Poles

I've had a chip on my shoulder about Poles since we got taken over by one, but I'm going to make an exception for light poles.

Especially Baltimore light poles.

Apparently, they're being stolen in broad daylight.

This may surprise some of you, but not me. I have a friend from Baltimore (which he insists on pronouncing as "Bal'mer") and I know a bit about that town.

I told him once that Cape Breton Island (my place of birth) had finished second in a National Geographic poll of the world's top tourist destinations -- beaten out only by the Norwegian fjords.

He told me he knew some guys in Baltimore who could "make the fjords disappear."

Obviously, the light pole exercise is a preparation for the great fjord heist. Consider what the spokesman for the city's transport department had to say:

"Apparently, the culprits know what they're doing because we're talking about 30-foot poles here. It's not like you can stick one in a grocery cart and get rolling."

Exactly.

The old grocery cart routine is not going to work for the fjords either, so they've had to step it up a notch.

I, for one, will be awaiting their next move with some fascination.