Category Archives: Culture

(September 21, 1997) At a recent Rotary Clubmeeting, Margaret Anderson was introduced as a woman who formerly “never did anything.” She will tell you herself that she has no medical background, that she hadn’t worked outside the home since 1959, and that in her 60-odd years she has never even volunteered. Continue reading →

(September 21, 1997) In times of social upheaval, demographics take on special importance. No longer do traditional guideposts — age, gender, ethnicity, family background — tell us who we are. Continue reading →

(June 21, 1997) Discussion — During the Great Depression, a popular song, “Brother can you spare a dime?” helped explain why there wasn’t enough work to go around: “Once I built a railroad, made it run / Once I built a tower, now it’s done” conveyed the notion that much of the work that society had to do was done. Continue reading →

(June 21, 1997) “It seemed like a good idea at the time” is the common lament of communities that adopted a few Canada geese in the 1960s to bring picturesque wildlife to their urban jungles. Continue reading →