Pique'n Yer Interest

As you drive the streets of Vancouver in the halcyon days of the post-Harper era, one thing is apparent: the election signs may be gone, but the sentiment that ousted the most reviled politician in Canadian history remains on glorious display thanks

Lately, because of violent world geopolitics and a quest for personal growth, I've been thinking about the value of arts and culture. On Nov. 18, Canadian social research firm Hill Strategies released a 109-page document investigating the state of B.

Dear faithful readers, trusted sources and friendly acquaintances. If we happen to cross paths at any time over the next three weeks — and more specifically, the latter days of those three weeks — do not judge me.

The drop of the bat normally lands with nothing more than a thud.

The day after. A weight lifted. Change in the air, sharp as the snap of the sunny fall day it's born into. Congratulatory tweets, emails and messages from around the world warm my heart.

"I'm silently judging you by your taste in music." ~ Guy in bar (thoughts not words) Between sets, each musician takes to the stage to sort out their sound system. Everybody has a different style of pulling it together.

The story of the maligned American traveller replacing the stars and stripes on his overstuffed backpack with a maple leaf patch has been told and retold so many times at this point that it's practically become Canadian folklore.

I'm riding shotgun on the freeway in an SUV with an angry looking bald man. This being London, I sit on the left. My new friend — not sure what his name is — slides me a gun across the dash of our ride.

Obnoxious people aren't going anywhere. In fact, the easiest way to spot an obnoxious person these days is to find anyone making a concerted effort to brand someone else as obnoxious. Checkmate, dammit.

The cultural sector in Canada — performance arts, visual arts, music, museums, historical monuments and more — generated $25 billion in taxes for all levels of government in 2007 off government subsidies of just $7.