Open Writing

...Recently, I heard two iconic statements that pinpoint what I am saying. The first was a phone call, in which the caller said, “Oh! I just wanted to leave a message. I didn’t actually want to speak to you.” The other was a response to an announcement that the tolls on a major highway were being automated for those who purchased a transponder. “That’s great,” the person said. “Now we won’t have to interact with the toll collectors!”...

Columnist John Merchant thinks that the trend to seek isolation in American society is increasing.

Continue reading "You Are Not Alone - Even If You Wish To Be" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The auditorium was without embellishment of any sort: just a plain box. The movie began without preamble, except for a couple of cheap, car dealer commercials. The sound was crisp – and deafening. Even a key turning in a lock rattled your eardrums. Within minutes, we knew why we hadn’t been to the movies in years...

Columnist John Merchant is a long way short of being enchanted by the current movie-going ecperience.

Continue reading "The Silver Screen Needs A Polish" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

The way people greet one another has continued to evolve across the world and no culture has more greetings alternatives than the USA, writes columnist John Merchant.

Continue reading "Greetings" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"I’ve long ago come to terms with the US dining milieu, but oh how I long for a leisurely, five course dinner, served expertly by a knowledgeable, European trained waiter, in a quiet, sumptuously decorated restaurant with soft acoustics,'' writes John Merchant in this tasty guide to dining out in the USA.

Continue reading "Dinner In The Diner? Nothing Could Be Finer?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Our immediate tasks are first to observe, and to get our charges used to the idea that we can do anything we choose, despite their efforts to, as they put it “Cat proof the house.” Such an offensive idea...

The cats are taking over in John Merchant's household. (I wonder if John and his wife realise that this message has been smuggled out to a worldwide audience by devious Won means? - Ed.)

Continue reading "Cats From Space" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"Normally speaking, lexicographers are able to trace the origins of an expression or word and come up with a reasoned and credible explanation, but not in this case. Boxing Day defies rational explanation...'' writes columnist John Merchant.

Continue reading "Where Oh Where Did My Boxing Day Go - Or Come From?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...As a whole, the US is a country where everything conspires to keep people apart – politics, race, religion, economics, two career marriages, the TV fetish and modern communications...

Columnist John Merchant hopes that a wireless link is not the only way that US citizens stay connected.

Continue reading "Concrete Doth Not A Village Make" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Cats are notorious for their short attention spans, but one thing ours never tire of is being petted. Nikkei and Ling Ling, like most cats, have ways of letting us know what gives them pleasure. This includes purring, rolling over on their backs so we can rub their bellies, and pushing their heads into our cupped hands...

John Merchant continues his engaging account of having two young four-legged boys in the family.

To read earlier articles about the cats - along with many more columns by John - please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Growing Up Siamese" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"The elderly are probably less revered in the USA than anywhere else on earth,'' declares columnist John Merchant.

Continue reading "What's It Like Being Old Grandpa?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:02 PM | Permalink

"For millions of people in the US, the best and only Christmas gift they would hope for is a job,'' writes social commentator John Merchant in this chilliest of economic seasons.

Continue reading "Christmas Through The Looking Glass" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Much has been said about the therapeutic value of having a pet, and though I was happy for the people who felt they were benefitting, I personally had never experienced it. I guess I was too busy, or plain just not around enough...

John Merchant and his wife are finding that their lives are being profoundly affected by two young cats.

Continue reading "Cats |In The House" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"It would be comforting to think that all scientists are ethical, honorable, selfless individuals, and of course, many are. But it’s naïve to think that science is driven purely by the need to explain and demystify the arcane and obscure, inner world of nature. In reality, research is often motivated by less noble objectives like greed and personal aggrandizement,'' writes columnist John Merchant.

Continue reading "Science Marches On - No Matter What" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...To the winter visitors, what they see and experience probably is what they think Florida is like year round – certainly I did before I became a resident. But subtle though they may be, Florida has its winter characteristics, in addition to the weather. Many birds that spend the summer in the northern states and Canada, return in the winter...

John Merchant thinks of snowy days as he heads for the piil.

Continue reading "Florida Has Winter Too" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...But just as it seemed the daily diet of bloodshed, violence and mayhem might be replaced by less troubling images, the reader now is treated to uprisings, protests, police and military reprisals, brought to them by the media and a host of amateurs with cell phone cameras...

John Merchant, disturbed by current social trends, confesses: "I’m shamefaced to admit that lately I have been considering the purchase of a hand gun for self-protection.''

Continue reading "Voting With Violence" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"Democracy is a fine ideal, but it’s not a one size fits all way to govern. It may never be the right solution for some cultures,'' declares columnist John Merchant as he contemplates the revolutionary changes sweeping through the Middle East.

Continue reading "The Middle £ast - A Problem And A Puzzle" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Though they had grown since we’d last seen them, they still seemed tiny and defenseless. Tiny they unquestionably were, but far from defenseless, as we would later discover...

John Merchant and his wife are getting to know the newcomers in their home, Siamese kittens Ling Ling and Nikkei

Continue reading "Cats En-Suite" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...As time has passed, the capability of computers has increased exponentially, but my demands on it only fractionally, even though the computer is an essential, even integral part of my daily life...

John Merchant brings a vital report from the Microsoft-Apple battle front.

Continue reading "You Say MC, I Say PC" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My experience of cat breeders has been that they were invariably women in their middle to late years, of somewhat neglected appearance, and fiercely protective of their litters and the parents who produced them....

John Merchant and his wife are on the eve of again becoming cat owners.

Continue reading "Hooray For The Katzenjammer Twins" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...It seems that every year, the tunes, I can’t bring myself to call them melodies, become literally more monotonous; the words fewer and increasingly meaningless; and the performances more extreme. In the face of falling album sales, the recording companies’ executives seem blind and deaf to the problem....

John Merchant is aghast at the abysmal state of current pop "music''.

Continue reading "The Song Is Eeue!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:14 PM | Permalink

“There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.”

“If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.”

And life-long tea lover John Merchant heartily subscribes to those sentiments.

Continue reading "A Nice Cup Of Tea" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Do beefed up security measures necessary mean that terrorist are dissuaded from planning death and destruction? I think not. Islamic extremists have never been rational thinkers, nor are they afraid of the consequences of failure.

The media might better ask citizens if they feel more secure about losing their homes or lives to a natural disaster...

John Merchant directs his thoughts to Americans in need on what has become a day of national mourning in the US.

Continue reading "Looking Inward In September 11" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My wife and I have been “providers” for cats, separately and together for years, but have abstained for the past 20 years, after our last cat died, because our peripatetic lifestyle wasn’t, we considered, in the best interests of these furry little critters. I use the word “providers” because you don’t own a cat, or have a cat, it owns and has you...

John Merchant and his wife will soon be soon be owned by a pair of four-legged males.

Continue reading "The Pitter Patter Of Tiny Feet" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:02 PM | Permalink

...The most obvious signs of creative thinking are in the malls, large and small, which are tapping into the very active Florida art scene. One small, up-scale mall offered seven empty stores to the Bonita Springs Art Center as working studios. In return for being present in the studio, and agreeing to discuss their art with visitors, the artists receive a free and very elegant workspace, and exposure to shoppers...

John Merchant tells of a novel and imaginative way of fighting back in tough economic times.

Continue reading "Art To The Rescue" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Interstate 81 took us through some of the most spectacular beauty I have experienced in America. The highway rose and fell before us, lined by foothills with apple green, upland grazing land that contrasted the dark green of the stands of trees. Behind them, tall mountains rose; some shaped like conical volcanoes, other rounded by the elements and the millennia that have passed since they were thrust up from the earth’s crust...

John Merchant falls in love with the State of Virginia.

Continue reading "Virginia Is For Lovers - And For Me" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The trip was sweetened by the expectation of staying in our friends’ beautiful house, set in the Connecticut woods, and by other friends’ promise of clamming on the Rhode Island shore. Just the very word “clamming” evokes a New England that, without realizing, we had missed. Just the very idea of obtaining food without expending anything but energy is appealing...

John Merchant and his wife pay a return visit to New England, their to acquire a memory to store in their special box of experiences.

Continue reading "You Can Go Back" »

Written by John Merchaant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"I believe that ordinary folk would like to feel that the best interests of their nation are being competently managed; that its resources are being used wisely, and that its fiscal policies are in responsible, trustworthy hands. Also that, as citizens, their safety is in good hands. In the USA, this is clearly not the case..'' writes John Merchant in this bleak assessment of the current state of the American body politic.

Continue reading "Government Of Some People, By Some People" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...We can’t recall how it began, but over the months, we developed ridiculous stories that we composed on our walk. Central to one story was the Cramping family of circus performers. Momma and Dad were trapeze artists, and Bobo, their daughter, performed a parasol dance on the slack wire. Grandma Cramping cramped. Each week we put together a new episode...

Columnist John Merchant tells of lakeside weekends that soothed the knots out of life and helped to build the foundations of a wonderful marriage.

Continue reading "Trapped In The Sargasso Sea Of Life" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"My wife and I are just about halfway through our first “year-round” Florida experience. Until last year we had summered on our boat in Connecticut, but then we sold the boat and committed to being year round residents. So far it’s been better than just tolerable, though we have August ahead of us,'' writes John Merchant.

Continue reading "Now Is The Summer Of Our Content" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 11:56 AM | Permalink

"When it comes to examples of barefaced lying on the world’s stage, America takes the biscuit. Richard Nixon’s Watergate era, “I am not a crook,” and Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sex with that woman,” will forever echo in the halls of duplicity,'' writes John Merchant.

John thinks that In the global arena we are confronted by massive untruths everyday, some of them so consequential it’s frightening.

Continue reading "Lies, Damned Lies, And Statistics" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...With the throttle wide open, the boat does around 45mph, which doesn’t sound fast, but it’s damned fast if you’re used to sailing, or even motoring at only 6 to 8mph...

Veteran sailor John Merchant has gone over to the enemy. He now scoots around in a power boat.

Continue reading "The Power Behind The Boat" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 11:02 AM | Permalink

...After a few perfunctory questions, the nurse swept out, saying over her shoulder, “Doctor will be in soon.” How can she sleep at night, I thought, after telling bare-faced lies all day, everyday. “Soon” is such an infinitely elastic term....

John Merchant contends with the anxious boredom of waiting, and waiting, before submitting to the surgeon's knife.

Continue reading "Trial By Waiting Room" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"All the men in my mother’s family were employed in steel making, and almost anyone I knew set great store by knife blades that could take a good edge when sharpened, and keep it. Every man carried a pocketknife, and many shaved with an open blade, “Cut throat” razor, which was lovingly sharpened on a leather strop. Knives were given as gifts that required the receiver to render a coin to the giver so as not to cut the friendship,'' writes columnist John Merchant.

For more of John's lively columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Having The Edge Is Important" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"Female medical doctors now outnumber male medics in the US, and so do female applicants to universities. In almost every field of endeavor in the USA, women are gaining the ascendancy, and men are letting it happen, perhaps because they, at long last, understand that women are an entity unto themselves,'' declares columnist John Merchant.

To read more of John's relevant and entertaining columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Why Can't A Woman Be Like A Man?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Columnist John Merchant says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which despite its name includes a majority of civilians, cannot accept that Mother Nature will generally have the last say.

"They never met a river they didn’t think they could improve. Probably their most grievous failure is the Mississippi and Delta levee system that was designed to protect farming communities and cities like New Orleans, and failed miserably, most recently during Hurricane Katrina, and to a lesser extent in the spring floods of 2011.''

Continue reading "Tinkering With Nature On A Massive Scale" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:02 PM | Permalink

"In adulthood, all my days were clearly defined, so it was rare for me to ask what day it was.'' writes John Merchant, going to confess, that even though he is now retired, Sundays are once again his bête noir.

To read more of John's superb columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Today's Monday - Or Is It?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...But like any American citizen my age, things have started to grow on my skin. So recently, like it or not, dermatology has come into my life. A surgeon friend of mine said that if he had his time over again, he would become a dermatologist. As he put it, no emergencies, no weekends, and a range of conditions that never get completely cured...

Having had dealings with three dermatologists columnist John Merchant now has a date with a scalpel.

To read more of John's columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "By The Skinny Skin-Skin Of My Chinny-Chin-Chin" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Animated neighbors, who have scarcely exchanged a word for the past few months can be heard over the hedge, bringing each other up to date on family news. Pretty soon, plant nurseries that were devoid of any kind of flora will burst at the seams with Impatiens, Petunias, Geraniums, Begonias and Roses...

John Merchant, who was raised in England's bleaker northern climes, warms to the idea of summer in Florida.

For more of John's stimulating columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Summer Time, When The Living Is Easy" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"In these pragmatic times, one would think people would be immune to allegory, and it would be rational to suppose that symbolism had no place,'' says columnist John Merchant.

"Two very different events this past two weeks have given the lie to that supposition. The first, the grand and joyous wedding of handsome Prince William and his winsome Princess Kate; the second, the dark and gloomy assassination of Osama bin Laden.''

John's views on both events are relevant, trenchant and civilised.

Do read on...

Continue reading "Symbolism - How Powerful Is It?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"All in all, it’s one thing when a government has to protect its educated citizenry from self-destructive habits like smoking, drug use and reckless driving, but it’s a sad state of affairs when taxpayer money has to be spent to ensure people feed themselves responsibly,'' says John Merchant who is appalled by an increasing dependence in the USA on quick fix energy boosters raqther than well-balanced nutritional meals.

For more of John's tell-it-as-it-is columns on life in America please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "All You Can Eat - But Not Food Of Course" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The array of people ranged from toddlers to stooped and rheumy oldsters. Many folk, despite repeated warnings about skin cancer, lay roasting their bodies to a coffee brown, or flame red. If there were any dermatologists present, I imagine they were comforted to know that their future prosperity was assured...

John Merchant takes a stroll along a Florida beach to bring us word pictures more vivid than any camera image.

To read more of John's superb words please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Watchin' All The Girls - And The Guys Go By" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:02 PM | Permalink

Creating a garden is like writing, or painting, says John Merchant. "You start with a blank page or canvas, and this can be intimidating on such a large scale.''

