Rule of the people
We’ve got a quirky political system. Coupled with national media attempting to distill information from sea to sea to sea in one of the largest and most diverse countries in the world, it can easily confuse the issue of who or what Canadians are choosing when they head to the polls. When we cast our […]
Pass the pie
When I started to write this column, I was sitting with LOML, my brother and his wife in Toronto, after the second leg of our trip from CFB Shilo to our home in the County. On Sunday morning, we were drinking coffee and feeling a bit travel weary with another two and a half hour […]
Yogi
I was severely chastised a couple of times this past week for not taking the time to reflect upon the life of Yogi Berra. We lost Yogi about a week ago. He left an indelible mark on the game of baseball, and also on the lives of all baseball fans. Berra grew up in St. […]
Three from chianti
The Chianti region is today subdivided into several overlapping zones, each reflecting a unique style of wine. The Chianti Classico sub-region runs north from Siena almost to the city of Florence. The Colli Senesi wraps around the southern base of the Classico region. The sub-region closer to Florence is called Colli Fiorentini. And to the […]
Closing time
As sure as the cold bite of recent mornings and the turning of the maples in the sunlit afternoons, it is a shift of season. In the Ottawa neighbourhood where my father has enjoyed his home of 50 years, there is sea-change of another kind happening. In many ways it’s a microcosm of a demographic […]
Big sustainable Mac
Things are sure changing out there in fast food land. Just the other day, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited announced that it was going to spend about $200,000 per restaurant on upgrades, and enlarge its work force by about 30 per cent. Says John Betts, the company president, “We want our guests to walk in […]
Confused priorities
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, in its wisdom, has decided it’s time to add a new service for the public. Women under the age of 42 will now be eligible for one round of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) therapy. The costly treatment greatly increases the chance that a woman with fertility issues becomes […]
Just click your heels together
In spite of all the rave reviews I’ve heard and read over the years, I have never been a fan of the movie The Wizard of Oz.Yeah, I know, I obviously don’t have good taste. Maybe I’m culturally deprived. I just don’t like the movie and I usually don’t give it much thought. I have […]
Autumn football nights
Ottawa REDBLACKS football fans have turned game days into real festivities. They arrive early to the game, and they are not shy about wearing team colours. There are several fine eateries near the stadium. Last Saturday night was a beautiful September evening, perfect for the REDBLACKS fans. Well, nearly perfect. The Toronto Argonauts took the […]
Italian inspiration
Although Italy has a history of sublime wines pre-dating the Roman Empire, it has also produced significant quantities of sub-par offerings that diminish their reputation. Much of this damage can be traced to a tradition of weak regulation. In the 1960s Italy introduced DOCG legislation in order to compete with French AOC law, which guaranteed […]