(**Sources to be added.) The problem of publicly-funded Protestant/Catholic schools was an outcome of the history of Canada. When the British defeated the French in 1763 Canada was populated with mostly RCs, but the official religion of the British Empire was Anglican (ie., non-Catholic). To avoid internal fighting the British govt gave the residents of

This dry pour concrete technique has gone viral, and it’s something we intend to try very soon. We’ll report back as the project moves along. Notice they are pouring the dry concrete right on a grassy area: no gravel and no metal supports (screen or rebar).

Many local Conestogo residents have pretty much given up on using the Glasgow St. bridge. But it’s still there, and to a limited extent at least, still being used. As far as I can tell the status and future of the bridge were determined in 2019 when it was decided to make minimal structural improvements

One of the most puzzling features of the Trump era in the U.S. is the unflinching support he continues to get from the evangelical Christian community in that country. It is puzzling because this is a man who has never professed to believe in the basic tenets of the Christian faith, and has never pretended

This August (2023) we had the opportunity to travel to Ireland for a week-long visit. Judy and I had visited the emerald isle back about 20 years ago when we flew into Belfast and drove a couple hours across to Donegal, the most northerly part of the Irish Republic. The entrance to our airbnb Like

Today when I went thru the outside doors to the food court at the mall, I heard this odd whirring sound up ahead. It was clearly an electric motor, but I couldn’t remember hearing it before. Hearing loud noises at the food court is not unusual. Young kids seem to like the echo and hearing

Nellie McClung was an activist and “suffragette”, elected to the Alberta legislature in 1921. This article is about the development of “responsible government” and universal suffrage (the right of all adults to vote) in Canada. The granting of responsible government – where citizens rather than autocrats made decisions about governance – was a process that

It’s pretty difficult to play the guitar if you can’t tell one note from another. This is what is called developing your “ear”. This skill helps you recognize when you are playing the correct note(s), when notes are higher or lower in pitch than others. And, of course, developing your ear helps you determine when

Travelling can put a dent in your daily practice routine. Too bad, because you almost always have “dead time” between sight-seeing, meal-eating, etc. If you’re going to spend a few days in one location you might consider renting an instrument. On a trip to PEI a couple years ago (BCovid) I rented a trumpet and

We all know that practicing is one of the most important ways to improve our guitar playing. But you may also know how easy it is to get side-tracked into spending time a lot of time doing unproductive things. Practice Routine 1 is a short series of exercises the beginning guitar player would do well

A few days ago I heard that Eddie Shack died at the age of 83. I was never a fan of the Leafs, but it was hard not to be a fan of Eddie Shack. About a decade after Shack had retired (in 1975) I was involved up to my wahzoo in minor hockey. I

It is not uncommon these days to see people protesting the way authorities are “violating their freedom” by enforcing things like social distancing, encouraging the wearing of masks in public, or not allowing businesses like restaurants to openly conduct business. This type of protest is much more common in the United States than it is

The lockdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has meant kids of all ages are unable to attend school classes. This is particularly problematic for older kids – advanced high school and post secondary – because their future careers are being interrupted in a significant way. This is not so much a factor for younger

Now you can become a member of practicetracks.org for just $10/year. PracticeTracks is a project of MuzicTrain.com, a non-profit organization in Waterloo, Ontario, dedicated to encouraging young musicians and making music resources and opportunities available to them. Practice Tracks are play along songs and exercises that give new and aspiring musicians practice resources. These are

Senior Jazz Band – Hayburner Senior Jazz Band – Yo Tannenbaum

The way corporate logos are designed has evolved a lot, especially since after WWII, the advent of television, the “visualization” of popular culture, and the explosion of consumerism that really took off in the 1950s and 60s. Here is a short video published in The Atlantic in August, 2018 featuring one of the firms involved

We visited the submarine display in Port Burwell a few years ago, and were impressed enough to take two of our grandsons, Liam and Jack, to visit the display this week. The HMCS Ojibwa served in the Canadian navy during the Cold War from 1965 to 1998. The ship was mothballed for a few years

We spent a couple of days this week with Liam and Jack (two of our grandsons) golfing and visiting a few interesting spots down near Tillsonburg, Ontario. The highlight was a personal tour of the Alpacas B&B in Springford. Many thanks to Roelf and Francien owners of the Alpacas B&B for taking the time to

Another day, another series of Trump stories. This has been going on for almost two years now. Trump has infected American politics and there seems to be no antiseptic. He loves to dominate the news, and for almost two years now the media have willingly obliged him. The left-leaning media – CNN, New York Times,

This is an interesting podcast of a conversation Sam Harris recently had with Dr. Nina Shapiro on the state of medicine in the U.S. and more generally. Insider’s View of Medicine