Sunday, 29 June 2025
Friday, 27 June 2025
Monday, 23 June 2025
Thursday, 19 June 2025
Monday, 16 June 2025
Sunday, 8 June 2025
Appendix: English — The Language of Lazy People and Shortcuts
English didn’t get famous for its precision. It’s the language of shortcuts, snappy phrases, and colorful idioms that let people say a lot with just a few words.
Why say “water causes wetness” when you can just say “water is wet” and be done with it? That’s efficiency at its finest!
English inherited a ton of fancy grammar rules from Latin, French, and Germanic languages—but instead of keeping all those complicated verb endings and case markers, English tossed a lot of them out the window. Who has time for that?
English loves shortcuts so much, it gave us gems like:
-
“Gonna” instead of “going to.” Because why bother with the full phrase when you can just squish it?
-
“Wanna” instead of “want to.” Sounds cooler, feels easier.
-
“OK” — a mysterious abbreviation that took over the world because it’s short, simple, and anyone can say it.
-
“Hang on” — literally telling someone to “hang” while you figure things out. Easy to say, no need to explain.
-
“Piece of cake” — no cakes are involved; it just means something is easy. Why explain it fully when a quick idiom does the job?
-
“Shoot the breeze” — because talking casually should feel as effortless as shooting... well, the breeze. No complicated verbs needed.
These shortcuts make English fun, fast, and practical — perfect for texting, casual talk, and memes. But they also mean English often prioritizes convenience over accuracy.
So when you hear “water is wet,” just think of it as English showing off its lazy muscles. It’s like the language rolled out of bed, threw on some sweatpants, and said, “Good enough!”
Saturday, 7 June 2025
Thursday, 5 June 2025
Peter Randall and The Raindogs
Peter Randall and The Raindogs:
-
Formation: The band emerged in the early 1990s after Peter Randall had established himself in the Canadian music scene through his previous band, Timeline. Randall sought to create a new project that blended rock, pop, and Americana influences, which became The Raindogs. The precise lineup and individual band member details remain limited in public records.
-
Musical Style: Their sound combined melodic rock with elements of roots and folk, fitting well within the 1990s Canadian alternative and adult contemporary scenes. Their self-titled 1994 album was produced by Ken Greer (of Red Rider), which indicates a professional studio effort with notable production values.
-
Gigs and Performances: The Raindogs performed primarily in the Toronto and Ontario live music circuits during the early to mid-1990s. They appeared on television programs such as Citytv Toronto’s Breakfast Television and Lunch Television, showcasing their music to a broader audience. Specific concert dates or tour details are not widely documented.
-
Reception: While they did not achieve major commercial breakthrough, the band garnered a modest following and respect within Canadian music circles for their songwriting and musicianship.
-
Legacy: After the band’s active years, Peter Randall transitioned towards humanitarian work and politics, but The Raindogs remain a notable part of his artistic legacy.
If you want, I can help draft a short bio or band history based on this info for promotional or archival use.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
https://pop-the-cherry-say-i.blogspot.com/2025/06/thursday-june-5-2025-raccoons-are-back.html
The raccoons are back on the radio. Of course they are. Toronto’s preferred theatre of governance continues: the great “one-way door” debate, now in its fifth or fiftieth season. Experts solemnly explain that the method doesn’t really work—especially not with raccoons, who laugh at symbolic gestures and bureaucratic metaphors.
No capturing. No hunting. And absolutely no killing. All effective strategies are either banned outright or considered too uncivilized for modern sensibilities. Instead, we rely on half-measures that make the city feel humane while leaving the residents helpless.
Funny how no one ever went on the radio during the years of infestation—when raccoons nested in attics, squirrels turned basements into nut bunkers, and skunks treated porches like rent-free condos. The public silence was deafening. But now, now that someone’s got a microphone and a quota to fill, we’re pretending to be shocked by the state of things.
I never complained. Thought it was better to just deal with it quietly. But I still remember the pandemic squirrel incident—the one time a rodent made headlines. The city, embarrassed by media pressure, sent both police and firefighters to remove it. As if they were conducting a tactical rodent extraction. Not because it made sense, but because optics.
Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve been a squeaky wheel. Because clearly, in this city, grease doesn’t go to the patient or the pragmatic—it goes to the loudest whiner with the best soundbite.
https://pop-the-cherry-say-i.blogspot.com/2025/06/thursday-june-5-2025-raccoons-are-back.html
Tuesday, 3 June 2025
Dune is not science fantasy in the Star Wars sense. It's deeply speculative, internally consistent, and grounded in logic, even when it includes extraordinary elements like prescience.
✅ Why Dune is not "science fantasy" (in the fairy tale sense):
No magic: Everything (spice, sandworms, Bene Gesserit powers) has rational explanations.
Future sight isn’t mystical — it’s evolutionary and drug-enhanced perception.
Religions are sociological constructs, not supernatural truths.
Psychic powers like the Voice are biological training-based.
No impossible physics: No FTL travel, no teleportation — only folding space via guild navigators using spice-induced multidimensional awareness.
Frank Herbert called it "anthropological science fiction", not fantasy.
So where does Dune sit?
Label | Fit | Why |
---|---|---|
Hard sci-fi | ✅/⚠️ | It’s too speculative for “hard” but logically coherent. |
Speculative epic sci-fi | ✅ | Grand scale, deep political and ecological worldbuilding. |
Philosophical sci-fi | ✅ | Explores power, destiny, ecology, evolution. |
Science fantasy | ❌ | No true fantasy or magical logic. |
In contrast:
Work | Fantasy Element | Logical Inconsistency |
---|---|---|
Star Wars | The Force, space magic | Sound in space, lightsabers with mass, no science basis |
Annihilation | DNA-refraction shimmer | Physics-breaking mutations, symbolic transformations |
The Fifth Element | Ancient prophecy, god-being | Totally magical logic |
Dune | Prescience | Logically justified by spice and human evolution |
So yes: Dune is one of the most internally rational epics in sci-fi — mythic in scale and structure, but not mythic in logic.
Kristin Adams, the Canadian actress known for her role as Natalie in the 2004 film Childstar.
🎬 Career Highlights
Kristin Adams is a Canadian actress with a diverse filmography spanning over two decades. She gained recognition for her role as Natalie in the 2004 film Childstar, a satirical comedy directed by Don McKellar. The film explores the challenges faced by a young American actor and his overbearing mother during a film shoot in Canada. Adams' portrayal of Natalie contributed to the film's critical acclaim, including four awards from the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, such as Best Canadian Film and Best Director. en.wikipedia.org
Beyond Childstar, Adams has appeared in various film and television projects. Her notable film credits include Falling Angels (2003), Where the Truth Lies (2005), and Leslie, My Name Is Evil (2009). In addition to her film work, she has made appearances in television series such as Beach Girls (2004), My Babysitter's a Vampire (2009), and At the Mercy of a Stranger (1999).