Fridays Dilemma

Canadians are a placid bunch. Usually. Where ice hockey is concerned, primal passions arise. All kinds of primal passions, as the pic below shows.

What happened yesterday in Vancouver was shocking. The local NHL team, the Canucks, lost the final match of the Stanley Cup and riots soon engulfed the city. Vancouver’s top cop blamed “anarchists and criminals”, but it appears regular hockey fans were involved too, given there were over 100 arrests.

Vancouver has never won the Stanley Cup, the ice hockey equivalent of baseball’s World Series. So locals were entitled to feel frustrated after leading the seven match finals series 3-2, then blowing the last two games.

But were they entitled to riot? Of course not. If you ask us, these two had the right idea. While their city burned, they fiddled. With each other.  Do you approve? And can you come up with a better caption for this wonderful photo than Ant’s effort? Pucker up, Punchers!

Continue reading "Friday’s Dilemma: What were these two thinking?" »

We all know kids can be a handful sometimes, but what happens when your friend’s child is turning into a little terror? Can you say something? ‘Gladys’ writes:

My friend and I had our children at around the same time. We try and get them to play together but her son tends to break things or rip books - invariably these are gifts that my daughter has received from other people - and I have to repair them or get rid of them. In one instance, he broke a maraca and I found it in the bottom of the toy box later that week. I think she put it in there so I wouldn’t find it while she was there.

I realise he’s just a little baby (boy now), but she never urges him to be gentle or to respect other people’s things. First question: Can I tell a young visitor, under the supervision of his mother, to be gentle and not to break things? Second question: am I being silly thinking she should offer to fix or replace the things he breaks?

Continue reading "Friday’s Dilemma: Can I discipline my friend’s child?" »

Anonymous says:

“It is my fervent hope, as I’m sure it is the hope of every citizen of the world, that every decent citizen of the world enjoys a long and fruitful life. Sadly, war, disease, pestilence and accidents tragically cut many lives short. One such instance was that of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a road accident in Paris in August, 1997.

When Princess Diana died, there was a huge upwelling of grief from around the world, and especially in the British Commonwealth. For some reason, I didn’t share this emotion.

Continue reading "Friday’s dilemma: I didn’t cry about Princess Di" »

Anonymous says:

When I was younger and a backpacker, I met and had a spectacular holiday fling with a New Zealand guy. It lasted about six weeks. We hit it off so well that we swapped email addresses and stayed in touch for several years, sometimes meeting up when he traveled this way for work. The last time he visited, caught up in memories of great times and the stresses of real life (we are both now married), we kissed. I have never mentioned it to partner. Recently my friend has contacted me again. My husband, being none the wiser, has encouraged me to meet up. I got butterflies when I heard from him again. Does this mean I shouldn’t go?

Continue reading "Friday’s dilemma: Should I meet up with an old flame?" »

Anonymous says:

My friend and I went on a hen’s weekend. I arranged all of our accommodation, air tickets, and so on. Because I was prone to separation anxiety, I had my husband and daughter come down and stay in another part of the hotel and I visited them from time to time and they went shopping and spent time with a friend and his family.

Coming home, we were all delayed by five hours. My husband, a valued flyer with the airline in question, was sent a $200 travel voucher as compensation for the inconvenience. I was not. I duly informed the airline that I was on that flight along with my friend and we were all inconvenienced. I was sent a voucher for $400 - one voucher, no name, just “bearer”.

Since receiving that voucher, my friend’s husband has been abusive to me and our friendship has eased off a bit. Forget the moral side of it, what’s my legal position? It’s my voucher right?

Continue reading "Friday’s dilemma: Friends and money" »

Anonymous says:

“A friend of mine recently told me that her new, obviously unstable neighbour came over to her house a couple of nights ago and during conversation brought up the fact that he kept a kitten in a cage and kicked it to make himself feel better. She has no doubts this is fact, and she has no qualms about reporting this but she is also very aware that he will know it was her that reported him and is fearful of her safety. Is it still valid to save the life of an animal for the sake of your own safety?”

Can you help this reader? Add your advice below.