Bob Richards

I got to thinking about the Song "The 12 Days of Christmas" and wondered what I'd do with all those gifts. Here's my best thoughts on what I'd do getting all those  crazy things! In the Christmas Carol "The 12 Days Of Christmas" I'd say it's pretty excessive exactly how many gifts the one received! I suspect the giver needed to give their head a shake and get some perspective. Some who have taken the time to count them up, for remember the number is compounded each day...if you received 7 swans a swimming on Day 7 and next day another 7...well you get the picture. It comes in total to 364 gifts! Why not have added 1 more to make it 365 one for each day?? Oh well.  Maybe I can throw in one more partridge in a pear tree. As for myself receiving some of those gifts I'd consider exchanging them for something else. The 12 Partridges I'd probably kill and put in the freezer for food...perhaps eat one for each month of the year. The 22 T...

I wasn't going to put up with it! It was time to get back at the bully and that I did!  I'd like to share the story how at nine years of age I took actions to get back at the playground bully. He was about 3 years my senior and delighted to push us younger ones around. I recall one particular incident I said to myself that enough was enough! My parents usually gave me a nickel [5 cents] or a dime once a day. In the early 1960's that'd buy you a chocolate bar or a can of soda...and so I did. Tommy  the bully came around...grabbed the chocolate bar  from my hand and laughed while consuming it away. The only thing I could think was to get him in trouble and if I was going to do it I wanted to make it BIG TIME trouble. I watched his house to see when his parents got home and upon seeing them drive in the driveway I knew the time had come. I waited a few moments to let them get settled.  My friends asked, "Are you really going to do it?"https://upload...

Nov 1, 1800 John Adams becomes the first US president to live in White House Nov 2nd, 1783 - General George Washington, later 1st American President, bids farewell to his army after the American Revolutionary War Nov 3rd,   1900 1st US automobile show opens at Madison Square Garden (NYC) Nov 4th, 1841 - 1st wagon train arrives in California Nov 5th, 1895 - 1st US patent granted for auto (George B Selden) for gasoline driven car Nov 6th, 1572 - Supernova is observed in constellation known as Cassiopeia Nov 7th, 1872 - Cargo ship Mary Celeste sails from NY to Genoa; mysteriously found abandoned 4 weeks later Nov 8th, 1966 - Movie actor Ronald Reagan elected Governor of California Nov 9th, 1904 1st airplane flight to last more than 5 minutes Nov 10th, 1951 - 1st long distance telephone call without operator assistance Nov 11th 1911 - Many cities in the U.S. Midwest broke their record highs and lows on the same day as a strong cold front rolls...

Oct 1, 1903 - 1st baseball World Series, Pittsburgh Pirates vs Boston Pilgrims (Red Sox) Oct 2, 1895  - 1st cartoon comic strip is printed in a newspaper Oct 3, 1978   - Gold hits record $223.50 an ounce in London Oct 4, 1922 - For 1st time, entire World Series broadcast over radio (WJZ & WGY) Oct 5, 1954 - Hurricane Hazel hits Eastern US Oct 6, 1889 - Thomas Edison shows his 1st motion picture Oct 7, 1931 - 1st infra-red photograph, Rochester, NY Oct 8th, 1964 1964 - Ringo Starr  passes his driving test. You're curious if he had to drive down Abbey Rd?? Oct 9th, 1965 - Beatles' "Yesterday" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 4 weeks Oct 10th, 1780 - Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000 to 30,000 in Caribbean Oct 11th, 1984 - 1st space walk by US woman (Dr Kathryn D Sullivan) Oct 12th, 1609 - Children's rhyme "Three Blind Mice" published in London Oct 13th,  1792 - "Old Farmer's Almanac" is 1...

Sept 1st---> 1859 - A solar superstorm affects electrical telegraph service. They say not good if it happened today. :) Sept 2nd-->1902 - "A Trip To The Moon," the 1st science fiction film released. Seems like the 1st place to go for Sci-Fi. :) Sept 3rd--> 1951 - TV soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" debuts on CBS. All they had to wait for 24 hours. :) Sept 4th-->1833 - 1st newsboy hired! That should have been the headline that day! Sept 5th-->1882  - 10,000 workers march in 1st Labor Day parade in NYC. Maybe the 1st Occupier movement generations before? Sept 6th--> 1716   1st lighthouse built in north America. The saving of sailors lives begins. :) Sept 7th--> 1991 - Die Laughing wins Messenger Stakes. One might think that was the last race he was in.  :) Sept 8th-->1858  Lincoln makes the statement about when you can fool people! I'm not fooling! That was the date! :) Sept 9th-->1867  1st succ...

Have you ever noticed when you're in constant motion, without stop or delay how much easier it is to keep on going? You stop to break--and that's it...you've lost your momentum. Driving home from work it came to my mind a number of items I needed at the store---one of which---bathroom tissue. Into the store I go...Bagels? Sounds good! Yogurt, cereal and milk? Splendid! Only problem though after arriving at home I found to my dismay I failed to pick up the very thing I meant to get! Toilet paper! "Later" said I. 'Have a rest and a sleep first!' And so I did! Upon waking I cut the grass, watered the plants and a little bit of this and that, then said to my wife, "I'm on a roll! I'm in continual motion! Now I'm going to the store to pick up the elusive toilet paper!" She responds, "You're on a ROLL and you're going to get some ROLLS--of the toilet paper kind!" To the store I go once again adding a few extra items ...

