The first three this blog has well-expounded on and their influences via 1984 (1948), Brave New World (1932), and “The Waste Land” (1922). All three men and their works exerted an amazingly prescient influence in predicting what we’ve been going through the past 6 years.

I’d be remiss, too, if I didn’t mention Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and its significance relative to unfolding events for women of late thanks to the insane reversal of Roe v. Wade.

But I’ll also add filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (who just passed away) and his masterpieces Weekend and Pierrot le Fou as parallel social commentaries and critiques on the collapse of Western civilization we’ve been witnessing all over again (as first noted by Eliot after WW1).

Godard is/was the ultimate ’60s clever, absurdist filmmaker who mind-boggled world audiences with his nonlinear work and incredible, funny juxtapositions rendering his films as absurdist.

You could pick either one of his nihilistic classics mentioned above to see and experience what I mean. More and more, I find that he speaks to me all over again and captures the battered, confuted, alienated, uncentered spirit of modern times.

To say nothing of Yeats’ “The Second Coming” (1919) which predated all of these:

“The best lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity”.

And Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel The Secret Agent, the first and last word on absurd terrorists and anarchy being loosed upon Western civilization.

1970-71, my Modern American and British Drama course at U of A, on my way to a BA (double major: English, History)

Near the start of the course, we read “Riders to the Sea” and The Playboy of the Western World. This cute little volume (3 3/4″ x 6″) also contains his prose piece on his visits to and fascination with The Aran Islands, which provides context for his plots, characters, language, and style.

to the trucker convoy types. First things first, eh? ‘Priorities’.

CBC headline this morning:
New Alberta premier says unvaccinated ‘most discriminated against group’ after swearing-in

She has immediately declared herself and curried favor with southern rural rednecks. That is who she represents, not the people of Alberta. Hinshaw touted vaccinations so she has to go simultaneously.

You can also be sure that Smith will continue the Kenney regime’s gutting of institutions like health care and education making those serve the UCP’s whims and tight control vs. service to the overall general population.

As Dylan Thomas said in his poem about autocrats: “Hands have no tears to flow.”

Reality/the contrasting more truthful CBC headline:

Health experts warn vaccine-preventable illnesses could rise in Alberta

Those illnesses will rise with Smith’s firm position. Danielle has obviously made a bad choice for Albertans much like Hinshaw on the 4th wave.

the phrase “Get Crackin'” refers to the sound your knees make when you stand up!

Mobility is #1 for any senior. To move often, even in the night in bed somewhat. Mobility/movement is (continuing/continued) life. Our ubiquitous/prevalent sedentary lifestyles mitigate against that. We need to be constantly getting up from our phones, t.v.s, and computers. I have long observed and agreed with the phrase “It is hard to hit a moving target”. Active living is pretty basic to survival. To say nothing of keeping an active mind.

should have their “heads on pikes” and that they should be ‘taken out’. 

So, as a principle applied equally across the board, that logically means that….

What do you think? Or just “Lock him up”?

Thanksgiving Monday.

Family, memories, laughs, turkey, cranberries, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.

“You have a basic need for solitude some of the time.”

(My 1966-67 ‘Brando year’: with hair makeup, for my simultaneous play/operetta lead- roles run in gr. 12)

Solitude is likely a natural outcome of my only child/childhood and teen years/latch-key boyhood.

totally misguided, out-of-touch City Council is very busy, as usual, planning more (expensive) bike lanes, wasting the citizenry’s dough.