Viv Mackenzie of Port Hacking “was feeling bemused by the almost universal popularity and column inches expended on The White Lotus, until I remembered the 1970s phenomenon I, Claudius. As far as I remember, without time-shifting devices, social life in Sydney ground to a halt as everyone stayed in to watch each new episode.”
We’ll just park this one here: “Has Greg Adelt (C8) opened a can of worms?” asks Seppo Ranki of Glenhaven. “At what angle did they park in Dubbo? Did the change involve any repainting of guidelines? Having grown up in Cowra with rear-to-kerb angle parking, I seem to recollect that neighbouring Young had nose-to-kerb angle parking, presumably as an extra level of competition between towns.”
“I’m also worried about the change in nomenclature of the Gulf of Mexico (C8),” writes John Clarke of Lorn. “One of the favourite songs of my childhood, sung on the walk home from school, was Johnny Horton’s The Battle of New Orleans, the chorus of which ended ‘Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexicooooo’. I’ve tried substituting ‘The Gulf of Americaaaa’, and it just doesn’t work.”
Messing with acronyms makes the political climate just that little bit more bearable for Col Begg of Orange: “MAGA – Make America Go Away or (especially pertinent) Make Advisers Go Away. Not to be outdone, Andrew Pavey of St Leonards likes Morons Are Governing Again.
Lance Rainey of Rushforth says: “Big waves hit many Sydney beaches on Black Sunday, 1938 (C8). At Dee Why they destroyed the sandbar and numerous bathers, my then 16-year-old mother among them, were left in deep water, with many swept out past the point by the enhanced rip. Lifesavers were quickly on the scene, asking each swimmer if they could make it back to shore on their own and assisting those who couldn’t. Eventually, all were saved. Bondi, however, is renowned for poor swimmers, often tourists, who venture out to what they think is a safe depth and then get caught by a set of larger waves which may explain the death of five swimmers that day.”
“I can assure Charles Haran (C8) that relief is at hand,” writes our Ukraine correspondent, Chris Keane, now back in Seattle. “Toilet paper printed with Vladimir Putin’s face is readily available at most souvenir shops in Ukraine.” Granny’s just impressed with souvenir shops in Ukraine making a go of it.
Column8@smh.com.au
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