A bit of religion on display

 

Why this wall carries the image of a crucifix is a puzzle. The building does not appear to have any religious connection other than the image itself. That said, someone has gone to a lot of trouble in order to decorate this wall.

Booze outlet closed after vandalism

A local LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) store in London was closed Monday after a man reportedly took an axe to the displays leaving mounds of broken glass from hundreds of smashed bottles and a floor awash in wine and possibly other alcoholic beverages. The police reported have a suspect in custody. Why the store was attacked remains in question.

COVID forces turkey pick-up outwide

 

The local turkey farm sells thousands of turkeys before Christmas. A day or two later these large birds take centre stage for the annual Christmas dinners at many London homes. This year the picking up of the pre-ordered turkeys was done outside. Why? COVID.

But after so many months of living with the virus, the work-arounds are getting to be almost second nature. The pick up line was long but the wait was possibly shorter than in pre-COVID times. On arrival, one told a person their name, then joined the line waiting to pick up a bird. The line was at least a dozen folk deep, but three people on cash kept the line moving smartly. When one reached the front of the line, the turkey was wait there for pick up.

Merry Christmas!

A second COVID Christmas was celebrated but it was a little light on family and friends. Surely next year the traditional large family gathering will return. There were lots of brightly wrapped gifts under our tree and a somewhat subdued little girl discovered that Saint Nick had come and gone long before mom and sis were up and about. 

Later in the day an aunt and cousin stopped by to exchange gifts. Everyone present was vaccinated, some had had a Rapid Test before joining the small group. Oh well, the group may nave been small but it was a merry gathering nevertheless.

And I do hope that you, too, had a very merry Christmas.

A great neighbourhood once and will be again

 

The east end of London was traditionally where the factories were located and there were lots and lots of those with the accent on were. The factory jobs paid well and the older homes in the neighbourhood reflect the prosperity that once anchored the neighbourhood.

Then the factories left, the east end shopping district emptied and the neighbourhood went into decline. Just seven years ago one of the last big employers in the area, Kelloggs, closed its plant and departed the city.

With housing prices climbing right across Canada, it is a case of a rising tide lifting all boats and the homes in the east end, with their heritage charm, are increasing in value and attracting new, first time home buyers. The area's fortunes may be about to turn around.

Old churchs finding new uses: e.g. as a mosque

 

The Hyatt Mosque and Centre in London, Ontario, in the east end of the city is located in a century old former church building. Talk about good luck. The new owners promise a full restoration of the exterior of the 1907 church to its original elegance. No alterations are planned.

Inside there is a beautiful sanctuary with lots of gorgeous, heritage woodwork. Everything will be preserved and then the restored space will be used for lectures, seminars and gatherings.

After years of neglect, three cheers for the new Muslim owners. What great neighbours these folk are proving to be.

This claim raises serious questions

 I love cities, towns and villages. I truly love investigating what makes an urban area tick, so to speak. I could be wrong but I sincerely believe many of our communities in North America "ticked" better 70 years ago.

In my rather brief lifetime, I have watched entire communities die as the one industry that made the place work packed up its bags and left. All too often it was the call of offshore sirens that were responsible.

The story is always the same: making the widget is cheaper done offshore. The widget factory is closed, production moves offshore and society benefits from the availability of a less expensive products. Well, not every one benefits. The employees, especially the older one, find themselves unemployed, unable to land another job paying a comparable wage. The community suffers from the loss of the business paid by the departed company and other associated losses. The community may even be saddled with the task of finding a new use for the now empty building or for the land it sits upon.

But, it was inevitable, right? This is where my puzzlement comes in.

Some Kamik boots, made in North America with some offshore materials, cost in the neighbourhood of $80. Some Sorel boots made offshore in Vietman also cost in the neighbourhood of $80.

That's right. No difference. If there is a savings it is not being passed on to the customer. And, these boots are just one example of something that I have been noticing for years. The local factory closes, the buy-straight-from-the-factory discount outlet closes, the workers are left to fend for themselves and the local suppliers may also close.

Yet, the price of the product doesn't go down a noticeable amount. In fact, some products go up and go up a lot, when the original factory is closed and production moved offshore. 

I've been known to complain about this, I'll bet you are not surprised. One reason, I've been told, is that it costs more to ship a shirt from China half way around the globe away than to ship it from Toronto, not even two hours distant.

My gut feeling, and it is just that, is that the savings are being hoarded by the company behind the product. If a hedge fund owns the company, my gut feeling is even stronger.

Oh, one last thought: when we last bought winter boots for our youngest granddaughter we noticed that the Kamik, made in North America boots, were about twenty dollars less than what appeared to be comparable boots from Sorel. Offshore production. Humbug!