PSYCH STUFF
Posted 05.06.10
ROSS MURRAY
For example, individuals who can't stop themselves from making crude jokes, fart noises with their armpits, and leaning too close when they talk to others (with food in their teeth, no less) are most likely suffering from Obsessive Repulsive Disorder. Treatment involves regular doses of Howdyagetsogross and a strict regimen of bathing.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

I AM DOG. I EAT HOUSE.
Posted 04.28.10
ROSS MURRAY
Hello. Hello hello HELLO! I am the dog and I am eating the Family's house. I will tell you about it when I stop jumping on you. I know it is wrong because the Man keeps yelling at me. But he is always yelling at me. He does not understand that I am jumping on you because you will not bend down to let me lick you on the mouth, so I must make myself tall. Just a taste. Yes, yes. Hello! Hello!
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

THAT GENERATION AND OURS
Posted 04.22.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | "The Man" was a popular enemy, although everyone defined him in a different way. To many the Man was the corporate world of markets and bottom lines, suits and ties, long hours in cubicles.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

GOOD EVENING, EASTERN TOWNSHIPS! YOU'RE A WONDERFUL QUEBEC AUDIENCE!
Posted 04.20.10
ROSS MURRAY
Our children are somewhat appalled that Deb and I are going to shows, let alone shows with the rock and the roll and the noise and the tight pants. I don't think it's so much they disapprove of us going. It's that they disapprove of us going without them.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

STEREOTYPES, EH?
Posted 04.15.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | Because I'm as habitual a stereotyper as anyone -- jokes involving my Irish ancestors especially, plus other stereotypic inanities -- I can't shake my finger at anyone. But the extremes to which stereotypes are being pushed today merit our concern.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

SENIOR MUSINGS ~ CAT TALK
Posted 04.14.10
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
But the time comes when a dog is no longer practical. Dogs have to go outside, regardless of how treacherous the weather. They are more expensive to feed and need to be professionally groomed. Obviously, the ideal pet for a senior is a cat.
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

READING ENCRYPTED ENTRAILS
Posted 04.11.10
ROSS MURRAY
The key to interpreting the Encryption Oracle is not to take the responses too literally. They are signs along the pathway to enlightenment. Normally, a priest or shaman would ingest a mild psychotropic drug before interpreting an oracle. I, however, have only caffeine to go on at this juncture.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY TO CHILDREN
Posted 04.08.10
LILY RYAN
IN THE PONTIAC, QUEBEC | "I told my mother that I didn't want to go to his apartment because I feared a fire," but it was only twenty years later when she remembered the real fire at her father's apartment. It was a fire in his pants and he asked his own daughter to pull down hers, and join him in bed.
Lily Ryan is the editor of the West Quebec Post.

AH DOUBLE-DARES YA TO CROSS THIS STREET!
Posted 04.05.10
ROSS MURRAY
I am pleased to report that Operation Window Dressing at Derby Line, Vermont/Stanstead, Qweebec is unfolding as planned. We have successfully fomented a climate of fear and anxiety in the community through our vigilant efforts to thwart the pernicious crime of not entering the United States where we say so.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

PONTIAC, BIG-HEARTED QUEBEC COUNTRY
Posted 04.03.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | We are a land, a region, and a city of immigrants: all our families have come from somewhere else, at some point. Even aboriginal people were on the move, migrating. So why are many people upset with immigrants today?

This is a serious question, and Quebec has been at the forefront of the whole world in dealing with it and related questions.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

SENIOR MUSINGS ~ DOWNSIZING
Posted 04.01.10
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
Moving out of the family home into an apartment always poses the same questions. Which things are you willing to part with? What will fit into smaller quarters?
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

THE LAST BIT OF CHEESE
Posted 03.25.10
ROSS MURRAY
"Which food would be hardest to give up?"
"Is beer food?"
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

FEDERAL FEAR TACTIC TOO TRANSPARENT TO FOOL WEST QUEBECERS
Posted 03.20.10
LILY RYAN
IN THE PONTIAC, QUEBEC | Mr. Harper would rather have Canadians locked up in their houses for fear of 'crime,' too busy watching TV to care about the business of our nation.
Lily Ryan is the editor of the West Quebec Post.

