Boundaries
This Friday will mark 70 years since the Allies’ victory over Japan and the end of the US involvement in WWII. On that day, as parades broke out on American streets, as they had months before in Canada, a photojournalist named Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the moment that would become most symbolic of that joy: the […]
Football night in Canada
Last Friday night was a perfect night for football. The skies were clear about an hour before the game as we entered Frank Clair Stadium, at the TD Place Field at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. I recommend two things before you go to a game there: get your tickets now, and park early. The game […]
401
“I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts. There they are a standing in a ….” We all have it happen, I’m thinkin’. Time to time, a song gets stuck in your head? Especially a song that’s out of the repertoire of songs you’re liable to sing: for my part, Bob Dylan or cowboy songs get […]
BHSIB Syndrome
I fell victim to Big, Heavy, Serious, Important Book Syndrome last month. You’ve probably experienced it too. BHSIB Syndrome is an affliction whereby you feel the need to acquire and conquer a BHSIB, deluding yourself with the false hope that this time you really will devote half an hour each morning and evening to reading […]
Time machines
August. I know, I know. I’m not original when I ask, “What the H E double ears of local corn happened to the summer?” But here we are, and the first week of August is behind us. We’re bombarded by back-to-school- days advertising in every flyer that gets dropped on our front step. I don’t […]
Oh, Robot
Over a month last year, an adorable science project became the first robot to complete the great Canadian road trip. Geared up with a pair of red Wellington boots and a computerized smile, hitchBOT hitchhiked from Halifax to Victoria. The robot was a co-creation of Frauke Zeller from Ryerson University in Toronto and David Harris […]
No dog days for these guys
The Toronto Blue Jays came north this past Spring with the intention that they would win the World Series. In fact, all Major League baseball teams have the same intent when they break camp. As the season wears on, through May and June, teams begin to realize that they either have the right stuff, or […]
Chinese reds
Sand dunes in the Gobi rival those of the Sahara in size and majesty. They are responsible for sandstorms in Beijing that have become more and more frequent. So both Mongolia and China’s autonomous region of Inner Mongolia have embarked on a reclamation program of tree, shrub and grass plantings in the region. The government […]
The clothingoptional option
With all of the hot weather we’ve been having recently, I can’t get the subject of nudity out of my mind. To tell the truth, it came to mind mostly by mistake. I was checking out a couple of naturalist organizations on the Web and stumbled— honestly, it was an honest mistake— across the website […]
Making it right
I am addicted to home repair and renovation television shows. Bet you didn’t know that about me. When I was a kid, my grandfather loved to watch wrestling on television. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if he was caught up with the wrestling or just the magic of television. Hard to […]