Columnists

Living in the post trivia era

Posted: September 16, 2011 at 9:24 am   /   Columnists

I don’t own stock in the company, but if I did, I would have sold it at least a year ago. Actually, that’s not true. I would probably have held on to it, and then kicked myself for not having sold it: it’s down about 23 per cent over last year. I’m talking about the […]

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Get on your bike and ride

Posted: September 9, 2011 at 9:26 am   /   Columnists

Since June 5, I’ve been working hard to get back on the road and ready for the next charity bike ride. The problem is, I’ve got a bit of post-trauma bikecrash- stress going on and the next fundraiser is rapidly approaching. At this point, I’m afraid to say, I’ve been able to make more excuses […]

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A walk on the wild side

Posted: September 9, 2011 at 9:25 am   /   Columnists

Along the gravelled Benway Road, low-lying fields are shaved and sullen; east and west of here the way of the old steel rail runs into the landscape. In times past, at the spot where I now stand, the train halted daily, morning and late afternoon, to deliver or collect teacher and students that attended the […]

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Sparkling delight

Posted: September 9, 2011 at 9:25 am   /   Columnists

In 1833, James Busby, known as the father of the Australian wine industry, returned from studying winemaking and vine growing in France and Spain. He brought cuttings of French and Spanish vines, which he planted in his vineyards in the Hunter Valley. As with all new plantings, the early days were fraught with difficulties due […]

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Belleville Bulls 2011/2012

Posted: September 9, 2011 at 9:24 am   /   Columnists

You will need a program to follow the exploits of the Belleville Bulls at the beginning of this season. The personnel have changed radically, for a variety of reasons. There has been a significant injection of new blood, undoubtedly for the better. The last couple of years have been trying for the Bulls, and expectations […]

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Condensed reading

Posted: September 2, 2011 at 9:18 am   /   Columnists

Summertime reading! Isn’t it a wonderful treat to take an hour or two out of the day and read a novel or two or 10 over the summer months! My Mom was a reader and the nut didn’t fall too far from the tree. Mom encouraged us kids to take advantage of the public library […]

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Flinging the hydration thingy

Posted: September 2, 2011 at 9:17 am   /   Columnists

Have you noticed how the most mundane products seem to have ‘user guides’ these days? And how useless they can sometimes be? I bought a couple of relatively simple products this week. Case number one was a pair of sunglasses. I was fed up with my $20 pharmacy glasses breaking for some reason the moment […]

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World ball

Posted: September 2, 2011 at 9:15 am   /   Columnists

Ever since I began following the game in the early 1950s, it has gradually morphed into a wonderful international pastime. This does not mean that I fully endorse the “World Baseball Classic,” nor the inclusion of baseball at the Olympics. I attended a few of the World Classic games, and they offered about as much […]

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Vines down under

Posted: September 2, 2011 at 9:15 am   /   Columnists

As early as 1606, Dutch explorers made landfall on the western coast of Australia. The noted Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited what is now named Tasmania in 1642. He laid claim to this island in the name of Holland, calling it Van Diemen’s Land, to honour his patron the Governor of the Dutch East Indies. […]

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Ready to go!

Posted: August 26, 2011 at 9:22 am   /   Columnists

They are about ready to kick off the regular football season south of the border. That’s where they need four downs to move the yardsticks. As you have read here, for several weeks, we have been playing the Canadian game in the fine summer weather. The Canadian Football League teams will have played almost half […]

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