OH, THOSE TEACHER PED DAYS
Posted 03.17.10
ROSS MURRAY
Parents like to gripe about PED days, and in Quebec we have more reasons to gripe than parents anywhere else in Canada. That's because Quebec school boards allot 20 PED days per academic year, the most of any province.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

MAN, YOU'RE NOT A FEMINIST?
Posted 03.13.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | When we get to complex rights, like equal opportunities for education and jobs, the collateral damage caused by poverty, racism, misogyny, and bigotry can be enormous. These mean that many women do not effectively have the same rights as most men, because they are unable to exercise those rights. Poverty, illiteracy, and racism affect men also -- all the more reason for men to support the International Women's Day, yes, and all the more reason why every man, especially every father and grand-father, should aspire to become a feminist.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

HEALTH CARE E-MAILS TO MY SENATORS
Posted 03.11.10
FRANK BERNHEISEL
It has been sixty years since Harry Truman tried to get universal health care passed in the United States. That is long enough and the issues are clear; let’s get a significant improvement in health care done, now.

GIVE ME A BREAK
Posted 03.09.10
ROSS MURRAY
Why do we have to go anywhere? Since when does March Break have to be this family vacation in the middle of the school year? Who's responsible for this? The travel industry? The City of Fort Lauderdale? Hallmark?
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

OWNING THE PODIUM
Posted 03.05.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | For a couple of hours every day during those two weeks, we forgot our problems and the troubles afflicting the world. We let men and women from China and Korea, France and Germany, the US and Russia, from all around the world, show us the rewards of single-minded focus and incredible daily hard work. The Games may be telling us that such focus and such effort could also help us solve those problems of the world that we were able to ignore so briefly and which are now making their way back into our awareness. If young men and women can put the daily difficulties of growing up aside while they work towards their goals, can't we adults do the same thing?
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

HELP ME, I'M NOT IRISH
Posted 03.02.10
ROSS MURRAY
I know I don't know a lot about a lot of things. Usually this is perfectly fine. There's no handicap in going through life without knowing, for instance, the history of Winnipeg, mainly because I don't care about Winnipeg and, frankly, Winnipeg doesn't care about me.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

MUSKRAT JOHNNY'S SWAMP FLUTE
Posted 03.01.10
JOHN MAHONEY
COBDEN, ONTARIO | More than 400 years ago Muskrat Lake was home to the Nibachis, Algonquin people who lived along the Ottawa River. These days, few here remember that other people lived here before, much less their name.
John Mahoney has published the LCC since March, 1996.

SWEET TALK A FUTURE
Posted 02.26.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | A new game is sweeping Canada, at least rural Canada, a game without the special effects of X-boxes and video gaming, but a game with real consequences. It is the game of re-imagining our communities that have had their mills, plants, mines, and factories closed. The Pontiac is right up there with the best of these rural gamers.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

YOUR WINTER OLYMPIC QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Posted 02.22.10
ROSS MURRAY
Why the Winter Olympics? The Winter Olympics are also a means of distracting the population from the cold days of February and from controversial global events, such as, in the case of the current Olympics, Canada's participation in the largest air assault in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is not competing in Vancouver but is expected to be a contender in the 2012 summer games in the 500 Metre Fleeing From Gunfire Relay.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

WE CAN CHANGE THE WEATHER
Posted 02.16.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | Is "government" or even "society" as bad as everyone says? One message we soak up with the air is that "government" is, at best, a necessary evil, and usually nothing but some form of extortion and self-aggrandizement by politicians, those who do the governing.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

SENIOR MUSINGS ~ HIGH COST OF QUEBEC HEALTH CARE
Posted 02.12.10
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
I had no choice. In early 2006 I began looking for a new doctor, and phoned the CLSC for help. I was told my name would be put on a waiting list, and given priority because of my age and the fact that I take five prescription medicines for five different medical problems. They never called me back, although I continued to phone every few months to make sure I was still on the priority list.
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE BILL
Posted 02.10.10
FRANK BERNHEISEL
As I mope around the house nursing my cold (eye, nose, and throat infections -- hooray for modern antibiotics and walk-in clinics, even though you pay out of pocket and out of program) I am musing on health care. Yes, America has really good and maybe the best health care, if you can afford it.

MY CAT SAVED MY LIFE
Posted 02.05.10
Berit Lundh writes a follow-up letter about her recent heart attack in Oslo, Norway.