To read more of John's enthusiastic columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "My Gardens - My Life" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

“My impression is that all the major world-religions are under assault, both from the inside and from external forces, and I’m led to wondering where this might lead,’’ writes John Merchant in this column which demands attention from believers and non-believers in a deity.

For more of John's thoughtful and entertaining words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site.
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "The End Of Religion Is Nigh?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My mother cooked for the six of us in that small space. She cooked meals, baked bread twice a week, made pies, cakes, confectionary, jams, desserts, lemonade, ginger beer, and did the family laundry. She pickled eggs for the winter, pickled onions and herring, plucked and drew chickens, and skinned rabbits. She cooked and pressed ox tongue, arranged flowers from her garden, and polished her silverware....

John Merchant's recollections imply that the cook is the most important factor in good eating - not the kitchen.

For more of John's flavoursome columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Everything And The Kitchen Sink" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...As of 2008, there are 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States, many of which have chosen not to become involved in the business of gambling. There are some 400 Indian gaming establishments operated by approximately 220 federally-recognized tribes.

These establishments are often a far cry from the seedy, glittery undertakings one might imagine. The Foxwoods Resort Casino is the second largest casino in the world...

Columnist John Merchant suggests that the ownership of thriving casinos by Native Americans does by and large bring a happy ending to a painful history, and unlike other centers of gambling such as Atlantic City and Las Vegas, the profits actually do benefit their locales and the tribes.

For more of John's keen insights into life in the USA please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Got Reservations? You Bet." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Once a prospect is spotted, the laser goes down a list. Some hair – check. Acceptably small pot belly – check. Gucci trouser belt – check. Bally loafers – check. No stoop – check. Within the age range 45 to 85 – check. Once the scan is completed, the print-out instructs either to “Go for it!” or “Resume search – drinks too much, and has hearing problem” or some other caution...

Watch out gents! John Merchant informs us that predatory females are on the prowl in Florida.

For more of John's revalatory columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Florida's Predatory Females" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My wife’s aunt who is in her eighties, and has not had preventive treatment for years, recently needed an extraction and antibiotic treatment for an infected tooth. In the process, the examination revealed several other problems that needed attention, with an estimated cost of $10,000! Now that’s a lot of toothache...

John Merchant reveals that dental care in America can bring an ache to a patient's wallet.

To read more of John's invariably entertaining and informative columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Smile Though Your Bank Is Breaking" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...It is one of the ugliest dialects you could possibly encounter, and all but incomprehensible to any but the speakers, with the possible exception of Chaucer, and linguistic scholar Frank Shaw, who wrote the books “Learn Yourself Scouse” and “Talk Strine,” about the speech patterns of Liverpool and Australia respectively...

John Merchant is no lover of the dialect prevalent in the industrial part of Yorkshire in which he grew up.

To read more of John's superb columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Wot Worrit Eesed?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...It’s not too many years ago that American tourists returning from a visit to the UK, told horror stories of seeing dogs in pubs and restaurants. Well, no more. Americans have become “doggy” people. Like just about any new trend in the US, people have gone overboard with their desire to own a canine or two - or three...

John Merchant brings news that America has gone dog mad - and the US canines are living the life of Riley!

To read more of John's sparkling columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "America's Gone To The Dogs" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"My own position is that religious belief is a very personal matter that should be kept to one’s self, and should not be proselytized, or used to wield power,'' declares John Merchant, pointing out that the body politic in the United States "oozes religiosity''.

For more of John's well-informed and very readable columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant
And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Church And State - Religion And Politics" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Back in the days when the traffic signs painted on roads were hand done, all manner of typos appeared, to the delight of local newspaper photographers. Having done some sign painting myself, I know how easily mistakes can occur, especially when you can’t stand back to look at your work. Two favorites that have stuck with me are “YIEDL” at a merge point and “WOSL” at an intersection...

Ace columnnist John Merchant offers us another delicious read.

For more of his columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Give Us A Sign" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...over the latter half of my life, the likelihood of a future Utopia has become as unrealistic as I guess it always was. Utopia apparently can only exist in the minds of philosophers and mystics...

John Merchant takes a sombre look at the world and its ways.

To read more of John's penetrating columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Whatever Happened To Utopia" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Clearly, the passage of time, and the changes in weaponry and social mores indicate that a revision in the Second Amendment is overdue. It is also apparent that the “keeping to ourselves” social attitude that pervades modern American society needs to be reconsidered...

In the aftermath of the shooting on January 8, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona, where nineteen people including politician Gabrielle Giffords were injured, six of them fatally, John Merchant brings the oh-so-necessary words of calm common sense.

To read more of John's well-reasoned columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Another Day, Another Massacre" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Cars have become so uniform that they’re now almost indistinguishable, writes John Merchant. "Computer color matching has made matters worse. Whether they are Fords, Chryslers, BMW’s or Mercedes or Nissans, they all look like the generic car.''

No suprise then that we are continually "losing'' the wretched things in supermarket car parks.

To read more of John's right-on-the button columnsd please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Have You Seen My Car? It’s Red With Four Wheels" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The Everglades National Park, covering 2,357 sq. miles, established in 1947, is located in the southwestern area of the wilderness. It is the largest subtropical wilderness left in the continental U.S. Interstate highway 75, which runs from the Canadian border to Miami, Florida, crosses through the Everglades in a section popularly known as “Alligator Alley,” for good reason. If you get a puncture there, keep driving...

John Merchant hopes that an estimated 50,000 pythons will deter builders eager to drain the Everglades.

More of John's royaly entertaining columns can be read by clicking on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "There's A Python At The Bottom Of My Garden!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says that in the past 10 years he has noticed gradual changes in American greeting rituals.

"Now, more people hug and even kiss, whether they be women or men, but not on first acquaintance. I’ve been trying to figure out the protocol, but haven’t yet been able to clarify for myself at what point in a relationship one should stop shaking hands and start hugging and kissing.''

To read more of John's best-you-can-find-on-the-Net columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Hi, How Are You?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant, accustomed to on-line buying with a credit card, says the the $75 or so which he carries in his wallet lasts for weeks.

"When I charge something to my credit card, almost immediately it appears on the statement page on my computer, but not the credit for a return.''

To read more of John's perceptive columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Cyber Man - Faster Than A Speeding Bullet!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...I was raised in a self-medicating family, at a time when going to the doctor placed an avoidable strain on a tight household budget...

Not surprising then that John Merchant should have put up such a long a successful fight against becoming a popper of prescrbed pills.

To read more of John's top-of-the-league columns please visit
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Doctor At Bay" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Counter to WikiLeaks’s behavior, we would do well to review the reporting of journalists Woodward and Bernstein of the Washington Post, when they investigated the Watergate affair. Ben Bradlee, the Washington Post’s Executive Editor at the time, insisted on stringent source checking and verification before publishing any of their columns, even though that risked losing the all-important scoop that eventually brought down the Nixon administration. Now that’s responsible journalism!

At a time when there is so much global instability, diplomatic relations are fragile, but never more essential. If diplomats, heads of governments and senior government officials cannot communicate freely without fear of disclosure, an dimension of international relations will be lost...

John Merchant's clear thinking on the Wikileaks controversy leads to the conclusion that it is definitely not always right to "publish and be damned'' - particularly when the "publisher'' is not a trained and experienced investigative journalist.

Continue reading "Publish And Be Damned - Or Not?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The population of the USA has long been unable to do anything without the accompaniment of music – all kinds of music. It blasts out at you when you’re in your car, waiting at a light. Your neighbor plays it while he’s barbecuing. It floats or vibrates from every open window, pops out of greeting cards and oozes out of the earphone that doesn’t quite fit in the ear of your fellow passenger on the bus, the train and the airplane...

And John Merchant, in a Grinchy mood, is far from enchanted by the Christmas music whis is currently blasting, floating, vibrating, popping and oozing into his ears as the USA goes Christmas mad.

Continue reading ""It's The Holiday Season And Santa Claus Is Coming Back...''" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...In the part of Florida with which I’m familiar, the 130 mile coastal strip from Tampa in the north to Naples in the south, art in all its forms abounds. There’s a surfeit of two and three dimensional work in just about any media you can imagine – oils, water color, acrylic, stone, clay, glass, fibers, textiles, and on, and on. Binding all this together are a multitude of art leagues, associations, alliances and craft guilds...

John Merchant offers reasons for Florida's cornucopic art scene.

To read more of John's entertaining and informative columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant
John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "The Art Whirl" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The first Christmas we spent in Florida, we made a decision not to perpetuate the traditions we had held to in the North. Holly and Ivy and Mistletoe, turkey and Christmas pudding just didn’t appeal in a sub-tropical setting. So we settled on something more Middle Eastern – rack of lamb, couscous and rice, with grapes and cheese for dessert...

Temperatures in Florida usually dip into the 70s in Decemmber, says John Merchant - "and we call that chilly''.

Continue reading "Christmas Among The Palms" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Throughout the voluntary and prescribed callisthenic phases, over several years until the present, I have never felt the experience was anything other than totally boring, and look forward to each session with about the same enthusiasm as a visit to the dentist...

John Merchant is no gym enthusiast, though he has become an acute observer of those who sweat and toil on those infernal exercise machines.

John's American Pie columns have provided a weekly reading treat for the past seven years for the many thousands of visitors to Open Writing. To catch up on columns you may have missed please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant
And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Singing The Gymnasium Blues" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant reports that the most optimistic forecast for a return to a “normal” economy in Florida is 5 years, and many local forecasters are predicting 10 years to never.

"There are good reasons for the pessimism. Retirees from the US north, the backbone of real estate expansion in the State, now have to work longer, and the days of retiring with a generous pension and a sizable nest egg are over for many people.''

For more of John's on-the-spot clear-thinking accounts of life in today's America please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Florida, A State In Economic Limbo" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...When Sandra and I gave up sailing last August, we planned to dust off our little power boat that had lain neglected for the past 6 years, and take up fishing. Putting our plan into action turned out to be more involved and demanding than we had anticipated...

After attending a "Salt Water Fishing Class'' John Merchant and his wife Sandra have yet to test their piscatorial abilities.

Continue reading "Thou Shalt Have A Fishy On A Little Dishy..." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Columnist John Merchant contrasts the public statements and the remedial actions taken in the two events which have dominated world news this year - the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the mine collapse in Chile.

To read more of John's engaging and informative columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "It Ain't What You Do, It's The..." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...I think that many kids of my age, including myself, never developed an enthusiasm for celebratory pyrotechnics such as exists today, and I don’t recall ever marking Guy Fawkes’ night with a bonfire after VE Day. We’d seen destruction by fire on a scale seldom experienced, and had an intimate knowledge of the power of explosives...

Because of war time memories of flames and destruction John Merchant is still disquieted by explosive celebrations.

There's a wealthy of reading pleasure in the dozens of columns written by John for Open Writing. Click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Things That Go Bump In The Night" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...When I drive the 126 miles from my home on the west coast to Palm Beach on the Atlantic shore, 90% of the journey is through orange groves and vast fields of sugar cane. The groves are so large that the harvesting foremen track their position with GPS systems...

Millions of dollars worth of fruit and vegetables are grown in Florida. So why then, John Merchant wonders, do local supermarkets stock fruit and veg imported from South America and Africa?

Continue reading "Africa And Chile Are Local?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 11:58 AM | Permalink

...At the peak of my air travel, airlines were competing for business class travelers, and I was fortunate enough to be able to fly that class. Sometimes their efforts to spoil business class passengers went just a little too far...

But columnist John Merchant is no longer eager to jet around the world. "Nowadays I’m reluctant to fly, and when I have to, cringe at the prospect.''

To read more of John's entertaining and informative columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "You Want To Fly In Comfort To Where?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...No more the challenge of pitting my wits against nature that only a sailboat, or perhaps a glider can provide. No more rocking gently at anchor as the sun sets and the stars take over the sky...

John Merchant settles into a life which no longer includes his beloved sailboat, Yorkshire Lass.

To read of John's time with Yorkshire Lass, along with many more of his illuminating columns, please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass - Postcript" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Back a few years, when you took your vehicle into the repair shop with a problem that you could describe accurately, a light of recognition would shine in the mechanic’s eyes, and he would immediately proffer an explanation and a plan to fix it.
Not so these days. My carefully worded account of the problem was met with stony faced indifference, and the tight-lipped response that their computer diagnostic system would decide what was wrong and what to do to put it right...

Ah, but will the mechanic be able to understand the computer's diagnosis?

John Merchant tells a tale to disturb car owners.

To read more of John's top-drawer columns visit
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Also visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Hal Is Alive And Well And Living In A Car Repair Shop" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...In my mind, there is something amiss with passionate, overt glorification of an entity as complex as a nation, especially a nation as diverse and as large as America...

John Merchant takes a cool look at the "my country right or wrong'' sentiments in the USA.

To read more of John's thoughtful columns please visit
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And also visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Patriotism Is A Word I Seldom Use" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…On the appointed day, the boat was hauled onto dry land to give the surveyor access to the bottom, the propeller and the rudder. The gentleman in question turned out to be a rather taciturn, grizzled man who was plainly not vulnerable to any distraction we might try to throw in his path. Equipped with a small hammer and an array of instruments, he proceeded to go over the hull inch by inch. Tap–tap, pause, tap-tap, refer to instruments, tap-tap, make notes, tap-tap. Sandra and I huddled together a discrete distance away, but close enough so we could attempt to read from his facial expressions any clues as to what he might be finding, but without success…

With feelings of regret, tempered by relief, John Merchant sells his beloved boat Yorkshire Lass.

John brings to a close his series of articles on the days he spent with the Lass.

To read earlier articles in the series and more of John’s columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Also visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass – Part VII – Finis" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Do I worry about the recent incident? Not too much. Will I seek medical help? Not unless I experience a recurrence. I figure that going to the doctor with a condition that is no longer evident is like taking your car to a repair shop after the mysterious noise has stopped...

John Merchant tells of a recent disturbing experience when he was unaware of what he had been doing during the past three hours.

