From My Bottom Step

BookCrossing Release #115

Title:
 Cross

Location:
Subway Restaurant (Adelaide & Commissioners); London, Ontario

Time:
04:00 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

Forensic psychologist Alex Cross’s storied career in private practice, with the FBI and as a Washington, D.C., cop has brought him into contact with all kinds of seriously disturbed killers, but his … Continue Reading

Ontario BookCrossing Leader Board - 2008/12

The leading BookCrossing cities in Ontario, ranked according to membership: Continue Reading

BookCrossing Release #114

Title:
Eye of the Storm

Location:
LTC #24; London, Ontario

Time:
05:00 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

Early in 1991, while the Gulf war is in full bloom, operatives of Saddam Hussein hire legendary terrorist Sean Dillon to take the war to the enemy. A master of disguise and … Continue Reading

Hidden Secrets

Having returned earlier today from one of the worst Sunday morning breakfast I have ever had I started to think about traditional Diner Style restaurants ((I have chosen to define this style of restaurant as a place that is not part of a chain, that traditionally has been around for over 20 years, that is very much operated under “family values” and that has a wholesome and “homey” feel it … Continue Reading

The “feeble-minded defense” of traditional journalism

Unlike the London Free Press, which continues to resist with a mighty passion the provision of hyperlinks to external sites from it’s own (and even permalinks to it’s own material), this blog has never been afraid of providing such functionality. If you think there’s something of value here, you’ll come back. And if not, c’est la vie.

One of the things that many MSM entities still don’t seem to grasp is that dissemination of news and opinion can no longer be controlled by them, the way that it once was.

And I particularly don’t mind pointing you to other sites which consistently display a great deal of intelligence and which address subjects that I personally find interesting and/or important. Continue Reading

BookCrossing Release #113

Title:
 Airframe

Location:
Subway Restaurant; Adelaide/Commissioners; London, Ontario

Time:
12:00 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

Cruising 35,000 feet above the earth, a twin-engine commercial jet encounters an accident that leaves 3 dead, 56 wounded, and the cabin in shambles. What happened? With a multi-billion-dollar company-saving deal on the line, … Continue Reading

Jim Dier’s Message

In 1988, Mayor Charles Royer appointed Jim to direct Seattle’s new Office of Neighborhoods. Jim was reappointed by the subsequent mayors, Norm Rice in 1990 and Paul Schell in 1998. By the end of Jim’s 14-year tenure, the four-person Office had grown into a Department of Neighborhoods with 100 staff. The Department’s mission is to decentralize and coordinate city services, strengthen communities and their organizations, and work in partnership with these organizations to preserve and enhance the neighborhoods. The Department manages 13 Little City Halls that provide basic services to citizens and serve as meeting places for neighborhood organizations. It supports about 400 community self-help projects each year through a $4.5 million Neighborhood Matching Fund that was recognized by the Ford Foundation and Kennedy School of Government as one of the most innovative local government programs in the United States… Continue Reading

What’s $80,000 Worth?

According to the story in today’s paper (“Bus driver returns $80,000 Brinks bag”; London Free Press), LTC operator Rick Bazinet was simply offered a free coffee by the security company employee to whom a bag full of money was returned.

Quite apart from the self-respect that Rick’s action preserved, it will undoubtedly also have a significant and positive impact on other people for many years to come.

I’m referring to … Continue Reading

Whopper Virgins

It’s common practice for the marketing campaign of some companies to specifically target their larger rivals. Pepsi-Cola has been doing that with it’s “Pepsi Challenge” ads for +30 years. And now that it appears that we may be heading into a recession or worse, it’s likely that we may see lots of it.

Burger King just kicked off a controversial new campaign that pits it’s Whopper against McDonald’s Big Mac. And although the concept of taste tests may not be new, what’s capturing lots of attention is the name of the campaign and the location where the tests are being conducted. Continue Reading

BookCrossing Release #112

Title:
Shock Wave

Location:
LTC #16 northbound bus; London, Ontario

Time:
06:30 p.m.

To learn more, click here.

People and animals are dying mysteriously and in droves on various ocean shores, a catastrophe caused by high-frequency sound waves generated by the ruthless diamond-mining techniques of Australian tycoon Arthur Dorsett, whose … Continue Reading