AMERICANS, DON'T BE DISTRACTED
Posted 01.25.10
FRANK BERNHEISEL
The people of Massachusetts elected Scott Brown to fill the vacant seat in the U.S. Senate and you would think that there had been a cataclysm and that everything that had been done in the last full year -- where health care was debated, discussed and dissected -- was negated and the President Obama was dead meat. So let's not be distracted by Scott Brown's win, let's pass the health care bill and move on to other important matters. How do we do that? Easy, the House of Representatives passes the Senate bill and the President signs it
Frank Bernheisel writes from the Washington DC region.

SENIOR MUSINGS ~ NEW COLUMN
Posted 01.22.10
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
I've managed on my own by installing a stair-lift to access the basement, which is not only ideal for anyone with mobility problems, but also enables me to carry things up and down the stairs without danger. Falls are the most common reason why seniors are hospitalized, so anything we can do to avoid falling is crucial.
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

THE FEMALE HEART ATTACK (A PIECE FOR WOMEN
Posted 01.19.10
BERIT LUNDH
On December 30th, as I went to work to open the Canadian Embassy here in Oslo, I was overwhelmed by acute earaches and a peculiar feeling in my chest. I'd had these earaches for a couple of months, on and off, and except for the fact that I'd never had an earache before, didn't give it much thought. This was more intense however, so I did what I had to do and went home.
Berit Lundh writes from Oslo, Norway

THE LCC ARCHIVES
The links on the Archives page will take you to the various index pages or to the listings of many of the LCC's numerous contributors. There are beaucoup files and it's still in development. If you note that something of import is missing -- or if you catch a '404' -- please let me know.

QUEBEC: FIRST ACCOMMODATING IMMIGRANTS, NOW EUTHANASIA
Posted 01.15.10
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | Our province's public consultation on "reasonable accommodation" of immigrant minorities received a lot of criticism because it seemed to be little more than picking at a scab -- and because it gave a soapbox to a lot of hysterical people who only vented their fears. It seemed to promise something -- social accommodation of minority cultures -- that could never be guaranteed.

QUEBEC'S 'STANHENGE' CIRCLE OF STONE COMPLETED
Posted 01.08.10
GORDON ALEXANDER
STANSTEAD, QUEBEC | The North American version of England's ancient Stonehenge is a in a field less than a quarter of a mile from the US/Canadian Border. The project was inaugurated in 2009 on September 20, the day of the Fall Equinox).

A LOSE-LOSE PROPOSITION
Posted 12.29.09
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
You tell the BBB you already gave her the upgraded motherboard and reinstalled Windows without charge, and she has nothing to complain about. When she protests, providing screenshots showing the botched reinstall of Windows, you have your lawyer send her a letter threatening to sue if she writes about the experience.
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

DEAR SANTA
Posted 12.24.09
ROSS MURRAY
We would like to express our grave concerns about SantaCorp's hiring policy. A review of the employee roster shows a glaring lack of diversity. There appears to be an almost fetishistic adherence to hiring vertically challenged individuals with malformations of the ear. While SantaCorp should be applauded for its willingness to hire people with differences, the exclusive nature of these hires is of concern.
Ross Murray is a freelance writer living in Stanstead, QC. He can be reached at Ross_murray@sympatico.ca

PASS THE US HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL
Posted 12.20.09
FRANK BERNHEISEL
Why is the US health care bill 2000 pages long? Because that is the way we do legislation in the U. S. of A. Specifically, Congress does not choose to enact legislation that lays down principles, guidelines, and criteria. They try to spell things out in detail to make sure that those faceless bureaucrats in Washington to not run amuck and do something rational.
Frank Bernheisel writes from the Washington DC region.

AN EXPENDABLE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT
Posted 12.16.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | Prime Minister Harper was sent to Ottawa by Calgary. He has encouraged the tar sands. His party all of sudden had enormous funds at its disposal -- they could afford a continual election campaign, and their attack ads outside any campaign testify to their cash reserves.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

POEM: THE WATERMELONS OF KAKUN
Posted 12.09.09
ELISHA PORAT
Elisah Porat makes poems on a kibbutz in Israel.

