“Listen Very Carefully, I Shall Say This Only Once”

Posted on August 30, 2026 by cdsmiller17

‘Allo ‘Allo! (1982 – 1993)

I don’t suppose that anyone on this side of the Pond will know about this comedy show on the BBC. What surprised me was the fact that you can watch all its seasons on Prime Video. Really…

The title of this post comes from one character’s repeated line:

It’s an extended French farce of the French Resistance during WWII trying to repatriate British airmen who have been shot down over German-occupied French territory. The language difficulties take front and centre, and the extreme lengths that Rene will go to fulfill his role as the owner/operator of a French cafe/bistro, while coordinating the rescue missions are hilarious. Plus, he’s having an affair with one of the waitresses under the very nose of his wife. I laugh every time I watch an episode: I watched the first two last night.

The show was created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Familiar names, I thought. What else did they do?

Are You Being Served? (1972 – 1985)

Of course! This show was a bit closer to home for me since I worked in men’s wear for three years in the early 1970’s. This one is a bit more representative of the sexist culture that existed in the UK when I oved to England in 1985. Definitely not PC. But for the sake of humour, it follows the music hall/vaudeville style of dialog that entertained people for the first half of the 20th century: innuendo.

Turns out you need a Britbox subscription to be able to watch the episodes on Prime Video. However, there is one special that is available:

Are You Being Served? The Movie (1977)

The film is not very good. The team from Grace Brothers vacations in Spain at “Costa Plonka”. The best part is played by the manager of the resort: Andrew Sachs, who is probably more famous as Manuel in “Fawlty Towers”. If you haven’t anything much to do for 90 minutes, the film is an easy diversion.

There, you’ve been served!

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How to Bring “SHAME” on Our “HOMES”

Posted on August 29, 2026 by cdsmiller17

A New Acronym

People are so clever. Obviously, I’ve been around so long that I’ve never needed an acronym to remember what the Great Lakes are called. It’s the same for most Canadians. Americans have a little different point of view. It’s hard to remember that.

Oh, well.

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We Forget that the Universe Knows What It’s Doing

Posted on August 28, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Sturgeon Lunar Eclipse (August 28, 2026)

I was up when the lunar eclipse was at its most total for those of us in the eastern half of Canada. But I didn’t see it because we were under a cloud at the time (which is accurate at many levels).

My Ascendant is within 3° of the event chart’s Part of Fortune. But beyond that, this lunar eclipse has nothing much to do with me. Then, with the tariff war suddenly coming to my mind, I compared the creation charts for the United States and Canada. It reveals a great deal (forgive the nonsensical pun).

Hmm

Interesting, no?

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Here’s the Proof that Words Matter:

Posted on August 28, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Red: A Biography of Red Smith (1986)

Susan bought me this book. I’m really not sure why, but she phrased it with something about Joe DiMaggio. Hmm. OK. I’d give it a chance for her sake, but I was unsure about how it would land.

American sports writers aren’t in my purview. But reading this book has helped me to understand how getting the mot juste is so important when it comes to entertaining and informing your readers.

I strive to do the same, but not always to best effect. It takes hours and hours to hone one’s craft.

Yup.

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Born the Same Year, Died the Same Day as Dolly Parton

Posted on August 27, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Tim Curry (April 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026)

This post is a lesson on how much charts can change, especially because almost 12 hours passed between Dolly’s death and Tim’s.

Of course, Tim’s birth chart has a dynamic that wouldn’t have appeared in Dolly’s: Mars is in the final degrees of Cancer, but conjunct his Leo Ascendant. Pluto, also in Leo, is conjunct the Ascendant, too. But Mars and Pluto are not conjunct. However, the Sun is inconjunct the Moon, even though there was three months between Dolly’s birth date and Tim’s. Interesting.

The almost twelve hours passage of time has moved the Moon along enough to take it beyond an inconjunct aspect with the Sun. Instead, the Moon (conjunct the Midheaven) is now inconjunct with Mars, while the Sun/Mercury conjunction is now inconjunct with Pluto. That means that Mars and Pluto have taken on a new meaning for Tim, when he died.

Comparing Tim’s birth and death charts didn’t yield the same symmetry that I found with Dolly’s. Please forgive me for pointing out the obvious: one was an angel, the other a devil. Dolly died quickly, Tim was in a wheelchair for years. There is some kind of balance in the cosmic plan, eh?

