Dear Barb: Let me start out by saying I have two large dogs and I am an animal lover, however I also believe that pets have their place. I have a friend who recently got a puppy. Initially he asked if he could bring the dog to my house to show her to me. I… Read more »

Film: Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? Director: Michel Gondry “Reality is simple and it’s our task to show that.” – Noam Chomsky in Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? Once upon a time a little donkey was turned into a stone. When some children told the donkey’s parents that the stone was… Read more »

Book: A Call to Action Author: Jimmy Carter “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” – Matthew 10:16 NIV “Violence against women is the most prevalent and the most hidden injustice in our world today.” – Jim Wallis, as quoted in A… Read more »

Here we are ’celebrating’ another long Heritage Day weekend in Alberta. The temperature for the past week or so has been far too much for many of us. We prairie kids don’t do that well when the humidity pushes the “feels like” temperature toward the forties. For those of us stuck home working, there is… Read more »

Summer is a time for fun and games, and whether you’re out playing tag with the kids or hiding indoors with Monopoly, chances are you really want to make sure you’re following correct usage. Or is that only me? Kidding aside, I’m frequently asked how to style names of games?italics or roman, quote marks or… Read more »

Have you ever had the odd sensation of someone watching you, even when there’s nobody there? The good news is that it’s probably not a ghost. The bad news is, you’re probably under surveillance by one of the growing number of cameras that track our every move?even in our own homes. Are they a way… Read more »

Dear Barb: My parents were married for 30 years before my mother passed away a few years ago. My dad recently remarried a woman he had been seeing for about a year. My dad is a young man and I didn’t expect him to be alone for the rest of his life. The problem is… Read more »

Susan Malmstrom is an artist specializing in digitally produced photography. She grew up in California, receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from the University of California at Irvine, and has lived in Canada since 2004. Her life’s work manifests a sense of wonder, an insatiable curiosity, a love of memorabilia, an obsession… Read more »

Dear Barb: I have been involved in a serious relationship for five years. My fiancé and I mostly get along great. Our problems are related to communication issues. Michael is very quiet and rarely initiates conversation. He becomes very uncomfortable when I try to talk about his past relationships. Because of his reactions, I wonder… Read more »

As I write this the countdown clock on our website says it’s only twenty-six days, fourteen hours, and three minutes until the start of the second annual Babas and Borshch Ukrainian Festival. As Festival Coordinator the buck ultimately starts and stops with me. In many ways I have a better grip on things this year… Read more »