DO YOU HAVE A STREET LIKE THIS IN YOUR TOWN?
Posted 12.03.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | They reach up to 200 km per hour," the police veteran said, and he has the experience to estimate speeds. "It's only a matter of time before we have a fatal pile up."
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

NOT SO FUNNY
Posted 12.01.09
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
Unfortunately, TV seems to rely much more on the lower levels. Even shows geared toward kids contain sexual overtones, and there doesn't seem to be a stand-up comic whose act doesn't contain four-letter words and references to sex, alcohol, or drugs.
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps to Better Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

DOGPATCH -- IT'S EVERYWHERE
Posted 11.24.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | A friend refers to a crossroads on Highway 148 as "Pontiac's latest tourist attraction -- Dogpatch!" He thinks he's humourous, but driving up from the urban areas, which is the route most tourists take when coming to almost any spot in the Pontiac, his wisecrack isn't funny at all. This stretch of highway is no secret; it's in the Municipality of Pontiac, where Rue des Dominicains meets Highway 148
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

MEDITATION ON NOVEMBER 11
Posted 11.11.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | This year's Remembrance Day finds us -- Canada, Quebec, Gatineau, Aylmer -- in an unusual situation. We are a nation at war, not peacekeeping; we are fighting on behalf of our NATO allies, not for our own defensive interests; our military is finally awash with funding, judging from appearances.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

DISTRUST IS A DANGEROUS DRUG
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | Public distrust of politicians is headed over the edge. The current H1N1 vaccination effort is an example of how this distrust hurts everyone. Conspiracy theories and rumours of corruption have become subjects of conversation, like the weather, but when this distrust becomes so extreme that people fear the vaccine more than the flu itself, we've got problems.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

POOR H1N1 VACCINATION PLANNING
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | We'd be justified in wondering if the H1N1 flu is as serious a threat as we're told. Obviously, if the health ministry officials aren't treating it as a major threat, why should the rest of us? Isn't it their job to assess these threats? Two clinic for the entire city does not indicate a major threat.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

A GOAT NAMED BOBBI
Posted 10.22.09
BARBARA FLORIO GRAHAM
An 11-year-old boy in Kenya is the proud owner of a goat named after me. This initiative is called the Get Your Goat program, and is designed to provide destitute families in African countries with milk for the children as well as providing baby goats so other families can benefit as well.
Barbara Florio Graham is the author of Five Fast Steps toBetter Writing, Five Fast Steps to Low-Cost Publicity, and Mewsings/Musings
www.SimonTeaKettle.com.

CANADA'S LONGEST COVERED BRIDGE BEATS OUT NEW ENGLAND'S LANDMARK
Posted 10.19.09
GORDON ALEXANDER
The 1,282 foot Hartland Covered Bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada, is the longest covered bridge in the world, way longer than the 450 foot Cornish-Windsor Bridge spanning the Connecticut River in New Hampshire/Vermont, reputed to be the longest covered bridge in the United States.
Gordon Alexander is a Vermont-based writer/photographer.

GIANT SNAKE, TINY CONSCIENCE
Posted 10.16.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | The recent discovery of a giant of a snake (at least to us), dead in a ditch on Terry Fox Road, was a shocker. Living as we do on the edge of Quebec's vast boreal wilderness, not to mention Gatineau Park, we are used to animals wandering in among us -- bears, coyotes, raccoons, deer, maybe a moose, none are strange to us.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

DOG-WALKING IN CAIRO
Posted 10.11.09
KATHLEEN SAVILLE
We turned left on Sharia Mansour Mohamed, towards the Serbian Embassy, whose sideways are nice and wide though with few patches of dirt. I've found those little patches of dirt around the trees, framed by the sidewalk bricks, the best places for Sandy to investigate. The Serbian Embassy must know that Zamalek dog walkers instinctively gravitate towards such sidewalks as theirs are bereft of trees. Sandy is only warming up on the Serbian sidewalks though, sniffing her way pass the guardhouses.
Rower Kathleen Saville teaches and writes in Cairo, Egypt. She can be reached at ksaville@acuegypt.edu

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY. REALLY.
Posted 10.06.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | It's so easy to lose sight of our own goals, or of even setting life goals for ourselves, so we seem to stagger from one crisis to the next (especially if we're dependent on the media's 'news' reporting); we can't stop running just to stand still, and yet when we are standing still we're too nervous or fear-struck to look around, to appreciate a sunset or hug a child. We're lost in each day's shuffle.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

