This was a fun little exercise – pick your three favorite reads from the last year. It’s on a book and author discovery site called… The post My three favorite reads last year appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingTag: Humor
mark a. rayner: Terrifying Conveyances IV: The Twin Otter
The first and only time I’ve been on an aircraft that ran out of fuel was in a Twin Otter. At least I hope it’s… The post Terrifying Conveyances IV: The Twin Otter appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Aliens at the Bruce
“Did you see that? Tell me you saw that!” Our first instinct was to question our eyes. We were stargazing near the tip of the… The post Aliens at the Bruce appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: The Santa Division
Nick was tired of the disintegrations. He’d wanted to be the Chief Claus Officer (CCO) of The SANTA Division since he’d joined the organization back… The post The Santa Division appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: The Paternoster
I was late. I’d arrived in Prague just that week, in 1993, and I was still figuring out how to get around. I thought an… The post The Paternoster appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. The post Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Satire and Her Ugly Siblings: Parody, Irony and Sarcasm
One of Hollywood’s most enduring images of satire is of Slim Pickens as Maj. T.J. “King Kong,” cowboy hat in one hand, h-bomb gripped in… The post Satire and Her Ugly Siblings: Parody, Irony and Sarcasm appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books
Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. This may be a controversial choice to top a list of humorous science fiction books, but I have… The post Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: 42: win and wear the ultimate answer!
The ultimate answer in sterling silver form: 42 I thought this would be a cool thing for fans of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy… Continue Reading42: win and wear the ultimate answer! The post 42: win and wear the ultimate answer! appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: The Monkey’s Tail, as Told by Marcel Duchamp the Day After Charles Lindbergh Landed at Le Bourget Field
I had this friend who was obsessed with having a monkey tail grafted to his ass. Actually, to call him a friend is stretching the… Continue ReadingThe Monkey’s Tail, as Told by Marcel Duchamp the Day After Charles Lindbergh Landed at Le Bourget Field The post The Monkey’s Tail, as
Continue readingmark a rayner: Review: The Serpent of Venice
The Serpent of Venice is a mash-up extraordinaire of The Merchant of Venice, Othello, and The Cask of Amontillado, starring Pocket, the lead from Moore’s… Continue ReadingReview: The Serpent of Venice The post Review: The Serpent of Venice appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingcartoon life: I tried to warn you…
In isolation, rolling through various things, an old drawing surfaces.
Continue readingIn This Corner: Go Jets go! Right?
The other day I turned on the television to find an NHL game in progress. I was shocked. I thought the hockey season ended months ago. It had for me, anyway. Stranger still, the game featured a team identified on the screen only as VGK. VGK? Could it be the
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 9: Jason does Alberta
As expected, Jason Kenney easily won the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta at a convention in Calgary on Saturday, with about 75% of the vote. Kenney was a steamroller who flattened his two remaining challengers, an inconspicuous MLA named Richard Starke, and an even less conspicuous guy
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 47: Tarnish on the golden boy
Is the shine coming off the golden boy? Justin Trudeau is under the gun these days for what appear to be, if not lapses in ethics, at least some questionable activities. The Liberals have stretched the fundraising rules to the breaking point, engaging in cash-for-access fundraisers where well-heeled folks get
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 37: Judging the judges
This week, an Alberta judge found Travis Vader guilty in the deaths of elderly couple Lyle and Marie McCann. Queen’s Bench Justice Denny Thomas found Vader guilty of second degree murder, despite the facts that no trace of the McCann’s has ever been found, no weapon was found, and the evidence was entirely circumstantial. Oh, […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 35:Why politicians shouldn’t make ‘jokes’
Oh, my. Will politicians never learn? Of course not. This week’s political miscue was by Brian Jean, leader of the Wildrose Party. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Fort McMurray, Jean said he would continue to “beat the drum” for elder care in Fort McMurray. A sucker for word play, apparently, he didn’t stop […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 29: Donald Trump’s Lying Circus
OK, let’s recap the week at the Republican National Convention. Be prepared, this makes for depressing reading. The week began with Antonio Sabato, a former underwear model, little known actor, and failed Dancing with the Stars competitor, addressing the convention. Why Antonio Sabato, no one is sure why. But after his speech, he told ABC […]
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