Should a bus driver be fired who ran a red light? This was the question asked in my nearby city of Toronto on Sunday, August 2, 2014. Apparently through the week a driver for the Toronto Transit Commission did that very thing...but with somebody who just happened to be filming the incident with an I phone turned their direction. The citizen turned in the video to TTC headquarters and the driver, a female and mother of two children who hadn't served her probationary six months period on the job was fired. When the one taking the video discovered the driver was actually terminated he felt great remorse. His thinking was the driver might get a slap on the hand or suspension...but fired? It upset him considerably that he sent it in and now wishes he hadn't. TTC bosses are now claiming they're inundated with calls asking the driver to be re-instated with a less of a penalty for her actions. Others claim they did the right thing in having her dismissed . My take on the ...

Aug 1, 1774 - Joseph Priestley, English theologian and chemist author discovers oxygen. Hope he was using it before then though! :)    Aug 2, 1894 - Death duties 1st introduced in Britain. Imagine someone refusing to pay! :))   Aug 3, 1492 - Columbus sets sail on his first voyage boldly going to who knows where. Aug 4, 1862 US government collects its 1st income tax! I'm sure it'll be only temporary. :) Aug 5, 1921, 1st radio baseball broadcast Pirates-8, Phillies-0. What an embarrassment to have ones loss broadcast for the 1st time. Aug 6, 1937 - Indians overturn Yankees' 7-6 win by a protest! Changing an ump's decision: MIRACLE! Aug 7, 1970,  1st computer chess tournament. May the best HAL win! Aug 8th, 1709  1st known ascent in hot-air balloon. That's a step up closer to the giant leap of the Moon! Aug 9th, 1859  Elevator patented. The first time stuck they really must have panicked! Aug 10th, 1948 - Allen Funt's "...

Just because you change your name to "Skywalker" doesn't necessarily mean 'The Force' will be there to see you through. Sadly this was the lesson learned by one, Laura Elizabeth Skywalker Matthews who had legally added the Skywalker name to her own. Apparently she has it on all of her other forms of identification--drivers licence, bank cards everything else too...but when trying to leave the UK her passport was rejected. It seems there was considerable concern by the passport officer that having a 'Skywalker' name might be a copyright violation. One wonders why a government in particular should care. If Star Wars creators felt so inclined to bring out a bunch of Stormtrooper lawyers ...well that's them for that---but a passport guy?  Does this seem reasonable? I'd say not in this galaxy. She was informed she'd have to get her passport renewed using the name she used prior. Talk about something to make a Great Huge Chewbacca g...

In order to boost up enthusiasm a South Korean baseball team known as the Hanwha Eagles, who have lost over 400 games, have made use of robots to fill up the stands. They can shout, raise their hands and lift up light panels which put out encouraging messages to the team down below. No more do the players have to hear to the boos of it's home town crowd, and neither do the few fans that do attend have any concerns about finding a parking spot. The robots are a permanent feature in the seats. Perhaps it's a win-win situation? Could other sport franchises use the same approach? If the robots are considered too costly for other teams to employ they might consider the option of using dummies....or manikins. True they maybe couldn't do as much as the robots. but keep in mind a losing team wouldn't expect to hear much cheering anyway. I'd think this might be good for one of the professional NHL hockey teams close to me in the city of Toronto..."The M...

One can cite so many examples of how so many are only about "Me, Me, Me, Me, I And Mine". My wife and I recently took a trip to one of our country's beautiful northern Ontario towns. We enjoyed our stay immensely although there can always be some small something that works away to steal your contentment. Our hotel had created a nice scenic park in the back with picnic tables, a couple of barbeques plus  four very nice comfortable Muskoka chairs all for the guests to use. We arrived early for check in and saw the four chairs in the hotel park. Some time later I look out the window and see only two where there once was four. I walk outside and discover a guest  had taken two of them of out of the park entirely and put them beside their sliding glass doors adjacent to their room. I thought, how wonderful and how very considerate. How they could possibly consider it fair to any degree that they'd  view it their right to use  th...

Have you ever marvelled at just how self-centred a great many individuals  can be? It's been said the most used word in speech is the word, "I". I'm sure you've encountered people to whom you've considered must feel all revolves around them. Concerning such ones, it's all about me, me, me, me, I and mine. You wonder why can't they see beyond just the whatever effecting their own existence.   It may be about whole nations who can't see anything beyond their own ambitions or it may just be one singular individual themselves. Take for example the old line I'm sure many have heard throughout their lives, the statement like, "It's been so long since I've ever seen you! Don't be absent next time for remember I'm just a phone call away!" Did they ever stop to consider when  they called  last? And yet they seem to consider it appropriate to place the onus on you as the one who somehow has been the chief one re...

