Columnists

The Wildfire Invitational 2013

Posted: August 30, 2013 at 9:05 am   /   Columnists

Several weeks ago, I shared a note with you about a young South African who was wending his way across North America as a touring golf professional. Andrew Georgiou had earned a ticket to the Canadian Open and was moving on to the Canadian PGA circuit. Last weekend, he and his fellow professionals played in […]

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Knocked back on the heels

Posted: August 30, 2013 at 9:03 am   /   Columnists

I recently read about the national drink of Turkey called “Arak” also known as “Raki” (not to be confused with Aragh, a version of vodka that is common to Georgia, Armenia, and Iran). Well known throughout the Middle East, this alcoholic beverage is distilled from grapes, botanicals and aniseed, which gives a distinctive flavor that […]

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Has it come to this?

Posted: August 30, 2013 at 9:01 am   /   Columnists

As a former lawyer, I think I am entitled to ask the question: has it come to this? According to a notice published in the paper on August 9, the “Crayola 2011 Washable Coloured Bubbles Class Action Settlement” has been reached. A court hearing will shortly be held to approve it. This follows an earlier […]

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Lost generation

Posted: August 30, 2013 at 8:58 am   /   Columnists

The Lost Generation. They are underemployed. They are overeducated. They are products of a post-secondary educational system that is fragmented and in business to make money. The Lost have a huge financial investment in a future that may never be theirs. They are in debt and many will spend years trying to land a job […]

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The thing about corn

Posted: August 23, 2013 at 9:02 am   /   Columnists

Navaho…Charisma…Accord… Jackie…now here’s one new to me…King Arthur…mmm…wonder what it looks…? “The way to do it is to gently pull back the blanket at the top and have a peek inside and then put it back to bed,” a voice beside me says. It’s Sandra Roebuck. She works here and is re-stocking the bins of […]

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Getting it right

Posted: August 23, 2013 at 8:57 am   /   Columnists

“Yer out” cried the umpire. “No way, I was safe,” replied the runner, after sliding across home plate. “Well now,” said the umpire. “Apparently, we disagree. So I will now meet with my brethren on the field, discuss the issue, and see if we can come up with a solution. If that fails, we are […]

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Cork puller

Posted: August 23, 2013 at 8:55 am   /   Columnists

It is hard to imagine a world without wine. Since the standards of commercial production were introduced it was necessary to invent a device to draw the cork closure from the bottle. It has been suggested that the basic corkscrew, with the helix screw and wooden handle, was modelled after the musketeer’s gun worm, which […]

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They call me Mister Simmonds

Posted: August 23, 2013 at 8:53 am   /   Columnists

One of the pieces in the Globe and Mail that my wife and I both enjoy reading is the ‘moral dilemmas’ advice column authored every Friday by David Eddie. And one of his recent columns has caused quite a division of opinion, judging from the letters to the editor. Mind you, so did a column […]

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Saving for the future

Posted: August 23, 2013 at 8:51 am   /   Columnists

My love of Ontario’s built heritage goes back a long way. The place that did it for me was the Schmidt- Dalziel Barn, located in the Humber Valley. Decades after my very first visit to The Barn I had an opportunity to take my love to new heights. In the ‘90s as a volunteer at […]

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Tennis and Baseball on a Sunday afternoon

Posted: August 16, 2013 at 9:04 am   /   Columnists

Damn! Within a matter of thirty seconds, my Canadian pride was wounded on two separate occasions last Sunday. First of all, Milos Raonic from Thornhill, the best Canadian tennis player ever to lace up a pair of tennis shoes, lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal. Nadal hails from Spain, and has been at the […]

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