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 […]
Building Brix
Created perhaps by happenstance, appassiemento is a style of wine that became the norm for the taste of the early wine consumers, especially the Romans. In this method, the natural brix in a grape is condensed and magnified by partially drying the grapes using a number of methods. They can be kiln dried in a […]
Roads
The fog spreads in from over the lake, soaking newborn fields; veiling treelines in shades of grey. Robins, fat, shiny earthworms, squitters ‘n lilac proclaim the season. Heading east, the road before me takes on a list of metaphors. The boredom of driving allows for mind escape. Escape when we are sometimes in periods when […]
Shearer, eh?
It comes as a bit of a shock to hear that the voice of Ned Flanders, Montgomery Burns and Principal Skinner is poised to leave—or be booted from—The Simpsons. But there were several reports last week that Harry Shearer, the voice behind those three characters and others, was at the exit door. And that the […]
Out of the park
There are times when I deliberately avoid discussing a hot topic because I just can’t be bothered, or the topic doesn’t bother me enough or I just don’t want to open a can of worms. In the past week I have been bothered by a news story and it is, most certainly, a can of […]
Belonging
There is a topic that has been an ongoing part of the human conversation since our species stopped being inherently nomadic and we began calling one place or another home. It’s a topic that, as an immigrant, as the child of immigrants, as the grandchild of immigrants, always leaves me torn. It is the discourse […]
Rookie of the month
Of course, I am excited about the Stanley Cup playoffs. When Chicago takes the ice against the Ducks, we will see Ameliasburgh’s Andrew Shaw playing against Matt Belesky. Belesky, the former Belleville Bull, had a great series against the Calgary Flames. He scored a goal in every game in the series—five in total—establishing a team […]