Waite Hoyt and Murderers’ Row
When offered the opportunity, Jim Niccum jumped up into the driver’s seat of the Model T Ford and turned the key in the ignition. After a few moments, the engine turned over and a large smile creased his face. Jim works as a historian at the Edison and Ford Estates in Fort Myers, Florida. He […]
Shortage
The shortage of single malt whisky is on the rise. An emerging middle class in Asia has developed a taste for “the water of life,” and this demand has compromised the ability of Scotch distilleries to supply all markets. There was bound to be a huge market correction and over the last five years, several […]
Sprung forward
Do you ever wake up feeling out of sync? Out of sync with the world, I mean? Happens to me more often than I care to admit: in fact, the feeling can carry beyond waking up. This time, it looks like I missed the message of daylight saving time. I found myself wondering why, on […]
The eight criteria
The “Just Not Ready—Nice Hair Though” panel, fresh off its success in the 2015 election campaign, has been hard at work developing the criteria for candidates who wish to run for the Conservative leadership. The Times has obtained an early draft of its report to party management and is pleased to run the following exclusive […]
Hitting the road
Spring is in the air. We’ve seen robins hopping around in the backyard and heard the Canada geese honking their way home during the night. I’m looking forward to getting out on our County roads for a ride or a hike. Last year was a bust, as far as cycling goes. We took part in […]
Out of the blue
It’s hard to imagine the horror of European vineyard owners, managers and workers when they first encountered the ravages of the phylloxera louse. It seemed to appear out of the blue. And, in a sense, they were right. This devastating disease arrived from North America on board ships crossing the Atlantic. Prior to the early […]
Cabin fever
we get a little cabin-feverish. So it’s time for a game. I’ve taken my cue from the old dictionary-based game where you pick a real word with an obscure defintion, and try to lure guessers into picking a false definition. Sometimes, guessers will vote for your false definition on the basis that it was a […]
Perfectly edible
If you’re among those who can afford to make environmentally friendly choices about the way you buy fruits and vegetables, you’re lucky. More and more, the produce aisle at the grocery store is becoming more daunting, with prices soaring and some commonly used veggies falling to environmental disasters like the California drought. But perhaps you […]
Eating disorder?
Canada’s Food Guide is changing. Yep, you read that correctly. That poster of a gauge, the triangular pyramidy thing, the multi-coloured roadway of deliciousness that we’ve been following to justify our consumption of seven to ten pieces of bread a day, far too much fruit or juice, an abundance of protein and enough dairy to […]
Devil’s scholar
When the Ontario government presented their budget last week, they had some bad news. Gas and energy prices would be rising. So would the provincial debt, with interest taking a big chunk of provincial spending. Of course, there were goodies to offset that news, including a pleasant surprise for low-income families: free tuition to people […]