for a time, where our paths first crossed at a tenants' meeting. The tenant gathering had an almost festive air about it, with everyone enjoying coffee and cookies, until she showed up with the chill of the November evening on her pinched, angry face. The young woman I was chatting with asked me if I knew her. When I answered no, she whispered: "She's an awful bigot, and so vile tempered that we call her the Dragon Lady".

Senior Citizenship

In order to become a Canadian citizen you are required to know a number of basic things about the country you are going to adopt, and rightly so. However, when, and if, your turn comes to take out senior citizenship you will in all probability find yourself a stranger in a strange country without a road map.