This is the Labour Day weekend, AKA the last holiday weekend of summer, AKA the last days of freedom for many young people before starting or returning to school.
The complexion of neighbourhood activity takes on a less hectic daytime hue with so many, once again, becoming cooped up in indoor facilities. (more…)
Tagged with:
It seems that the continuing infiltration of technology and legal engagement into our affairs has made its impact on consumer agreements, such as memberships. The way things are going, perhaps the following will come to reflect a more tangential wording of future contract stipulations and terms… (more…)
Tagged with:
As the book has closed this past weekend on another Summer Olympic Games, one is struck not only by the inspirational level of commitment of athletes, coaches, and their supporters, but also by the diversity of activities recognized as meriting official competition. No wonder there are so many venues, providing huge logistical issues for host cities as well as those attempting to cover the activities. (more…)
Category:
Tagged with:
Have you ever been selected to receive an award of some significance, and been uncertain how to behave leading up to the moment and then when actually accepting the honour? Since so many people are afraid of public speaking, this situation could easily gravitate for the recipient between one of joy and one of trepidation.
A brief article in the August issue of Toastmaster magazine looks at appropriate protocols for an award receiving situation: (more…)
According to an article in the August issue of Psychology Today, there are numerous excuses athletes may posit for cheating, such as by doping – obviously a high profile issue in any spotlighted athletic competition such as the current Summer Olympics.
The catch-all category of ‘moral disengagement’, based on disconnecting one’s behaviour from negative emotions such as guilt, has emerged as the strongest defence. It has at least six manifestations: (more…)
A TV show that has been around as long as THE SIMPSONS has had its own life cycles, disguised by its animated construct. Although the characters technically haven’t aged, the way they appear, and the increasingly tangential nature of their world, have gone through a version of evolution. Even the annual “Treehouse of Horror” satires and parodies have gone past exploring easier source material (such as with the classic “The Shinning”) to the extent that even the aliens don’t appear as regularly as they used to. Ah well, that’s show biz. (more…)
Category:
Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Social & political humour, Uncategorized
Tagged with:
Just about anytime one clicks on-line to register with an app provider, there are a list of terms and conditions to be tacitly approved.
Such lists inevitably come with additional built-in links to more complex details, for those who want to bask in even more convoluted legalese. Given that these structures are compounded with periodic updating, there must be some organizations making a fortune on compliant wording approvals – especially if it’s by the word. (more…)
Category:
Tagged with:
The first Monday in August is one of those non-Federal holidays in much of Canada.
Federal holidays – like Labour Day or Thanksgiving – are statutorily recognized by governments and businesses alike. Almost no workers in the former category, and only a limited number of the latter (primarily retail service) are required to work that day.
But days like Monday are recognized on a provincial basis in Canada, so the degree of application depends. (more…)
Tagged with:
Our lives these days are filled with passwords, exacerbated to the extent that we conduct aspects of our affairs on-line.
There are many theories and rules-of-thumb about establishing passwords: use different ones for everything (but where do you safely store the list?), use the same core, but not easily deciphered, pattern so it’s easy to remember (but what if someone figures out the first domino?), frequently changing them, etc. (more…)
the watch of time
The Expurgated Versions
Part of the brilliance of gifted comedians and satirists is their ability to take concepts of language or expressions and twist them into shapes which activate response. Their translations generate laughter thanks to the vulnerability of the underlying version of normalcy.
Consider the ‘Book Shop’ sketch from Monty Python. (more…)
Category:
Arts commentary, Humour, Social & political humour, Uncategorized
Tagged with: