Despite the war in Ukraine dragging on at a huge cost to Russia’s economy, Vlad (the Impaler) shows no signs of backing down his offensive. Like Hitler before him, Vlad has a deeply rooted belief that Western democracies are weak and have no appetite for a long war. His belief was bolstered when he …
ONE YEAR LATER
A YEAR LATER - PART ONE As of November last year, it was estimated that Russia spent $84 billion and had well over two hundred thousand casualties in its bid to turn Ukraine into a vassal state. I suppose it’s irrelevant to count the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians killed, or the …
NEED A NEW LEADER FOR YOUR COUNTRY?
In addition to all the scenes from around the world showing people unhappy with their government, I was watching news clips from Kanadoodle’s Iglooarliament during what I laughingly refer to as ‘question period’. It’s not so much questioning as scoring points against your opponents and it seems to generate great fun for the politicians that …
THE WITCH’S HEART BY GORNICHEC
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, Titan Books 2021 - Lamentably the only Christmas book I received this year, DDD's (dearest darling daughter for those new to the blog) choice proved to be an entertaining read. However, if the only time you've spent with Norse mythology is reading about the overly testosterone-pumped characters from the …
MANHUNT
Manhunt with Martin Clunes, British Television ITV, 2019 While there are other dramas using the 'Manhunt' title, this British series was originally packaged in 9 parts for television, I viewed the whole set on a 3 episode DVD. Drawn from the memoirs of real life Detective Chief Inspector Collin Sutton and based on true events, …
THE DECTECTORISTS
The Detectorists, 2014 - 2016 BBC comedy series distributed by Netflix. What is it about the British hobbyist? Imagine having an attraction to trains that's so compelling, you'd spend all your spare time standing near or over rail lines to note the differences and distinctive characteristics of locomotives and what they pull. If standing in …
THE HARRY AND MEGAN SHOW CONTINUES
I start this with a disclaimer - please don't confuse this blog with a book review – to do that I'd have to obtain a copy of Harry's book and actually read it - thereby helping support the lavish lifestyles of millionaire royals. On the other hand, was there anything in his book that wasn't …
MOVE OVER, LADY BADEN POWELL
It's official! After months of agonizing, apologizing, handwringing and endless consultations, the Girl Guides have changed the name for one of their age categories. You no doubt remember that, starting with the youngest members, it used to be Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers. It's been over a hundred years since Lady Baden Powell came …
YET ANOTHER MODEST PROPOSAL
I have been marveling at how much fun it is to watch politicians playing together. In Kanadoodle we saw news snippets of Pierre (cluck, cluck) Poulet, leader of the Consumptive Party pecking at Dustbin Truthless in the Iglooarliament. There isn't a rooster anywhere who can ruffle feathers like Poulet, who's prepared to disagree with anything …
2022 IN REVIEW
In writing my last blog of 2022, I thought I'd reflect on the state of the world this past year. The very idea brought my thoughts immediately to England, back before the second world war. That was when my late father-in-law was visiting his prospective wife's parents when they asked him, with all the primness …
Richard's Left Bank 