Yes, yes, I know he's been dead for years, but the greatest trumpeter ever will be featured next summer at the Musée des beaux arts, it has just been announced. I don't know what to think of these exhibitions which cater to popular culture--some of them are great fun--but they certainly seem to bring in the crowds who may also take advantage of the Musée's permanent collection to widen their horizons. Is this dumbing down the museum experience, or simply building an audience?Whatever, I'm loo... Read Full Story
Off to British Columbia. The official reason is to give a talk at a conference at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. But, since getting there requires flying to Vancouver and then flying back to Kamloops, I'm going a little early to see my niece Kristin, her husband and dogs. And, as luck would have it, Elin is also going out to give a concert with Les voix humaines for Vancouver Early Music, so we'll be able to travel together and then have a little family reunion. My brother in la... Read Full Story
Learning Portuguese is taking a lot more effort than I had originally thought. No, that's not true, because I've been struggling with the language for several years, ever since I got interested in seriously looking at the Portuguese and their heritage. Learning how to read it was pretty easy, and since before my trip to São Paulo in 2004 I've been reading newspapers, magazines and history books.Oral comprehension and expression weren't advancing at all, though, so this fall I started taking ... Read Full Story
Straight Goods editor Penney Kome passes on a bit of good news via a recent analysis of where we are in the greenhouse gas emissions fight. Lester R. Brown, of the Earth Policy Institute and who has been on the case for years, says that things are actually much better than they were two years ago. US. carbon emissions have dropped 9 percent since 2007, in part due to the recession, but also from efficiency gains and fuel substitions. Brown writes” As motorists turn to public tr... Read Full Story
Straight Goods editor Penney Kome passes on a bit of good news via a recent analysis of where we are in the greenhouse gas emissions fight. Lester R. Brown, of the Earth Policy Institute and who has been on the case for years, says that things are actually much better than they were two years ago. US. carbon emissions have dropped 9 percent since 2007, in part due to the recession, but also from efficiency gains and fuel substitions. Brown writes” As motorists turn to public tr... Read Full Story
Straight Goods editor Penney Kome passes on a bit of good news via a recent analysis of where we are in the greenhouse gas emissions fight. Lester R. Brown, of the Earth Policy Institute and who has been on the case for years, says that things are actually much better than they were two years ago. US. carbon emissions have dropped 9 percent since 2007, in part due to the recession, but also from efficiency gains and fuel substitions. Brown writes” As motorists turn to public tr... Read Full Story
The Montreal municipal elections are over, with a majority of voters turning their backs on incumbent mayor Gérald Tremblay. He’ll still be mayor though because of the way the vote split between three main candidates. He received 37 per cent of the votes against 32.3 per cent for challenger Louise Harel and 25 per cent for Richard Bergeron. The latter’s showing amounted to a moral victory since in August, he was polling less than 10 per cent. Harel’s score wa... Read Full Story
The Montreal municipal elections are over, with a majority of voters turning their backs on incumbent mayor Gérald Tremblay. He’ll still be mayor though because of the way the vote split between three main candidates. He received 37 per cent of the votes against 32.3 per cent for challenger Louise Harel and 25 per cent for Richard Bergeron. The latter’s showing amounted to a moral victory since in August, he was polling less than 10 per cent. Harel’s score wa... Read Full Story
The Montreal municipal elections are over, with a majority of voters turning their backs on incumbent mayor Gérald Tremblay. He’ll still be mayor though because of the way the vote split between three main candidates. He received 37 per cent of the votes against 32.3 per cent for challenger Louise Harel and 25 per cent for Richard Bergeron. The latter’s showing amounted to a moral victory since in August, he was polling less than 10 per cent. Harel’s score wa... Read Full Story
Happy Halloween!There is something very satisfying about the shape and colour of pumpkins, it seems to me. Like concentrated sunlight--which, now that I think of it, may be the reason why using them as part of harvest festival is so appropriate. Certainly the many, many pumpkins I've seen on doorsteps these last 10 days add colour to days which are increasingly short. What a contrast with the rather contradictory messages at large this time of year when a festival that originally commem... Read Full Story
