It does seem that malls are on the way out, and the pandemic has hastened that transition. The strip mall seems to be doing well. By definition they are sets of stores in a row, with a sidewalk or pavement in front. In Canada (and the US) they are often accompanied by an ‘anchor’ store, or a ‘big box’ store, like a Walmart, Canadian Tire, or a Cineplex movie chain. Many of these are in the suburbs where land square footage is a bit cheaper.
I could be wrong (it’s happened from time to time), of course, and perhaps malls will undergo a renaissance. Not really sure what that will look like, though.
They ARE dumb by OUR standards. They can barely solve polynomials, and tend not to look beyond their next meal. The insect world, magnified to such a degree that a mantis towers over the landscape, is a truly terrifying place. No wonder they were good fodder for horror movies early on.
An excellent TIME/LIFE book on insects spurred my curiosity early on. I will always regard them with respect and not a little fear.
It is our stomach that really runs the show – sorry, brain, you’re second banana.
For those of you not in the know, Tim Horton’s is Canada’s largest quick service restaurant chain (4,846 restaurants in 14 countries). They are best known for their donuts and coffee, and their lunch offerings. Tim Horton played in the NHL for 24 years – unfortunately died in a car crash at age 44.
I used to love Andy Capp, it was usually on the back page of the colour comics which was every Saturday when I grew up. Nowadays, times have changed, and he is rightly castigated, for his, well, errant ways. That’s not why I stopped enjoying him – just found bigger and better things. I’ve appreciated the line style, the crisp artwork.
Being in Canada, as I am, the English comics are few and far between – I also enjoyed Fred Basset. I found it remarkable that such a dog could have a big following, and it inspired me to do the same. Our dog (his name was Laika, after the Russian space dog) was remarkably undemonstrative (like Fred). I failed to make a go of making any dog-themed comics. More a failure of imagination, I suppose.
As a kid, I got a kick out of THE LOCKHORNS, a married couple (in their 40s?) The gags were quite good and I remember buying a few of the book anthologies.
Really enjoyed Dagwood, a staple of newspapers forever. I always bee-lined to this comic in the colour funnies, as we called it. BTW, over the years, those coloured funnies shrank down – to make room for, you guessed it, rubbish ads. They used to be quite large in format – quite sad, that.
Used to love Nancy, the clean lines, the crispness, the simple humour. I will submit more, time pending. Comment if you have personal faves. I won’t mention British (or Scottish) funnies, a subject that needs a post all its own. Like Beryl the Peril, Dennis the Menace, Sweeney Toddler, Bash Street, Bumpkin Billionaires, that lot.
