A whole new political ballgame
As of last Tuesday, there is a new Canadian political agenda, made public in identical releases from the offices of the Prime Minister and the NDP. Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh had been talking about doing a deal all of last fall, but it only came together after the NDP supported the Liberals on the […]
A Season’s Season
Spring! We’re a few days into it and some of us have already forgotten how delicious it is to wait for warmer weather and sunnier skies. I’ve forgotten. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to leave home in minus temperatures and head back dragging my boots and overcoat behind. I have even forgotten to enjoy the […]
The 330-million-year-old octopus
Researchers at the Royal Ontario Museum have come up trumps. A piece of limestone rock from Montana that was donated to the Museum back in 1988 has recently been found to contain a fossil that is an estimated 330 million years old. That predates the era of the dinosaurs and eclipses the previous best estimate […]
Does this War Make Me Look Fat?
As you know, I’m a fan of writing of this column on a Sunday morning while watching Sunday Morning on CBS. Please, please, before you head to the phone or the keyboard— I don’t need anyone to tell me I should be listening to CBC on the radio or watching CBC on television. I am […]
These boots
I’m going to start with, “I’m not asking anyone for anything. So please, please don’t email/telephone/message me with offers of assistance, we’ve got lots. But thank you, from the bottom of my heart and the soles of my hiking boots. I’m sure y’all have heard the expression about “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”. […]
Chasing Down the Super-Yachts
You know what to do to signal your entry into the world of big money. You buy yourself a super-yacht. This is especially true of that subspecies known as Russian oligarchs—people who made their money by getting in on the ground floor of the privatization of former Russian state assets during the Gorbachev, Yeltsin and […]
Art and Culture Live
This morning, Sunday, LOML and I had a discussion about art. It was a coffee-infused exchange of opinions. We weren’t “on about” one particular style, or medium, just about art—all kinds of art. Now some of you may be thinking that would be a very unfocused conversation and, in a way, it sorta/kinda was. I […]
Days in the Driver’s Seat
My daughter in Vancouver was the first to bring it to my attention. She was buying groceries at her local Loblaw’s and turned to the snack food aisle to pick up some tortilla chips, where she was met with…absolutely nothing but rows of empty shelves. She wondered whether the delivery truck had beetled off to […]
Rights and Freedoms
Imagine this: Close your eyes and you’ve just spent the night in a cold, concrete subway station wondering what is going on “topside”. The lights are flickering. You’ve just realized you’re a little bit claustrophobic. You can hear the gunfire from the big guns, topside. You can hear the air raid sirens wailing. You can […]
Her Majesty’s Memoirs
Talk about life being unfair. Just as she was beginning to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee—70 years on the throne—Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for Covid. She may have been exposed to it by her son Prince Charles, who has endured two bouts with the virus, but she could have just as easily […]