Round table
In 2011, I visited Wellington, dressed in my best and ready for an interview with Rick Conroy—editor of this paper—for a four-week internship. After that interview, I took myself out for breakfast at the Wellington Grill, where a group of locals sat around a table, discussing everything from the local gossip to the troubles of […]
Bright prospects
I’ve long been intrigued by those “wine stores” usually found at the supermarket exit. How are they able to sell wine outside the premises of an LCBO? Very little detail was available on the subject until I was guided to an in-depth article written by Toronto Star reporter Martin Regg Cohn in March of 2015. […]
Three disappointments
It’s been a week filled with disappointments, so the least I can do is to share them with you. They came in the form of Thomas the Tank Engine, dental floss and Hank Williams. Thomas the Tank Engine first. I grew up in England during the last years of the steamtrain era. My grandparents lived […]
Make museums great again
I will not talk about Donald Trump. I will not talk about Donald Trump. I will not. How about those County Museums, folks? Have you hugged one of our museums recently? We’ve got five sites! Something for everyone. I know many of y’all have never been to any of the County Museums. I know it. […]
RedBlacks Football
The Canadian Football League recently announced that the 2017 Grey Cup game will be played in Ottawa. The game usually takes place in late November. If you plan to attend, I recommend that you bundle up. But if you want a truly spectacular professional football experience, I suggest that you head up to Ottawa for […]
Celebration
I hold back speed-wise as I navigate the busy streets of Ottawa. The thermometer is up there and drivers are impatient but with my trunk lid open, I’m careful. Somehow, this last-minute grocery run has to work, and the fact that dad’s wheelchair— the non-portable one that is now hanging out of the trunk of […]
2016 Rogers Cup
Under brilliant skies, the men’s semifinal matches took place last Saturday at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. There was a hint of rain as I roared along the 407 north of the city. That ceased as play got underway. In order to get to the semifinal, Kei Nishikori, the third seed, had to move past […]
A tall order
So Canada has fallen short again in its bid to top the world tallness rankings. In fact, Canadians hit their peak a hundred years ago, at fifth (for men) and sixth (for women). Now, according to a massive study conducted by the World Health Organization, Canadians rank 27th (men) and 40th (women). The winners are […]
Dear Giuliana Rossini:
Thank you so much for the letter you signed on behalf of Hydro One, dated July 22, 2016. It’s so wonderful to get a piece of mail from Hydro One that doesn’t contain a bill. I’m sure I’m joined by my one hundred neighbours in expressing how exciting it is to receive the Hydro One […]
Achilles’ heel
The story goes that a mother, hoping to protect her infant son, dipped him in the river Styx, which offered the boy immortal protection. Everywhere except the heel by which she held her son. That was his weakness, and his inevitable destruction, as his death was prophesied. It’s the weakness in something powerful. The rotten […]