Well I see there's a new Planet of the Apes film out. If I see it I'm always hoping they'll include one of the human characters shouting out the old  Heston line from the sixties, "It's a mad house!" in my opinion one of the most classic movie lines of all time! Apparently the events of this latest film "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" begins 10 years after the story of the last film. The whole army of apes and chimps who adequately won their last contest  with humanity  have since made their abode in the forests outside of San Francisco. It actually makes me wonder why they didn't just lay claim to one of the technologically advanced human cities? Should we believe they wouldn't find appealing some of the great modern conveniences such as cars, roads and air conditioning? Why be sweltering in the forests in all that heat?   Andy Serkis who plays the lead chimp Caesar, at Oscar time probably will deserve the actor of th...

    Have you ever noticed how through the many years what a great over play there's been on what's defined as the profane term, "Son-Of-A- B " ??? See there? To state what the " B " word is I've chosen to spare you the offense...Regardless...You know what it means.  I got to thinking however just how very unfair it is, that is to the Son-Of-A-No-Good-Lady  or the son of a woman of the evening. A lady of the evening? Let me put it this way....it's another way of saying prostitute. "B" can also mean a female dog. Two things not fair. Why should the female be the one portrayed as the not so good? What about the individuals that sought her out? How come it's not, "You-Son-Of-A-Sleazy-Patroniser!" Women's Lib? Where are you when needed? Let's start a movement!         And then the son of the said individual....why should he or she be made to feel less of their existence as compared to the son or dau...

        What am I stirred up about? Coffee! I mean Canadian coffee or rather buying coffee from what's known as the most successful coffee chain in the country...Tim Hortons. If you've followed the latest news, and most likely you've been aware of it a long time....Tim Horton's plus not to mention many other same type businesses have had the practise of employing temporary foreign workers. [TFW'S]What that essentially means it's  taking jobs away from Canadians and in my opinion exploiting TFW'S and paying them a non liveable wage. Apparently this has come front and centre as a news item simply for the reason the Canadian government is wanting to cut the allowable numbers down from about 30% to 10%. Apparently the CEO from Tim Horton's has expressed his concern. It's top executive says Canada’s recent crackdown on hiring temporary foreign workers must be flexible if the nation’s biggest coffee merchant is to remain fully staffed. ...

I'm thinking it's time for a new and different sport. Something that makes sense! I enjoy hockey although confess I've only watched a game or two in the past playoff season. I tuned into a little bit of soccer as the World Cup was showing and as I watched something stood out to me---something quite peculiar and from all appearances grossly unfair. A goalie in soccer has a net 24 feet wide, 8 feet across. The net size for NHL hockey is 6 feet by 4 feet! I read sports commentaries which sing  the praises of Goalie A or B but come on! I calculate with the goalie just standing in front of the net more than likely 50 % of all pucks would most likely be stopped by not moving. What skill is there in that in having to stop a puck with the net so small? Not much really especially when one considers their big large leg pads to boot. Then there's basketball....the net is 10 feet from the floor with the average players height in the NBA being about 6 foot, 7 inches....

      You've heard the expression, one should seek to be as "Cool as a Cucumber"? Not particularly sure why a cucumber should be viewed as cool except perhaps  the taste seems so when you bite into them but the term has be used to describe people who aren't moved into the extremes of displaying an overdue amount of agitation when faced with the trying test of life which all come our way. There are benefits in keeping your cool...when you could get mad and lose all perspective I guess you could say the chief benefit of not doing is you're more likely to live a longer life. Now don't get mad when I suggest this but there's a new study out which seems to indicates losing your temper or maybe I could say being prone to going into a conniption fit could cause you to die prematurely.         Found in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health it's being stated " argumentative people are three times likelier to die ...

How utterly magnanimous of them! I saw a news clip the other day that the Feds are warning that food prices will probably be going up. What an insight! And aren't you so glad you've been told? How wonderful that they'd give us the heads up! It almost makes me wonder if they'll use this as an election item trying to demonstrate their unassailable wisdom that they were in the know during their watch and passed on to you the sad but vital information.  Isn't the real truth of the matter that they themselves have been chiefly responsible for that very thing...food prices going up by continually devaluing the currency printing more money? Isn't that the meaning of government induced INFLATION? I'd suggest a less disingenuous thing for them to say might be, that because of our unwillingness to show restraint, we printed more money THUS your food prices will soar. There AIN'T no two ways about it! Yes I know, " AIN'T " isn...

Will  resistance  be futile? Do you recall the day when advertising on the net was minimal...now we see it entrenched on nearly everything we click. Apparently we haven't come even close to an end where the guardians of the net seek  to make a buck off of our tendency  to be apart of the click-on -world.  Picture the following future scenario...ads on your refrigerator, car dashboards, thermostats, glasses and watches just to name a few! Lets just say one of the giants in the computer online industry has sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commissions revealing that's what they'd like to do. What will be next...soap ads as one turns on the tap to shower? How about 3 different commercials all about headache pills before the medicine cabinet will unlock allowing you to take your asprin ?  Could a day come when a higher percentage of the tech assimilated will finally shout out, "Enough is enough! Shut it all off and let's go back to a...