Keen on Argentine
The land of tango is inherently passionate about wine. Argentina, colonized by the Spanish in the early 1500s, followed the well-worn path of establishing vineyards to sustain the local demand and supply of sacramental wine for the Catholic missionaries. In 1557, the Jesuits established vineyards in Santiago by planting mission grapes imported from Chile. This […]
News of the world
Last week a young friend asked me the epic, “What’s this world coming to” question. How the H E double bench dips would I know if the world is coming to anything or anywhere. But he was concerned and, from the look on his face, he wanted an answer. At the time we just happened […]
“…let me live it as a 1.5”
My little personal soap opera about my ‘deep brain stimulation’ surgery is turning into a threepart miniseries. Episode one saw me about to enter hospital worried whether I would be assigned a humour therapist who told bad jokes. Episode two had me recollecting the low point of my surgery as the frantic search for an […]
Still image
Here’s a discussion (which usually deteriorates into an argument) I won’t be having with anyone, anytime soon—photography as an art form. Nope. It just isn’t going to happen. I will, however, tell you how I feel about photography as an art form and not because I’m a photographer or LOML is a photographer or because […]
The Kids are alright at Ivor Wynne Stadium
For those of you who recognize the name of the stadium, I am sure you can hear echoes of “Oskee Wee Wee” faintly in the distance. There were manly cheers for the Hamilton Tiger Cats last Saturday, as they demolished the winless Saskatchewan Roughriders. The final score was 33 to 3. The Ticats emerged from […]
Viva Brazil y Uruguay
During the late 15th century to the mid 18th century, the Treaty of Tordesillas, between Spain and Portugal, divided South America. Portugal was given possession of Monte Pascoal, now known as Brazil. It was customary for early settlers to attempt to emulate the life and luxuries of their homeland and for the Portuguese, wine was […]
Who cares
On Thursday, July 14, if we don’t walk our opinions and questions into Shire Hall, we’ll be up Black Creek without a paddle. What opinions and question, you ask? Well, exactly. The “new” municipal council has asked the residents of the County to, once again, shout out from the stands (in writing or in person) […]
Tour de la County?
It’s been a banner couple of months for the sports fan. The Bruins beat the Canucks for the Stanley Cup. The Mavericks beat the Heat for the NBA championship. Federer beat Djokovic, and Nadal beat Federer, for the French Open Tennis title; and then Djokovic beat Nadal to win Wimbledon. Oh yes, and the Canadian […]
Wine’s South American roots
The history of wine in South America is closely linked to the conquest of the Inca Empire. In 1493, the Spanish-born Pope Alexander VI and the Spanish Conquistadors divided South America between Spain and Portugal. By 1526, Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro established a foothold on the border of the Inca empire in Panama.With the permission […]
Major League Ball
The crème de la crème of Major League baseball players has assembled in Phoenix,Arizona, for the annual all-star break. Festivities got underway Monday night with the Home Run Derby. Players work their way through various rounds until they face the best from the game in a head-to-head confrontation. On Monday night, the New York Yankees’ […]