When action heroes join forces
I remember I was playing in jazz band a few years ago when our trombonist, who doubled as our emcee, announced that we were going to “play a few Christmas carols.” I was nonplussed, because the first song on our set list was “Jingle Bell Rock.” Add our trombonist to the long list of those […]
This is my last column of 2012!
The year has flown by just like my Mom used to say it would when I got older. Well, I’m older and time flies. Now it’s time to say thank you to a lot of wonderful people who made 2012 memorable for me. First of all, thank you to everyone who read the Times in […]
Quality control
Italian wines make an excellent case for strict quality regulation. Some truly sublime Italian wines benefit from a heritage that predates the rise of the Roman Empire. On the other hand, significant quantities of subpar offerings have tarnished the reputation of this wine region. In order to compete with the French AOC laws, Italy introduced […]
Singing the blues in Buffalo
There has been a whole truckload of weeping and gnashing of teeth in Buffalo since last Sunday. The Bills collapsed again, and are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The main Buffalo sports radio station, WGR 550 on your AM dial, spends days following the weekend games dissecting the Bills. None of the dialogue […]
Germany: precise, not sweet
A German wine label tells the story of its contents, from the varietal and vintage — to the name, region, and address of its producer. This care for quality is not surprising, since the oldest food safety law in the world was first established in Bavaria in 1516 for the control of beer purity. Reinheitsgebot […]
If I only had a brain
I could while away the hours, conferrin’ with the flowers Consultin’ with the rain. And my head I’d be scratchin’ while my thoughts were busy hatchin’ If I only had a brain. I’d unravel every riddl e for any individ’le, In trouble or in pain. With the thoughts you’ll be thinkin’ you could be another […]
If you can read this…
With all due respect to the Editor, I have something to say about his take on those “coddled” teachers. If you know me, and many of you do, you know I have never been accused of having any internal dialogue. Oh, I’ve tried to keep my opinions to myself but I darn near exploded when […]
Conversations with a fox
Milkweed pods sail over the bay as three mute swans descend onto the stillness. The shine on the lake captures a dozen more of the birds at rest; merganser ducks fly above; Indian Island drifts in the hush of Indian summer. I lean against the steel railing anchored into the concrete piers that extend out […]
Season’s greetings
Last Monday I attended the annual Christmas luncheon of the National Hockey League Players’ Association. There is a monthly luncheon, held at a dear old Shopsy’s north of the 401 in Toronto; however, the December meeting is always special for a variety of reasons. At the past few December meetings, a member of the group […]
The French connection
Last week we addressed the VQA designation that is applied to wine from fruit grown within the wine regions of Canada. This week I want to continue the series by examining French classifications. Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée first applied to food. The original AOC was granted to Roquefort cheese by parliamentary decree in the 15th century. […]