journal features

familiar Toronto

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 2002.09.02

The city is already starting to feel more familiar. We came down from Huronia quite early to avoid the traffic, and picked up my aunt Laurie for a side-trip to St. Catharines. Laurie's been living in a new place for the first time in twelve years; at a spot just off of the Humber river. In St. Catharines, they visited with an old family friend who's suffered a series of strokes and who is bed-ridden. While they did that, I went for a walk along one of the parks on the lake. Poor St. Kitts; all that lake frontage, and no real beaches.

In the weekend paper, I learned that one of my former coworkers has had a steady column in the Star for a couple of years.

rand()m quote

Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

—Hermann Goering