There once were two sisters. The first, older and wiser and prettier, found herself under the shadow of the second, who was infinitely more worldly and famous. No matter how hard the first sister (let’s call her Quebec) tried, everyone continued to remark on how the second sister (let’s call her Montreal) was superior in all that mattered.
posted in media, politics | Comments Off on A tale of two sisters | 288 words
First of all, let me extend my deepest sympathies to the citizens of Huntsville, Ontario. A lovely community, really; a population of about 18,000. Beautiful countryside, nature in the driver’s seat. Quiet, for the moment. They now have about 24 months to get their barricades in place, because the current government announced today that the G8 summit will be held there in 2010.
posted in politics | Comments Off on Guess who’s coming to town | 328 words
The wilderness is encroaching on my neighbourhood. It’s been only a couple of weeks since the family followed a skunk, complete with it’s own trap, through the neigbourhood. Then this afternoon, another visitor, just a few doors away: the common porcupine. Or not so common, because outside of roadkill and the odd zoo, I’d never seen one in situ. This one was only a few metres away, perched on the front doorstep of a house and I was suddenly very glad that the dog stays inside.
posted in environment, politics | Comments Off on Beware the wild quillcaster | 309 words
If there’s a test for whether or not someone qualifies as a “saint” then the Democratic aspirant to the upcoming presidential grabfest, democratically chosen by his peers, is now officially rebaptised. Saint Barach, pray harder, because your time of great tribulation isn’t over, even when it’s over.
posted in politics | Comments Off on It ain’t over even when it’s over, OK! | 254 words
Politics and sports. Two parallel worlds based on (endless) conflicts. Teams trying to one-up the others, putting marks on scoresheets that will have no meaning in a decade, but that infuse their followers with adrenalin and allow unbelievable amounts of money to be disbursed in a quest that seems to defy logic.
posted in politics | Comments Off on It ain’t over ’til it’s over, OK! | 280 words
Tonight I’ve set aside my spy novels and adventure potboilers, because the news channel offers far superior material to anything available at the local bookstand. The current government seems to have a certain amateur air about many things including the “dating game”, if revelations from this evening are credible.
posted in politics | Comments Off on Be my friend for at least a year | 459 words
Now that I go to bed early (because waking up is hard to do), I’ve had to swear off late-night TV. No more monologues from the triumvirate, or goofy walk-ons from the cinematic butterflies that have a new movie to flog. Except that once in a while, sleep remains elusive and I’ll find the two remotes needed to get a picture up on the wall above our bed. Like last night, when I stumbled across a documentary.
posted in history, politics | Comments Off on In the wrong place at the wrong time | 463 words
So, which one of the fans got a little excited this time? In a world where basic city police techniques are taught by the cast of The Simpsons, does it really matter? Last night there was a hockey game. Last night the hometown team won. Last night there was no system of functional law in place in downtown Montreal. Are we clear on all the facts here?
posted in politics | Comments Off on Just in case they don’t win; a practice session | 325 words
The world shown on the “big screen” is far from real, but sometimes a movie will make you stop, think a little and then sigh in relief that we live in an easier world than many others. Tonight, we sat through The Last King Of Scotland and we came away with troubled spirits. The headlines in a local newspaper don’t provide enough content for us to realize how bad things have been in various times and places.
posted in politics, travel | Comments Off on Reflection on a bygone troubled time | 282 words
The east coast of Canada has been invaded by clowns. Forget the rhetoric; the whole protest against the seal hunt is one designed to receive as much press coverage as possible. I won’t bother naming those involved, because there is no need to give them any more public presence than they’ve already garnered.
posted in politics | Comments Off on Dirty doubloons | 275 words
