Florida’s Historic Coast: New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beaches and Amelia Island

 New Smyrna Beach   Last year 3.48 million Canadians visited Florida. The Sunshine State remains the go-to place for snowbirds, travelers and tourists and those seeking a reprieve from the hard, cold Canadian winter. If you are a regular visitor be sure to put New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra

Why Press Office Jobs Are Only Bad If You’re in The White House

 After the scandals in America involving key figures like Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, losing their jobs or resigning, it can be easy to imagine a career in PR to be quite a stressful, high stakes one where failure comes with huge consequences. Actually, outside of the White House, PR can

BREXIT – The Economics

 "Britain's exit from the European Union is of less significance than the economists have contemplated" at least to the UK. The economic pundits, always in sync with the status quo have hopped on a new bandwagon!  They shout "The evil English have separated from the EU and they will be

Black in America

 Between the World and Me By: Ta-Nehisi Coates Reviewed by Don MacLean In the October 6, 2014 issue of the New Yorker Jennifer Gonnerman tells the remarkably tragic story of Kalief Browder, a Black 16 year old male living in the Bronx. On a Saturday evening in May 2010 Kalief

A terrific Saoirse Ronan calls a routine “Brooklyn” home

 Brooklyn Directed by John Crowley Written by Nick Hornby (based on the novel by Colm Tóibín) Produced by Wildgaze Films et al.     There are two scenes in Brooklyn that get at a fundamental truth of travelling long distances. In the first, recent Irish transplant Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) is

Family Ties

 A review of Sugar in the Blood: A Family’s Story of Slavery and Empire by Andrea Stuart Family trees are all the rage. Part of their appeal is surely the element of surprise. The deeper one digs, the more likely a discovery that the tree’s roots twist and shoot in

Oil: A High-Stakes Game of Chance

 Popular wisdom has it that the only certainty in life is death and taxes. Until a few short months ago, most economists, politicians, political pundits and journalists would have added to that short list a perpetual increase in the price of oil. But, in today’s interconnected world, much can happen

Private Delivery of Healthcare Can Work in a Publically Funded System but Comes with Risks

 What the rest of Canada can learn from Alberta’s experience If you look at an old map of Canadian healthcare policy, just near Privatization Island is a big warning: “Here be dragons.” So it proved for Alberta Health Services last month when a seemingly innocuous decision—to swap the tender for

Audition Tour Dates Released by Canada’s National Ballet School

 Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) will be stopping in Ottawa on November 22, as part of its 2014/2015 National Audition Tour in search for Canada’s most talented young dancers. Presented by Sun Life Financial, the Professional Ballet Program (PBP) will visit 20 cities across the country beginning in Halifax, NS

Montreal flying the flag for Canada in the NHL

 Canadian NHL teams have, for many years, maintained a proud tradition of having a strong presence in the Stanley Cup Play-Offs. Although America considerably outweigh Canada in the number of ice hockey teams that participate in the National Hockey League, there is considerable quality North of the border which regularly

A Tale of Two Conventions: The Summer Campaign for the White House Draws to a Close

 With both the Republican National Convention (RNC) and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) now over, the American summer political season has officially drawn to a close. Last week’s DNC in Charlotte, North Carolina and the previous week’s Republican counterpart in Tampa, Florida offered both parties a three-to-four day opportunity to

Canada’s Presence in Afghanistan: Why We Are There And Why We Would Do A Disservice To The United Nations And Ourselves If We Didn’t See The Mission Through

 The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is that august organization's single largest special political mission. Nineteen UN agencies are in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people and its democratically elected government establish a solid and secure democratic society. Twenty thousand troops from 37 countries (including over 2,500 Canadians