The other day, I received a wave and a friendly smile from the driver of the car that pulled out of a parking lot in front of me. At the time, I largely ignored it, since I was more interested in learning why three police cars were flashing their lights in the adjacent parking lot… Read more »
Recently, local lawmakers in my area put the kibosh on texting while driving?or tried to. Although the law’s been in effect over a month now, I haven’t seen much difference. I’ll glance out the window and still see the college-aged woman steering with her knees while madly texting on her phone, or the businessman who… Read more »
In this issue’s ?Green Light,? I highlighted the debate over compact fluorescent bulbs (?CFLs?) and their effect on electromagnetic fields. Although the information’s been out there for some time, it only came to my attention this week. I’m intrigued to learn about the ?dirty electricity? phenomenon. I’m awed at how little we really do know… Read more »
Browse the web, and you’ll find a plethora of study advice. Make a schedule. Set goals?but reasonable ones. Study for short periods. Schedule in break time. But most of all, create a study space. Most ?experts? describe the ideal study space as having certain characteristics. Like the Hemingway story title, it should be clean, with… Read more »
Hand someone a sales contract, and she’ll probably give it a quick scan to make sure there’s nothing amiss. But let that same person make an online transaction with a similar set of terms and conditions, and chances are good she’ll click ?accept? without giving the contract a further thought. Case in point: an April… Read more »
New backpacks. New outfits. New binders. Freshly sharpened pencils. It’s back-to-school time, and a change is in the air. Unlike the Victoria Day weekend, which ushers in a more relaxed season, Labour Day weekend is summer’s last hurrah: the last big party before It’s time to buckle down and get serious. Yet although it heralds… Read more »
Sustained triple-digit temperatures, no rain, and the resulting death of my azaleas and tomato plants have led me to appreciate water a little more this summer. That’s why, when I came across National Geographic‘s Water Footprint Calculator, I was intrigued. I’d had to break out the sprinkler system to keep my lawn alive, so I… Read more »
Ahhhhh, August in your favourite provincial or national park. The sky is cloudless, the wind still. The air, shimmering with a late summer haze, hangs with a brooding silence that speaks of the distant coming of fall. Birds sing, and the ground cover rustles as busy little animals scurry on their errands, invisible to all… Read more »
“All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears—of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words ‘Some Assembly Required’.” Dave Barry Tonight, to celebrate Friday the 13th, my friends will be gathering to collectively shiver, shake, sweat,… Read more »
Recently, a media frenzy erupted around the inappropriate firing of a US Department of Agriculture employee. Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign after an edited video clip posted online appeared to show her use of racial discrimination. Later, however, it was discovered that the online clip was missing a critical segment?information which gave context to… Read more »