Ever since I began googling for news on the internet rather than from reading newspapers, there has been confusion. You see, the paper said precisely where the location of the story was happening. However, the search engine in finding the location of a newscast brings up three or more choices. In other words, “It’s all over the map”.
The other day I searched for the Westmeath flood. What came up was a flood story but in Westmeath County in Ireland. It turns out that one portion of the town of Athlone in that county is prone to flooding because of rising waters in the Shannon River, not the first either time either. There were comments on sandbagging and damaged homes, some with adequate insurance and some without.
It wasn’t until OPW – not OPG was mentioned that it resonated – this wasn’t about our Westmeath. It did remind me though of a dozen years ago when a couple I know who were travelling through that same county brought me back a Westmeath County newspaper. That paper was thicker than the Toronto Star and nearly as thick as the Sunday New York Times. For the life of me I can’t remember who the people were but I still have that noteworthy newspaper stashed away somewhere.
Another problem I have since Grade 6 geography – the cities of St. John and St. John’s and which province each one is in. Guessing which only give a 50% chance of being right. Currently there is a great annual regatta going on. If it was New Brunswick, I might have been able to attend this celebration but if Newfoundland it would be too far. So rather than chance it and get it wrong, I stay at home in the Renfrew County Westmeath.
Even in Manhattan as famous as it is, can be bewitching. It has two villages in lower Manhattan. The East Village and the West Village, separated by only 6th Avenue. Apparently the east one was originally known as the Lower East Side while the west one was a part of Greenwich Village – I think.
Then there is our good old Ottawa Valley, sometimes referred to as the ‘lower’ or the ‘upper’ Valley. But if that is difficult to know which section you belong to, it is chancier when residents define it further as the lower upper and the upper lower, etc. What section I live in, I have no clue.
Then there is requesting a location on the Weather Network which pops up so much uncertainty. I plugged in Pembroke to find out the forecast and five choices came up. The one nearby, three in the US and one in England. I’d hate to search for a really common name like maybe St. John!
That brings us to a conundrum about Whitewater Region. Instead of remaining in a group of smaller townships or these townships possibly subdividing into tinier factions, they all amalgamated together in one swoop. It didn’t please everyone but by the time the older generation was gone, criticism of the move has virtually disappeared.
On the other hand, think of Africa with so many counties on the continent. In recent years a number of them have divided themselves into north and south regions– the reason may involve the weather. Some of the citizens like it warmer and some cooler. I hope it doesn’t spread into east-west separations. That wouldn’t have a logical explanation even if a coastal country!
Yugoslavia for two centuries existed as one unit. Now in recent years the global map needs constant updating. That former entity has broken up into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia for the triviality of political upheaval and ethnicity ones. I knew a married couple once: he was from Slovenia and she from Montenegro. They were bickering almost every day about which country they had left was the best. I didn’t comprehend any parts of their arguments!
The makeup of the world is like families. Some countries band together forming strong alliances while others thirst to be independent and go it alone. Other countries unfortunately don’t fit in anywhere and eventually became a rogue state, not able to return to what it was or progress any further.
