Gearing Up for Capital Hoedown 2011

 “Ottawa is going to be floored at what we have in store for them.” Denis Benoit, the man behind Capital Hoedown, seems more excited than anyone about the results of the festival’s second running in Ottawa. Benoit, President and CEO of Concert International, came up with the concept for Capital

Bytown Productions: Lights, Camera, Satisfaction!

 The slogan for Ottawa's Bytown Productions is, “You celebrate life we capture life”. We live in a world where home-made video is as easy as aiming and shooting. Sites on the Internet have made posting the best (not always the best) of our amateur efforts a breeze. From the diverse

Living La Vida Local

 Unlike the typical Cuban getaway – in mid-winter complete with package tour and all you can eat buffet, I decided to see Cuba in reverse. That is, in full early July heat and staying at the opposite of a resort - at a Cuban home complete with grandma, mum, adult kids

Learn to Love Local

 There is nothing more exciting in this world than the opening of a new thing, be it a store, a present, a box of cereal or a bag of cookies or chips.  From the minor (chips) to the major (store) the grand opening is a big deal - that's why

Off to Osheaga and Loving Crazy Smooth

 Ok, so I am supposed to be writing more often. My resolution in these dog days of summer is to get my blog up faster.  You can hold me to that.  In fact, I might even test my technological peasantry and try blogging in real time. With the Bluesfest over,

Playoff Baseball Returns to Ottawa

 For the first time since 2003, before the Ottawa Lynx left town to become the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, there will be playoff baseball played at the Ottawa Baseball Stadium. The teams won’t be playing for the Governor’s Cup, awarded to the champion of the Triple-A International League and won by

The New Consignment: AMH Style

 I wander through the store, browsing a wide assortment of clothing and accessories - an airy black Halston Heritage blouse, a cute cropped Marc by Marc Jacobs jacket, chic Michael Michael Kors wedges. Surprisingly, this is no upscale department store – this is consignment, the new consignment. I am in

Strange Weather, Terrible Politics

 It is July and, like an annual summer ritual, much of Canada and the U.S. are in the grips of a sweltering heat wave. Record temperatures were set for much of the country last week. The forecast, moreover, is for sustained heat with very little or no rain over the

Champ Champagne: A Pillar of the Ottawa Music Scene

 The National Capital region has given rise to many influential musicians in a multitude of genres ranging from classical to folk, blues and jazz. Many iconic names have called the city of Ottawa home. In the city's music community, many names may be recognized as pillars or influential people who

Did You Get the Memo?

 During a recent tasting in my home of a variety of new wines, soon to be appearing at an LCBO near you, I was struck by a certain sameness about these wines.  I don’t mean they all tasted the same, but what I did notice was they all had an

Canadian Pop Star Stays Grounded Despite The Hype

 In last Saturday’s blistering heat, it was a struggle for Alyssa Reid to remain on stage during her afternoon performance at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest. The sun pounded directly down on the up-and-coming 18 year-old singer throughout her entire set, leaving her dizzy and nauseous as she powered through her R&B

Terri-Jean Cracks Her Whip

 With a new book entitled “Dominatrix On Trial” which hit the book shelves this week at Chapters, Indigo, and Coles, as well as a e-book version currently available,Terri-Jean Bedford, Canada’s most famous Dominatrix, is a determined woman who is anxious to tell her story.  Dominatrix, woman’s advocate, activist, painter, writer,

Street Style: Influence from the Bottom Up

 It used to be that designers dictated what people wore on the street, but since the emergence of street style blogs such as The Sartorialist (www.thesartorialist.blogspot.com), it’s the fashionable everyday people who are influencing the biggest names in fashion. In fact, street style photographers themselves, including Scott Schuman (of the

Road to Guadalajara: Canada’s Rugby Sevens Team

 While the Pan American Games usually fall under the radar in the lead-up to the Summer Olympics, the 2011 version of the Pan Am Games will serve as an important precursor to next summer’s Olympics in London, especially for a Canadian team looking to rebound from a disappointing showing in

Peace Lily: Détente 2.Oh?

 I was recently asked for an update on my piece called Peace Lily Détente which appeared back in April. The question went like this: “Hey John, how are those little darlings doing?”  (Read the post here). My lilies are thriving but I suspect they may be of a miniature variety?

Unfortunate End to Bluesfest 2011

 Although we’re all sad to see our magnificent two-week music showcase come to an end, the most disappointing part is that it had to end in a traumatic manner that was entirely unrepresentative of the whole experience. The last night of Cisco Ottawa was one to be excited for from

Tale of Two Cities…Part Two: Bratislava

 In the middle of Europe lies a very small but proud country, with a small but lovely capital city. The country that I speak of is Slovakia and it's lovely capital - Bratislava. Bratislava is in part, a world divided, with half its foot in the past and the other

Bluesfest’s Final Weekend Brings the Heat

 Spending the afternoon and evening at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest yesterday was a little like running a marathon. In order to tour around to the overlapping shows, stages and sounds – it took stamina, sunscreen, dedication and comfortable shoes. Early in the evening, Canadian rising star Alyssa Reid took The National

Hard Rock Takes Over Bluesfest’s Last Thursday

 If you had never moshed before, last night at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest was probably one of the best opportunities to give it a whirl. A line-up that included pop-punk acts Billy Talent, the hardcore Cancer Bats and darkly industrial 90s rockers The Tea Party – the young crowd was smushed

Canadian Wine Laws Stink

 [caption id="" align="alignright" width="125" caption="Symbol of the ACWC"][/caption] Over the past 5 months I have found myself pouring over the results of both the Canadian Wine Awards and the All Canadian Wine Championships - the two major cross-Canada wine awards that pit region against region to find out who's best

Wednesday’s Bluesfest is an Alternative-Rock Dream

 Was every song actually as good as an encore? Did we dream that? Or are My Morning Jacket truly that amazing on stage? Whether or not you’ve only heard the band’s name, know only a single song of theirs or have followed them for their entire 15 year existence –

The Shame of our Generation

 The condition and treatment of Canada’s Aboriginal people is the shame of our generation. The statistics speak for themselves. One in four First Nations children live in poverty; twenty-five per cent of Aboriginal people live in seriously substandard housing; overcrowding among First Nations families is double the rate of that

Cold Comfort in Arctic Sovereignty

 Arctic historian Dr. P Whitney Lackenbauer believes the issue of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty is a complicated affair. He is not alone. World leaders have had a close eye on the area and debate on the issue has heated up. Dr. Lackenbauer argues popular misconceptions over Canada’s Arctic sovereignty abound. It

Canada Needs to be a Leader in Arctic Research

 Groundbreaking research by Matthew Asplin, a PhD candidate at the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Earth Observation Science, explores the relationship between weather patterns and loss of sea ice. Called the Beaufort High, a high-pressure system known as an anticyclone hovers over the Beaufort Sea and Canadian Archipelago during the

Doing Justice to Social Issues

 What do social justice and educational success have in common? For the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF), the answer is everything. Social justice and the equality in opportunity it brings is the only way to secure a promising future for every Canadian child. Mary-Lou Donnelly, President of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation