Creative commentary plus crafty composition

Archive for August, 2015

TOP 10 Unasked Questions of Winners’ Families

Yet again this morning a TV host asked the classically prosaic, reaction question of a gold medal winner’s family, namely “How did you feel?”  In such situations, the opportunity to ask more probing, insightful questions is missed, such as…

  • Did he have a shower this morning before the competition?
  • Did she start her long jump career by leaping over her cousins? (more…)

Category:

Humour, Social & political humour

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TOP 10 Simplest Election Promise Solutions

With the Canadian election campaign creeping on toward October 17th…

  • Balance the books, by placing them on the heads of the campaign workers with the most hair, or
  • Balance the books, via resting them on the incoming government party’s platform, since these otherwise unoccupied by firm commitments
  • Increase day care spaces, by putting more chairs and water bottles in each facility (more…)

Category:

Humour, Social & political humour

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Memorable Quotes: Tales of Screenwriters – Part Nineteen

The ‘Players’ – a director’s view:

“I believe that great writing makes great stories, and great stories make great films.  I start from that, so I really don’t move until I trust the material that I have in my hands…  There’s a totem pole in Hollywood for sure, about who they want to entrust certain material to. The more successful you are with your films financially, the more access you have to better material. (more…)

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Arts commentary

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Are You Motivated?

We know that fear and greed are major motivators of human behaviours.  Certainly these attributes have been applied over and over to how investors respond in the marketplace.

Aside from these more dramatic conscious states, what helps to being motivated in general? (more…)

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Social & political commentary

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Clichés Upgraded – Part XXXIX

Still summertime, still more enlivened clichés (with the originals in italics):

  • If you take the time to run circles around the instruction changes, no one will miss seeing them
  • After all, I had three, so now the shoe is on the other foot
  • Their pitcher had to serve up a lollipop because his team ran out of baseballs (more…)

Category:

Humour

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TOP 10 Bizarre City By-Laws & Policies

The City of Ottawa has followed again this summer a policy of closing beaches well before the end of August, when it not only normally remains quite warm, but also as this year when it can be steamy hot; what other policy gems are there?

  • If you find paper money on the street, it must be thrown in the nearest garbage can for health reasons
  • Remember that parking on downtown streets is a privilege, regardless of merchants’ dependency for customers, so any restrictions or charges are fair
  • When the mayor shows up for a photo-op, it means there is highly important city business (more…)

Category:

Humour, Social & political humour

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Memorable Quotes # 29

On Resolving:

If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.

We must risk going too far to discover just how far we can go.

On Skills & Fundamentals:

Success is neither magical nor mysterious.  Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals. (more…)

Category:

Social & political commentary

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TOP 10 Uncommon Form Evaluations  

Almost any business or professional development event seems to request that attendees complete an evaluation form; here are subjects with customized rating scales…

  • The venue was accessible with good acoustics (rate: Imax quality to laundry mat competitor)
  • There was enough ‘elbow room’ between seats in the auditorium (rate: very comfortable to squashed)
  • The opening session set high expectations with incentives to learn (rate: laudable to pedestrian) (more…)

Category:

Humour, Social & political humour

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TOP 10 Wistful Responses to Rude Situations

This morning we found ourselves temporarily trapped behind a driver parked illegally in front of the train station entrance, who wanted us to shift dangerously past him so he wouldn’t have to move…

  • When waiting to complete a retail transaction because the clerk turns to some other activity, take out your pen and give yourself a negligence discount
  • If stuck in a lineup because the too few service counters are operating at a snail pace, broadcast a live news flash for local media
  • Have waiting passengers hold a meeting in front of a private vehicle blocking the transit entrance (more…)

Category:

Humour, Social & political humour

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TOP 10 Yin & Yang with Having Summer Visitors

Whether it be relatives or friends, there are pros and cons when folks come to visit during the summer

  • New slants on endless talks about the weather
  • Fewer excuses to avoid visiting overlooked local sites
  • The excitement of anticipating their arrival evolves to the excitement of anticipating their departure (more…)

Category:

Humour

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