The reason for the season
Before we even reached the halfway mark of November, folks were sparring about “Christmas” versus “Holidays”. Come on. Who cares? Oy vey. Is this really about political correctness? Is it really about putting Christ back into Christmas or, for that matter, keeping him there? And now? Well, and now someone has decided Starbucks has an […]
The times they are a-changin’
tToronto Maple Leafs’ coach Mike Babcock thinks that the nets used in the NHL are too small. You really can’t blame him for thinking that way. As of Monday morning, his team had scored 29 goals in their 14 games. Only two teams have scored fewer goals. The concept was discussed at length by several […]
The rumour is out
The rumour is out. According to at least two fully accredited celebrity-spotters, Hollywood (and Canadian) actress Rachel McAdams has been seen in and around the Drake Devonshire hotel. While it’s entirely possible that she was just there to have herself a DrakeBurger and see what all the fuss has been about, her visit is giving […]
Sparkles
The buzz generated by the swearing in of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was reminiscent of the excitement our southern neighbours experienced when Barak Obama became president. It’s strangely difficult to keep in mind that Trudeau is a middle-aged white man. Especially difficult when he presented his new cabinet, trumpeted nationally and internationally for looking “like […]
Remembrance
Politicos have historically committed their young men to battle in order to address a perceived wrong or to fulfill a desire for conquest. Until the religious wars of 16th and 17th centuries, however, these wars pitted soldier against soldier, led by their king—and so the ensuing damage was more to human bodies and less to […]
We will remember them
Remembrance Day. The first time I was aware there was such a day I might have been about eight or nine years old. My dad and my uncles were veterans of the Second World War, but I don’t recall hearing too much about it when I was a kid. Dad’s uniform hung in my parents’ […]
Hockey night in Florida
The Boston Bruins took to the ice last Friday night in Sunrise, Florida, for the first of two games in the Sunshine State. Most teams play the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning on the same road trip, and try to catch a few rays on the journey. Before the game, I ran into a […]
Disappearing line
If we consider the wondrous happenstance that led to the discovery of wine, it is easy to understand why people long held the belief that wine was a gift directly from the gods. Wine was totally mystifying: it could render a person faint from its carbon dioxide; it could make one feel good, and maybe […]
Saying goodbye
To my dog: today I must mourn for you. Maybe you’ll come back. I’ve heard it’s happened. Weeks—months go by and you just reappear. Maybe you’ll be that story. And if you are, I will embrace you and love you and be happy. But in the meantime, I must mourn. Because this in-between? This hope […]
If Germany can defend bratwurst
So bacon—as well as processed meat and sausages—is a carcinogen, right up there with tobacco and asbestos. And red meat is a “possible” carcinogen. At least if you believe the findings of a committee of that pipsqueak outfit known as the World Health Organization —the one that told us a can of pop a day […]