Thursday, November 25, 2004

Blog author: Harry Truman

Someone has started a Mount St. Helens blog.
The Terrible Twos

I see that this blog is now two years old. Huzzah!

Monday, November 22, 2004

Heidi fails to read blitz, thrown for a loss

Last week marked the anniversary of "The Heidi Game", which is the reason that all sports events on TV are broadcast until they end. NBC cut away from a Jets-Raiders game, with just over a minute left, only to have the Raiders score the winning points as Heidi began to frolic on TV screens across the Eastern United States.
Pardon while I pout

David Frum is understandably pleased that the Argonauts won yesterday's Grey Cup, but even if I didn't live and die with the fortunes of the Lions, I would raise my eyebrows after reading this:

My brother-in-law last year became part of a new ownership group for the long-troubled Argonauts, and since then the team somehow heaved itself out of the League basement and into the finals. BC dominated the early minutes of the game, but thanks to some crucial strategic miscalculations on the part of the stronger Western team, the Argos surged to win a 27-19 victory. One of the most exciting Cups in years, all agree..

I'd disagree. Although the Lions did make a try at tying the game late, I would say that the game went to the team making the least mistakes, and that was the Argos. The 2000 Grey Cup, won by the Lions on a last play field goal, was one of several recent Grey Cups that I would cite as more exciting than yesterday's game. I'm sure that Colby Cosh could point to several games, not involving the Lions, that CFL fans would agree are more exciting than yesterday's boo boo fest.

The game would be one of the most exciting wins for Argo fans. That, I would concede.



Thursday, November 18, 2004

Oh. My. Lord.

Some improv comedians have just finished a live theatre recreation of the Star Trek episode SPOCK'S BRAIN.
He violated the CUP Statement of Principles and now he sleeps with the fishes

John Gushue, in his kind mention of my post, says that there is another CUPpie blogger of his era: Bill Doskotch. The latter doesn't ring a bell, but I am happy to link just the same.
CRTC-Fox-News, Urgent

Sunday, November 14, 2004

As if you need another distraction from work...

Am I Right - Misheard Lyrics and Song Parodies

Saturday, November 13, 2004

I'm jealous

Dawn Eden once got to interview Stan Freberg.
By The Way...

While I am on the subject of Canadian University Press, I see that CUP is now naming it's national conferences Go 2004 instead of naming them like Super Bowls (as in the case of CUP 50, CUP 52 and CUP 53, which I attended).

The CUP mafia

I see that John Gushue, whose byline I remember from reading Canadian University Press materials, also has a weblog.

Pssst, CUPpies, as long as you are writing for almost free, why not start a national group CUP blog?
It would have been a travelogue to end all travelogues

Earlier this fall, I was at the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition to all you non-Vancouverites). While there, I had a look at a couple of indoor historical exhibits.

I saw a working model of a 1899 Locomobile car. One of the cars of this model was reportedly the first car in Vancouver. The Locomobile, I am led to understand, was the top selling car in North America in the years 1899 and 1900.

I also saw a 1907 two-reel travelogue, Vancouver and Victoria Street Scenes, made by Seattle filmmaker William Harbeck. the film shows a series of point-of-view shots of scenes shot from the front of a boat or streetcar. You can see Victoria's harbour, an unfinished Empress Hotel, and the streets of downtown Vancouver. Although this was shot in 1907, I spotted no Locomobiles, or otrher cars, in the film. Just pedestrians, bicyclists and horse-drawn wagons or carriages.

William H. Harbeck made at least a dozen of the sorts of films for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR was trying to encourage new customers, er immigrants, to come to Canada.

The above link takes you to the fine Enclyclopedia Titanica website, as Mr. Harbeck was one of the Ttanic victims, drowning when the ship sank. The bio at the PNE speculates that Mr. Harbeck had been hired by The White Star line to make a travelogue of the trip.

Now *that* would have been something to see.

Following the various links may also lead you to an enduring Titanic mystery...was Mr. Harbeck having an affair with his unmarried female cabin roommate?