You’re probably wondering where this odd title is going to take us. Well, here’s the thing: horses, carburetors and phone booths were all once ubiquitous, but now you have to know where to look for one. Some wag has pointed out that in an earlier time, everybody had a horse, but only the rich had…
If you’re anything like me, you have your share of “not quite finished” tasks and projects. That’s OK to a certain extent, but sometimes our lives get so littered with “not quite finished” that we can barely focus on what’s important. It may be a Master’s degree that’s one paper short of completion. But it’s…
There was a time that Governor Andrew Cuomo was the world’s hero, showing leadership when all of us needed it during the depths of the COVID nightmare. But today he is a pariah. Whether or not Governor Cuomo went beyond legal bounds is not the point. The point, even if we were to believe a…
There are all kinds of ethical and moral reasons why the wave of voter suppression in the US is wicked, but none of those are today’s subject. The practical, if cynical, reason all this stuff should be avoided is that it’s bad for business. Let me explain. Stereotypes are an easy but dangerous way to…
For rats in Alberta, 2020 was the best year in a long time. Their population doubled to twenty-six, although only one at a time. The bad news for the rats is that was as good as it got. As each one snuck into the province on a truck or a railway car, it was quickly…
Like many Ontarians, I have watched Premier Doug Ford hold multiple press conferences to deliver grim news in this our purgatory of COVID. Like many Ontarians, I’ve applauded the man’s stamina, humility, guts, and forthrightness. Perfect? No, he’s as human as you or me. Might you or I have said and done things differently? Perhaps…
Perth, Ontario (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth,_Ontario) is a lovely little town, if I must say so myself. Settled by veterans of the War of 1812, streets lined by classic limestone buildings, cafes, restaurants, and touristy places, Perth is in many ways a living museum of its colonial and largely Scottish heritage. (You should come out for the Kilt…
Brier Island is one of those remote and windswept places that seem like the farthest end of the world. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, silent, and even today, it’s four hours and a bit by car from Halifax, assuming you are lucky with both ferries. But in 1828, before the roads were built, there were only two…
Yes, it’s true. One of my best ever clients cost ten cents to acquire as a “forever” client, and in fact it wasn’t even my ten cents, it was his. Several other such clients cost a dollar or two, again of their own money. So, what’s the catch? There is no catch. And here’s what’s…
In an embarrassing turn of events, legal action by an American state has cast Canada as an environmental villain, upsetting our holier-than-thou view of our southern neighbour. The State of Michigan is attempting to shut down Line 5, an oil pipeline from Alberta to Central Canada. The Americans argue that the pipeline, which is seven…