Not Today

| February 8, 2011

H. L Mencken wrote, “Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.” Every day I get exposed to what oozes into public view from under the rock that is Ottawa I revisit those words. I sporadically manage to sideline Stephen Harper for varying periods of time. Last summer’s painful foray into Canada’s […]

Bullied by the Nova Scotia SPCA?

| January 31, 2011

Every word in the following article is the personal opinion of its author, but every statement made within it can be supported with authenticating documentation. The author regards public safety and security as matters not to be trifled with in these troubled times, and sincerely hopes that the brutal honesty of this article will encourage […]

Lest We Forget – A Parting Shot

| November 11, 2010

Quite a while ago I mastered singing the song titled The Green Fields of France. It’s been recorded by many, but my favourite arrangement is this one by The Fureys. Not only do I enjoy the arrangement and the voice of the man singing it, but there’s one line in particular that always held a […]

Lest We Forget – Poland 1939

| November 11, 2010

Peace, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting. ~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary As a student of military history I have long been aware of the German shenanigans with respect to Poland that finally dragged British Prime Minister Nevil Chamberlain kicking and screaming into a declaration of war […]

Dark Sentiments – Day 27

| October 27, 2010

Some sentiments are dark because they come of ignorance which is the darkest sentiment of all. Remember the words spoken to Ebenezer Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Present when the spirit exposed the two wretched, grasping urchins huddled beneath his robes, “This boy is Ignorance, this girl is Want. Beware them both, and all […]

Dark Sentiments – Day 21

| October 21, 2010

I broached the subject of the Wendigo on Dark Sentiments – Day 17, and though that article provided an introduction to the nasty thing, what I wrote that day was intended as an introduction to a tale supplied by the good James A. Keating. But the Wendigo is deserving of deeper exploration, particularly because a […]

Dark Sentiments – Day 15

| October 15, 2010

“Witch hunt” is a well entrenched term in the English language, meaning actions undertaken to root out anyone who you are hell bent on blaming for whatever ails you. If you’re powerful enough you can play this out for centuries and use it as a tool to whip a population into line simply because they’re […]

Dark Sentiments – Day 14

| October 14, 2010

Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Bathory was an infamous Hungarian noblewoman generally held to have been responsible for the torture and murder of at least 600 young women, and for bathing or showering in their blood as a means of retaining her youthful vigour and beauty. A variety of period portraits are claimed to have been of her, […]

Dark sentiments – Day 10

| October 10, 2010

“Russian roulette is not the same without a gun, and baby, when it’s love, if it’s not rough it isn’t fun.” ~ Lady Gaga ~ Most men live their lives in daylight, And when darkness wraps its claws around them, they are blind. But embrace the darkness, my cherubs and you can see. Most men […]

The Road to Dog Hell is Paved with Human Misconceptions

| June 24, 2010

J. Allen Boone said, “There’s facts about dogs, and then there’s opinions about them. The dogs have the facts, and the humans have the opinions. If you want the facts about the dog, always get them straight from the dog. If you want opinions, get them from humans.” It’s an unfortunate fact that what a […]