Endearments - not endearing to me

Perhaps it’s a petty thing in the realm of all the good and bad things that happen in the world, however I have to voice my objection to this habit of some women.

I object to being called, by women, mainly in the service industry, endearing names, the most common being honey, hun, dear, deary, sweetie.  Grocery and retail store cashiers, waitresses, even the other day at a fast food drive through, the female voice through the ordering system called me deary.   And these women are always dumbfounded when I ask them nicely, not to refer to me in such a intimate manner.  Simply because they are not in a professional job doesn’t mean they shouldn’t conduct themselves professionally.  I’ve never had a doctor, lawyer, teacher and the like speak to me using these intimate words.

Nor have I ever had a man in any service industry do this (at least not to my face), from mechanics, retail clerks, to bus boys they’ve always treated myself and other women I know with professionalism and respect.  Can you imagine the consequences to a male employee?

So when did it become acceptable for women to do so?  Are their employers/managers not aware or simply ignore this distasteful habit.  

Personal endearments such as these I feel are just that “personal”, something shared between loved ones, such as family members or very close friends.  But not the gal at the service counter, please!

Lobster Trap Live Webcam

To view it live or history
 http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/special/lobster-cam.html

The following is from the CBC "offbeat" news. 

An underwater webcam in a lobster trap in Halifax harbour has been streaming live for the past two weeks, and internet users around the world are taking the bait. 

Ralf Pickart wondered what it would be like to be a lobster, so he set up a lobster trap and attached a webcam.

"People see a perspective they never experienced before and they are not able to experience," Pickart said Thursday. "Nobody is diving for a lobster trap and watching it for several hours."

The webcam is one of 43 across Nova Scotia on Pickart's website, and the lobster cam is by far the most popular.

"I expected that people would like it, it was one of our expectations, but I never expected 14,000 hits just on the first day," Pickart said.

He won't disclose the exact location of the lobster trap, just that it's somewhere in Halifax harbour.

The lobsters won't end up on anybody's plate — they are for entertainment purposes only. Pikart only has an educational licence to catch the lobsters, and must release them.

"We are planning to empty the trap once a week, depending on how crowded it gets," he said.

Along with lobsters living in the trap, there are a few other sea creatures like starfish and sea urchins. Sometimes fish make their way in, too.

For lobster lovers who see the crustaceans as a delicacy, the webcam is good way to whet an appetite.

"I'll be thinking about how delicious they are. That's all I'll be thinking about," Rob Davidson said. "The flavour, the texture."

Salvation Army

I'm not one for supporting what I think of as "religious organizations", however the Salvation Army is the exception.  Not because I'm religious but because of the Salvation Army's enduring commitment to the needs of humanity.

My support began long ago when my dad told me that the Salvation Army was the first organization of people on the battleground in support of our Canadian troops.  Before the Red Cross or any other organization.

My father, was a Veteran of World War II, Princess Patricia Light Infantry, who fought and was wounded in Italy.  He rarely spoke of his experiences during the war at least to his family.  The two things I do recall him speaking of was the mud, the rain and the presence of the Salvation Army.

Because of this, the family have always supported the Salvation Army in as many ways as possible as did dad in his Will, when he passed away several years ago. 

Informative and interesting reading on the history of the Salvation Army in Canada and worldwide.

http://www.salvationarmy.ca/history/