A crack in the corporate reputation
You just can’t be too careful in catering to a fickle marketplace. No one knows that better—now—than high end curlingwear manufacturer OliverOrange. Once upon a time, it was an analyst’s darling—a company that could seemingly do no wrong. Now, thanks to some concerns about the quality of its product, combined with some injudicious comments by […]
Appropriate, expropriate
Here she goes again. The first time I heard the word “expropriation,” my father had said something like, “Well, if the government is going to expropriate property, I wish the hell they’d make me an offer.” At the time, we lived in a house my Dad had built on a half-acre just north of the […]
Hunter and his Honeycombs
Our grandson Hunter really enjoys his Honeycomb cereal. To add to his pleasure, and to his education, Post Cereal has recently added a program to keep his interest at the breakfast table. There are 24 hockey cards available to collectors in the program; however, Hunter is more interested in the boxes. Six players from the […]
Victoria’s Secret
Although the term terroir is tossed about in wine banter, it has far greater importance in our day-to-day lives. We generally associate terroir with wine laws throughout the world, such as the “appellation d’origine contrôlée” (AOC) in France, or the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) standard here in Ontario. The word derives from the Latin “terre”, […]
New Ford video shocker
No one has ever gone broke underestimating the capacity of Toronto mayor Rob Ford to shock the ostensibly unshockable. Yet tales of a new Ford video are surfacing, with those who purport to have seen it saying it ‘takes the cake‘ compared with all that has gone before. The Times has not seen this video […]
On the dole ….on a roll
You know, if you asked the question, “Welfare or a decent job?”, most adults would probably opt for a decent job. The kind of job where you make enough money to have a roof over your head, a job you enjoy and a job which doesn’t make you cringe when the alarm sounds. Most people […]
Swans a swimming part 2
While January 5 marked the end of the twelve days of Christmas, and while I only came up with 19 mourning doves (there were 20 before the red tail hawk charged them) 64 grey squirrels at the bird feeder and an Al Purdy CD that a once-love sent to me, I’m sticking to the idea […]
Warmth for the soul
Winter is a time for hibernation and rejuvenatio—not only for animals and humans, but also for plants. In wine country, vines go into dormancy, recharging until that true harbinger of spring, when buds break. Vineyards begin winter work as soon as the vines lose the last of their leaves: pruning the old wood, and leaving […]
Helmer begins coaching career
I went into the Peterborough Petes’ dressing room area after their recent game against the Belleville Bulls to search out my friend Bryan Helmer. He was immersed in post-game discussions with various team officials, including coach Jody Hull. I basically dragged Helmer out of the room, and down the hall, past the curtain that keeps […]
2013 Year in Review
As is customary when the old year passes and the new year begins, the Times looks back over the year that was. Most staff are home with their families at this point, so that it falls to the most junior guy in the pecking order, namely me, to write the story based on old archives, […]