Continue reading "A Trip Into Oblivion" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The following day we set sail for Duck Island where we had spent a night on the outbound leg. The day was blessedly clear, with a fresh breeze that pushed us along in fine style, and we made good time to the Island, allowing us the luxury of an afternoon nap in the cockpit. Our luck must finally have turned. Later, in my half-dozing state, I observed that Yorkshire Lass was pointing in a different direction to the other boats in the anchorage.

That’s strange, I thought dreamily. Then suddenly I was wide awake, my heart pounding...

John Merchant, with the salty tang of adventure in every paragraph, concludes his account of a cruise from hell.

To read more of John's brilliant columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass Part VI" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...She describes him as obsessive-compulsive and a chronic complainer. If that were not enough, in the lady’s opinion he is also mildly retarded and has a learning disability. She claims, understandably, that these limitations place an unfair load on her shoulders when it comes to handling the household affairs. And there’s more!...

Ace columnist John Merchant has been Googled into a "Dear Abby'' role.

Continue reading "Where Is "Dear Abby'' When You Need Her?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...As we entered Noank harbor, I inadvertently sailed over the anchor line of a resident’s boat, which became entangled with my rudder. At the end of a tiring day, and within yards of our slip for the night, initially it seemed to be a major problem that would take time and money to solve. But a guardian angel in the form of an amateur scuba diver, who happened to be living on his boat nearby, happily volunteered to untangle the line. This was the first of a series of incidents that would eventually result in us dubbing the trip, “The cruise from hell!”...

John Merchant, continuing his account of a love affair with a sailboat, tells of a cargo of trouble encountered while cruising to Edgartown on Martha's Vinyard.

To read the first four parts of this story and lots more articles by ace columnist John please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass - Part V" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

...There’s something about house hunting that brings out the quirkiness in people, and there’s no telling how they will react when spending several thousand dollars...

John Merchant's accounts of buying and selling houses and boats provide ample evidence that logic is often absent from the proceedings.

To read more of John's nonpareil columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit ohn's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Let The Seller Beware" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Like many boats of similar design, Yorkshire Lass does not back well, and requires boat-handling skills that I didn’t possess at the time. Sure enough, the breeze caught us, swinging the bow around, setting us up for a collision with an adjacent, very expensive looking yacht. Unfortunately, my instincts took over, and I reached out my right arm between our stern rails to fend off, which is a real no-no in boating. My action prevented a collision, but resulted in my wrist being caught in a scissor action between our rail and the other boat’s. Stainless steel being tougher than bone, my wrist lost the battle…

Not every day yielded plain sailing for John Merchant in his treasured boat, Yorkshire Lass.

To read earlier episodes of John’s engaging and entertaining account of his love affair with Yorkshire Lass please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass – Part IV" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"Almost daily I’m brought up short by an encounter with something that has clearly passed me by. Such an event occurred today,'' writes John Merchant, proceeding to tell us with great gusto of his discovery of Illy Bandz and Singing Balloons.

To read more of John's hugely entertaining columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Illy Bandz And Singing Balloons!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...In bright sunshine and a stiff breeze, we fairly flew eastwards along the north shore of Long Island towards Port Jefferson. Florence was in her element. Her only complaint was “Why can’t we go faster?”...

John Merchant continues his account of his love affair and first cruise iun his boat Yorkshire Lass.

Part II found him in Manhasset harbor after surviving the trip around the Battery, up the East River and through the dreaded Hell Gate.

Now read on...

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass - Part III" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Given that reserves of fossil fuels are finite, coupled with the problem of the atmospheric pollution they create, it is clear that a rational, viable alternative must be adopted. The elephant in the corner in all of the searching is nuclear power generation...

John Merchant thinks that a safe storage place for nuclear waste can be found, finding it ironic that "US citizens are more willing to vote money for projects to determine how much water there is on the moon, and whether Mars ever supported life, than they are to finance the development of plentiful and affordable electric power that could beneficially influence the quality of life on earth for everyone.''

To read more of John's invariably thoughtful and entertaining columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Nuclear Power - The Elephant In The Corner" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

…Exhausted from the long day, the excitement, and our battle with the bugs, we were soon ready to climb into our berth in the bow of the Boat. We fell asleep immediately, but were awakened at midnight by intense flashes of lightening, crashing thunder and a howling gale. After about fifteen minutes it was clear that our anchor wasn’t holding, and we were in danger of being swept into the Liberty Island sea wall…

John Merchant continues his vividly entertaining story of a 22-year love affair with a sailboat. The story takes up where Part I left us, watching as the sunset, reflected in the glass-clad skyscrapers of Manhattan, slowly gave way to the bright lights and neon signs of the City.

Part III will appear in Open Writing on July 28.

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass – Part II" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Then I heard the bad news I had been anticipating for a while; PC’s are likely to be superseded in large part by hand-held devices: cell phones, notepads, Blackberries and the like. This is not to say that PC’s will disappear, just that picking one up from a local retailer will not be easy, or perhaps even possible...

John Merchant, no technophobe he, is concerned at the develoipments in communications technology.

To read more of John's unmissable columns plesase click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "The Whole World In Your Hand?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...At the time she was just a number in the Catalina Sailboat company’s production schedule, in Los Angeles, California. Once built, she was trucked 2,500 miles over the Rocky Mountains, to White’s Marina in the hamlet of New Hamburg, New York, on the east shore of the Hudson River. The sand- covered deck bore testament to the desert winds she had passed through. We were so happy to see her, the first boat my wife Sandra and I had owned together...

John Merchant begins an gloriously enjoyable account of a 22-year-old love affair with a sailboat.

The next episxde of John's adventures under sail will appear in Open Writing on July 14.

He will be back next Wednesday with his regular column which has been bringing pleasure to Open Writing readers for the past six years.

All of hos columns can be read by clicking on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Yorkshire Lass - Part I" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Somewhere deep in my psyche is a closet vegetarian waiting to get out. Fruit and vegetables constitute a large proportion of what I eat. When presented with a plate of food, invariably the first mouthful I take is from the vegetables or salad, and desert is frequently fruit. Nevertheless, I relish meat of all kinds...

John Merchant serves up a seriously tasty column.

To read the column which John refers to in the first sentence of this article, along with lots more of his entertaining and informative words, please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Do I Know What I Eat?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:02 PM | Permalink

...Today, local TV stations in the US invest considerable amounts of money and energy to ensure that their viewers come as near to “living” the news as technology allows. So if you are of a mind, you can witness the deep distress of miner’s wives as they are told their husbands did not survive an accident, or the shocked faces of students as they file from their institution after a mass shooting...

John Merchant deplores the minute-by-minute TV coverage of news as it happens - including that being devoted to the current oil pollution crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.

Continue reading "Do You Really Want To Be There?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Then there are the restless volcanoes around the world, disintegrating ice caps, massive forest fires in the US and Australia, unprecedented flooding in many countries, devastating tornadoes, hurricanes and droughts. On the human level, anywhere you look there is war, starvation, oppression, genocide, terrorism, new plagues, and the resurgence of old ones like tuberculosis...

John Merchant thinks that life is now more more unpredictable than it has been for most of his years.

Thankfully the one thing that is predictable is the quality of John's writing. To enjoy more of his columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "The Only Constant Is Change" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Selling a boat is, for some people, including ourselves, a bittersweet experience. There is a saying amongst boating people that parting with your boat is the saddest and happiest day of your life. We have owned Yorkshire Lass for 22 years, a period of time that brackets a wealth of events, some momentous, both on the water and off…

As he heads north to spend another summer afloat John Merchant gives serious thought to concluding his days as a boat owner.

To read more of John’s fresh-as-a-sailor’s-breeze columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "The End Of An Era?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:02 PM | Permalink

…The few farmers I have known personally are not a sentimental bunch. In response one time to my remark that I miss seeing cattle in the fields, one of them responded laconically that though I may care, the cows don’t…

John Merchant, providing disturbing facts about how Agribusiness produces what appears on our plates, asks “In the knowledge that livestock and crops are so adulterated by chemical food additives, genetic modification, pesticides, inhumane rearing and slaughtering, what is a concerned consumer to do?’’

More of John’s columns can be found at
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Do You Know What You Are Eating?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…I’m probably the only person in the world who watches the little download window until the software is safe in my computer, despite the improvements brought about by broadband Internet connections. Whilst the speed has increased dramatically, the files have become larger, and bandwidth has been absorbed by increased usage…

John Merchant confesses that closely monitoring the downloading of new software into his computer has become a compulsive habit.

For more of John’s superb columns which are compulsively readable please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Software From The Skies" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

...America, being the vast country it is, tends to engender tourism. You could travel the highways and byways for a lifetime and never have to make the same journey twice. If you’re a community seeking to boost the local economy with tourist dollars, the trick is to find a way to attract the sightseers and keep them in town...

John Merchant tells of some ofr the ideas which towns have employed to persuade travellers to tarry a while - from halls of fame to strawberry festivals.

To read more of John's sparkling columns please visit http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Don't Have A Tourist Attraction? Create One" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Life in the US for immigrants has never been easy, and has proved to be the undoing of many aspirants. America loves winners, and can be a hard taskmaster to those who stumble...

John Merchant, himself a migrant, tells of the travails of some would-be American citizens.

To read more of John's columns, all possessing the rare combination of being both entertaining and informative, please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Immigration Woes" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…For reasons I cannot explain, obtaining reliable help in Florida is far more difficult, in my experience, than any other state I have lived in. At the height of the real estate boom, getting anything done was impossible. Some businesses flatly refused even to accept orders…

John Merchant, tormented by devious and inept tradesmen, is now far cannier when setting on someone to carry out work around his house.

For more of John’s columns which paint a true picture of life in the USA, please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Do visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "In Florida It’s Manana, Or Never" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…It was about that time that I started to detect a change in the attitude of computers, which seemed to become less and less friendly with each iteration of the Windows operating system. In some way they seemed to reflect more the geeky and humorless personality of their creator, Bill Gates…

Reviewing his five-decade link with computers, a frustrated John Merchant suggests that PCs are preparing us for our ultimate fate as the slaves of robots.

To read more of John’s brilliant columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit John's Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Computers, Masters Or Slaves?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...When people come to live or vacation in Florida, they expect to see Palm trees, even though most varieties aren’t native to the state, any more than are Pink Flamingoes, Jacaranda trees and Poinciana. But they all go well with the Italianate and Spanish architecture so popular with designers and home builders in the southern half of the state. In truth, visually, the native flora are not especially appealing...

John Merchant points out that Palm trees have become a thriving commerical crop. The desire for Palms is spreading across America.

To read more of John's extra-special columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "A Palm Tree Izza Palm Tree Izza A Palm Tree?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My maternal grandparents had the pull chain type, but in their case it was housed in an unlit brick cubicle across a small courtyard, side by side with three others; one for each house that shared the courtyard. The interior was lime washed regularly, supposedly for hygienic reasons. The lime may well have been efficacious, but it didn’t bother the spiders one bit.

They lived a protected life in dark seclusion, and grew to a monstrous size...

John Merchant draws our attention to an artifact we all try to ignore - the toilet.

To read more of John's ever-surprising columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "A Throne By Any Other Name" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant wonders whether the true test of the strength of a marriage comes when married couple have to live apart.

...There are pitfalls in the commuter marriage relationship of course. Mother Nature is predisposed to bring members of the opposite sex together, and doesn’t much care whether they are married or single. Therefore, being attached, but alone, does call for the exercise of some self-discipline, which is not always easy if you are lonely...

To enjoy more of John's not-to-be-missed columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Married Couples Living Apart" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant tells of one of the most surreal experiences of his life while honeymooning at a famous Yorkshire hotel which attracted such guests as Winston Churchill and Hollywood star Charles Laughton.

Continue reading "The Royal Hotel, Scarborough" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My first home in America was close to Philadelphia, probably one of the most historic cities in the Country, and I lived there through the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976. It was difficult for me to share in the wonder many citizens expressed when touring historic parts of the city at that time; 200 years was surely only yesterday in historic terms...

John Merchant, an Englishman born, had to readjust from measuring time in millenia when he settled in the USA.

Continue reading "This Old House" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The results are quite spectacular. In the period from the first surgery to the second, I was able to compare each eye. The untreated eye saw everything through a nicotine colored film. The vision in the treated eye was clear and startlingly brighter...

John Merchant brings reassuring and encouraging news on the speed and efficacy of cataract surgery.

Continue reading "An Eye For An Eye - Well, Not Quite" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...There is a wise old saw that says, “If a proposal seems to be too good to be true, then most likely it is.” Yet another piece of valuable advice is that, “If you want good financial counseling, pick a one-armed counselor, because if you don’t, what you will get is ‘On the one hand this, but on the other hand that.’”...

John Merchant thinks it is unlikely that anyone outside the arcane world of finance can be expected to make sense of convoluted investment proposals, genuine or otherwise.

Continue reading "On The One Hand, But Then..." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...As I sanded and polished, my piece of alabaster started to glow with a pink and brown translucency, accented by a network of white veins that resembled a human nervous and vascular system.

At that point I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to get to class, and to start on my next piece...

John Merchant, whose working life was ruled by the need for expediency, finds that stone carving has radically improved hia patience and concentration.

Continue reading "Stoned!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

"Bureaucracy isn’t the exclusive province of government, as my wife and I found out recently,'' writes John Merchant, who recently became a non-person when his medical insurance provider switched its prescription service to another company.

To read more of John's powerful columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "A Message From Limbo" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...In these days of pop music saturation, the word love has taken about its biggest beating since time began. In almost any pop song lyric, “lust” could be swapped for “love” without any danger of the song losing its meaning...

John Merchant shies away from the misuse and abuse of one of the most powerful words in the English language.

To read more of John's columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Love Is..." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My personal event occurred at 3 am. I was in a deep sleep, but knew immediately what was happening. The shock felt as though my bed had been picked up about 3 feet and dropped, and there was an explosive bang. Adrenalin had me wide away in a nanosecond. I’d heard that the immediate safety precaution is to stand in a doorway, always supposing there is a doorway to stand in...

John Merchant relates the quiet story of his encounter with an earthquake.

To read more of John's columns do visit http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Shaken But Not Stirred" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says that when it comes to finding Mr. or Ms. Right it seems that the old familiar ways have been abandoned in favor of more technological methods – Facebook, MySpace etc., and online match-making web sites such as eHarmony.com.

