A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

We're in the middle of an election campaign again. It's not on a set schedule; this one's because the opposition forced a non-confidence vote in the Parliament. It should be easy to get excited about national politics here as even the unity of the country comes up as an important discussion on such occasions.

Last night, four party leaders were on the platform (and TV) although the actual voting won't occur until January 23rd. On the previous night the debate was in French but last night it was in English. The format of last night's event seemed constrained as questions came for ordinary voters who were videotaped and each leader was allowed a very specific time limit. Still, what surprised me most was how I knew all the answers before they slipped from the mouths of Paul Martin, Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, and Gilles Duceppe. There were no real surprises. It's a shame we don't vote directly for the Prime Minister. Actually though, none espouses my exact combination of ideas and ideals for Canada's future. At least it'll be after Christmas until much more politicking occurs.

I've always maintained that I'd never blog about politics. What a silly promise!

Labels: Canada, Canada Day, government

I just sent an email to a high school classmate whom I've only met a few times since graduation in 1977. I was mentioning how nice it is to be in Canada with the Christmas season approaching.

Even when working in the Persian Gulf, I was always able to celebrate December 25th. In Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates people were always respectful of the holiday. The toughest place was Saudi Arabia. I heard rumours that Christian Filipinos were arrested and flogged for just selling Christmas cards. It's hard to know if this actually happened or if it was just one of many local urban myths. Most things don't make it into the newspapers so information via rumours is a way of life.

Public places, such as shopping malls, cannot put up decorations that show any other than the state religion in Saudi Arabia. Yet, much of expat life takes place in housing compounds where people reside. In the confines of these secret areas people can do just about whatever they desire.

Click the graphic to load a PDF copy of a publication that I made for a Christmas program when teaching at the Saudi Royal Navy in Dammam.

Labels: Christmas, Saudi Arabia

There is absolutely nothing better than having time off. I can understand why individuals requiring money punch a time clock; however, I cannot fathom why some people I know go to work merely to keep busy. I think hobbies can be a full-time vocation.

In recent times, I've been struggling to become more movie literate. There's so much film history to catch up on. There are quite literally tens of thousands of hours to be witnessed. What is it called when a modern work references past works? It happens all the time on film and without basic knowledge of the original, one is left without a clear understanding.



Some bits of Hollywood are so important as to define who we are. Storytelling, after all, compresses the randomness of life into small, digestible pieces. The odd thing for me is that they can be saved so well. I am so thankful for DVDs as any living room can now be an art-house theatre. In the flick above, Marilyn is approachable although she sung the tune a half dozen years before my birth. How can one appreciate Moulin Rouge (2001) having never seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)?

Labels: movies, stars

I think that I've been nice this year. However I must admit, that's what I thought last year. In 2004 I was pretty disappointed in Santa when I got nothing from him. At least if he had left a lump of coal, I would have considered it an acknowledgement. I'm refusing to leave myself vulnerable this Christmas.

In fact, the other evening, I ordered myself a new camera from www.BestBuy.ca. I am now waiting for delivery. They had an additional 10% reduction on all digital camera prices for a customer appreciation sale. The thing was, I would've had to go to a Best Buy store between 6 and 9 pm last Sunday evening. As we were planning to hit a movie theatre, I was able to get the same deal online. Yet, waiting for the package to arrive from Mississauga is a bit irksome.

My current, trusty-little beast will turn four years old in January. The Olympus D-40 has been a great little camera. I've not really outgrown its 4.0 megapixels which were quite cutting-edge back when most cameras were around 2.1. Still, I am looking forward to leaping to 8.0 with the new camera. It is not unlike my present camera but will sport lots of updates and improvements. At least the device's menus should seem familiar. One reason I really wanted the SP-350 is because it takes two ordinary AA batteries. My present D-40 does too, so I've got a ton of rechargable NiMHs. I've been on vacations when it's hard to schedule a charge, but ordinary 'penlight' batteries work and are for sale everywhere!

Labels: camera, Christmas

Tragically, they lost most photos in a house fire. Yet Joel's found a few that were spared. He was able to send me this photo of Cedrick. My Christmas gift to them was a World Vision donation of a goat in their name.

I'd suggest that it's not too late to think of someone else as the holidays approach. Their web site proposes that it is Canada's most meaningful gift catalogue. It is most assuredly available at your local World Vision site too.

Got your ducks, yet?

Labels: Christmas, World Vision

As a kid, I remember old guys, namely my father, say that listening to radio drama was better than television viewing because one had to use one's imagination.



Yesterday evening we went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe with friends. The technology involved in movie-making seems to dramatically improve from year to year. Each Christmas, with a rash of new releases, we are witness to new, ground-breaking feats.

To me Narnia proved that if human minds can imagine a scene then it can now be realistically portrayed on screen. I have to admit the new horizons offered are addictive and compelling; however, movie special effects of the past were fun primarily because one could tell they were fake. At risk of sounding like one of those old guys, maybe 'old skool' was better because one had to use one's imagination.

Labels: movies

It was here for 2003 only. Yet, people still search and arrive at the blog in anticipation. You know, I've always been one to bow to pressure.



Click the player to hear the 4:48-minute song by Bob and Doug McKenzie. It's a Canuk-inspired version of the 12-Days of Christmas. Oh, by the way, a toque has become the Canadian term for a knit, pull-over, winter stocking cap for one's head. (This Windows Media Player file requires a broadband connection.)

Labels: Christmas