Louche Leaves

Nobel or Ignoble Peace Prize: Pandering to Politicians

No Country for Grumpy Old Men For some time now, Donald Trump has been jockeying, whining, cajoling, sniveling, hinting, demanding, droning, and grousing — all towards his deserving to be awarded this (in my view) rather questionable honour. Like a grotesque puppy jostling for position at the fullest teat, he shoved

Everything Happens for a Reason? I Don't Think So.

There are a few common platitudes that irk me, and “everything happens for a reason” would be in my top five (tied with “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” — watch for an upcoming essay on that hackneyed phrase). Many Things Happening for Many Reasons? First of all, I

Doll and Ruby Easson: Twin Sisters and Endlings

A Tap on the Shoulder Damnatio Memoriae According to some authorities of history and population studies, about 117 billion people have been born on this earth. How many are forgotten? I would guess almost every single one; yet in my imagination, a few still stand and some still walk. In

Tanna, Queen of the Crodères: A Neolithic Folktale

Several years ago my son and I went hiking through the Lavaredo Pass, high in the Dolomites. It was warm down in the valley, but as we went higher, the temperature dropped considerably despite the sunny weather. As we climbed, we came upon the remnants of trenches, fortifications and tunnels

Yahweh is a Petty Liar, Man is a Snitch, and Woman Claims She Was Misled

Recently — no, not just recently, but perpetually — the news is full of blame, deflection, and lack of accountability. I began thinking of an early story of this phenomena, and the Book of Genesis from the Old Testament came to mind. Let’s go through the story, shall we? The Fall

Consensual Hair Cutting and Money Sharing: Two Modern Fairy Tales

Recently the trial of the World Junior Hockey League men was concluded. It got me to thinking… Consensual Hair Cutting In a far or not so far way land, a woman’s hair was not just her “crowning glory”… it was a measure of her worth. In this land, hair

Sanguanél, Salvanèl, Mazariol, and Mazaròl

Continuing recent essays about quirky northern Italian stories, here are some intertwined creatures that roam through their folklore. These particular stories, not very well known in English sources, touch upon memory loss, losing one’s way, and environmental concerns. Sanguanél and Salvanèl The first little creature has two slightly different

Camalò: Centre of the World or Portal to the Underworld

Lately, I find myself recalling places and stories from Italy. Here is a recollection from the Province of Treviso, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. The village is called Camalò. It’s not particularly remarkable to look at or to pass through. Back in the 1970s, when driving to

Fireflies, Mermaids and Skeins of Thread

Folktales from the Euganean Hills Years ago I lived near the area of the Colli Euganei (the Euganean Hills). They only rise to between 300­-600 metres in height, but with everything else around them being completely flat, they do stand out. The area is named after an ancient pre-Roman

We Were So Pretty

"There is no beauty without some strangeness of proportion." — Edgar Allan Poe A Visitor From the Past Several years ago a woman came into my bookshop. I recognized her immediately. Let’s call her Daisy (obviously not her real name). Everyone knows a Daisy. You, Dear Reader, know

Flight of Fancy: A Tiny Tragedy in an Underground Parking Lot

"Folk tales from around the world tell us that the animals communicate with each other in a language unknown to men and women — or else in a language that used to be known to us but is now lost. The stories also tell of human beings who understand the

John Collier: Florida Pioneer, Cracker and Polygamist

John Collier Sr. was certainly a fascinating man. A true Florida pioneer, he was the personification of a “cracker” — but in the positive historical sense (more on the “cracker” origin story follows). As we shall see, his personal relationships are legion and deeply tangled. Let’s call him “John” from

Being A Human Book

Really, it’s true — literally (pardon the pun). I recently participated as a Human Book in an event of the Human Library Organization. What is the Human Library Organization? The Human Library Organization was founded in Denmark 25 years ago and operates in 85 countries. Their tagline is “unjudge someone”

The Pathos of Pots and Pans

How I Came to Sell Her Cookware As some of you may know, I am a bookseller dealing in antique and second hand books. As such, I am often contacted by set dressers wanting a certain type of book or ‘look’ for their sets. While conversing recently with a set

Haruki Murakami and Trichophilia: A Review of 1Q84 and an Odd Obsession

Haruki Murakami was born on January 12, 1949 in Kyoto, Japan and has authored many works of both fiction and non-fiction. He has been honoured, praised, and is the recipient of many literary awards. All good, and likely well deserved, but, Dear Reader, I want to bring your attention to

Good Night and Good Luck: Shirley, We Missed You

I watched the original 2005 film at least five times and a few days ago watched the CNN broadcast of the newly produced Broadway production. Both were outstanding. The production brings to life an episode in American news broadcasting where a journalist and his reporting team take on a US

Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics: A Primer for Tyranny

With all the news about A.I. it seems reasonable to recall Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. They first appeared in a 1942 short story entitled “Runaround”, which was later included in the 1950s collection “I Robot”. Asimov (1920-1992) was both a science fiction writer and a

We Really Love Working Here — Really…

There was a comedy game show on television not so long ago called “Whose Line is it Anyway?” The tagline was: Where the show is made up and the points don’t matter. I always thought that tagline could have been an insightful summary of the North American workplace. Was

Providing Tech Sarcasm since…1975?

Perhaps I should be more understanding. Perhaps he has spent decades fielding calls from computer-challenged people like me. In the words of Louis Armstrong, his theme song could be: Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen Nobody knows my sorrow Nowadays, everyone has an IT guy (usually a guy for

The Invisible Woman — My Superpower

I have a superpower. My superpower is a cloak of invisibility. It’s the cloak bestowed upon elderly women, whether we want it or not. This cloak is hard to remove, and once relinquished, punishment is swift. Let me give you the most recent example of my invisibility. The other

What George Orwell and I Have in Common

I would like to think that Orwell and I have a few things in common, but I can confidently say that our bookshop experiences are quite similar. Orwell worked for a few years in a secondhand bookshop, and he memorialized some of that experience in two works. One was an

O Canada

Before you read any further know this: I am Canadian. My parents were both Canadians, and my mother’s ancestors came here in the late 1500s. Yes, more than 400 hundred years ago. Some intermarried with the Mohawk First Nation at Kahnawake. I have always been quietly proud of being

Cunctipotence: Has Anyone Seen Mike Hunt?

All sacred things must have their place. It could even be said that being in their place is what makes them sacred. — CLAUDE LÉVI-STRAUSS , I am happy to report that “Cunctipotent” is a legitimate and bona fide word.  Here is the definition as provided by the Oxford English Dictionary. Cunctipotent

I Have a Dream

I have a dream, and it’s NOT about me. I’ve written about the interconnectedness of people and the importance of everyone’s stories (links to those essays below).  Earlier today I had an encounter at a big box store and felt compelled to write it down. Normally I

Pronouns of Acceptance

Firstly, I would like to thank my dear friend Frank. I came to know this remarkable man almost a decade ago and have nothing but respect and admiration for him. It should also be stated that we come from very different backgrounds (he was raised and lived in various southern