“In my view,'' he adds "these methods are fraught with pitfalls, both calculated and otherwise.’’

Continue reading "Wherefore Art Thou Romeo, Or Juliet?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…What I fail to understand is why such people are so opposed to limiting emissions, whether global warming is a factor or not….

John Merchant offers thoughtful and reasonable words on the world's most controversial topic.

To read more of John’s opinions on a wide variety of topics please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his Web site
http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "As The World Warms" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…At my present age, I have become aware of a different kind of dying; not sudden and dramatic, and not clearly anticipated, but a gradual, an almost unnoticed, fading away…

John Merchant somberly contemplates the memory-lapse winding-down days which herald the approaching conclusion of many a human life.

Continue reading "Fade To Gray" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Today, parts of the Chiquita neighborhood look like scenes from an “End of the World” movie. Foundations and half-finished houses stand just as they were when credit ran out. New, unpaved side roads are rutted and weed choked. Abandoned houses contrast starkly with well-maintained adjacent properties that the owners were able to finance. Banners that hung from the gutters to announce a model home opening, now lie draped and soiled in the overgrown shrubbery...

John Merchant paints a sombre picture of the aftermath of the real estate crash which probably began early in 2006, in Cape Coral, across the Caloosahatchee River from where he lives in Florida.

Continue reading "The Long Arm Of The Recession" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Among some of the other packaging gotchers that get under my skin are the seductive dotted lines you see on plastic and cardboard containers. After struggling to open one, I see the dotted lines, a small arrow pointing to them, and the words “Tear here.” What a joke! After my fingers fail to make any impression, I risk my very expensive dental work, but even my teeth don’t gain me entrance…

This, and a host of other irritants, have led John Merchant to label the first ten years of the 21st Century the Gotcher Decade.

Continue reading "Name This Decade" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says it seems that global craziness has caught up with and even surpassed the US brand. However some happenings in America. resurrect astonishment. Take for instance Octomom, Balloon Boy, the Salahis...

Continue reading "Not "Only In America'' But Also..." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…I did as instructed, and inserted the disk.

It ran for about a minute, then froze. On the computer screen was a graphic that showed me I was still in Phase 1…

John Merchant, who is what the trade calls an “advance user’’ of new technology, installs the new Windows 7 operating system after bypassing a closed Gateway.

Continue reading "To Seven Or Not To Seven" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…Women’s battle for equality in America now is being fought on many different fronts, and is a much more fragmented and less cohesive endeavor than in the past…

Pointing out the huge progress American women have made towards equality with men in the workplace, education and other fields, John Merchant thinks that the current economic downturn is likely to become another major catalyst for their further advancement.

Continue reading "Bad Economies Help Women’s Causes" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...It’s pure speculation on my part, but I think the popularity of today’s Thanksgiving, which incidentally didn’t become a national vacation until the 1800’s, is in part because it has all the attributes of Christmas, without being commercial and sectarian, and takes place before the hardest of the winter weather sets in...

And this year many Americans have plenty to be thankful for, as John Merchant points out.

To read more of John's entertaining columns - a weekly feast of words - please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Do visit John's Web site http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "Thanksgiving - A Much-Loved Festival" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...There still is a self-consciousness about the way Americans relate to art that goes back to the Country’s early days as a republic, and is especially the case since the end of the Civil War...

After sketching in the Arts scene in the USA John Merchant wans that whole generations are likely to grow up without any appreciation of the art that America has taken centuries to acquire.

To read more of John's columns, which are both enjoyable and well-informed, please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Ars Gratis Artis" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Nowadays, signs of improved quality control are everywhere. At one time, if I purchased anything on line or by mail order I invariably kept the packing material in case I had to return it. I cannot remember the last time I had to do that…

John Merchant is pleased that manufacturers now produce goods of dependable quality.

To read more of John’s words of quality please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Mercy Of Quality" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Now, superimposed on the burn of the rash, I was experiencing strange new sensations: shooting pains and other sensations that beggar description. I took these experiences to indicate either that my nerves were healing or being destroyed, and at this point I didn’t care which. Was I ever going to feel well again?..,

John Merchant goes through the profound agonies enforced upon him by a bout of shingles. Lucky are we that the pain did not diminish his writing abilities.

To read more of John's columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Not All The Shingles Are On The Roof" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…Though living longer may seem attractive superficially, the reality is generally less desirable. While much knowledge has been gained about what it takes to prolong life, little progress has been made into methods for sustaining physical and mental viability through those extended, final years…

John Merchant believes that plentiful amounts of public money should be spent to make late life less fearsome.

To read more of John’s thoughtful columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

And do visit his new Web site http://home.comcast.net/~jwmerchant/site/

Continue reading "The Dominion Of The Aged" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

Everything in John Merchant’s small world has a place, and there must be a place for everything.

So where is his trusty cooking fork? And is he suffering from juxtaphobia?

To read more of John’s hugely entertaining and informative columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Not Here, But There" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

John Merchant reports that there is a growing unease in the US about the number of wrongly charged, sentenced, and even, in some cases, wrongly executed citizens.

He now has feelings of apprehension towards the police, rather than comfort in the knowledge that they are protecting his safety and respecting his rights, and concerns about being fairly treated if, by some mischance, he fell afoul of the law.

To read more of John’s shrewd, and sometimes disturbing, reports on life today in the USA please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Guilty Until Proven Innocent!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The mornings around where I live, generally have clear skies early, but being as flat as Florida is, it’s not long before you see the cumulous clouds building on the horizon. By noon, they are in full sail, like magnificent galleons. Towering ships, full of energy and menace, looking from the ground as though they’re made of whipped cream, not the vapor that they are...

In prose as urgent as the weather it describes John Merchant tells of turbulent storms in Florida and England.

To read more of John's memorable columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Thor – Alive And Well In Florida" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says it is not enough for Barack Obama to do well as a President. “He has to prove every day that he’s better than any white person who competed against him for the job. In my opinion, he deserves better than the sniping that’s going on. He’s being steadfast in the face of some crucial issues, and he has immeasurably improved America’s standing in the world. Once again, I’m proud and not embarrassed to be a US citizen.’’

John observes politics and social affairs in the USA with a clear ands informative eye. To read more of his brilliant columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Presidential Popularity – Fleeting And Fickle" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Daily, I am appalled at the litter in supermarket parking lots, in the streets, in parks, major highways, beaches, and in most public places, and it’s getting worse by the year. Why is it that people think it’s OK to toss their unwanted trash, and to expect others to clean up after them?...

John Merchant is highly offended by the “oblivions’’, those mindless folk who litter America in more ways than one.

To read more of John’s penetrating insights into life in the Land of the Free please visit http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Oblivions" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…After 20 years, our boat is like an old shoe; comfortable and familiar, and she talks to us. The slightest change in the way any one of the many pieces of equipment it contains sounds or looks is immediately apparent, alerting us to an incipient mal-function or need for adjustment. Changes in wind direction or strength are signaled by variations in the creaks and vibrations that make a boat seem like a living thing. With so little space, everything has it’s place, and I can put my hand on whatever I need, even in the dark…

John Merchant and his wife have as usual, spent the summer months living on their boat in Connecticut. But now Autumn is in the air, and they are heading south to their home in Florida – and a greater level of comfort.

To read more of John’s superlative columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Winging South" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…My regular movie going ended in the era of “Laurence of Arabia,” “Ryan’s Daughter and “Dr. Zhivago,” which represented, for me, the cream of the art. I had also started to watch musicals, the pinnacle of which, in my opinion, was “West Side Story,” but “Sound of Music” did me in. Not long after that saccharine overdose, I went to live in the USA, where movie going had already degenerated into today’s minimalist experience. After twice finding myself in a half empty, featureless box of an auditorium, I decided to wait for the invention of the VCR…

John Merchant recalls the heyday of cinema going in Britain.

To read more of John’s varied and invariably mind-expanding columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "A Night At The Movies" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…In an address to army cadets in the American Civil War, General William T. Sherman said "You may think that war is all glory, but it is all hell, boys." I wonder how many military recruiters would be prepared to say that to their potential recruits…

John Merchant muses upon why people volunteer to join the military, and the sacrifices made by those who go to war.

To read more of John’s perceptive columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Sacrifices Of War" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant finds himself immune to the increasingly cunning ploys of the TV advertising merchants.

To read more of John’s entertaining insights into what makes America tick please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Do We Have A Deal For You!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

…Before I knew better, I resented the fact that inexpensive goods were mostly ugly and awkward. I didn’t understand that the cost of elegant design, and its application to manufacturing, would have made the goods unaffordable. For several years I was part owner of an engineering job shop, and it was then that I became sharply aware of what was involved in the cost of design, and the conversion of the design into an object…

Computer Aided Design has made it much easier to produce elegant and affordable products, writes John Merchant.

To read more of John’s well-crafted columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Those Designing Computers" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant, deterred from venturing out onto the ocean by bad weather, has been spending time in the local gym. Herewith his shrewd sociological report on the slaves to exercise which he sees while sweating and suffering.

To read more of John’s brilliant columns please visit http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "A Morning At The Gym - Almost As Good As Sailing, But Not Really" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Private health insurance is expensive in the USA, and difficult to come by, especially if you have a medical problem when you apply. For those reasons, many citizens are under insured or have no coverage at all, relying on pro bono or emergency room services. The high cost of health care has several origins: unrestricted liability claims, the over use of costly diagnostic techniques such as MRI and CAT, and the expense of hospital stays. A knee joint replacement with a 48 hour hospitalization can cost $25,000, of which the surgeon may get $5,000, and the hospital the balance.’’

John Merchant expresses forthright views on one of the hottest issues in the USA today.

To read more of John’s vigorous columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "US Medical Insurance Reform - The albatross around governments’ neck" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

Connecticut has taken a bath this summer, John Merchant reports. “Some days it torrents, others it drizzles, and then there are just the regular rainy days.’’

The frequent and prolonged downpours make living on a boat, as John does at this time of year, a daily challenge. “Any cool surface on board is a magnet for droplets of condensation, including, in my case, my glasses. Canvas awnings and covers are a nesting place for fine green algae, and it’s only a matter of time before tree moss hangs from the rigging.’’

To read more of John’s columns laced with his deliciously dry humour please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Waiting For The Raven" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says that despite the greed, duplicity and acquisitiveness that has characterized life in the past few years in America, volunteerism and charity continue to be a mainstay of society.

But John warns that once you are known for being willing, any organization you help out will ensure you’re never short of projects.

To read more of John’s thoughtful social commentaries please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "When Volunteers are Called For, Respond With Caution" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...During a recent stay with friends in a Milford suburb, I heard Coyotes howling for the first time. It was a startling and spine tingling experience, and truly a sound from the wild...

John Merchant tells of the proliferating wildlife in the small state of Connecticut before making a startling prediction.

To read more of John's superb columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Nature -Taking Back Connecticut" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...I like to drink, and to be with drinkers. I don’t drink to forget; I can forget without drinking, and I’m not trying to shield myself from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – I have never been so happy in my life. No, there’s just something pleasurable about being in the company of people who share my enjoyment. Counter to that, I’m never quite comfortable with those who habitually abstain...

John Merchant delivers some sober thoughts on the use and misuse of alcohol.

To read more of John's insightful social commentaries please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Boozer, Lush, Drinker, Drunk, Toper - Pick Your Pejorative" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...What these, so-called, dog lovers really want is a plaything for themselves and their kids. Dogs are like humans in the sense that they learn bad habits much more readily than they do discipline, though being the pack animals they are, they’re happier when they know who’s boss. The owner has the responsibility for adopting the role of the Alfa pack leader, and to remember that dog is man’s best friend, not the other way around...

John Merchant takes a cool look at the growing enthusiasm for dog owning and all-things-dog in the USA.

Continue reading "Americans Are Going To The Dogs" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…What, for example, was God’s thinking when He/She came up with dinosaurs, those outlandish beasts that could only have been designed by someone in the throes of a bad LSD trip? Were they an experiment that went wrong, or simply a playful gambit? The same question could be asked about the giraffe, the duck-billed platypus, the octopus, the whale the kangaroo and the mastodon, etc. It seems to me that intelligent design should produce creations of either beauty or utility, and preferably combine the two…

With powerfully persuasive words John Merchant takes the side of evolution in the seemingly endless debate between the Creationists and the Evolutionists in the USA.

Continue reading "If God Created Dinosaurs – Why?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

…The mantra of my wife’s family, where food is concerned, is “Wrap it and refrigerate it.” On the rare occasions when I could persuade Bertha, Sandra’s mother, to put fruit in a bowl and leave it out, the minute I turned my back she would, with great agitation, wrap each piece in paper towel and cover the bowl…

John Merchant and his wife Sandra have widely differing views on how food should be stored.

John has written many tasty columns, all of them stored in the Open Writing archive. To access them please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "A Plague On The House Of Merchant!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Recently, my wife and I drove 17 miles inland from Naples, Florida to visit another man’s dream, Ave Maria University. Like Walt Disney World, the University and an associated township, are being constructed on 5000 acres of farmland, purchased in this case by a foundation of $250M, donated by Tom Monaghan, a Roman Catholic philanthropist. Mr. Monaghan is the retired founder of the Domino Pizza chain…

John Merchant is disturbed by the way that men with money and power, such as Monaghan and Walt Disney, express themselves with grand designs in Florida’s flat hinterland.

To read more of John’s perceptive columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "A Hinterland Made For Men With A Mission" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant has been a user of the US Global Positioning System since the 1990s, using it to navigate his sailboat.

...No more pouring over charts in failing light: no more grappling with calipers and parallel rulers in a pitching cockpit: no more struggling with mental arithmetic that I was never any good at – just turn it on, plug in a few details, and there you are, wherever you are...

To read more of John’s well-placed words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Do You Know Where You Are? Your GPS Does." »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

...there’s something deep in my soul that longs for a ripening tomato, or the unexpected discovery of a cucumber, ready for picking...

As the Jacaranda and Hibiscus bloom, John Merchant tells of his forays into gardening.

