Ah, the Good Ol’ Days, everything was better back then. After walking on this earth for many years, it is not unusual to wax nostalgic about times of our youth and maybe even recall stories from our grandparents of how things were in their day feeling like we can almost see them.The world was spinning so fast, we replaced the telegraph with telephones, gas lamps in each room were replaced by electric lighting, and we all could listen to a national broadcast on our radios. The milkman had door-to-door delivery and so did the newsboy. Even doctors made house calls.Most importantly, the government in the USA seriously wanted the people to “pursue happiness”, and to make as much money as possible with untaxed income from their side job. Some Americans joined in making sure the government’s goals were an unimaginable hit.I don’t know about you, but I like old mechanical contraptions. I took a steam ferry one time and spent my brief voyage marveling at the cleverness and beauty of that massive engine as it turned the rear paddle wheel. I also like old cars and usually when I am in some new city, I go to its car museum. I particularly like the old cars that had large running boards like the one you see in the movies where men could stand on the outside of the car and have fun playing with Tommy guns. You can’t be afraid of a Tommy gun, “Tommy” is such a cute little name.And then there were the farmers and those living in small communities working their hands to the bone mixing corn mash, water, sugar, and yeast. There were all the nice fellows with the trucks that would pick up the bottled goods and off they would go down the highway with a man riding shotgun, just like the cowboys. They really had that American spirit and created the national organization to make sure everyone could “pursue pleasures” called the Maximum Organization for Beneficence.If you lived in a large city, there were lots of “pleasure” to pursue. The latest music wafts up from some subterranean cavern with that blast of horns and pounding drums. If you knew the code, the door would open, and you could level up. Girls in tight dresses flapping about while dancing and smoking cigarettes, how risqué! You could meet a celebrity, a local politician, or captains of industry. It was all terribly smashing with some fellows from Washington D. C. paying a visit.Hannaford’s “Now the Trudeau Liberals want you to quit drinking”,informs us how nanny Justin wants us all to be teetotaling saints. That is so nice of him, because many Canadians wish to return to the Puritan lifestyle and just need the government to give a little push. Everything worked so well when the Americans tried. Oops, someone did not pay their insurance premium and now parts of their business just flew out the window with a bang. I always like fireworks.Personally, I can’t wait! Just one thing, does anyone know where I can rent a basement with a street level door that has a small sliding wooden window?Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.
Ah, the Good Ol’ Days, everything was better back then. After walking on this earth for many years, it is not unusual to wax nostalgic about times of our youth and maybe even recall stories from our grandparents of how things were in their day feeling like we can almost see them.The world was spinning so fast, we replaced the telegraph with telephones, gas lamps in each room were replaced by electric lighting, and we all could listen to a national broadcast on our radios. The milkman had door-to-door delivery and so did the newsboy. Even doctors made house calls.Most importantly, the government in the USA seriously wanted the people to “pursue happiness”, and to make as much money as possible with untaxed income from their side job. Some Americans joined in making sure the government’s goals were an unimaginable hit.I don’t know about you, but I like old mechanical contraptions. I took a steam ferry one time and spent my brief voyage marveling at the cleverness and beauty of that massive engine as it turned the rear paddle wheel. I also like old cars and usually when I am in some new city, I go to its car museum. I particularly like the old cars that had large running boards like the one you see in the movies where men could stand on the outside of the car and have fun playing with Tommy guns. You can’t be afraid of a Tommy gun, “Tommy” is such a cute little name.And then there were the farmers and those living in small communities working their hands to the bone mixing corn mash, water, sugar, and yeast. There were all the nice fellows with the trucks that would pick up the bottled goods and off they would go down the highway with a man riding shotgun, just like the cowboys. They really had that American spirit and created the national organization to make sure everyone could “pursue pleasures” called the Maximum Organization for Beneficence.If you lived in a large city, there were lots of “pleasure” to pursue. The latest music wafts up from some subterranean cavern with that blast of horns and pounding drums. If you knew the code, the door would open, and you could level up. Girls in tight dresses flapping about while dancing and smoking cigarettes, how risqué! You could meet a celebrity, a local politician, or captains of industry. It was all terribly smashing with some fellows from Washington D. C. paying a visit.Hannaford’s “Now the Trudeau Liberals want you to quit drinking”,informs us how nanny Justin wants us all to be teetotaling saints. That is so nice of him, because many Canadians wish to return to the Puritan lifestyle and just need the government to give a little push. Everything worked so well when the Americans tried. Oops, someone did not pay their insurance premium and now parts of their business just flew out the window with a bang. I always like fireworks.Personally, I can’t wait! Just one thing, does anyone know where I can rent a basement with a street level door that has a small sliding wooden window?Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.
