Grocery Markets Around the World

The Ninja admiring all the dried meats and fancy cheeses at
 the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia

 One of my favorite things to do while traveling abroad is visiting grocery stores and food markets. Not only are markets a great venue for people watching and experiencing culture, they also provide me with a valuable lesson in food diversity, value and, most importantly, they remind me to be ever-so-thankful for our American food supply.

It's always fun to peruse a foreign grocery store to see what kinds of different products are available that we don't have in the U.S. For example, I was in Poland for a short time in December and saw many unique things in the store. Live carp were available in the fish section and the produce section featured a wide variety of pickles and sauerkraut.
Read more »

Remembrance - 10 years later

I remember where I was this fateful day, 10 years ago. I was sitting in Oral Communications listening to Mrs. Hopper when our principal came in and whispered to her the news. I don't know what he said but I could tell by the look on her face that it wasn't good.
Next period. Spanish II. Mrs. Weldin switched on our classroom TV to show us what was going on. The clip of the first plane's crash into the North Tower kept replaying, over and over. I prayed I'd never see anything like that again in my lifetime. Then the clip of the second plane crashing in the South Tower was shown. Over and over.

As our country struggled to deal with the staggering blow that had just been dealt, a small southeast Kansas high school held a moment of silence for the families affected and lives lost.

"A date which will live in infamy" seemed just as fitting in 2001 as it did 60 years earlier.

Today, let's cast aside our differences. Be a proud and supportive American, even if you don't agree with the war, we can all agree that the 9/11 attacks were sinister and driven by a deep hatred of our country and as such, a forceful rebuttal was necessary.

A sincere message of gratitude to all past and present servicemen and women for all they have done, and will continue to do, for our freedoms and rights. Don't like the war? Fine. Be mindful and appreciate the fact that you can express that dislike publicly and not be imprisoned, exiled or shot.

God Bless the victims and families of 9/11 and God Bless America.

~ Buzzard ~