To read more of John's perceptive insights into life in the USA, and life in general, please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "That Growing Feeling" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

…The signs of decline are everywhere. On a recent drive through Cape Coral, evidence of the cataclysm abounds – empty storefronts, vandalized abandoned houses, and public works projects in hiatus. A wonderful civic arts center, where my wife takes classes, is in danger of being closed by the City…

Property prices have plummeted in South West Florida, up to recent times one of the fastest growing areas in the USA, as John Merchant reports in this sobering article.

To read more of John’s acute commentaries on the Amedrican scene please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Unreal Estate Of South West Florida" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

…No more private gym, supplied with toiletries and towels, followed by a soak in the hot tub and a swim in the palm tree shaded pool…

Columnist John Merchant will soon be heading north from his Florida home to Connecticut, and his boat the Yorkshire Lass, there to sample what nature has to offer.

John's columns are a treat for reading addicts. To enjoy more of them please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Call Of The Wild" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…In the American cities where I have lived, fishmongers as I knew them are rare, and the supermarkets did not offer fresh fish until comparatively recently. Then about three or four years ago, “fresh” fish counters started to appear in some supermarkets here; I suspect in response to the blossoming fish farming industry in the US and elsewhere in the world, and to the increasing cost of meat and its negative health connotations….

The local supermarket may be more convenient, but John Merchant is willing to drive the hour it takes to Andy’s Island Seafood Market to buy fresh-caught fish.

To read more of John’s superb columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "A Fishy Business" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Recently, I read an article stating that an Al Qaida prisoner, held by the US, had been subjected to water boarding 184 times! Wouldn’t you think that if the prisoner had anything to tell he would have poured out his secrets after the first, or at most the second session?...

John Merchant points out that present day torture didn’t begin or end with Abu Ghraib. 'We still have no insights into the shadowy individuals who devise and supervise the programs... Only a few members of this higher echelon have been identified, and none brought to trial.'

Continue reading "Who Are The Torturers?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant considers the way in which we stereotype people, and art – then, after presenting an example of Palinese at its best/worst, indulges himself in a bout of stereotyping.

To read more of John’s perceptive columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "It’s Just An Abstraction" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…my mother was a superb cook, and no, not just because she was my mother. The common denominator that ran through many of the foods she prepared was grease.

Her preference was lard, but she was equally at home with beef dripping, goose grease, or bacon fat as long as the bacon wasn’t smoked; and butter of course…

Food enthusiast John Merchant readily confesses that he is a grease monkey.

To read more of John’s superb columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "In Defense Of Grease" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Cleveland, Ohio, another, one time, concentration of steel and glass manufacturing, lines the south shore of Lake Erie, with the other steel manufacturing centers of Toledo and Detroit to its west. All these owe their existence to the ease with which iron ore, oil and coal could be shipped in, and products shipped out. With the exception of Pittsburgh, all are now failing and could cease to be viable in the foreseeable future. Pittsburgh lost its steel industry, but is hanging on by turning its hand to computer-based industries, thanks to the influence of Carnegie Melon University…

John Merchant is appalled that America’s “disposable’’ mind-set results not only in empty plastic coffee cups and unwanted cars being tossed away but also once-thriving cities.

To read more of John’s columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "America's Lost Cities" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…When I walked into the Doctor’s office, the only thing I had wrong with me, as far as I knew, was that my fight or flight response was working overtime, that is if you discount the few extra pounds. My swollen ankles come and go with the weather, and my blood pressure is fine when I’m not in a doctor’s office. By the time I left I felt ten years older…

John Merchant has been driven, yet again, to find a doctor who recognizes that there is not much wrong with him.

To read more of John’s ebullient columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Searching For Dr Do Little" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...It wasn’t until I was drafted to Italy during my military service that I became aware of how debilitating, typically English weather had been for me. Suddenly I was alive and energized...

In this reflective column John Merchant recollects the misery of rainy days in England and confesses to a dependency on sunlight.

To read more of John's thoughtful words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Remains Of The Day" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…My entry into the quarry arts came about as the result of taking a course in clay modeling. Adjacent to the studio where I took classes is an un-walled area given over to stone carving. As I messed and fussed with the clay in the hushed atmosphere of the studio, I could hear the ring of hammers against metal and the whine of all manner of power tools wielded by the jolliest, noisiest bunch of people you’re ever likely to encounter…

John Merchant tells in enticing detail of the day he took to stone.

To read more of John’s well-crafted columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "The Rocky Road To Art" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

.,.Based on my own experiences, families in the US are closer; due, I believe, to their immigrant history. Typically, one family member, or perhaps a couple, came to America with the express intention of establishing a base and bringing over as many of their kin as possible….

But families are often riven by disputes over money or religion, as John Merchant reveals.

To read more of John’s keen-eyed insights into social mores in the United States please click on http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=john+merchant

Continue reading "Family - The Folks We Love To Hate" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…A schoolteacher was taking her first golfing lesson. "Is the word spelt p-u-t or p-u-t-t?'' she asked the instructor.

"P-u-t-t is correct,'' he replied. "Put means to place a thing where you want it. Putt merely means a vain attempt to do the same thing."…

John Merchant takes a swing at one of the most popular – and definitely the most frustrating – of all games.

For more of John’s "well-driven'' prose please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

When John Merchant was in his twenties and thirties he longed to take extended single-handed sailing journeys.

“…My consolation for being passed over, or more accurately, never considered for these bold ventures, came from a surprising source – my computer. From the day I downloaded the amazing “Google Earth” software, the world was my oyster. In almost the blink of an eye I could cross the Atlantic, or the Pacific; or drop in on the Gobi desert or St. Peter’s Square in Rome, or sit on top of the Matterhorn without getting frostbite…’’

To read more of John’s world-spanning words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Around The World And Home For Tea" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…In the 1967 movie “The Graduate,” a young Dustin Hoffman was offered the sound advice that if he wanted to succeed in life he should “Get into plastics.” A myriad other plastics have been developed on the heels of nylon, each with the intention of making polymers more “application specific.” In other words, recognizing that there’s no such thing as one plastic that fits all…

John Merchant tells how plastics have become as vital to our lives as food and drink.

To read more of John’s brilliant and ever-surprising columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Was There Life B.P.?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...Potatoes, celery, beetroot and turnip that everyone knows are grown in the fields, don’t betray the slightest evidence, when they are on the supermarket shelves, that they were once happily buried in dirt. When was the last time you found a caterpillar in a cabbage?...

The US is accustomed to an aseptic lifestyle, but John Merchant thinks that agents whose job it is to root out information on those who would do America harm should have a little more dirt under their fingernails.

To read more of John's insightful columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "As Clean As A Whistle - Make That As A Spy" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…I never cared for my own family name, and unlike many of the immigrants who went before me, when I became a US citizen I was given the option of changing it. At first that seemed like a wonderful opportunity, but the more I thought about it, the more difficult it became to choose a new one that I liked…

Names mean a lot to those that own them, even names which are almost unpronounceable. Guess which name star columnist John Merchant opted for when given the opportunity to choose.

To read more of John’s sparkling words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "What's In A Name" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:22 PM | Permalink

…businesses that were happily taking over the chores and tasks that other people didn’t want to do are having to reassess their prospects. Meanwhile their old clients are, however unwillingly, going back to mowing their own lawns, walking their own dogs and cleaning their own houses and pools…

Taking a cool, calm look at the current world-wide financial mess, John Merchant feels that what we are experiencing is not all bad.

Continue reading "When Too Much Is Never Enough" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Before citizens of the United States of America could anoint a royalty, they had to set about building a caste system from the bottom up, says John Merchant.

And John goes on to reveal the family that many Americans now think of as their own version of “royalty’’.

For more of John's outstandingly readable columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Caste In America" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

…The nearest public phone was perhaps a quarter of a mile from my home, which was an easy walk except on dark rainy nights or in the dead of winter. But too often, when I arrived at the kiosk the ‘phone was out of order, necessitating an extended walk of about a mile and a half to the next kiosk. This solution didn’t always work because my intended was living in a residential nursing school and had to stand in line to use the one ‘phone in the hallway of the dormitory…

John Merchant conducted his first serious romance via public telephones. Then the ‘phone was a passport to a married future. But nowadays John’s attitude to cell ‘phones is a long way short of enthusiastic.

Every one of John’s weekly columns is worth reading and re-reading. You can find them all by clicking on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "My Love-Hate Affair With The Telephone" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…There was a tree of course, and mistletoe and holly and ivy; all gathered by my parents from the woods behind our house. Newly fallen snow was a bonus. My overall sense of that time was therefore more primeval than spiritual: more to do with seeking reassurance that the sun would return to full power after the winter solstice, a concern that is buried deep in my Nordic genes….

John Merchant was enchanted by the Christmas celebrations of his boyhood – but admits that he became more and more downhearted as Christmas 2008 approached.

Continue reading "Christmas Past" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…One day when I was sitting at the bar of an English pub eating lunch, I became aware that the man sitting next to me was filling page after page of a notebook with minute script. This went of for so long that I became intrigued enough to set good manners aside and try to read what he was writing. To my surprise it was mathematical formulae of the most complex kind; equation after equation.

By his dress and general appearance, and the toil worn condition of his hands, he was clearly not an academic, which only served to increase my curiosity….

John Merchant recalls the straightjacket placed on intellectual people by the limitations of Britain’s educational system half a century ago.

To read more of John’s thoughtful words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "The Talents That Bloom To Blush Unseen" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:22 PM | Permalink

…About the time I entered the work force in the 1950’s, the personal, private secretary had risen to be a corner stone of commercial enterprises. If, as a manager, you qualified for one, you were considered to have “arrived.” Only senior managers and executives were granted the privilege of having their own dedicated secretary; and a privilege it was. Almost exclusively occupied by women, the job encompassed far more than pounding a typewriter and taking dictation….

John Merchant mourns the demise of the secretary in this computer-driven age.

For more of John’s brilliant (and self-typed) columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Take A Letter Miss Smith - Please!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

…Statistics from various concerned organizations say that around one in seven American kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away at some point, and that there are one to three million runaway and homeless kids living on the streets in the United States…

John Merchant recalls the two occasions during his childhood when he ran away from home.

To read more of John’s insightful columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "On The Run" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

In November, 2007, John Merchant received a telephone call from his forty-one-year-old daughter Kathryn who announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

In this wonderfully supportive and encouraging article John tells of the progress of his daughter’s treatment.

Continue reading "A Woman's Health And A Man's Concerns" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Democracy is a fine ideology, as is free market trade. Unfortunately, their long-term, practical success depends on a citizenry who are responsible, ethical, and humanitarian, and willing to put society before self. It clearly has been demonstrated that the western world is far from qualified, in those terms, and the possibility exists that it will never be. Homo sapiens, after all this time, is still in survival mode…

John Merchant suggests that the democracy envisioned by the founding fathers of the USA is long overdue for revision.

Continue reading "There's A Lot To Be Said For A Little Repression" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:12 PM | Permalink

…Like almost every other life experience, each of us has to learn for ourselves how to handle aging, and the experiences of others aren’t really helpful. William Shakespeare probably laid out the progress of aging best with his ballad, “The Seven Ages of Man,” but this was more of a simple road map and I’m more curious about the topography along the way…

Though John Merchant is now what used to be called old, he is buoyantly optimistic about his future.

To read more of John’s illuminating columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "The Expectations Of Aging" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…There are dueling chefs, iron chefs, world traveling chefs, glamorous chefs, homely chefs – the inventiveness of TV producers has no bounds. The Food Network boasts an audience of 84 million viewers, and I would bet money that only a couple of thousand of them actually cook….

John Merchant steps into the American kitchen where today’s only essential appliance is a microwave oven to re-heat the take-out Chinese, the pizza or the TV dinner.

For more of John’s thoroughly palatable commentaries on the American scene please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "If You Can't Stand The Heat, Turn Off The TV" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

John Merchant brings a brief introduction to nanotechnology, a field of research spanning electronics, chemistry and medicine.

“Something in my gut tells me that nanotechnology will transcend the almost Merlinesque characteristics of contemporary drug therapies, and that the tiny dwarfs will truly be good for what ails us,’’ says John.

To read more of John's enlightening columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "It's The Little Things In Life" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...The second communication goes something like “Good gracious me, what a grave difficulty you are enduring. You have my deepest sympathy kind sir, but please conscientiously undertake the following remedy that will blow your mind,” Egbert entreats me. Presumably Alphonzo is off shift. Egbert includes a 15 point list of steps to be taken that are “guaranteed” to solve the problem, but my confidence level sinks when I realize that the list is identical to the one I had included in my original email to describe the procedures I had already followed...

Oh the frustration when those big boys' electronic toys refuse to work as they should! John Merchant resigns himself to years and years of dealing with the Alphonzos and Egberts who man customer support services.

To read more of John's wish-I'd-written-that columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Big Boys And Their Toys" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Gilbert Harding, that irascible BBC TV personality of the 1960’s, defined good manners as a way of behaving that does not intrude on the pleasure of others, and that about sums it up for me…

John Merchant looks forward to a return of the age of chivalry.

For more of John’s vigorously entertaining columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading ""Manners Maketh Man''" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…After more than twenty years of marriage I’m long accustomed to the idea that the call of “Honey” isn’t likely to infuse me with warm, fuzzy feelings…

Columnist nonpareil John Merchant muses on the meanings of that supposedly sweet word “honey’’.

To read more of John’s columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "The Language Of Love" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…The ideological distance between each party’s devotees has never been greater, and the divisiveness engendered by this Administration has made it practically impossible to have a discussion about politics with anyone other than those who share one’s own views. This angry stand off doesn’t make for much movement of opinion…

John Merchant, a shrewd observer of the American scene, thinks that both the Democrats and the Republicans are too preoccupied with political infighting to do a good job of governing the country.

Continue reading "The Tabloid Presidency" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…So it was with no great expectations that I made my way for the first time to Pinehurst. No major highways pass nearby, so I found myself driving along a well maintained, but narrow country road, passing between successive fields of cotton and soy, and just occasionally tobacco. Every few miles I encountered an abandoned house, or one still lived in but clearly in need of rebuilding. Interspersed with these relics were the gaunt shells of no longer used tobacco and cotton barns…

But what John Merchant found at the end of the road was North Carolina’s best kept secret – unless you happen to be a golfer.

