Playing Hunches

Have you ever thought out a problem and then decided to 'play a hunch'?
Or have you worked on a problem for days or weeks, and after 'sleeping on it' came up with a great answer?
Better yet, have you heard somebody encourage you to 'write your ideas' in a notebook?

If this is you, Dear Reader, you're in good company!
Literary detectives -- from Sam Spade to Sgt. Friday to DCI Morse -- work with hunches all the time, as do their professional counterparts who strive to solve real-life cases.
After 'sleeping on a problem,' you may think of an excellent solution that now seems simple and logical.
And, if you're like me, you can't keep your important ideas (not to mention your calendar!)

The Sad State of Privacy

It is used to be -- and until not that long ago -- that the phrase "in the privacy of your own home" meant something.
When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau stated some 45 years ago that, "The government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation," he meant that Canada's laws were not designed to encourage spying on its citizens.

You could enjoy the quiet use of your home by not making loud noises, by not kicking your dog or cat, or by pulling down the shades — and that was about it!
<--- Image: 'Spy vs. Spy' -- Prohias) Today, we have to be aware at all times that someone might be spying on us:
-- The camera on the top of my computer or smart phone screen might be relaying my portrait.
-- My household's electronic gear -- computer, TV, or even refrigerator -- might be sending data to be collected overseas.

Family Day? Heritage Day?

Today, we Nova Scotians are celebrating Family Day, ah, Heritage Day, our mid-winter provincial holiday.
This is not an official National holiday, though it is celebrated on this date in a number of provinces.
Here is a clue as to what it should be called:

Back in the early 1970s, the idea of a national midwinter holiday (and we really NEED one!) was proposed by Stanley Knowles (our longest-serving member of Parliament) in the House of Commons.
He would talk about it at every opportunity, and although it was discussed in every kitchen and coffee shop in the nation,

Parking Headaches

Two local news stories during the past week have highlighted the precarious state of handicapped parking in the Halifax area.

The first profiled an office worker in downtown Halifax who uses a wheelchair. He must park his pickup truck on a street spot because the winch on the back of his vehicle is judged to be too high for any of the parking garages in the vicinity.
When he does find a parking spot, he must make sure that he moves his pick up every three hours to avoid getting a parking ticket!
(I did not see a blue parking sign on his vehicle.)
Empty parking spots are rare in downtown Halifax, and sometimes when he must return to the same one, he will later find a parking ticket on his windshield

The 'Charles Todd' Stories

Both my wife and I enjoy reading, across many styles -- but especially mysteries.
A couple of years ago, when we got a ''Kindle,' we embarked on a mystery series by "Charles Todd", an American mother and son storytelling team. Their novels are set during the post World War I period in Britain.

The main character is Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard, a recently demobilized officer in the British army.
Following treatment for 'shell shock' (what we today call PTSD) after the Armistice, he returns to hs pre-war job at Scotland Yard, under his nemesis, Chief Superintendent Bowles.

Happy New Year!

-- Wishing you Health and Happiness in 2016.

Early Christmas Gift

What was your all-time favourite Christmas gift?
A special childhood gift (sled, electric train?), an object that someone spent a lot of time and effort on crafting (tree decoration, item of jewelry?).
Odds are it arrived a few days early.
And, you had to wait (and wait) until Christmas morning to find out, when the family opened their gifts around the Christmas tree!
This year, we didn't have to wait ..... quite so long.
Our 'special gift' arrived back home a couple of weeks early!

Early in the morning of December 10, our grand-nice Amélie (a.k.a.: 'La niña'), along with Mama Yannis and Papa Chris, arrived 'back home' (direct quote!) from Toronto.
Papa had had to move his young family to T-O last June, to continue working in the movie business.
The N.S. Governmnent's Spring budget had pulled the plug on the Movie Tax rebate law, effectively destroying a lucrative local industry.