Columns

Cities in Six—Cambridge, Ontario

Cambridge is a city of around 140,000 in southwestern Ontario.  The city was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of the city of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and a few surrounding villages.  The three main founding communities grew to prominence in the 1800s as mill and manufacturing towns, centred along the Grand… Read more »

Beyond Literary Landscapes—Lucy Maud Montgomery

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

The Game of Your Life

The image of Death playing a game of chess with a human being, as a symbol of mortality, is a very old one in art and literature, dating at least as far back as the Middle Ages.  Perhaps most famously of all, this motif appears in the Swedish cinema director Ingmar Bergman’s masterful 1957 film… Read more »

A Sharp Dressed Man

Years ago, I was taking semi-regular waitering shifts at a flash-in-the-pan brasserie in Vancouver.  There was this one memorable customer, Mr.  E., who bore a striking resemblance to the old Hollywood actor Omar Sharif.  He would dine there once or twice a week, always taking the same booth near the window, and invariably ordering an… Read more »

Beyond Literature Landscapes—Rohinton Mistry

From my early beginnings as a young introvert, the public library has always been a bit of a refuge.  Years later, not much has changed, albeit with an additional affinity for endless hours spent scouring second-hand bookstores to add to my ever-growing “to-read” pile. From one bookworm to another, this column will be underscoring and… Read more »

Cities in Six—Toronto, Ontario

Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario, and it is Canada’s most populous city (and North America’s fourth-most populous, after Mexico City, New York City, and Los Angeles.)  The city hugs the western end of Lake Ontario.  The area was frequently used by Indigenous peoples and, in a controversial purchase by the British,… Read more »

Fly on the Wall—Sticker Shock and Adam’s Apple

The meat of a matter, any matter, lies in what we decide truly counts.  Values adjust to the times, are updated, and we find ourselves living perpetually in a changing society.  Our inner psychological realm likewise morphs and evolves as we learn and grow; our brains are as permeable a membrane as an apple skin. … Read more »

My Crazy Life—Real Housewives of Ottawa

Canada’s divorce rates are higher today than ever before.  All of it is to the delight of the creators of Tinder and Bumble, who are laughing their way to the bank.  Close behind them in line are the creators of Christian Mingle, Seeking Arrangements, and even Ashley Madison.  Albeit, seeing Ashley Madison on that list… Read more »