Grape temptations
If you have visited a vineyard recently, you will have noticed a magical transformation as grapes change from hard green berries into deep purple (if it is a red variety) or a golden green (if white). The animal world seems to know this veraison only occurs once the grapes reach a certain level of sugar. […]
Breakfast of Champions!
Most of the teams in the CFL have played half their games at this point in the season. As is often the case, the teams from the West Division have done a little better than the teams in the East. The Calgary Stampeders have lost just once in the nine games thus far. The British […]
Pressure
Anyone who has spent any time in Europe, and especially in France, should not be surprised by the burqini dilemma that has been igniting ire from feminists and human rights activists alike. For one thing, France has seen a number of terrorist attacks. Muslim extremists living in Europe, have planned and carried out a succession […]
The Singapore Single Stars
Two lowly takeout stands are spreading hope to thousands of cheap and cheerful eateries around the world. The famous Michelin guide to three star (“exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”), two star (“excellent cooking, worth a detour”) and one star (“very good…in its category”) restaurants has just been published—for Singapore. And for the first time, […]
As luck would have it
I do want to mention him— but only because I’m fascinated by his style and his narcissism. Trump. Oh, I’m so happy that my Curcio and Durning families picked Canada over the U.S. when they arrived in the early part of last century. I can’t imagine having to choose between the rock and the hard place. So what’s nagging me these […]
The next Olympic games
For many years, I have been a strong advocate for the Olympic Games. Great memories flash through my mind when I reflect on past Games. The Games became an important impetus for learning in my classroom. A wonderful activity used to study geography, sport, culture and many other subjects. I will continue to follow many […]
The underdog wins
A tempest in a teapot was stirred up earlier this year when the VQA announced (by email) that Bruno Francois and his partner Jens Korberg were not allowed to display a “Prince Edward County” address on the website for their winery. Seems the VQA felt this impinged their ownership of the name for the purposes […]
The Battle of Trent River
Everyone has some sort of story about an incident in which the police get involved unnecessarily. The other day, I was told of a 5- year-old who was dutifully schooled to call 911 if an adult “bothered” her. Well, the child was staying with her grandmother and they were horsing around with the water hose. […]
Short
There are those who say if the US ever declared war on Canada, it would be over a precious resource. Not oil, not minerals or lumber. Canada is full of resources, but its greatest is water. Or perhaps, if a global water shortage were ever to come to pass, we will have allowed that water […]
Respect
In 1966, my grandmother passed away. Annie Durning was an immigrant who came to Canada with her family for a better life. Her life in Canada was difficult, but it was better than it had been in Scotland and in her birthplace, Ireland. She was my paternal grandmother. My maternal grandfather attended her funeral that […]