I am a geek over a lot of things. It comes in waves. For a while it was detailed maps of eastern Europe. At another point it was Australian Rules Football. I even have three spring form cake pans of different sizes just in case. I was not mocked when the pumpkin cheesecakes were being rolled out …

I heard about about what was going on in the world of swimming and was was shocked to hear that Michael Phelps [Ed.: pronounced "MEE-kla FLEP-see"] is quitting because he got beat:  •  Mr. Phelps’s defeat came in the 200-metre freestyle event against Germany’s Paul Biedermann. Mr. Phelps was …

I think it is safe to say that there was never a ban on using a typewriter while driving a car. I don't think one was needed. But why is there any question that banning texting behind the wheel:  •  The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds …

I still don't get the whole "Eyes North!" thing that the Federal government is pushing. But I really don't get the need to have a press conference just to restate what is already being done in a new way:  •  Instead of announcing aggressive new initiatives, the Northern Strategy seeks to tie …

It's starting. That sleepy time in summer when nothing seems to really be happening. The recession is chugging along and society has yet to collapse. It's ten weeks to October's chills but no one is stocking up on sweaters or beef broth yet. There was a perfect game - just the 18th ever. I watched …

I got this link though a beer blogger via Twitter - hardly the usual source of legal tidbits. But what a tidbit: "the Defamation Act includes a definition of the crime of blasphemy and provision for its prosecution." Wow.  •  So what's it mean? Here is a statement on Irish law that clarifies …

Did they promise Roy Halladay that they would seek to trade him to a grown up team? It seems the Jays are doing everything they can to make sure that there is no deal done. So far I have heard:  •  They asked the Cards to also take Vernon Wells and his millstone $98.5 million remaining in salary …

Pressed for time today but noting Jack Granatstein has a good article in today's Old and Male about the issues surrounding Canada's exit from Afghanistan scheduled for 2011. Given that it will be the year of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in 2011, what will our exit say about what we have learned … read more »

h/t Dan.

Finally, I made it to the life of if not a jet setter, then, maybe a border hopper as this morning's Watertown Daily News proves:  •  While heckling from the "cranks," or fans, was not an official requirement of the game, there was certainly plenty directed toward all four teams. Mr. Drinkwater …

The St. Lawrence County Fair was one of the cleanest friendliest fairs I have ever seen. Cows lounging under tents in the hot summer sun rather than in dark barns looked to be an innovation. But when we first showed up and saw the demolition derby to the side of events it was a bit of a step back …

RIP and XOX, Walter.

Did I get a week off? You would hardly know it now. Just days back and I am whacked what with negotiations corporate commercial as well as with the offspring. I don't know which is worse. The wii has been jailed. Not just banished but put behind lock and key. In part because it is the only entity …

Not the greatest photo of my TV this morning at about 7:40 am - click for bigger - but I was in a state of shock at the silliness of the glasses on the man being interviewed as a news source. Sure, it was just a Jack Michaelson interview on CBS's The Early Show... but (admittedly speaking of …

It's no secret that I am big. Long before there was a beer blog or even beer there were the husky jeans. Husky was a brand of gasoline in a distant part of the land, a form of high fiber bread in the local Nova Scotian market, a type of dog and my style of jeans. Despite being clearly hyperactive …

If you are not nice in view of a Canadian, well, be prepared to receive a frankly grumpy response. Case in point? The Globe and Mail's Jeff Blair on last night's intro to the All-Star Game:  •  We’ll leave aside the nonsense of Fox not showing the playing of O Canada on its telecast of last … read more »

I was clicking away last Thursday as the Binghampton Mets beat the Portland Sea Dogs 2-1 in a pitchers' duel. Got the bunt in a good sequence of shots. We had pretty good seats for seven or eight bucks and got to witness a lot of players who will never make the bigs. Some might. I really liked the …

I had BBQ and specifically pulled pork three times on the road. State Street BBQ in Watertown, NY. Beale Street BBQ in South Portland, Maine. Tail O' The Pup, Ray Brook, New York. I hate to rank good BBQ pulled pork but the Tail O' The Pup's sauced take was so soft you could have spread it into a …

It's not the fact that Toronto was in mid-season collapse that got New England sports radio yakking last week but the degree of the collapse. Talking about trading their ace - and an ace who stands head and shoulders above his teammates - should be the cause of outrage among fans. Instead, it is …

Not so much bullets as things noted:  •  Chowder is something to do when it rains.That guy in Double A baseball who is the next big thing may well not be.Banjos can be valued for their good trade-in potential.My feet will freckle if I just give them the chance.Those screams you hear at waterslide …

...on our cottage.  •  Not that there isn't stuff to do but it has been a long time since I have seen the sort of monsoon that went on all through the night. And fog horns. Sad when you are woken by fog horns. Dry footed. That's what I am. But we stumble on, full of the hope for sun later in the …

It is crazy. You go looking for a notebook that you figure may cost $500 and you end up with a full fledged laptop for 70% of that. Took me about 12 seconds to decide upon the bottom of the line Toshiba. Sure, it is really just a web toaster for the road but not having had a web toaster for the …

I always find the gap between July 1 and July 4 noteworthy. I don't know why. I am glad Canada Day, the quieter of the two comes first. The neighbourhood played 500 Up and then napped on Wednesday. We will be across the border for Saturday, too, so expect to be a bit more sis-boom-bah about the …

I really hadn't asked myself how things were going economically in India for a while. It is surprising given the global recession, then, to learn that India apparently exists on another globe:  •  Among the reforms suggested was the reform of subsidies for fuel, food and fertiliser, a … read more »

[Ed.:Four years ago in 2005, I was in the middle of writing the Tantrama City series of posts on the near future Canada of 2007 which is now in fact in the near past. One of the posts celebrated events on Canada Day just as Canada was devolving into a number of regional potentates. I wonder what … read more »