Five Underrated James Bond Films

When you’ve been chasing bad guys, driving fast cars, drinking vodka martinis and bedding hot babes for the sake of Queen and country for more than forty years, it’s only natural that the details might start to run together. Ian Fleming’s classic superspy James Bond has appeared in 21 films (and that’s only the official [...]

Review: San Pellegrino Sodas

Italian bottler San Pellegrino is best known for its sparking mineral water, available in Italian (and other) restaurants. But San Pellegrino has expanded beyond simple water. By mixing the water with various fruit flavors, the company has created a line of sparkling fruit sodas. Originally available only in Europe, the sodas have been picked up [...]

Salmonella Infected Foods and Your Cat

The recent outbreak of Salmonella infected tomatoes and other produce has once again raised fears about quality control and contamination in imported food. (The source is believed to be Mexican produce, but this remains unproven and Mexico insists its own inspections have turned up no salmonella contamination there.)
For cat owners, the scare raises unpleasant memories [...]

A Guide to the Vancouver Fringe Festival

The Vancouver International Fringe Festival takes place every fall. For about ten days it unleashes a dizzying array of one act plays, one person shows, performance art, cabaret, standup comedy, audience participation, puppet theater and more. Basically anything you can think of can be found at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, along with a lot of [...]

See British Columbia by Seaplane

(A travel piece I did.  I don’t know what it is, but I love the idea of planes landing on water.)
British Columbia offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world – and some of the most rugged. If you want to see the gorgeous, still unspoiled interiors of British Columbia, the best way [...]

Severed Feet Still Washing Ashore in British Columbia

Since August of 2007, severed human feet – still wearing shoes – have been washing ashore in British Columbia’s Georgia Strait, which separates Vancouver Island from the mainland. Just the first few incidents were enough to generate sensational news coverage. But since then authorities have been unable to identify any of the recovered feet, or [...]

Canada for Americans: Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is a fast food chain that focuses mainly on coffee and donuts.  But it’s so much more than that.  Somehow, Tim Hortons has managed to become a critical part of the Canadian spirit.  Canada has more donut shops per capita than any other country in the world.  And sometimes it seems like 90% [...]

Is Being Melted and Poured Down a Drain the Ideal Funeral?

The funeral industry isn’t really known for its innovation. While the trappings have gotten fancier and more expensive over the years, the basics haven’t changed much since the dawn of time. But now a new process called alkaline hydrolysis – or “resomation” – is being considered as a new funeral option. Alkaline hydrolysis uses [...]

Mysterious “Hochbunkers” of Europe

You can find them all over Germany and Austria – strange fortified structures of heavy concrete. Few or no windows. They’re located in odd places, off by themselves in the woods, or surrounded by modern glass and steel office buildings. They don’t seem to fit their surroundings and it’s not clear what they’re for. They’re [...]

Study Proves Parents Tougher on Eldest Children

If you’re an eldest child, you might think you had it harder than your younger brothers and sisters. Maybe your memories of growing up are quite different from theirs. Maybe you’re amazed at family gatherings when your younger siblings maintain that Mom and Dad weren’t so tough – while you remember screaming matches, groundings and [...]