Where were we? Ah, yes. The great explosion of 1840:  •  Another huge fire erupted on 18 April 1840, this time on Counter’s wharf and, aided by the explosion of gunpowder stored in one of the warehouses, spread across much of the waterfront area. Strong winds helped it extend to the whole of the …

... I have no idea what the fuss about "Black Friday" signs showing up in Canada is about.  •  Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the United States and marks the unofficial start to the holiday shopping season there. Stores offer enticing deals in hopes of attracting Americans who …

Funny how these things turn around so quickly:  •  She said they talked about the Keystone pipeline a little, but only in terms of Canada's energy strategy to build international markets. She said they "didn't disagree on anything" and instead talked about how Alberta could help Ontario develop … read more »

Just a residual cold now. Nine hours of over the counter cold medication induced sleep. Scooby-Doo is on for the four year old. The big kid is off playing sports. A Saturday where there is a reasonable prospect of maintaining consciousness and actually doing something lays before me. I will be in …

That is a shocking sentence to read. Gets the brain going. Here is the nub of an excellent post over at the always excellent The Last Exile:  •  Globalization was suppose to make us all free and rich. Although, it has not worked out that way for most of us. I am not any richer and my wages face a …

A pal of my Dad's over 20 years ago was brought into run the Halifax Shipyards. A Scottish school years' chum who had taken another path and came to Nova Scotia via Hong Kong, he was going to reinvigorate the place. He was not able to because he got very ill and soon passed away at an age I now …

Aches. Pains. Grimaces just like in the aspirin ads. I think it's over. It's been ten days. That's enough. I like the idea of the common cold - bundling up, laying in bed. Rum punch and bonbons... well do that, right? Well, it wasn't like that. But it's at least Friday. Sick Friday is better than …

While the world continues to wobble, drowning in debt to itself caused by buying into the shell game, some in Germany have a plan:  •  The shift was signalled on Friday, when Gunther Oettinger, the top German representative in the European Union, proposed that a bureaucratic invasion force be sent …

It's all turned around. Middle of a two week vacation in which the first week was about stuff and the next about other stuff. Makes for odd experiences. Weekday dump run was all about hanging out with retired guys who looked like they made a dump run every week even though there is garbage pick up …