Visit the Alabama birthplace of W.C. Handy
It may be in St. Louis, Memphis and New York that W.C. Handy popularized the blues. But it’s in Florence, Alabama, that his musical journey began. Dubbed “The Father of the Blues,” Handy was born in 1873 in this city whose population is closing in on 40,000. The family’s two-room cabin, built of white poplar…
What are the new jobs? How do you train for them? Every old-economy business needs to plan for next-economy transitions
How does work change in an era of climate crisis? What skills will have value and how do we acquire them? What advice do we give young people entering the job market? How do we retrain those whose skills are no longer in demand? What roles do colleges and universities play in this workplace transition?…
The Canadian experience doesn’t get any better than this
Paradise, Canadian style, is uniquely rugged: long summer days travelling endless twisty roads surrounded by jagged mountain beauty, ice-cold deep blue lakes and evergreen trees. The magically isolated Kootenay Region of south-central British Columbia does Canadian paradise particularly well. The tiny, laid-back City of Nelson is the natural home base for cyclists and motorcyclists who…
Many, when they do buy, view automobiles as a necessity rather than a lifestyle. And many others are content to live without wheels
With baby boomers fading into the sunset, millennials have taken over as the biggest generation, population-wise, in the world. Born roughly between 1980 and 2000, they’re sometimes called generation Y and now represent the largest demographic group of consumers in North America. Not to mention the most strategic group of voters. But millennials aren’t throwing…
There are two important facts you need to know about the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. About 500 km. Eleven bucks. Yup, if you nerd it up and stick close to home, you can slash your fuel costs like crazy. I proved it in a week of city-only driving involving a series of trips that rarely…
Instinct says to fight or flee, yet often neither is possible. Examining the story of Cinderella shows us that being kind and having courage can be enough
Though The Walt Disney Co. has been criticized for changing traditional fairy tales to make them palatable for modern audiences, sometimes it simply brings the lesson of the legend into very clear focus. A good example is the 2015 live action version of Cinderella starring Lily James, of Downton Abby fame. Cinderella’s birth mother gives…
Under the leader ship of Eamon de Valera and with a very small army, virtually no aerial capability and little naval service, Ireland was a sitting duck in the Second World War
As we approach the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, it’s worth remembering that many of the countries caught up in it were unwilling participants. Rather than enlisting in a universal crusade against the evils of Nazi Germany, they wanted nothing more than to stay out of the conflict. For instance,…
Interest in owning islands is on the rise. Are people seeking the quiet life or simply trying to escape societal woes?
Born and raised to the age of eight in the largest, noisiest, sharpest-elbowed city in Canada, I gave no thought to the pastoral life of country folk I’d occasionally see on CBC television during the supper hour. All that began to change in 1971 when my father managed to acquire a 10-acre piece of land…
September is around the corner. I was in school for so long, I think September will always feel like the start of the year. One of the things on my to-do list for the fall is to take my annual personal retreat. The retreat is my time to sit back and reflect on the past…
Canada’s rising tennis star managed to turn Serena Williams’ injury into a moment to cherish
Bianca Andreescu learned many valuable lessons in winning the title at the Canadian Women’s Tennis Association championship last weekend in Toronto. She leaned that she has more than enough game to win at the top level. She learned that her conditioning will be a vital piece of her success. She learned that the Canadian media…
But like a flirtatious mistress, she will drive you to distraction while capturing your soul
Everything you’ve ever heard about Paris is true: Expensive. Unfriendly. Grimy. Noisy. Gaudy. Congested. So why do I ache with longing whenever I hear the name? And why do I spend every cent I can spare to fly there again and again when there are a thousand-and-one other places in the world I’ve yet to…
New treatments show promise and further our understanding of the disease – without the nasty baggage of side effects
It's no secret that depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. But medical science is making headway in treating this serious, chronic condition. Several effective treatments are available but they don’t work for everyone all the time. And the medications can cause troubling side effects. As well, many people remain chronically depressed in spite of…
A few small extra steps can be the difference between unemployment and actually getting hired
Under every rock, there’s another snake that claims that a candidate must have an “Elevator Speech.” Unfortunately, the vast majority of elevator speeches are long enough to last the time it takes to ride the elevator to the top of Toronto's CN Tower. Eyes roll back in respective heads and sleep beckons. Following are the…
Kitchen stoves could soon be following the sewing machine as unnecessary household appliances
For many of us, the kitchen has always been a sacred place in our homes, often referred to as the heart of the home. But kitchens seem to be losing their lustre. An increasing number of condos and apartments are being sold and rented without a stove. In pricey Yorkville, one of Toronto’s most expensive…
The beauty and hospitality of Italy soon becomes apparent whether astride a bicycle or driving down its twisting, narrow country roads
The Most Serene Republic of San Marino is located in the middle of Italy. At 62 square km, it's one of the smallest nations in the world. Although only a few dozen kilometres from Italy’s Adriatic Coast, San Marino’s summit is almost 800 metres above sea level. And crowning this mountainous micro-state is the medieval…