John Steinbeck visited Niagara Falls in 1960, while on his Travels with Charley roadtrip, and summed it up simply with ‘Niagara Falls is very nice.’ And it is. But when you go, as 12 million do each year, and see the cynical embrace of 1980s-era commercialism and $15 Imax screenings of the falls a stone’s throw from the real thing, it’s hard not … Read on
Douglas Coupland’s 1812 sculpture, Toronto ‘War of 1812’ would make a great name for a bulldog. They’re irrational creatures – with misshapen jaws and butts that make them look mean, and squashed tails that easily get infected by passing fecal matter. But down deep they’re really softies with an unfortunate tendency for leg-humping, slobber and youthful deaths. The real War of 1812, incidentally, … Read on
I never considered going into the military but I’ve nevertheless saw the US Navy as my ‘armed service of choice.’ My dad served a couple years, and finished his tour of duty a few months after I was born — at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. So that sort of makes me a navy brat, right? Recently I got the chance to … Read on