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Here She Comes Again

Posted on August 26, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Dolly Parton (January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026)

Dolly Parton didn’t arrive on my personal radar until 1977, when the album “Here You Come Again” crossed-over into pop culture. By referencing it in this post’s title, I’m suggesting that she crossed-over again yesterday.

Dolly’s birth chart has been around for almost as long as she has. The inconjunct linking the Sun and the Moon is interesting. But the inconjunct linking Mercury with the Uranus/Midheaven conjunction may actually be the key to understanding how she burst onto the country music scene at age 20. But could her lightning strike twice? Apparently.

I set the clock for noon. The Sun is now inconjunct with the Moon and Pluto conjunction on one side while also inconjunct to Neptune on the other. That’s a Yod of myth-making proportions. At the same time, although not as reliable, Saturn is inconjunct the Ascendant. The outpouring of grief and joy for her life and death is phenomenal. But I want you to see how her birth and death charts line up:

What stood out for me was the Part of Fortune for each chart being within 2°. Now, that’s totally accidental, since the ‘fatal’ chart is set for 12 noon. But then I saw it: her natal Sun is within 5° of her ‘fatal’ Moon, and her natal Moon is within 2° of her ‘fatal’ Sun. What are the chances of that?

R.I.P. Dolly. xo

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Warning: Gossip and Innuendo can Ruin Reputations

Posted on August 25, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Careless Whisper (July 23, 1984)

This record was timely. At the end of September, 1984, my then wife, Suzann, and my girls moved to England. I moved into a shared space on East Keith Road, North Vancouver. Because my family seemed to disappear from sight, a North Shore Credit Union coworker decided I must have murdered them. No, I’m not kidding. I was called to HR to explain their absence from North Vancouver. By this time, I’d given my employers three months’ notice of my intention to resign. I had to answer what had happened to them. It made the final three months awkward, to say the least, and when I enquired about returning to BC and rejoining the Credit Union within a year, I was turned down.

Be careful what you say; someone’s life could be destroyed in the process.

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What Isn’t Learned from History Will Be Repeated

Posted on August 24, 2026 by cdsmiller17

The Burning of the White House (August 24, 1814)

I asked for a subject to write about this morning and found a post of Facebook highlighting this event from 212 years ago. It’s appropriate for this moment because of the recent trade “war” between Canada and the United States.

The timing has been rectified to show what energies were ‘in the air’ that evening. The burning of the White House was a symbolic act to embarrass the Americans. It is also the last time that an enemy has invaded the continental states and got away with it. Americans like to think they won that war, but Canadians know better. It might be the same with the tariff battle going on now. Have the lessons of being at war with your neighbours been learned? We shall see.

Obvious, isn’t it?

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The State of Economy in Canada in One Word: Tariff-ic

Posted on August 22, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Tariffs

When the United States and Canada (along with Mexico) were negotiating the ‘new’ NAFTA in 2018, I commented that Canada didn’t need the USA as much as they did us. In the end, some agreement is better than none, I guess, but Trump has been trying to make money off international trade and hasn’t been able to make any tariffs stick. The USMCA (known as CUSMA in Canada) was supposed to be renegotiated this year, otherwise it will continue on for another decade, or so I’m led to believe.

The Art of the Deal man in the Oval Office really doesn’t have a clue. He’s up against Canada’s Prime Minister, who is a economist. Trump looks weak, but his inflated sense of self doesn’t allow him to see what’s really going on. To think that he could curtail Canada’s trading partnerships with other countries implies that he really does think of Canada as the 51st state. Foolishness, for sure.

Now there’s a tit-for-tat trade war going on. Who will blink first? You know who…

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If You Really Think About It, It Begins to Make Sense

Posted on August 22, 2026 by cdsmiller17

Let Us Make Man In Our Image

All along, we have suspected that we made God in our image. But we may have got it backwards. What’s new?

Esoterically, we each have a God Particle in our DNA. What does that really mean?

He was quoting Psalm 82:.6

Human beings are as capricious as gods. That is why we can be so dangerous to all life. But we can also be kind, full of loving kindness. How does that figure?

Ah, so…

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