IN CANADA: NASTY DOES AS NASTY IS
Posted 06.15.09
FRED RYAN
SHAWVILLE, QUEBEC | My wife and I were stunned by our first view of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's attack ads on Canadian TV directed against Liberal Michael Ignatieff. The ad was sarcastic, personal, and nasty. There was nothing of policy, of issues, or of priorities. "This is the work of a bully," commented my spouse, and she captured in that word, "bully", the real message of the ad.
Fred Ryan is the publisher of Quebec's Aylmer Bulletin, The West Quebec Post, and the Pontiac Journal.

THIS IS THE BEAR-FACED TRUTH
Posted 06.08.09
ART GREAVES
NORTHAMPTON, MA | It's Saturday afternoon and I'm sitting in a chair in the driveway, facing my garage, and reading the instructions on how to operate my new cordless lawn trimmer. Suddenly, there's something breathing hot air on me and smelling my arm. I look to the left and I'm looking a very large female black bear straight in the eye.

ARCHIVES: 9 POEMS BY L. E. HOGAN
Posted 04.04.09
LINDA HOGAN
L. E. Hogan is a Vermont-based writer/photographer.

ON BLOWING MY BRAINS OUT, DAILY
Posted 03.21.09
JOHN MAHONEY
Earlier this year I tried to reconnect with my inner flute. It felt so good I began to do it every day.

JOHNNY, I'LL SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU
Posted 01.01.09
JOHN MAHONEY
Johnny and I go way back. We started this journey together in the Great Depression, in the autumn of 1935. Our mothers used to walk us in our prams, most likely to keep us quiet, and to keep their sanity.
John Mahoney edits the LCC from Cobden, Ontario.

HONG KONG POW EDDIE CAMPBELTON TURNS 90
Posted 09.24.08
GORDON ALEXANDER
RICHMOND, QC | Edward "Eddie" Campbelton never thought he would get to be 90 -- or even much older than 24 Ð when he was taken prisoner by the Japanese army in Hong Kong on Christmas Day, 1941.
Gordon Alexander is a Vermont-based photojournalist.

WHERE SHOULD I GO NOW THAT I'M GONE?
Posted 09.14.08
MARY CAMPISI FERREE
For a long while I thought I would like a burial site in Boulder, Colorado, somewhere beneath a shady tree. I would leave instructions to have my casket specially fitted out: a glass window, a small fan for ventilation, and a shelf I could sit on. My plan was to have my casket put upright in the ground so I could see out and keep an eye on things. I finally dismissed that idea as too macabre, even for Boulder.

THE FAILED WAX JOB
Posted 09.10.08
VANESSA HERRICK
PRISTINA, KOSOVO | When I arrived back in Montenegro from Kosovo last month I was frazzled, stressed, and exhausted. I had an hour to get ready for a party at the American ambassador's house. I shivered my way through a shower and loved it as it was yet again 44 degrees in Podgorica. I then decided I would quickly wax my legs quickly before heading out.
Vanessa Herrick, a Canadian journalist, reports from Pristina, Kosovo.

AN UNEXPECTED TIRADE
Posted 07.30.08
VANESSA HERRICK
PRISTINA, KOSOVO | I have a good friend, someone I adore, someone who has helped me enormously since I have been here who explained to me recently that Karadzic is not really a bad guy. I was speechless.
Vanessa Herrick, a Canadian journalist, reports from Pristina, Kosovo.

A CHURCH, DARK AND LOOMING
Posted 07.08.08
VANESSA HERRICK
PRISTINA, KOSOVO | In my neighborhood there is what appears to be a burnt-out shell of a church, perhaps partially re-built, with bricks jutting out at odd angles, no windows, barbed wire at the entrance and surrounding the perimeter. It is an ominous looking place, untouched by the signs of ruin, no graffiti, no loiterers, no litter. People speed up as they walk by and no one stops to look.
Vanessa Herrick, a Canadian journalist, reports from Pristina, Kosovo.

