Different worlds
There are times, reading something or speaking to someone, that it becomes apparent we are all living in different worlds. Oftentimes it’s generational: a comment that seems appropriate to someone 50 years my senior can contain a kind of inherent racism that makes me cringe. Sometimes it’s cultural: an otherwise secular conversation might be burgeoned […]
The County-blot
Mayor Robert Quaiff is expected to announce shortly what has been rumoured for weeks: that the County’s silhouette map (pictured on this page) has been accepted onto the shortlist for the new 2016 edition of the Rorschach Inkblot Test. The announcement goes a long way to making up for the County’s disappointment in losing its […]
Confession of a shameless hussy
There’s lots of foofaraw in the news about young, scantily- clad women in high school classrooms. Back in the olden days, when I was an elementary school kid, girls had to wear skirts to school. Boys had to wear long pants. Now, as far as I was concerned, the whole idea of girls wearing skirts […]
Swirling
Recently, astronomers discovered that the movement we’ve interpreted as spinning for so many centuries is actually swirling. That is, instead of moving in place around an anchored point, the earth, the moon, the sun—the whole galaxy—is in constant motion. We are living in a whirlpool in the turbulent dark matter ocean of the universe. The […]
Sudden death on the ice
When the hockey game ends in a tie, in the playoffs, in the National Hockey League, the outcome is determined by a sudden death goal. It is a wonderful feeling when your team puts the puck in the net. You watch the referee pointing at the puck inside the cage. You feel the warmth of […]
Cold truth
On the morning of May 23, between the hours of six and seven in the morning, frost hit southern ontario—just one day before the customarily accepted severe frost end date of May 24. It was a flash freeze that enveloped vineyard buds and leaves. Vineyard workers employed windmills to stir the air, burned hay bales […]
This year’s ice buckets?
Charities are always looking for new ways to raise money. Last summer, the ice bucket challenge was successful beyond anyone’s wildest expectations: it raised about $26 million for the ALS Society of Canada, and about $500 million for ALS charities worldwide. Why was it a success? I can guess at three reasons, although there are […]
Bring it on
Ah, the Rotary Club Lilac Ride! Instead of getting all worked up about the Victoria Day long weekend, which typically heralds the start of the summer months, I should try to remember May brings the glorious Picton Rotary Clubs Lilac Ride. It’s a Rotary fundraiser, so it’s for a good cause. The route is beautiful. […]
Listen up
Facebook and I have a complicated relationship. I once wrote a Dear John letter to the service, which anyone with a vague understanding of Google could conjure. Then I created a new account as a self-marketing campaign, believing the hype that people in my business can’t survive these days without a comprehensive social media portfolio. […]
Playoff hockey
Last Monday night, Tyler Johnson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored three goals in New York City, as the Bolts defeated the Rangers 6-2. That series is now tied at a game apiece, and the teams meet tonight in Florida. Johnson is a special player. Relatively speaking, he is […]