Ho ho ho and Bah
A friend recently told me I wasn’t as edgy as I used to be. He told me he liked my old columns where I took issue with something and shook the daylights out of it. I suppose he’s probably right. I don’t rant and rave like I used to. I’ve got a smidge more internal […]
Dear trolls,
You know who you are. In fact, there’s a little bit of troll inside of all of us—that little monster that feeds on all the little frustrations in our lives; ignorance, unfairness, traffic jams. But when you get onto the world wide web, that monster is unleashed to wreak revenge upon the world. I suppose […]
A most fitting tribute
Last Friday night, Steve Molaski’s hockey jersey was retired at the Constantine Arena on the campus of the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. With a large group of family and friends in the stands, Molaski watched the ceremony from centre ice as the #23 was revealed on the wall at the arena. It is […]
’Tis the season
“Christmas” was celebrated long before the advent of Christianity. In olden days, December was the time to slaughter livestock (due to the lack of fodder). So the winter solstice was a time of plenty—and possibly the only time of the year when fresh meat was available to many people. Wine and beer was also newly […]
Solving the conundrum
So, are you going to go for it? “It” being an appointment to the Senate. The Trudeau government announced a plan last week for new senators to be appointed on the advice of a committee. Anybody can apply to the committee for one of 17 positions that will be filled before the end of 2016. […]
Ho, ho, hum
December snuck in quietly this year. There hasn’t been any snow. Parents haven’t had to deal with school closures and the ensuing scramble for childcare. If you’ve set your cap on shovelling for extra cash, it looks like lawn care might still be in the cards. On top of this, December is just a tough […]
A sparkling effort
I struggled to come up with a theme for this week’s column. The Grey Cup game was great, as usual, but a little disappointing for Eastern Division fans. Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson was named as the American League Most Valuable Player, and rightfully so. The Raptors are beginning to show signs of consistency. And […]
Strictly kosher
Wine is woven into the fabric of Jewish ritual and celebration. All Jewish celebrations feature the blessings of wine in some form. The marriage ceremony invokes the specific prayer, “Blessed are you Lord, who created the fruit of the vine”. From the Fall of the Temple, to the Roman Occupation—on up to today, the Jewish […]
The game
The sky this morning is as heavy as clay. The sullen quiet beyond my hotel window defies the traffic of a Monday morning in the nation’s capital. The dampness of the Ottawa Valley is evidenced in the drifting bits of snow squeezed from the heavens. For those who are fans of football, or even those […]
Read my socks
It used to be that if a man wanted to make a statement that he was flamboyant at heart, though hemmed in by convention, he wore a mildly daring tie. Say reindeer at Christmas. Or golf images during the spring thaw. Well, Justin Trudeau has just moved the yardsticks about five feet—downwards. First, he was […]