This morning, while waiting for a bus, I was again approached in conversation by an elderly Edmontonian.

"That's a nice breed," she said pointing down the street to a woman walking her dog. "

"Yes, it is," I replied. It was a nice breed - one of those Malamute / Husky dogs, probably less than a year old.

"I remember a few years ago, there was this breed of dog they made for the police. It didn't bite people. Instead, they bred it to have strong arms. So it would just jump on the crook and hold it down."

"Like this?" (I mock a bear-hug-like action)

"Yup! Just like that. It wouldn't bite them, it was trained not to. But those crooks back then would fight to the death to get away. But they were 200 pound dogs, and they'd hold onto you. You couldn't get away.

"I tell you, I wish the authorities would take care of people these days. Not like that (didn't catch the name) case, but like Clifford Olson and that couple that killed those two girls (she meant the Bernardos, I'm sure). You know, when you know without a doubt that they're guilty, you should just get rid of them. You should just hang them."

The bus was about a block away by this point. Not wanting to get into a debate over the death penalty with an elder, I simply look down the street at it. Without missing a beat, she says, "Is that our bus?"

"Yup!" I replied, "that's the number 9 to Northgate."

"Oh, I don't need to go that far," she said.

"I remember when you could take the 52, only it wasn't the 52, it was the 11 then, and it would take you right out to Bonnie Doon. Can't do that any more!"

And she got on the bus and sat down.