Community
Words to live by
“This is the most important card in my wallet,” the man announced, casually and matter-of-factly, to Lynn, the staffer at the Bobcaygeon library, as she checked out his regular haul of books.
Stories by Denis Grignon
The Arts
A unique Canada Day standup comedy show where the sky’s the limit
The first time I performed on Canada Day was on Parliament Hill almost 30 years ago, on a massive stage, steps away from the Peace Tower.
Community
Laughing like it's 2019
If not for the entire staff and a half-dozen-at-most audience members wearing masks, this might seem like any pre-2020 comedy night.
Community
Police chief shares personal feelings of watching Taliban take over Afghanistan
I spent 10 days in Afghanistan in August of 2010. But I wouldn’t dare afford myself any great insight into the true plight of its residents – before or after those tragic images of desperate Afghans trying, in vain, to escape their home and its not-so-new ruthless rulers.
The Arts
Grove Theatre stands up to comedy test
It shouldn’t work. Standup comedians have always been steadfast in the necessary surroundings to ply their art. Chief among that list: four walls and a ceiling – preferably a low one – and a small, sparse performance area.
Community
Podcast Teaser: Balancing act is vital in journalism
More than 30 years ago, when I was a young and green and still-a-very-much-learning-my-craft journalist in Ottawa, I was given some words of wisdom that, ever since, I’ve always strived to adhere to. “As a reporter, you can never be unbiased,” my good friend and a veteran of both print and broadcast media had warned me. His point was that we’re all human beings, not robots, and therefore have opinions – and that journalists have plenty of them. “But,” he stressed, “as a reporter you can, and must, always be fair.” It’s important, here, to make the distinction between a reporter and a columnist – the latter uses their space to espouse and expound on an opinion, which, if they’re doing their job properly, is still based on research and reason.
