This Canada Day, women across the nation have one more reason to celebrate: GST will no longer be charged on feminine hygiene products. Was the day chosen because it is a holiday that is all about red and white? Or perhaps because it is about celebrating Canada’s independence and now women are freed from a tax that shouldn’t have been …
Are diamonds really girl’s best friend?
Diamond engagement rings are supposed to symbolize love, commitment, fidelity, and so much more, and yet their beginnings are rooted in a much less than sparkly past loaded with taboos and gender-bias. Perhaps the most ironic part about engagement rings is that every girl wants one, but none of us knows why. With that, I set off to do some …
The BBQ experience
Do you love barbecue? For me, southern barbecue is an experience, not just a meal. Every time I go south I seek out the saucy, smoky flavours of barbecue in order to satisfy my carnivorous cravings. It was thanks to proximity and TripAdvisor.com that I found my new favourite barbecue restaurant while on a trip to Evansville, Indiana. Lucky for …
Mantracking book launch goes well thanks to many local friends
If you’ve planned an event before, you know that it can be quite stressful. You wonder: will the word get out fast enough? Will people come? Will it run smoothly? Will the result be what you’d anticipated? One event takes a lot of time and energy, so hosting four events in 30 hours is foolhardy, unless you’re in the Sault …
Someone asked me recently what advice I’d have for them towards becoming a writer. I really didn’t know what to offer. After all, I’d only just figured out that I was a writer in the last four years. Now that we’ve launched a book at www.mantracking.ca , I’ve been reflecting on my career path, and laughing at how I ignored …
It’s easy to believe the millions of small ‘lies’ on the Internet
I have two recent examples for you relating to famous quotes. Granted, misattribution has gone on for years, but there seems to be an exponential increase now with the Internet. My favourite Marianne Williamson quote is from her work Return to Love. For years I have been saying that although it was indeed her quote, it was made notable by …
Beer, hotdogs, baseball, and fireworks spell an American experience
I spent a week out in California amid a wash of lavender jacaranda trees in bloom, fragrant citrus trees and rows of palm trees, not to mention large flowers that looked like white and purple fireworks. (Which I later found out were called lily of the Nile or agapanthus.) They wouldn’t be my only fireworks of the week, I also …
It pays for businesses to go extra mile for customers
The North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce launched its annual Go the Extra Mile program rewarding excellence in customer service last month. The website says: “People encountering great customer service can nominate the individual by completing an entry form on the Chamber website, www.gotheextramile.ca or by picking up a form from a local sponsor.” Cash prizes and gift certificates …
Students who raise awareness of charity can get a real gift
Are you a college or university student underemployed this summer? Being creative and community-minded might just win you more money than you could ever make on the job. A press release headline caught my eye recently: “Have you heard the $50,000 story about the charitable sector? Neither have we … Yet!” Imagine Canada and the Muttart Foundation launched a national …
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Will you please stop holding my grocery bags hostage
I’m not a trained hostage negotiator, and unfortunately, as of late, this fact is putting me at a disadvantage at certain big box stores. I feel quite unprepared when my purchases are “kidnapped” at the cash register until I offer an answer to their charitable donation request as the ransom to get them back. I go into retail stores to …