Intrigue in the Canadian Parliament

[DCI Harry Batt]

That's unexpected.

You know there's some kind of story (urban myth? reality?) about taxi drivers in London not wanting to go south of the river after a certain time in the evening? I get the same vibe but reversed from you, and not after a certain time, but kind of always. It's definitely and defiantly unnorthern (but not in any way anti northern)

Well yeah I'm dead against north London, of course.

[Hot Pepsi]

Never having actually seen it, I had assumed that Letterkenny was an Irish TV show. Now HP has shared two clips in the last two days and I've realised it's Canadian, I feel like the world has slipped off its axis

Letterkenny is based on Jared Keeso’s hometown of Listowel, ON, which has an Irish Festival and claims a connection to Ireland.

On the show, the hockey teams are called the Letterkenny Irish, Letterkenny Shamrocks and Letterkenny Shamrockettes.

[WOM]

If you like what you see, it's poetry. Crude poetry, but still.

[WOM]

Also, Listowel makes perfect sense for irish. My people landed in a little burgh nearby called Shakespeare, ON. Just little farms mainly.

My old partner's father landed very close to there when he arrived from NI, too. He was sponsored by a farmer who claimed he'd need to milk his 10 cows to earn his keep. When he discovered it was 100 cows, he packed his bag and fled in the night.

[DCI Harry Batt]

I wouldn't go that far.

Ah, well now, fake chips might be even worse than fries for gravy-stans.

Then again, my recent experience is that even English chip shops are no longer very reliable purveyors of same.

Lordy. Name and shame.

[DCI Harry Batt]

He's got a car now. He'll be all over hell's half acre by the end of next week. He'll probably do Land's End to John O'Groats just to say he has.

I have been to Land's End, and also to John O'Groats. Though not in the same millennium.

There are several places in the USA with the name 'Hell's half acre'.

Some of the best known of the numerous Hell's half acres are:

- A lava flow about 15 miles west of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
- A rocky escarpment west of Casper, Wyoming.
- The Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.

The common thread amongst all of the Hell's half acre sites is that they are all demanding environments for people to live, or even to visit.

It seems intuitive to come to the conclusion that the name was chosen because the lava flows, crevasses and geysers at these places were suggestive of what people imagined Hell to be like.

That isn't how the name was first used though. The first use of the expression Hell's half acre that I can find is as the name of a district in Augusta, Georgia. The Adams Sentinel newspaper, May 1835, described a fire in Augusta:

The entire destruction by fire of part of Augusta called "Hell's Half Acre" and rather profanely adds, "it was really amusing to hear them, the people, running the streets, and and hallowing, all Hell's a fire."

It appears that the district was given that name, not because of geographical features but because of another hellish association - it was the town's red-light district.

A similar district existed in Forth Worth and the area today has a plaque with this descriptive text:

Hell's Half Acre

A notorious red light district known as Hell's Half Acre developed in this section of Forth Worth after the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1876 launched a local economic boom... A large number of saloons, dance halls, gambling houses, and bordellos opened.

A local newspaper later described the area as "A den of sin and refuge for criminals."

Why the phrase 'running all over Hell's half acre' came to mean 'busily rushing around' isn't clear.

[Lang Spoon]

Chippys seem to be disappearing in Dublin, Scotland too.

[hobbes]

The only British person so far who has expressed a love of chips and gravy is TonTon, quite possibly the most vehemently unnorthern poster on the board.

I'm a fan too. But I did spend 3 years in Manchester, so there you go.
Curry sauce is better, mind,

[Discordant Resonance]

Letterkenny is based on Jared Keeso’s hometown of Listowel, ON, which has an Irish Festival and claims a connection to Ireland.

On the show, the hockey teams are called the Letterkenny Irish, Letterkenny Shamrocks and Letterkenny Shamrockettes.

It suggests the founder of the town was a Kerryman, as the original is only 15-20 miles from my own town, and is noted as a literary centre and as the HQ of Kerry Group.

[elguapo4]

Chippys seem to be disappearing in Dublin, Scotland too.

Really? Your old favourite the Manor takeaway is still going strong.

[Lang Spoon]

Passing Drumcondra Road, Perki Chick long gone, hellish not real chipper but open past 3am joint Some Like it Hot also. But some wanky posh chips place is on the street. Fried chicken/kebab/wraps type places seem to be winning out on Dorset St also.

An Italian chipper on Thomas St near the church Pearse's dad worked on had closed even before I left Kilmainham in 2018 (after a short while of trying to be a posh sit down Italian); it's now a fuckin Boojum selling overpriced ersatz Mexican crap to Art Students and wankers. One of the Vincenzos closed as well down there.

here in the Balbriggan badlands though, main St still has 4 fuckin chippers going strong (all a bit pish unfortunately) as well as yer Fried Chicken and noodle joints.

[elguapo4]

Reason I asked is that both Cowtown chippers ( i can't remember the name of the one opposite The Glimmer Man) survived lockdown, and Cabra's chippers increased from 4 to 5. There's a gruesome looking place across the road from the Thomas House that seems to do a lot of business.

[Lang Spoon]

It was a shame Cowtown cafe wasn't ironically old school enough for the beardo wanks of the Batter, was nice to have a breakfast option closer than Third Space in Smithfield that didn't reek of insta types making us feel old or insufferably sweet artisan coffee (this is an old school roasted to fuck Italian style coffee preference gaff, death to "notes of cherry").

[elguapo4]

The couple who ran Cowtown cafe are friends of mine, they have a couple of other places, and felt that they were stretching things too much. Then came Covid , and he's only just recovering from 18 months of long Covid.

[Lang Spoon]

Ah fuck, 18 months.

[Discordant Resonance]

https://twitter.com/CanadianPolling/status/1453047023888908290

[DCI Harry Batt]

Would it have won if the vote was the other way, or does Canada have rules about referendums needing to win by loads these days?

I liked this reply:

https://twitter.com/PaulSeczek/status/1453047672244420614?s=20

[WOM]

It was non-binding in every way. It was nothing more than an opinion poll. But Jason Kenney is doing such a remarkably bad job that he's looking madly for a branch to grab on to.

[caja-dglh]

Is there anywhere in particular we are discussing the Rogers feud? it is fascinating, hilarious and also frequently reminds me of (who I presume is) another Ted Rogers.

[ursus arctos]

I don't think so.

It doesn't really fit any of the "corporate scandal" threads, so this strikes me as good a place as any.

Blowing your super-secret billion dollar takeover scheme with a butt dial is a real good start.

[WOM]

Deciding to destabilize your once-in-a-career takeover - which needs government approval - of a rival by playing musical chairs with your board right in the middle of it is a great way to confirm your [dead] father's opinion that you 'just aren't ready yet'. What a turd.

[WOM]

BC Supreme Court has just ruled that Edward was indeed within his rights to stack the board with his hand-picked members.

[caja-dglh]

Oh boy. That is brilliant. 10/10 skullduggery is legal in Canada.

[Amor de Cosmos]

No, only in this Province.


Tech biz kids making movies
Of themselves you know they
Don't give a fuck about anybody else

[Lang Spoon]

They're outrageous.