To read more of John’s first class columns please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Pinehurst" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…The aim of many young parents is to have children without changing one iota of their own life style. In my view, dedicating ones self to the first three years of a child’s life is time well spent and later will pay dividends in better behavior…

Social commentator John Merchant is disturbed by the frenzied extremism and bad behavior displayed by all too many American children.

To read more of John’s commentaries on what is really going on in the USA today please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "America's Troubled Children" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

John Merchant is pleased with the changes he sees around him while sitting on his boat in Milford harbor, Connecticut.

John’s thoughtful columns will change the way you think about the USA. To read more of his well-reasoned words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "The Constancy Of Change" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:22 PM | Permalink

…Tornados have flattened whole towns where nary a tornado ever appeared before. Hurricanes that hitherto mostly have avoided the Florida Gulf, in recent years don’t seem to be able to stay away…

John Merchant, assembling his words as a tropical storm toys with his pitching boat, ponders on the vagaries of the weather.

To read more of John’s breezy columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Weathering The Weather" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…It’s hard to have a favorite bird species; they are all wonderful, but I think seagulls take some beating. They’re always immaculate, and dressed to perfection. Nothing seems to faze them…

John Merchant finds it hard to imagine that gulls are intellectually incapable of enjoying their superb aerial abilities.

To read more of John’s soaring words please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Watching The Birds" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…The current crop is more discrete, and hardly anyone outside their coterie of friends would know who they are, except perhaps the paparazzi. They make their fortune by less visible means than their predecessors – hedge funds, real estate investment, web dot coms, etc. The houses these tycoons are building today are slightly less grand – a mere 15 bedrooms as opposed to the 20 to 25 of their predecessors, and a fraction of the acreage, but none the less impressive. Twelve car garages and indoor skating rinks are standard fare. Many have boat houses the size of an average family home. The smell of big money still hangs in the air…

John Merchant, writing about Long Island, the home and playground of New York’s super-rich and famous, will inevitably encourage numerous “if only’’ dreams.

To read more of John’s superlative columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Sailing To The Land Of The Robber Barons" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

The soaring cost of gasoline has resulted in a change in driving habits in the USA, John Merchant reports.

But how long will those changes last? And what is the real reason for the huge increase in the price of gasoline?

For more of John’s thoughtful columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Those Gas Pump Blues" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…The immigration official seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to study my passport and visa, finally telling me to step into a glass-walled booth behind him. My heart sank as I watched him consult with another official; the two of them alternately looking at my papers and a computer screen…

John Merchant sympathizes with the stresses and fears of those who leave the land of their birth to seek a permanent home in another country.

For more of John’s enriching columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "For An Immigrant, Status Is Everything" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:01 PM | Permalink

…Could it be drug use that accounts for the collapse of some buildings and bridges due to faulty design; a regular occurrence in the US? Is it drug influence that explains why hardly any business transaction these days is executed without a mistake? My wife spends hours every week on the phone unraveling billing and banking errors. What else could explain why airline pilots taxi onto the wrong runway, or trains meet head-on, or drivers find themselves facing oncoming traffic on the freeways?...

John Merchant says that extensive drug use in the United States is producing a culture that is mentally and physically flabby.

To read more of John’s insightful columns please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/american_pie/

Continue reading "Living With Today's Drug Culture" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…The two towns are so different that I cannot imagine what made the connection in my mind, but I’m glad it happened….

John Merchant sails into Port Jefferson on the north shore of Long Island, New York, and is felicitously reminded of a harbor in Wales.

For further delight read more of John’s columns by clicking on America Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Sense Of Place" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…All in all, I feel very fortunate to have found so much happiness, and a love beyond my greatest expectations….

John Merchant and his third wife have just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary. Although he himself has found great happiness John recommends caution rather than haste to those considering re-marrying.

“A late life remarriage is often bitterly divisive for both family and friends alike, and some of the wounds are never allowed to heal.’’

Continue reading "Starting Over - New Late-Life Partners" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…As was typical of suburban, working and middle class people of the time, social contact was confined to occasional exchanges over the garden fence, or a few pleasantries if one met a neighbor in the street or the local grocery store. It took years to assemble a comprehensive picture of the lives of any of them, and there were some surprises…

John Merchant reveals some of those surprises. One of the neighbors, whom he did not know at the time, was Monty Python cast member Michael Palin.

For more of John’s columns, all of them as enjoyable on a second reading as they were on a first, please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Down Memory Lane - My Childhood Neighbors" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…Now, boaters, motorists and even hikers have a GPS receiver with the capability to tell them where they are to within three feet, anywhere in the world!...

John Merchant, though not enamored of a lot of the technology which complicates our lives, is besotted by the miracle of the US Satellite System, and tells a salty tale which confirms its practical value.

For more of John’s bracing prose please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Miracle Of Electronic Navigation" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...My smoking career began early in my teens. An uncle in Canada would periodically send us Canadian newspapers, and being aware of the post war exigencies and high taxes in England, he would enclose tea bags and loose cigarette tobacco. Since no one in the family knew how to roll their own, the tobacco just accumulated. For my first adventure in smoking I took one of my grandfather’s reject pipes and some of the cigarette tobacco to the local cinema. Yes, smoking was permitted - even pipes and cigars, believe it or not!...

Reformed smoker John Merchant recalls with nary a cough the days when he was in thrall to My Lady Nicotine.

To read more of John's invigorating columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "My Smoking Career" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Connecticut is ranked the 48th state in terms of area, being only 110 miles long by 70 miles wide, but is crammed with diversity in that relatively small area. Timeless seafaring towns rub elbows with bustling business and manufacturing centers, and wealthy residential communities tucked in amongst well kept farms…

John Merchant presents an alluring introduction to a great small state.

To read more of John’s memorable columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "My Connecticut" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…I should also add that I have absolutely no credentials for writing this column. I have not listened to pop music willingly or attentively since “Chicago,” “Bread,” Carly Simon in her heyday, and “The Who” were in the charts.

So stop reading now if you choose, but know that my justification for covering the topic at all is that, like it or not, unless I’m at home, I am almost constantly bombarded with some form or other of this vacuous, dare I say it, art form…

John Merchant declares that even the finest music was never intended to be in everyone’s ear, all the time, everywhere.

For more of John’s vigorous opinions please click on American Pie in the menu pn this page.

Continue reading "Hey Mr Tambourine Man, Don't Play A Song For Me" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…I hadn’t been in the USA very long when I had to make a trip to Milwaukee, the beer capital of America at the time, and home to such revered breweries as Miller, Schlitz and Pabst. I didn’t know the city’s reputation at the time, and wandered into a bar on my first evening, sat on a stool and asked the bartender for “a beer.” Laconic as most American bar tenders are, a look of pained surprise crossed his face. Through the clouds of cigarette smoke I saw heads turning, and wide-eyed stares of incredulity and hostility. I guess my English accent was the only reason I wasn’t taken out and burned at the stake for my crass use of the generic term…

John Merchant questions the mystique associated with the brewing and drinking of beer.

To read more of John’s columns, every one of which is guaranteed to satisfy the thirst for a good read, please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Beer Is A Beer Is A Beer" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…My mother’s pantry harbored the soft, comforting smells it had absorbed in the years it had stored good cheeses and fruit, freshly made bread, hams and yeast and ginger beer, wine and milk…

John Merchant recalls the time when English homes did not have refrigerators – and the day he ate the dog’s dinner!

To read more of John’s brilliant columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Down Memory Lane - My Mother's Pantry" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

“Environmental conservation has opened up a whole new dimension of spin and obfuscation to product marketers, who had been getting a little desperate for new ideas,’’ says John Merchant.

John believes that there is a desperate need to change our self-indulgent ways, but people need facts and a true understanding before buying into going “green’’.

To read more of John’s significant columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading ""Green'' Fever" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...About mid-May we pack the Jeep with every conceivable thing we could really do without, and leave our home in toasty Florida for our boat in Connecticut. The 1,350 mile, three day drive north might seem onerous to some, but mostly we enjoy it. The roads are fast and good, some of the overnight stops are an interesting insight into very rural parts of the eastern US, and, most of all, at this time of year it’s fascinating to observe the foliage in its various stages of opening...

John Merchant and his wife migrate northwards, appreciating the wonders of an American Spring as the head for nose-numbing weather in Connecticut.

To read more of John's rewarding and satisfying columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Come Spring" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…It’s hard to find anything nice to say about ‘gators. Many people would say the only good one is a dead one. Apart from their skins, they aren’t good for much. And don’t let anyone tell you that ‘gator tastes like chicken – it don’t. A closer comparison would be chewing a pencil eraser, and just about as tasteless….

But what about alligator blood? Could it be a great cure-all?

John Merchant brings surprising news from alligator heaven – Florida.

Continue reading "Alligator Blood - Good For What Ails You?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:12 PM | Permalink

When John Merchant left his native land to settle in America in the 1970s he was astounded to find that Hollywood movies had presented reality, rather than idealizing suburban life.

…The always-groomed, coifed and manicured “little woman,” driving her husband to the train station in the family station wagon for his daily commute into the city; the neat house on a spacious lot; two kids and a dog; church on Sunday, and back yard barbecues around a small swimming pool on weekends…

To read more of John’s entertaining columns which distil the essence of life in the USA please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The American Dream - Hollywood Style?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…Wedged in the cleft of a branch, fifty or more feet up in one of my favorite beeches, I could forget my overcrowded and tense home life. I could see for miles, and when the leaves were on, no one could see me…

John Merchant recalls playing as a boy in woods that were said to be the refuge of the legendary Robin Hood.

For more of John’s thoughtful and entertaining columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Down Memory Lane - Ecclesall Woods" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...As a result of constantly striving towards their status goals, I feel that American women have evolved into a society of chronic complainers. Their list of wrongs is headed by what they perceive as a lack of job and education opportunities. Yet ten Fortune 500 companies are currently run by women, and twenty Fortune 1000 companies. In education, women now make up nearly half of the Ph.D. recipients in the United States, and 58 percent of all undergraduates, according to the U.S. Education Department...

John Merchant ruminates on the changing expectations and demands of American women.

To read more of John's insightful columns on life in 21st Century America please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "There Is Nothing Like A Dame - American Dame That Is" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...The missed belt loop; failing to completely tuck your shirt tail into the back of your pants; putting on your tie over your shirt collar at the back; not zipping your fly. And the worst one of all, somehow tucking the end of the toilet roll into your clothing when in a public toilet...

Oh those tell-tale signs of growing old! Then there's the "other door'' syndrome...

Though you can ignore the date on John Merchant's birth certificate. He has the athletic mind of an extra-talented twenty-year-old, eager to grapple with the world and its puzzles.

Continue reading "Signs Of The Times" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...Most business owners I know prosper only by dint of hard work and diligence, particularly if they created their businesses from scratch. In truth there is no way to a fast fortune except if you’re a lottery winner or get a good stock investment tip...

John Merchant tells of men with the essential character and resolve to make the money roll in.

Continue reading "Like Falling Off A Log" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...I’m embarrassed to admit that I believed if I succeeded in creating a better life for myself, the world I joined would be populated by people who valued civilized behavior, good manners and honorable standards. How stupid could I have been?...

John Merchant, reared in class-conscious England, has had his great expectations blunted in the egalitarian United States.

To read more of John's enlightening columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Class, Crass, Money And Manners" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…Now, in Iraq, young men in sneakers and jeans, armed with nothing more than handguns and the occasional rocket launcher, have shown that they are capable of besting the finest troops the US military can field…

John Merchant, in a powerfully argued polemic against current Western military tactics which refuse to acknowledge that conventional armies cannot successfully emulate insurgent militias, calls for different strategies to deal with 21st Century situations.

Continue reading "War Games" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…The sad result of the declining importance attributed to writing skills in the USA, is that even supposedly well educated people have difficulty expressing themselves on paper…

John Merchant speaks up for that discounted and increasingly rare species, the writer.

To read more of John’s accomplished and entertaining words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Scribe's Revenge" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…And what a visual disappointment the space walks are. What happened to the fictional promise of astronauts flying free, under their own power? What we are treated to in reality is the image of robot-like figures, barely recognizable as space walkers, encased in what is almost a space craft its self, fastened to a manupulating arm or a tether, gasping like old men as they perform the simplest task…

John Merchant casts a cold eye on the costs and minimal benefits of Space exploration.

To read more of John’s entertaining and enlightening columns on the American scene please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Space Is At A Premium" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can also be profoundly hurtful, as John Merchant reveals when he casts an eye on name calling, from ancient times to the present day.

To enjoy more of John’s important and highly readable columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Sticks And Stones" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…What fascinated me most about the scientists I have known in academia is their carefully chosen specialties. I say “carefully chosen” because the smart ones appear to select a field of study that involves either spending time in rather pleasant places, or researching phenomena that can only be described as sensuous, and sometimes both…

John Merchant considers the unusual and pleasurably mind-bending research being carried out by Dutch scientists into the “Ouzo Effect’’.

To read more of John’s words on an amazing range of topics please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Ouzo Effect" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Global warming is a hot topic in the United States, but the majority of consumers are taking their own sweet time to do the right thing, says John Merchant.

“What do the deniers think – that coal keeps growing in the ground; that oil is somehow replenishing its self; that trees are going to grow in a fraction of the time they do now so that they can be harvested more frequently to meet increasing demand? Do they imagine that the air pollutants will magically dissipate, and that the chemicals that leach into the rivers and lakes, or that are deposited there by industry and agriculture, will just go away?’’

To read more of John’s powerful prose please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Thinking Green - Or Just Not Thinking?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

John Merchant recalls the pleasures, and the occasional pain, of growing vegetables.

To read John's articles on the contemporary scene in the United States please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Down Memory Lane - The Vegetables" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...Currently, the world is going through an unprecedented period of population movement from one country to another. Driven by economic, political, cultural or religious pressures, or a combination of all these factors, peoples are seeking peace, safety and prosperity in another land. Congruent with this upheaval is a rapidly escalating need to learn a second language. In the US, attempts to meet this need are spotty at best...