MUGGED AND BLOODIED IN KOSOVO
Posted 06.26.08
VANESSA HERRICK
PRISTINA, KOSOVO | I turned, assuming it was a neighbor, and there was a young guy standing about three feet from me. He grabbed my arms and shoved me, hard. As I fell, he took off running with my bag. Unfortunately, I was standing on a concrete walkway and I landed on my face.
Vanessa Herrick, a Canadian journalist, reports from Pristina, Kosovo.

MEETING SPIDERMAN IN MITROVICA, KOSOVO
Posted 06.19.08
VANESSA HERRICK
MITORVICA, KOSOVO | Mitrovica is much less wealthy than Pristina. It reminds me of Bolivia, an odd mix of half-finished buildings and lively bustling sidewalks. Bolivia however, for all it's madness, was free of tanks full of French troops, and there were no convoys of American jeeps...and the guns...the guns in Kosovo outside of the city...guns everywhere. I have never seen so many guns.
Vanessa Herrick, a Canadian journalist, reports from Pristina, Kosovo.

UPDATE: REPORT FROM KOSOVO
Posted 06.17.08
VANESSA HERRICK
PRISTINA, KOSOVO | Did you know that if you drink four litres of Diet Coke, eat four blueberry muffins and a tomato sandwich, and do not move from your desk for more than a total of eight hours out of forty-eight, you can more or less produce a newspaper by yourself?
Vanessa Herrick, a Canadian journalist, reports from Pristina, Kosovo. WATERCOLOR EXHIBIT: ROSEMARY MILLER
Reposted 03.08.08
ROSEMARY MILLER
Rosemary Miller was a talented artist who, in her later years, made her home in Stanstead, in the Quebec-Vermont border. These are some of her watercolors of her adopted community.

WATERCOLOR EXHIBIT: LUIGI TIENGO
Reposted 02.16.08
LUIGI TIENGO
A native of Italy, Luigi Tiengo makes his home part-time in Quebec's Eastern Townships. He is an industrial designer, a self-taught builder/pilot of an experimental aircraft, and an avid cylist. These paintings were inspired by his many journeys along the Tomifobia River Bike Path.

BORDER HISTORY PHOTO
Posted 02.11.08
DAVE LEPITRE
Dave's latest Your Ancestry column and history photoraphs are posted regularly on the LCC.

PHOTO STORY: SEARCH & RESCUE TRAINING MISSION
Posted 01.31.08
TIM DOHERTY
Canadian troopers from a Search and Rescue Team out of CFB Trenton (Ontario) make a snowy landing at Fairview Farms in Lennoxville, QC on Tuesday, January 29. The low-level SAR training mission was conducted with a Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft. Fairview Farms is operated by Brian Herring, who is a licensed general aviation pilot and maintains a small personal airstrip on the family farm.

QUILTS FROM THE 'STITCH IN TIME' EXHIBIT
Posted 10.02.07
PHOTOS: KEVIN CHAMP
There were some 200 quilts from North America and Europe in this exhibit held Sept. 29-30 in Rankin, Ontario. Organized by quilter Val Champ, the colorful exhibit of historic and contemporary quilts was part of the Rural Ramble held each year in Ontario's Ottawa Valley to celebrate rural living.

JUNK ART #3 - THE 'WAY THINGS TURNED OUT
Posted 04.28.07
BOB GERVAIS
LONDON, ONTARIO | "I am bowled over by the talent exhibitedhere by the students. The creativity on display is exactly the kind of thing thatthis city needs to attract new people, new blood, and new business." Look at how they have used smaller pieces of metal to reflect the toughness of the rhinohide -- this judging is not going to be a cakewalk."

JUNK ART #2 - THE 'WHY' OF IT
Posted 04.21.07
BOB GERVAIS
LONDON, ONTARIO | "I suppose we could figure it out but suppose it's between $50,000 and $100,000. That's not what it's about -- what makes it all worthwhile is the look on the faces of the students as people and as artists, after the judging. They have been recognized for what and who they are; they are no longer simply number, or streams of ciphers in the educational mill. They are real."

JUNK ART #1 - BEAUTY LIES WITH THE BEHOLDER
Posted 04.14.07
BOB GERVAIS
LONDON, ONTARIO | When you drive by the front of John Zubick Ltd.Scrap Metals on Clarke Road here, just a bit north of Gore Road, you can't help but notice the pedestals silhouetted against the Western sky. On each pedestal is astark, angular figure made from scrap metal.

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