Columns

Music Review – Ben Caplan

Musician: Ben Caplan Album: Birds With Broken Wings The diversity of Canadian musical talent always astounds me. Every genre of music features prominent Canadian artists. However, there are many Canadian musicians that transcend the confines of genres, creating music that is very different. Halifax musician Ben Caplan can be counted among the genre-defying musicians with… Read more »

The Writer’s Toolbox – Pronoun Shift

As the academic year winds to a close, chances are You’re hammering away on final papers, anxious to make your point in a way That’s clear and concise. Pronoun shift hampers both those objectives, and It’s a sneaky error that may have crept into your academic writing without you noticing at all. Pronouns As a… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Yes

What is your default answer when an opportunity or invitation comes your way? Do you automatically say yes without determining whether that is the ’true in your gut’ answer? Or does some survivalist instinct lead you to say no because that is safer, comfier, less demanding? Most of us have never stopped to figure out… Read more »

Dear Barb – Adopted

Dear Barb: I am in my early twenties and just found out I was adopted. I had a very happy childhood and felt loved by my parents, but since I never looked like anybody else in the family, I always felt different. In the back of my mind I wondered if I was adopted because… Read more »

Music Review – Greg Laswell

Musician: Greg Laswell Album: Everyone Thinks I Dodged A Bullet There is something ethereal about soft and emotional alternative music when mixed with a cello and various electronic effects. The music is tempestuous and seems to emanate from the very depths of the human soul. Yet the result is something far from melodramatic. Instead, your… Read more »

The Study Dude – Academic Writing Stinks, Part I

There is nothing more that The Study Dude wants for you than to write essays that don’t reek of the academics? diseases: puff and jargon. Well, in these articles, as The Study Dude, I’ll try to give you the study tips you need to help make your learning easier. I’ll also give you straight and… Read more »

From Where I Sit – Not Ready

About a year ago the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) announced big changes to the way satellite and cable providers operate. Apparently this was in response to consumer complaints about the manner in which channels are bundled. Over the years I’ve certainly cursed our provider for not giving me the power to pick what… Read more »

In Conversation with Darryl Klassen of J.D. Miner

British Columbia-based J.D. Miner is one of my long-time favourite folk acts. I first encountered their music in 2008 on their album Ain’t No Ordinary Hillbilly, and went on to interview them (see here). I featured them again in 2011 regarding their album Coal Train. Well, the time has rolled around again for another great… Read more »

Dear Barb – Dining Dilemma

Dear Barb: Hi, I have a really good friend whose brother opened a new restaurant. A bunch of us went there one evening for dinner and we didn’t like it. The service was slow and the food was not good at all. I know Carol is going to ask me what I thought and I… Read more »