John Merchant says that many immigrants to the US learn some form of English by usage and exposure. Unfortunately, much of this exposure is to forms of English that don’t bear much resemblance to correct spelling, grammar and pronunciation.

To read more of John's columns, written with enviable linguistic command and vigour, please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Learn Yourself 'Merican - Y'All" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...It was a high price to pay for my newfound interest in politics, and I wasn’t even sure that I’d be able to rouse myself at 4 am to be at the polling station on time. But on the day, there I was, still half asleep, being driven by my wife through an early morning mist to the Southern Baptist church that was loaning its facilities for the occasion. Other than two or three gas stations, the church was the only place showing any lights in the pre-dawn blackness, but as we approached, other headlights swung into the driveway, and soon a gaggle of bleary-eyed volunteers was waiting at the church door...

John Merchant volunteers his time and does his duty as a polling station worker.

His reward for a tough day on the voting front line? "My back and feet were not happy.''

Continue reading "Political Awakening - Part The Second" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:12 PM | Permalink

...So now we send our pleas to be my Valentine to the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker et al. At the beginning of this trend I would browse the card racks, alternately fascinated and dismayed by the commercialization of this special day. Probably one of the most ludicrous examples I remember is a card that read “A Valentine’s wish for my favorite priest.” I had to wonder what the reaction might have been on the part of the unfortunate celibate who received it...

John Merchant muses on the changing customs of Valentine's Day. Is a bag of broccoli, accompanying a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a gift too far?

Continue reading "Oh Valentine, My Valentine, What Are You Eating?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…What scares me more is that it has taken almost eight years for many citizens to come to the same conclusion. The machinations of the Machiavellian Cheney and his front man Bush, coupled with the ominous and covert activities of the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency, have spurred many people like myself to take a more active roll in the political process.

Amazingly, and unfortunately, there is still a significant proportion of the population that can see no wrong in the way the Nation’s business has been conducted this past 8 years, but then, that was true of Germany in the 1930’s…

John Merchant, who was once apolitical or even anti-political, decides to become a Polling Station worker.

To read more of John’s vigorous and concerned columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Political Awakening - Part The First" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

…That same day, my breeder friend had a horse running that was a “sure-fire winner.” I placed a small bet, not being much of a gambler, but encouraged by the knowledge that I had “inside information.” True to my friend’s confidence, the horse led through much of the race, then dropped dead just a few yards before the finish post – the story of my gambling career….

John Merchant’s “adventures’’ in the horse racing world will keep you chuckling for a week - and possibly convince you that it's best to keep your money in your pocket.

For more of John’s invigorating column please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "I Got A Horse Right Here, His Name Is Paul Revere" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…In contemporary society, neighborliness is frequently absent, and parents are oftentimes distracted by the pace and intensity of their working and social lives. As a result, perhaps too much reliance is placed on statutes such as Megan’s Laws, and on inculcating fear into children’s minds…

Whilst not arguing against greater child protection, John Merchant thinks it is regrettable that parents are indoctrinating their children not only to be suspicious of strangers, but of any man outside their immediate family circle.

Continue reading "Strong Statutes Don't Always Good Neighbours Make" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...At a time when social interaction is becoming more and more digitized through email, text messaging, online chat rooms and obsessive cell phone use, the last thing I want to forgo is parties. You know, the real parties, where after a couple of drinks you can talk total nonsense and tell lies to someone you don’t know, who you will never see again. Then again, I suppose you can do that online too...

John Merchant is a long way short of being impressed at the prospect of virtual on-line surprise parties.

Continue reading "Want To Be Virtually Surprised?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…America is a country of immigrants, and needs the influx to continue, but at a rate that allows for assimilation, and in a fashion that is based on legitimacy. An estimate of the illegal immigrant population in the USA in 2006 was 20 million. Of that number, 57% were from Mexico, 24% from Central America, 9% from Asia, and 10% from Europe, Canada and the rest of the world…

Immigration is a problem which affects everyone in the United States, says John Merchant – a problem which needs to be fixed.

For more of John’s straight-to-the-point words about life in the USA today please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Problems Of Uncontrolled Immigration" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

While standing in line at a Post Office in New York State John Merchant discovered a whole new meaning to pigeon post.

To sample more of John's enjoyable columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Fancy A Pigeon?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

…One of my happy memories is of Christmas caroling. A group of us boys from the choir would get together two or three evenings a week, in the period immediately before Christmas, and work our way through the palpable darkness of the blacked-out neighborhood. I’m embarrassed to admit that we did it for personal gain, not for any, more noble, purpose. We concentrated on the bigger houses in the affluent parts of the parish, and were often invited inside to entertain a family gathering.

One of the boys knew the German version of Silent Night, and taught the rest of us to sing it phonetically. It didn’t strike us as ironic at the time, and none of our audiences ever complained, despite the vehemence of anti-German feeling at the time…

A faded copy of a church magazine reminds John Merchant of his days as a choir boy.

To read more of John’s invigorating columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Lark From The Past" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...Standard fare includes twenty different sandwiches, four or more soups, hamburgers, hot-dogs, fish dishes, omelets, pasta dishes, and every kind of salad you can think of. You can also order chops, steak, veal dishes, every kind of sausage and chicken. If you order a simple sandwich you will be quizzed as to whether you want it on white bread, rye or whole meal; toasted or un-toasted, mayonnaise or butter. You want coffee? Regular or decaff?...

John Merchant serves up a tasty column about American diners and delis - and the morning ROMEOS who patronise them.

For more of John's appetising words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Breakfast With The ROMEOS" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

The latest buzz-word in United States food marketing is “fresh.” Local supermarkets inform their customers that certain fruits and vegetables are just coming into season and advise them to look out for local brands.

"...Dutifully I started to examine every piece of fruit and bag of potatoes or carrots, looking for labels with farm names that might mention a town nearby; or even perhaps as far afield as 100 miles away,'' says John Merchant. "Well, unless you consider that California, a mere 2,700 miles away, is more local than say Chile or Taiwan, then I was out of luck. These supermarketers know not of fresh, or local..''

To read more of John's guaranteed-to-be-fresh thoughts on life in today's America please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Fresh - Is New?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Each time John Merchant and his wife moved house they checked out a priority list of features they wanted to find in the new area in which they might live. These included an airport within reasonable driving distance that had flights that actually went to somewhere they might wish to go, good medical facilities, an active and robust cultural enviroment, the proximity of a large body of water and, perhaps most importantly, a significant university.

But even in an area which seems to tick all the boxes there are warts, as John reveals.

Continue reading "The Ten Thousand Folks Next Door" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...Our first foray into the Florida cultural scene was interesting to me on several different levels. In a part of the US where shorts and ‘T’ shirts are de rigueur for men, and for many women, it was a treat to see the ladies dressed in all their finery. Though the largest proportion of them would not see seventy again, they looked elegant and handsome in their long dresses, sparkling jewelry and beautifully coifed hair...

John Merchant enjoys an evening with Schubert and Beethoven - give or take the odd note.

For more of John's well-tuned columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Night At The Symphony - Florida Style" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

"Whether they are willing to admit it or not, I suspect that the majority of American people over seventy spend a lot of time thinking about how long they are going to live, and whether their-nest egg, along with social security, will last them until the end. It’s a dilema,'' says John Merchant.

For more of John's clear-eyed commentaries on the 21st Century scene in the USA please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Price Of Staying Alive - And The Problems Of Dying" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:28 PM | Permalink

...A recent trip to Europe reminded me that dental care, cosmetic or otherwise doesn’t have quite the same priority there as in the US. The Germans, Belgians and Dutch I observed laughed a lot, especially after a few beers. The unselfconscious, open-mouthed guffaws of my European contemporaries frequently revealed mass molar defections, and a few scattered survivors that were every shade of gray...

But the American pursuit of attractive teeth and a beautiful body involves pain, and parting with a good deal of cash, as John Merchant reveals.

For more of John's supple and healthy words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Pain Of Gain" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

In an age now accustomed to instant gratification John Merchant wishes he could experience longings for material things he knew he couldn't have.

Then again there are longings for things far more important than mere possessions...

For lots more thoughts from a cultured mind please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "You Want It When?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

...Now, when the higher interest rates are kicking in, the victims find themselves unable to make the increased monthly payments. This has coincided with the collapse of an over blown housing market, and the resulting drop in house prices. These homeowners then find themselves with a mortgage they cannot afford on a house that is worth considerably less than they paid for it, and that they cannot sell...

John Merchant considers the current sub-prime mortgage crisis in the USA, along with other episodes of financial madness.

For more of John's thoughtful words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Monetary Madness" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...“Laid back” is a phrase that is often used to describe the life style in Florida, and suggests an easy-going, benevolent atmosphere that borders on soporific. The reality is quite different in my experience...

John Merchant says that anyone who has lived elsewhere in America should allow at least twice or even four times as long in Florida for any task that they ned to have performed.

Then there's Florida road rage...

John tells you the things guide books would never dream of telling you. For nore of his choice words about life in the United States please visit American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Living On Florida Time" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...My wife’s mother, who was six years old when she left Russia with her mother and two brothers, was not able to remember her place of birth except that it was near Kiev. She was approaching eighty when one day she turned away from watching television and said, “That was where I was born!” The TV was reporting the melt-down of the reactor at Chernobyl, near Kiev!...

John Merchant accompanies his wife on a search for her family identity.

For more of John's insightful columns on social trends in the USA please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "In Search Of Identity" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...In the realm of the body beautiful, powerful commercial forces are at work persuading us that slim, long legged, blond haired, large breasted women with Barbie Doll faces are the desirable ones to procreate with. The “beautiful male” of the species is also tall, with dark eyes, beetling brows, a moody look, and abs you could scrub laundry on...

John Merchant says chemistry, medicine and technology now are much more powerful tools in attaining the standards demanded by those arbiters of the body beautiful.

For more of John's searching and sensible words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder - No More" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

"It requires only a single incident such as a burst water main or a chemical spill to bring significant sections of Manhattan to a grinding halt for hours,'' says John Merchant. "The failure of any one of hundreds of power distribution transformers can have the same effect. From time to time “band-aid” remedies like alternative side of the street parking and “bus only” lanes have been implemented, but these don’t address the root cause of the problem - too many people in too small a space.''

John says that bold decisions are needed to solve the problems of cities such as New York - then he proceeds to make a dramatic and practical proposal.

For more of John's enlightening columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Cityscapes For A Modern World" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:12 PM | Permalink

...Summer storms are usually daytime events, but just occasionally a front will come through during the night, sending the boat into bucking bronco gyrations, defying our attempts to sleep. Anything that can rattle, will, and on one trip, we spent four days on a mooring in Watchill harbor in just such conditions. The motion was so violent that the local yacht club tender was unable to come out and get us off. After four days we felt as though we’d spent them in a cocktail shaker....

Life aboard a sail boat can be idyllic, but expect to be shaken as well as stirred, as John Merchant reveals.

For more of John's columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Life On The Ocean Waves" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...There is an urgency among cell phone owners that borders on hysteria, and it’s hard to view any group of people without seeing most of them on the phone. Who are they talking to, and why? Back in the days of pay phones, I don’t remember seeing long lines waiting to make that absolutely unavoidable, essential call...

John Merchant suspects that most cell phone calls are superficial and inconsequential.

For more of John's enlightening and enjoyable words about life today in the USA please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Can You Hear Me Now?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...My house was one of just a half dozen that were scattered on a ridge that overlooked the Chemung river valley. The house of my nearest neighbor, whom I had not seen or heard from in the two years since I’d moved in, was perhaps 250 yards away...

John Merchant found that he was not welcomed with open arms when he went to live un up-state New York.

For more of John's enlightening words about life in the United States please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Up-State Life" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...The cruise was all that we had looked forward to; quaint towns soaked in history, majestic hills with the hatched patterns of the vineyards, good beer, and of course, castle upon castle upon castle, all set against the swirling currents of the storied river. But though the cruise was truly a dream come true, getting to and from Europe was more like a nightmare...

John Merchant experiences the extreme discomfort of flying British Airways - and he's still waiting for his luggage which was lost at Heathrow airport.

Continue reading "It's The Journey That's Important - Not The Destination - Ha!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:06 PM | Permalink

...On one level, I have a great deal of admiration for some of the packaging designers. I suspect their ingenuity got its start when they took up the Japanese art of origami. The things they can create from a flat piece of cardboard are mind boggling. Whenever I purchase a product packed in such a
container, the first challenge is how to get it open. The logical part of my brain says “This container, no matter how ingenious, is made from a flat piece of cardboard, and therefore all I have to do is carefully restore it to its original flatness.”

My illogical brain, the dominant part apparently, says “There is no way I can open this without destroying it.”...

John Merchant wrestles with cardboard and polyethylene.

To read more of John's well-packaged words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Get Me Into Here" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

...As with any form of visual saturation, people have reached a point where the signs of various sorts don’t penetrate their consciousness anymore. Unfortunately, this stage of inurement has been reached at a time when official traffic signs are blossoming like weeds, which is a clear indication that signs are not read...

John Merchant is offended by the plethora of signs which blight the U.S. landscape - signs which challenge the comprehensive powers of the dim witted and goad motorists into racing starts when the traffic lights change to green.

For more of John's brilliant columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Give Us A Sign" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...But of all the fads and crazes, the one that is most difficult to explain is kayaking. It has been the sport with the longest gestation period, and its recent increase in popularity cannot be identified with a movie, or a personality who gained prominence in the Olympics, or anywhere else for that matter. Other than the specially constructed slalom courses that have been built in some high profile locations such as inner cities, the current population of kayakers do their thing unseen by most of the rest of the population...

John Merchant points out that 350,000 kayaks are sold annually in the USA - a mere splash in the ocean compared to the 18.2 million bicycles sold in the USA in 2006, but it is clear that the craze has reached critical mass.

For more of John's eminently readable columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Anyone For Kayaking?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

…In Florida, where I live in the winter, there is little escape from the auditory presence of Japanese internal combustion engine technology. On the highways, my ears are assaulted by the 4-stroke, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 16-valve motorcycles put out by Suzuki and Yamaha etc. One road they travel is fully 250 yards from my house, but on a quiet night you could believe they were coming right through the bedroom…

Unlike many people who suffer hearing loss as they age, John Merchant finds that his hearing appears to be getting more sensitive – a disturbing phenomenon in increasingly rowdy times.

