With Christmas almost upon us, what better time is there for delving into that perennial holiday favorite, Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’? While nothing quite compares to reading the original, there have been any number of film-makers that have attempted to capture the spirit of Christmas with film adaptations. There are many viewers that maintain the …
THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING WORKERS
After nearly two years of pandemic Kanadoodle is now experiencing a labor shortage. The first indication was news from thousands of restaurants, closed because of COVID and unable to find sufficient staff when they re-opened. Well, if there’s a choice between slaving away in the service industry or staying safer at home, who is rushing …
THE ‘LYMPIC CHAMPIONS FOR SILLY WALKS
There's nothing like the ‘lympics to bring out the competitive spirit. Sure, there's a few medals to be won by athletes, but the real games are in the political sphere. Jobe Bidinghistime, current Prez of ‘Murica announced recently that his government is boycotting the upcoming winter ‘lympics in Porcelain. This is in retaliation for the …
GOING GREEN WITH ENVY
I’m convinced that people only use public transit because they can’t afford a car. Unlike buses, a car gets you where you want to go, when you want to go and gets you there faster – unless you’re stuck in a traffic jam, find that there aren’t any parking spaces anywhere near your destination or …
THE POLARIZED EXPRESS
When I look at the news out of ‘Murica, I sometimes think that their civil war (1861 – 1865) never ended: it’s just that the fighting continues using politics as weapons and the streets and law-courts as the battlefields. There are an endless number of skirmishes on a few familiar topics: my rights vs. community …
INSPECTOR GAMACHE RIDES AGAIN
Louise Penny – All the Devils are Here – St. Martin’s Press, 2020 (An Inspector Gamache story) It used to be that movies and television shows relied on books for their inspiration. These days I’m beginning to suspect that crime/mystery novels are borrowing the techniques of popular television series. There is the first novel where …
REMEMBERING REMEMBRANCE DAY
Back in the 1970’s I lived for a time in Oxford, England. While there I supplemented my lack of income by working as a bookkeeper/receptionist at a boat yard located on an idyllic little spot beside the Thames, just outside the city. The yard rented canal boats for those that viewed drifting around the inland …
You Must Remember This
Collecting something for a hobby is a path to a number of undoubted pleasures. Whether it’s baseball cards, books or tea cozies, there’s the thrill of the chase and the satisfaction of acquiring a unique item. On the other hand, there’s the feeling that you never have enough money to fuel your habit and the …
IT’S ALL A PLOT!
Get vaccinated, wear a mask, wash your hands frequently and keep a safe distance. It seems simple enough, but the REAL reason for the existence of COVID and its safety protocols is to stimulate conspiracy theories. Obviously the virus was manufactured in China in a plot to achieve world domination. It seems quite reasonable - …
More of Life’s Imponderables
With the earth warming and our summers becoming more hot and dry, why isn’t the sun evaporating more water from the oceans and making it rain more? Why are fire hydrants and signposts irresistible to dogs? Why is it the moment you get to the room where you needed to do something, you can’t remember …
Richard's Left Bank 