Wrong side of the tracks? I was walking home from the grocery store the other evening and as I passed the site of the former train station on Dodd Street, I remembered a tidbit of information I’d picked up during CBRM council’s special meeting on March 31, the one heldRead More

There’s a wonderful pair of linked episodes in Star Trek: The Next Generation which, together, raise some deep and interesting philosophical questions with deep ethical implications. Both episodes take place within the confined space of the holodeck (a place in which the computer simulations are so real that crew membersRead...

In 1963, when Nate Nathanson, owner of CJCB radio and television, approached Rev. Frank Abbass with a plan to broadcast Mass for those unable to attend in person, I doubt either of them imagined the program would become the longest-running TV production in the country. Certainly, neither could have envisionedRead More

Rousing endorsement I am amazed that, beyond the pages of SaltWire publications like the Cape Breton Post and the Halifax Chronicle Herald, a significant development in the Sydney container terminal project has failed to generate much buzz. The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce — THE ATLANTIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, PEOPLE —Read More

As I write this month’s column, Ontario, where I live, is still in the grip of the COVID pandemic. The government issued a stay-at-home order on Boxing Day, which closed restaurants for in-person dining, university classes remain virtual, and we have been told that we should only leave the houseRead More

Vaccine Dream News that Pfizer has a vaccine that is 90% effective against COVID-19 cheered people and markets alike this past week (airline and cruise line stocks leapt for joy). But there are so many caveats attached to the discovery that I’m pressing pause on my own jig of joyRead More

Sea to Sky Did you see the story about the cable of the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, British Columbia, being cut a second time? Just as in August 2019, the cable was cut during the night, sending dozens of cars crashing to the ground. Fortunately, no one wasRead...

Growing up, I had a good friend whose father, a barber, not only cut hair, but helped people who were having problems growing it. I don’t recall when I became aware of the business he ran out of his home because there were no signs posted on the house, andRead More

The Thick of It [I must begin with a warning to the Spectator’s War and Peace columnist Sean Howard: do not read the following story while drinking a beverage of any description or there will be a spit-take in your future.] Earlier this week, I received an invitation from theRead...

Hail and Farewell I liked Ray Paruch. It was probably inevitable that a reporter constantly railing against municipal secrecy would feel a certain affinity with a district councilor doing the same, but I also just liked Ray Paruch. He was friendly and funny and had no problem talking to aRead...