Creative commentary plus crafty composition

The Awarding Experience

August 17, 2016

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: Read the rest of this entry »

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Humour, Personal Development, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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If It’s Good Enough for Athletes…

August 15, 2016

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: Read the rest of this entry »

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Behaviour & Relationships, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Musical Pollution

August 10, 2016

Many of us can remember, once upon a time, when the only regular, daily life expectation of hearing music in public locations was in elevators, with peaceful, if at times nauseatingly vapid, compositions. They were the epitome of gentle, time filling companionship.

Then we began hearing musical intrusions more regularly at regular events, like sports matches. In between periods, innings, etc. it somehow became mandated that time be filled with an increasingly loud standard of usually raucous popular tunes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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Life Lessons from ‘The SIMPSONS’

August 7, 2016

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Esoteric Terms & Conditions

August 4, 2016

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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Humour, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Implications of Partially Observed Holidays

August 1, 2016

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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Humour, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Survival of the Fitness

July 29, 2016

While for most of us warm weather months are more conducive to outdoor physical activity than cold months, that time frame too has its ups and downs. For instance, the run of hot & humid weather we’ve been experiencing in southern and eastern Ontario really puts a premium on keeping hydrated, also ipso facto making compromises on outside efforts.

A health and conditioning option unaffected structurally by the change of seasons is the gym or fitness centre (descriptions have become marketability more imaginative in recent years). Read the rest of this entry »

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Humour, Personal Development, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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PASSWORD Was Once (mainly) a Game Show

July 26, 2016

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Personal Development, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Getting Carded

July 24, 2016

It seems the art of sending and getting greeting cards is a declining one, certainly insofar as customary paper manifestations. Hanging up fewer and fewer Christmas cards results in less decorative ambience than it once did.

I find that on-line access to services such as Hallmark e-cards (for a minimal annual fee) provides a key benefit missed by the traditional card, namely immediacy. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Humour, Uncategorized

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The Three-Step On-Line Process

July 21, 2016

We intrinsically realize there is a process to making purchase decisions. If the purchase is small, especially a repeat, the procedure is rather narrow, straightforward; simplicity is magnified by convention. The more significant the product or service, wherein lacking expertise makes us more vulnerable to outside influences, the more elaborate the operation becomes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Behaviour & Relationships, Financial commentary, Uncategorized

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