Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian drama television series set in vintage Toronto, Ontario. As the series began the year was 1895. The new seasons have progressed in time to where it is now the early 1900's with new inventions and technology as they came along.
Murdoch is like a vintage mad scientist in a police officer's uniform.
However, the show does take some liberties with technology and knowledge available at the time. Although they don't step over the boundary of using something not invented yet, they do invent things which reflect our modern knowledge more than a police detective could have hoped for at that time. Some history purists may not like this but, I actually think it is part of the fun. Murdoch is like a steampunk/ Victorian age mad scientist in a police officer's uniform solving crimes with science and logic.
Yannick Bisson stars as William Murdoch, a police detective and amateur scientist.
Wikipedia says Murdoch Mysteries is known as The Artful Detective in the United States. In Canada, Murdoch Mysteries runs on our wonderful CBC. I'm rewatching the series on NetFlix currently so it is getting well distributed, where ever and how ever you like to watch.
The television series is based on the series of novels by Maureen Jennings.
I read the books before they were turned into television. The books stand on their own. If you want a good story, especially a good vintage/ historical Victorian story, then take a look at the books. There are seven in the series but I found them all together as a collection on Amazon. (See the link below). It's been years since I first read the books and I'm tempted to order the collection and read them all again myself.
What I remember of the character of Officer Murdoch from the books was a very quiet man, self contained, who cared about the people in town. He helped women who were out on the streets. Like people in that time period he did not date and take women home with him waving them off in the morning. There was a woman who lived in the same building and he liked her but didn't quite date her. She had a son and Murdoch was happy to spend some time with him.
This woman and her son didn't become his love interest in the television series. Instead he has a woman doctor, Julia Ogden, who helps him with his work and she becomes the woman he loves from near and afar over the series.
Crash Test Dummies from Winnipeg, Manitoba won the Juno Award for Group of the Year in 1992.
The Crash Test Dummies are a Canadian band, originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wikipedia says they started in 1988. But I remember them mainly from the early 1990's when the Superman Song came out and became huge across Canada. I bought the first and the second cassette tapes as they were produced and out there. But, I have no idea where they are now and it wouldn't matter if I did. I no longer have a cassette player. How is that for making you feel older?
I don't know what made me start thinking about the Crash Test Dummies this morning. I used to absolutely love the deep voice of the lead singer, Brad Roberts. Maybe something poked my memories. I looked up the band, found the website (and a Facebook page which seems to be maintained by Brad Roberts who lives in New York City now) and listened to the latest songs (available on the site). The voice is what I remember and yet softer, a bit mellowed over time, experience and life.
On YouTube I found many of the songs I remember: Superman's Song, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (yes, that is a song), Peter Pumpkinhead, Swimming in Your Ocean, Afternoons and Coffeespoons, God Shuffled His Feet, Two Knights and Maidens, and a newer song I hadn't heard.
The Crash Test Dummies are Still Making Music
I didn't know there were more albums/ records/ CDs out. For me they seemed to drop off the edge of the planet sometime in the 1990's. (I'm not especially musically inclined, usually I just listen to the radio if that). So I didn't know the band had another four or six (I lost track) CDs together and several projects which the band members had done on their own. Ellen Reid who sings back up and lead on some songs, like Peter Pumpkinhead, has a blog where she also sells her CD.
This CD which I found on Amazon is a best of the Crash Test Dummies. You can also get a best of Brad Roberts (see Crash Test Dude below). I'd rather have the whole package though, I enjoyed the voice but the Crash Test Dummies would sound a bit plain without Ellen and the variety of instrumentals too. I ordered the CD from Amazon before I began writing this.
The Arrogant Worms are from Ontario, Canada. Three men who write and perform comedy to their own music, in their own way. Not everyone will like them. They will step on some toes (quite a feat for worms). But, if you let your guard down they will make you laugh too. Don't forget I did warn you - they step on toes - before you listen/ watch the video posts below.
There is even a song about Ontario sucking, so don't think it's just you.
Some Worm History
The Arrogant Worms met in university in 1990. Maybe they were chasing the same bird.
By 1991 they were performing on campus radio in Queens University, Kingston, Ontario.. That same year they appeared on CBC Radio's Basic Black program. With encouragement from fans their first album was released in 1992, indie style.
Currently there are a dozen albums with Space being the latest of them.
Current members of the group are: Mike McCormick, Chris Patterson and Trevor Strong.
In 2003 the Canadian Arts Presenters Association recognized the Arrogant Worms as Touring Act of the Year.
More recently, the Worms were awarded the Peter Gzowski Award for donating their time and talent to the cause of literacy in Canada.
If you want to support, follow or try to explain your point of view to the Arrogant Worms you can find them online.
When she sang at the Canadian Olympics the US people watching with my Mom in Florida all insisted K.D. Lang was a man. But, K.D. Lang is a woman. She isn't the typical woman celebrity looking like she just stepped off a glamorous magazine cover.
Get over the way she looks, the way she dresses and the whole beef thing (likely only the Canadians will know about that). The only thing you really need (and will want to) know about K.D. Lang is that she can sing.
She sings like there is no tomorrow and I feel that way when I play her CDs. I wish my machine was one which would just play the same CD over and over until the power finally went out and I could just keep hearing it all in my head anyway. When K.D. Lang sings you feel brought into the music, it becomes sound rather than something comprised of music written by human hands.
Not every song will be that loved but there are enough on this album to keep me happy.
Who is K D Lang?
Born as Kathryn Dawn Lang, November 1961, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Now you see where the K.D. comes from.
K.D. grew up on the Canadian Prairies with two sisters and a brother. She is a human and animal rights activist and both have gotten her in trouble in the past.
K.D. Lang sings with famous people: Anne Murray, Tony Bennett, Jane Siberry, Roy Orbison, Leonard Cohen and Elton John. She has won Juno and Grammy awards. She has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. She performed at the closing ceremony of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. More recently, she performed live at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
I especially like the Inukshuk, as a Canadian symbol. Though, it is still fairly new to popular culture the Inukshuk (the plural form is inuksuit) is an old idea which began with the Canadian native Peoples in the far north.
The explanation I have always liked best is that it shows someone else was here before you. In the far north where there really is snow about half the year and people do still hunt for food, explore and get lost. The Inukshuk meant you were not alone. Someone had been there before you and you might be closer to finding other people than you think. It wasn't a homecoming beacon, but it meant you were not alone in the world no matter how far you got in distance.
Every Inukshuk is unique. Made from stones and rocks carefully stacked in order to stand, and remain standing, for (hopefully) generations in the figure of a person. The Inukshuk can be seen in the Canadian Arctic, traditionally.
As they have grown to become popular as a cultural symbol, Inuksuit are appearing all over Canada now. An Inukshuk was used to represent Canada at the Vancouver Olympics. If you drive north in Ontario you can see Inuksuit created everywhere along the highways where there are rocks from the Canadian Shield.
The ancient Inuksuit were created as help with navigation and messages to fellow travellers, hunters and those who may be exploring or lost.
This Inukshuk image (in the photo) is from the latest reusable cloth bag at the PC chain of grocery stores here in Ontario. You can see how well the Inukshuk has become a part of the Canadian culture.
Spelling Inukshuk
There are variations in the spelling of Inukshuk.
Inuksuit - is the plural form - when you are talking about a few Inuksuit.
Inuksuk - is another way I have seen Inukshuk spelled. I don't know if this is just a cultural thing in some areas but overall the spelling is Inukshuk
inukshuk - With or without a capital letter? I don't know what the proper form is. I've seen it both ways.
Inukshuk is still a new part of Canadian culture. There are some details to be ironed out.