Social responsibility
The LCBO was formed in 1927, by the provincial government, to provide alcohol in a socially responsible manner to the citizens of Ontario. Since then, the LCBO has revamped its stores and become perhaps the largest purchaser and retailer of alcohol in the world. We have come a long way from the time when you […]
Non-decision decisions
Someone recently asked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg why he always wears a grey T-shirt. The questioner actually got a $50 answer to a 99 cent question. It went, in part, like this: “I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything […]
Gift horse
At this time of year, I think of Christmases past. Do you remember when your mom or dad said things like “Never look a gift horse in the mouth?” I do. When I was a kid, I figured I didn’t have a problem since there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in H E double hockey sticks […]
Remarkable victory
On many levels, Lydia Ko’s victory in the final LPGA event of the season is truly remarkable. She was the 2014 CME Group Tour Championship winner, and took home the inaugural CME Race to the CME Globe, and the $1-million prize, to boot. Not only that, but she received $500,000 for winning the event. That […]
Fresh and Nouveau
Beaujolais nouveau is shipped throughout the world at this time of year, to be sold on the third Thursday of November. It arrives in North America the week prior to American Thanksgiving, where it proves itself rather suitable for turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Beaujolais nouveau is not a complex wine, but more of […]
The twain meets
They say you can divide the world into two types of people: those who want to find out what the weather is about to do, and those who don’t see much, if any, point in doing so. In an unnamed household with which I am intimately familiar, there are those who, quite understandably, express bafflement […]
So it begins
November. How did November happen so quickly? Weren’t we just moaning about summer weather? The other morning the County awoke to a blanket of snow. I know I shouldn’t enjoy seeing snow in the middle of November, but somehow it makes things feel peaceful. Peaceful is good. For years, I would cringe when the jacko- […]
Nick Taylor, champion
Quite unexpectedly, about a week ago, Nick Taylor emerged from the pack ti win the Sanderson Farms Championship on the American Professional Golf Association Tour in Jackson, Mississippi. He carded eight birdies on the final round to score 66. He bogeyed the final hole, but was well aware that he did not need a par […]
Stuck in November
The cedar chest? It takes something obvious, like firstsnow, for me to remember why the chest sits in the corner of the room. And then after remembering why it’s there, an avalanche of ‘shoulda dones’ is triggered: storm windows on, firewood in, shovels out, lawn mower in, snow tires on, ice-melt out, tulip bulbs in— […]
Meanwhile in language news
Oh the complications language can bring. Consider the news from England, Italy and Canada. In England, a hot profession has become that of the speech tutor. Why? Because in that country, the speaking voice tends to give away the class and region of the speaker, and those with working class or backwater regional accents are […]