To enjoy more of John’s ever-readable columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "What Noise Annoys An Oyster" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...The many politicians democratic countries have trusted to lead them in the past have arrived at that pinnacle by similar, though not identical routes, almost like a marathon to decide the fittest if not necessarily the ablest. Given the enormous increase over the years in the complexity of world dynamics, one wonders if the job can ever again be performed successfully by one such person....

John Merchant suggests that in the best of all worlds perhaps a cloned leader would be the ideal.

For more of John's stylish and well-argued columns please click on American Pie in the menu on his page.

Continue reading "So What Kind Of National Leader Do You Really, Really Want?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...My bedroom looked out to Great Orme, and the call of the gulls would pull me out of bed at first light to climb as far up the cliff as I could, all the while being dived on by the agitated birds. The closer I got to their nesting ledges, the closer they got to parting my hair. To this day, all I have to hear is one gull call as I awake on my boat, to feel the thrill of that childhood experience...

Sounds and smells reawaken rich memories for John Merchant - and lucky are we readers that he shares them with us in this richly-evocative column.

For more of John's lively words please click on American Pie in he menu on his page.

Continue reading "Sense Me Up Scottie - (With Apologies To The Trekkies)" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...The push to make things smaller and smaller has not relented. Computers that once filled a good-sized room, now will fit in the palm of your hand. Mobile telephones that needed to be carried in a shoulder bag, today are almost invisible when clutched to the caller’s ear, giving the impression that the caller either has an earache or a painful tooth....

But there are anomalous and antiquated inefficiencies that linger on in the technological stampede towards miniaturisation, as John Merchant reveals.

To read lots more of John's incisive columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "It's The Little Things In Life" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

…I comb the newspapers and watch TV news until I’m dizzy, but it’s a rare day when I learn of a decision and think “right on.” OK, so it’s easy to second guess the decision makers, but even to a lay person, many judgments look wrong-headed at the outset, and play out predictably. Ehud Olmert’s decision to invade Lebanon. President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq….

John Merchant wonders whether younger people would make better, wiser decisions.

For more of John’s thoughtful columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Out Of The Mouths Of Babes And Sucklings" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...It is possible to sail alone, lots of people do: most famously Sir Francis Chichester, the redoubtable Chay Blithe, and the mysterious Bernard Moitessier, to name but a few; and not to mention the thousands of weekend, single-handed sailors. But in the end, sailing is such a specialized, almost minority interest sport, that sailors are inevitably drawn together. Only then can they converse freely in the curious verbiage of their chosen avocation. Only among fellow aficionados are their adventures and accomplishments accorded the kudos they rightly deserve...

And the place to share experiences at the sailing club of which John Merchant is a member is the Geezer Bench.

To read more of John's splendid columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Geezer Bench" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:34 PM | Permalink

...In the animal world, males have been known to kill their offspring so that the female would be available for mating. That doesn’t make a lot of sense in the cold light of day, but then Mother Nature never intended us to make good sense out of sex...

John Merchant considers the role of women in society - particularly of those in Britain and the USA.

To read more of John's enlightening words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Feminine Mystique" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...Americans love their country, and want everyone else in the world to benefit from what they see as the fruits of democracy and freedom. This allows for almost unquestioning support of their government when it decides on war as a way to bring “freedom” to what it perceives as an oppressed people. “My country right or wrong” is not an idle catch phrase...

John Merchant shares the pain and bewilderment of millions of United States citizens on finding that their country has unwittingly assumed the role of the world's villain.

To read more of John's insightful columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The American Nightmare" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says that at this time of year in New England, nature doesn’t stint on the entertainment.

"Many of the water birds now have young, and seem to want to stage them for everyone to see, like human parents at their daughters’ first dancing class recital.

The show might begin with a pair of geese, Momma leading, with Pa riding herd on a gaggle of goslings, exiting stage right. Moments later, entering stage left, a pair of elegant, white swans with their scruffy looking signets takes over the stage. Not to be outdone, a Mallard and his mate shepherd their young carefully through the performance. Then of course, no successful harbor performance could be put on without its chorus of immaculately costumed seagulls who contribute both grace and knock-about humor. For a dramatic finale, an Osprey hurls its self vertically from five hundred feet, wings folded, to snatch a fish from the water, hardly wetting its leg feathers.''

To read more of John's illuminating words please click on American Pie in the menu on his page.

Continue reading "The Weather, Or Not" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...It is becoming clear that the whole world will feel the effects, and that none of the manifestations will be beneficial, at least the way it looks at the present time. Australia is suffering from its worst drought since 1900, along with record high temperatures; the polar ice caps are melting, and hurricanes are becoming stronger and more frequent. River deltas in low-lying countries are experiencing catastrophic flooding with loss of life, property and crops...

John Merchant wonders whether a shared "enemy'', global warming, will put an end to the internecine strife that divides so many countries today.

For more of John's thought-provoking articles please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Global Warming - The World's Saviour?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says he feels a kinship with the Afghani people, "perhaps because I share with them a feudal heritage, having grown up in England.

He respects the way they have set about restoring their society and infrastructure. "It seemed like only weeks after the Taliban were driven out that the schools were open, and for the first time in years, girls were attending. Gone were the oppressive burkas, and out came the make-up. Farmers were planting crops, and the markets were thriving in short order.''

For more of John's thoughtful words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "A Return To The Khyber Pass" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says the American auto industry seems to be bankrupt of ideas and unwilling to seek inovation from outside. Today cars made in Detroit hold barely half of the US market.

For more of John's perceptive columns about life in the United States please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Slow Death Of Detroit" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

The "snowbirds'' are flying north, after wintering in Florida. Now, for a few weeks, until they too soar off to Connecticut, John Merchant and his wife can enjoy for a few weeks the reduced congestion and the spectacular flowering trees and bushes that are just starting to bloom - the violet Jacarandas, the orange blossoms, the Frangipani, and the bright orange, Royal Poinciana trees.

Florida misses its "snowbirds'' who are so willing to volunteer their time to help others, as John reveals.

Continue reading "Winding Down In La-La Land" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...As a schoolboy who never saw any of my female counterparts in anything other than a knee-length gym slip, white blouse and tie, and black, lace-up shoes, it’s more than a little disconcerting to see a heavily made up 17 year old in 4 inch heels, a backless dress and plunging neckline, with a skirt split to her upper thigh...

John Merchant tells if an American ritual, the junior and senior high school prom. He suggests the contemporary prom is like a modern-day version of the maypole dancing that took place at this time of year on the village greens of merrie olde England and some European countries. "Young couples would twirl and rotate until they were dizzy, helped along by copious amounts of ale and mead. The dance would end with the young men carrying the girls off to a bower in the forest for some hey nonny nonny, thus ensuring a new crop of kinder the following spring.''

For more of John's perceptive accounts of life in the USA please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Mating Game" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

John Merchant writes about the neighbors we don't really know - neighbors who, occasionally, can turn out to be mass murderers or terrorists.

"Newspapers and TV pictures at the scene of such revelations generally show similar images of bewildered neighbors standing in the street, looking forlornly at the home that has recently housed such collectively evil and extreme passions. Almost irrespective of the country, the scene looks the same, and the interviews are carbon copies. 'They seemed like such nice people. We didn’t know much about them, but they always said 'hello' and never caused any trouble.''

To read more of John's illuminating columns please click on American Pie in he menu on this page.

Continue reading "The Familiar Neighbor None Of Us Know" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:44 PM | Permalink

John Merchant says that contrary to the hoary, vaudeville and Borscht Belt one-liners from which he drew his title for this column, he had good relationships with his three mothers in law.

Each one had a very different personality, and their lives contrasted, but they shared a remarkable ability to deal with the adversity that each of them had been dealt.

Continue reading "Take My Mother-In-Law - Please!" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:32 PM | Permalink

"The North American continent today is characterized by the population’s gravitation to the waterside. It began as a trickle and has swelled to a flood in the past twenty years, unabated by the various natural and man-made disasters that have imperiled those who would go down to the sea and the rivers,'' says John Merchant. "Nowadays you’d have to be a multimillionaire to afford a place with a view of the ocean, a river or a lake.''

For more of John's engaging and entertaining thoughts on life in the United States please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Life's Sustainer And Destroyer" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...We have a man-made, white sand beach, fringed with palm trees, and the whole scene, complete with Mediterranean style architecture, could easily be mistaken for a corner of the Italian Riviera. The several “villages” that the community is divided into all have Italian names, as do the streets; and the grand entrance is dominated by a fountain that would not disgrace Rome. Even the local shopping center is radiant with pink, amber and baby-blue stucco.

The lawns are watered and groomed, and there isn’t a weed or a bug in sight. No critters wander here, even though only a mile or so away there are signs warning of Florida Panthers. But they are on the outside, and know better than to encroach on our man-made paradise...

John Merchant tells of life in Florida's La-La Land, the fantasy communities that have sprung up to accommodate vacationers and retirees.

For more of John's thoughtful columns on life in the USA please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "My Virtual Life In La-La Land" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:24 PM | Permalink

...A gentleman, whose name I can’t recall, wrote a book about the psychology of medicine. In it, he stated that the problem with doctors is that they are compulsive healers. The first doctor I went to in America, after having told him that I was perfectly healthy, gave me a thorough medical exam, finally announcing triumphantly that he had found a problem. “You have a pelvic deformity,” he said with glee....

John Merchant focuses his healthy good sense on the task of choosing a new doctor or dentist in the United States.

Read more of John's invigorating columns by clicking on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Doctor, Please Do Little" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...Vast areas of wetlands and wilderness have been gobbled up by shopping malls, gated communities, strip development and just plain exurban sprawl. Very little land has been set aside for recreational use, and a trip to a post office or a municipal or government facility may require driving anything up to fifteen miles on congested roads...

But there is a worthy alternative to mindless exurban development in the USA, says John Merchant. The mixed use development concept - the idea of combinging commercial and business premises with private dwellings and restaurants, and placing emphasis on "walkability'' - is gaining in popularity.

Read more of John's thoughtful words by clicking on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Mixed Use Communities" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:12 PM | Permalink

…I left the store with a PC that could probably run a moon landing mission with breath to spare, and an LCD monitor that has a larger screen than most televisions I’ve owned. Feverishly, I hooked it up and waited with baited breath for my fist glimpse of Vista. And then there she was, promising more “wow” than probably my old heart could stand…

But there have been “tiffs’’ in John Merchant’s love affair with his new “girlfriend’’ – Microsoft’s latest computer operating system, Vista. She is so different to any other “girl’’ he has known that he simply can’t get the measure of her. “She was no pushover. Along with my new PC and monitor, I’d been talked into to buying some anti-virus software produced by Microsoft especially to protect my temptress. However, Vista was not persuaded and rejected the program.’’

To read more of John’s illuminating columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Vista, Oh Vista, Wherefore Art Thou?" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 07:04 PM | Permalink

John Merchant has discovered that blogging seems to require a strong stomach for abusive and foul language.

"Why do these “writers” feel the need for the kind of unfettered self-expression that the rest of us find unsavory and even alarming? Is it that unspiced English is suddenly inadequate to forcefully express one’s true feelings, or is it that the inclusion of a heavy dose of expletives somehow makes the writing more persuasive?''

After pondering on the Internet equivalent of road rage John reaches a startling conclusion.

For more of his lively common-sense words please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "To Blog Or Not To Blog" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:42 PM | Permalink

...So given that we, as a nation, don’t attach much importance to correct, understandable English, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that we don’t insist on it for our immigrants. The belief is sometimes expressed that America will ultimately separate into several countries along ethnic lines. That California and the west coast states will become an Asian nation, Texas and Florida Hispanic, and so on. The absence of a strong, unifying, national language is one sure way to facilitate that...

John Merchant says that while the US adopts a laissez faire approach to what, in his opinion, should be the national language, the rest of the world is moving towards English as being the universal tongue for diplomacy, business, science and education.

To read more of John's well-argued and enjoyable columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "English As She Is Spoke - Or Not" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:12 PM | Permalink

..."How am I going to meet someone when I’m working on a farm all day? I already know everybody who lives around here, which isn't that many people! Maybe I'll try online dating."...

John Merchant tells of FarmersOnly.com http://farmersonly.com/, an on-line dating agency for folk who work on the land in the wide rural reaches of the United States.

For more of John's enlightening column please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "No More Bachelor Farmers" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

John Merchant reports that road rage is rife in urban areas in the USA, "Cities in Florida have their own brand, mostly related to the impatience of young people when they encounter older drivers, of which Florida has a high proportion. When these young bloods encounter what they perceive as hesitancy, or even, dare I say, “careful” driving, or spot an out-of-town registration plate, it appears to turn them into modern-day Genghis Khans.''

John's suggested cause for this antisocial behaviour points to a bleak future for affluent nations.

To read more of John's well-consider columns please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "It's All The Rage - Road Rage That Is" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:26 PM | Permalink

...My wife has a concept about metabolism that defies reason. If she eats three chocolate chip cookies one day, she believes that the half pound increase in her weight the next day is entirely attributable to the cookies. Would that weight gain or loss had such an instant and direct relationship. In the absence of such simplicity, the best course of action is surely common sense...

John Merchant, after considering the negative thoughts that many Americans have concerning food, declares "It was variety and happenstance, and not food neuroses that got us this far, against all odds. The varied diets we’ve had forced upon us through circumstance all these millennia made us strong and resistant to sickness and disease.''

For lots more thought provoking and highly entertaining words from John please click on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Fear Of Potatoes" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:42 PM | Permalink

...Of all the web pages I have encountered, the one that stopped me dead in my tracks, no pun intended, was one for
my home town cemetery! More than just surprise at the actual existence of a cemetery web page, it was the heading that I found so arresting. In a wonderful example of unconscious, graveyard humor, the headline says “Welcome to Sheffield General Cemetery.”...

John Merchant's Web explorations took him on a surprise journey to unhealthier past times.

More of John's varied and invariably entertaining columns can be read by clicking on American Pie in the menu on this page.

Continue reading "Rest In Peace.Com" »

Written by John Merchant - Published at 12:44 PM | Permalink