I’ve just embarked on my second international trip post COVID-19. Given all the new challenges due to the pandemic, and perhaps the airline’s needs to make up for lost revenues, I’m wondering if we’ll see a resurgence in the use of travel agents. I say this for the simple fact, that as an experienced traveller, I had a number of …
Focus before fifty: splits and skincare
I have a milestone birthday coming up, and every time I think of it, I choke on the number. Like many before me, I’ve set goals to achieve before the milestone date, including one fitness goal and one about my appearance. Ironically, I want gravity’s help with the first goal, and in the second I am trying to defy it. …
April showers bring May weeds?
April showers typically bring May flowers. This year, along with the rain, the pre-election money is indeed flowing. Sadly, I don’t think that it is sowing the seeds we’d like to have in our gardens. That said, my vocabulary is becoming as colourful as May flowers every time that I hear about a new announcement. I’d much rather see politicians …
Good luck pinning the tail on your ‘corporate tax donkey’
Did you know that for corporate income taxes, the deadline to pay is months before the deadline to file? This may not affect the medium and large businesses with their teams of accountants, but for the 98 per cent of small businesses with one to 99 employees, we’re playing “guess those taxes” annually. For personal income taxes, our filing and …
Rays of sunshine radiate through the ‘darkness’
It seems like it’s time for some good news. Regardless of the things we disagree upon, or the darkness we’re seeing around the world, there are things being done in our community to laud. Let’s start with the Beaver Freezer Marathon held last weekend at Hiawatha. First, I tip my hat to the person who named the event; it is …
What’s in a name or a pronoun?
Juliet says to Romeo that he would still be wonderful if he had a different name when she utters: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet.” Maybe his name doesn’t matter to Juliet, but if Romeo were a trans male, he would be hurt, and maybe even outted, …
Precedent of flag removal requires rethink
There is a flag pole conspicuously missing a flag down at the Ron A. Irwin Civic Centre. Mayor Christian Provenzano chose to have the Russian flag taken down on Feb. 26. He announced the decision in a series of tweets. Has the meaning of those international flags become untethered? The flags were hoisted for the city’s founding nations. Does what’s …
Have you caught etymology entomology?
A few columns back, I announced that I had fallen victim to Wordle. Thanks to a lack of social distancing on social media, I have now been infected with a number of new variants. I warn you now that etymology entomology, or the word bug (yes, I know that’s not accurate, but it sounds great), is hyper-contagious. If you are …
Becoming less testy about COVID travel
Hearing that the federal government was lifting the travel restrictions allowing for non-essential travel on Feb. 28, I got really excited. Then, the fear of what all the ongoing COVID restrictions meant started to creep in. My travel planning joints are rusty and, from COVID testing to cancellation insurance, there were so many new decisions and unknowns. If you are …
Let’s analyze Super Bowl viewers
Last weekend was Super Bowl LVI. Whether you watched it or not, there is always a lot of pre- and postgame chatter. It amuses me how viewers are so very distinct, falling into five categories of viewing: for the game, for the party or food, for the halftime show, and/or for the ads. Then, there are the non-viewers who take …