The term Cucurbitaceae may not sound immediately familiar, but the species within this plant family are some of the most conspicuous at this time of year: the squashes, gourds, melons and, last but not least, the glorious pumpkin—Cucurbita pepo. Halloween, to many, would be nothing without this emblematic fruit. The Jack O’ Lantern, with its… Read more »
Imagine, it is several million years ago. The world does not look like it does now. The plants are different. The animals are different. Most importantly, the humans are different! How did we come to be as we are today? The answer can potentially be found in a nine letter word: Evolution. But what, exactly,… Read more »
“Where the doors open for a weekend each year, during the spring season, brightening up the town with plenty of joy and cheer,” [1] I recalled, as I thought of continuing my spring travels in Toronto. This year, however, instead of traveling around with my backpack, I decided that I would trade it in for… Read more »
There is a scene in the great 1949 Orson Welles film The Third Man in which the characters played by Welles and Joseph Cotton are suspended in the enclosed cage of what was then the world’s largest ferris wheel. The period setting is the fairgrounds in the Russian-occupied sector of post WW II Vienna —… Read more »
It’s dusk at Grandview Park, the heart of Vancouver’s bohemian Commercial Drive neighbourhood, and the mummers are beginning to gather. Beside the usual vampires, mummies, wizards and catsuits, there are towering stilt-legged ravens, bicycle-riding dinosaurs, a bizarre snowy white creature with the wings of angel and the head of a wasp, and a huge assortment… Read more »
Corresponding with friends and relatives has become quite common in the past few years, thanks to the invention of e-mail. However, the act of sitting down, pen in hand, and producing a handwritten letter has become virtually a lost art. This is unfortunate, because writing a letter by hand and sending it through Canada Post… Read more »
Last week, on Thanksgiving Day, I sat down to make a list of the top ten things I have to be thankful for. Leading the list was my thankfulness at having four beautiful daughters and a healthy, happy grandson. I gave thanks that I have such a close relationship with them, and I treasure the… Read more »
You’re out wandering on a dark night of the soul in a thin, cold drizzle. You’re not sure of your directions. Your sneakers are wet, your feet are cold, your wind breaker is too thin. You never should have come here. Why did you come here? The lights are out and the buses have stopped… Read more »
MONTRÉAL (CUP) — After graduating from high school in 2000, I moved from a small town south of Boston, Massachusetts, to Montréal, in order to attend Concordia University. I am fortunate enough to come from a middle-class family, and my parents could afford to pay for my university education. They were tickled pink to see… Read more »
At least for those of us fortunate enough to have steady jobs that allow us a little expendable income during the month, we in the western world have an enormous range of freedom and choices at our fingertips. We are surrounded by books, movies, music, theatre, and all manner of sports and recreational possibilities. We… Read more »