No Man’s Land

| February 14, 2016

“The rash assertion that ‘God made man in His own image’ is ticking like a time bomb at the foundations of many faiths, and as the hierarchy of the universe is disclosed to us, we may have to recognize this chilling truth: if there are any gods whose chief concern is man, they cannot be […]

This Aging Population Thing

| January 23, 2016

If taking away your physical skills means taking away all of your self-defence, you ain’t got shit. You might be a great fighting instructor, but everything you have only works when most good self-defence has already failed. Also, it’s all perishable. It won’t help you if you manage to get old enough, and realize that […]

The Elephant in the Closet Wants Out

| January 13, 2016

Law enforcement officials lost control of the situation in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, according to an internal report by Germany’s national police, the Bundespolizei, obtained by DER SPIEGEL. The author of the report, dated Jan. 4, is a senior official. He writes: “Women, accompanied or not, literally ran a ‘gauntlet’ through masses of heavily […]

A Long Winter’s Night 2015 – Day 8: The OceanMaker

| December 29, 2015

On this Long Winter’s Night, I offer, for your consideration, The OceanMaker. After the seas have disappeared, a courageous pilot fights against vicious sky pirates for control of the last remaining source of water: the clouds. ~ mightycocunut.com As a former aviator and student of aviation history, I enjoyed the recognizable but apocalyptically modified airframes […]

A Long Winter’s Night 2015 – Day 6: Alma

| December 27, 2015

As I’ve written here before, the quest for the most fascinating toy promises the downfall of the unwary. Our case in point this Long Winter’s Night is Alma. Written and directed by Rodrigo Blaas, and produced by Cecile Hokes with music by Mastretta, Alma (Spanish for “soul”) tells the story of a little girl who, one […]

A Long Winter’s Night – Day 5: The Drunkard’s Song

| December 26, 2015

The shitfaced Elf from yesterday’s Long Winter’s Night did rather well when he so vigorously snatched the neck of his bottle with both eyes open. It’s often hard for someone in such a state as requires an earthquake to walk straight to divine which of the two objects standing before them is the genuine article. […]

A Long Winter’s Night 2015 – Day 3: A Krampus Carol

| December 24, 2015

You may recall from previous scribblings here that … “In many parts of Europe, the “Feast of Saint Nicholas” is celebrated on December 6th. The evening before the feast, however, is known as Krampus Night or Krampusnacht, when the hairy beast roams the streets in a … rage, visiting homes and businesses to punish and/or […]

A Long Winter’s Night 2015 – Day 2: All Things Great and Seasonal

| December 23, 2015

Cultural anthropologist Margaret Visser was for many years a regular on an assortment of radio programmes produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She has authored six books on a variety of subjects ranging from the traditions of dinner to the expression of gratitude, linking the origins of the world we know to that of […]

A Long Winter’s Night 2015 – Day 1: Another Winter Solstice

| December 22, 2015

Pre-Christian history is full of spiritual beliefs that personify the sun as a deity who dies and is resurrected, even as the sun that reaches its shortest period of life in the sky is reborn to linger just a little longer each day in the blessed march toward what is hoped to be a new […]

A Few Nights Ago in Dartmouth

| December 4, 2015

Approaching me in a dark parking lot while I’m strapping my child in their car seat is a REALLY stupid move. Don’t you know that a mother protecting her young is one of the most dangerous things to tussle with? ~ Mrs. LFM At approximately 18:30 Atlantic Time on the evening of Monday, 30 November […]