Keith Dryden

Progress When one looks at modern agriculture, one wonders where it is going. A farmer reaches retirement age and his offspring have all left the nest so he sells out to his neighbor. His neighbor buys a bigger tractor and an air seeder to handle the expanded acreage. The neighbor now has 3,200 acres or […] Read more

Political logic The bubbling pot of populism is stewing up the theory that politicians are all self-seeking and that government bureaucrats spend their waking hours thinking up ways to create trouble for ordinary taxpayers. This idea isn’t original. Back in the 19th century we had nihilists who threw bombs and threatened public security because they […] Read more

A time waster If you want your information in English press one; if in French press two. If you want to know about arrivals and departures press one. If you want information about what you must do to obtain the information you seek, press two. If you have a touch tone phone press the first […] Read more

Plaguy weather British author Jonathan Swift talked of “plaguy 12-penny weather,” when inclement weather forced a gentleman to hire a horse drawn coach or a covered chair to travel about. We have had plaguy weather on the eastern prairies this spring but I haven’t heard of anyone who rented a coach to get from farm […] Read more

Earphones There is a debate afoot over whether it is appropriate to include prayer in our daily school routine. Some argue that the Christian faction should not be allowed to impose its rites on scholars of non-Christian background. It could be argued that in removing the Lord’s Prayer from opening ceremonies, education administrators are showing […] Read more

Breakfast cereal Hot and cold cereals are being invented and distributed at a befuddling pace. There are three main streams of production, the traditional, the sugared and the granola type. Then there is the sugared granola, the enhanced traditional and the crunchy kind you can give small children to munch on and throw on the […] Read more

The new wave The longer you are in the tooth, the more you become aware of ocean wave-like tendencies of political and economic movements. The wind blows, the wave builds and crashes against the shore. Then the wind falls and the waves subside. Each wave leaves behind a memento of its passing. Communism, fascism, ultra-conservatism […] Read more

Farmer styles My father used to wear bib overalls, high-top work boots and a high-crowned straw hat as he drove his six-horse span pulling a cultivator. Farmer garb has changed dramatically. Now you see denim pants, sports model walking shoes and a tractor cap. As for a work shirt, my father used to wear the […] Read more

Democracy It’s amazing how well democracies are governed considering how little time the average citizen spends on getting informed on the issues and candidates. Only a few electors actually meet the vote-seeker, even a candidate who is diligent with door-knocking. Turnouts at all-candidate meetings are low and rallies of the party faithful are just that. […] Read more

Cost of peace Whatever the upshot of current efforts to seek a lasting peace in the Balkans, it will take years and expenditures of billions of dollars to restore that troubled area. One recalls the book The Mouse That Roared, a tale of a tiny European nation that declared war on the United States. The […] Read more