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In 1997, in his Encyclopedia of Words and Phrase Origins, Robert Hendrickson’s entry for “whole nine yards” states: “The expression did not arise in the garment industry but among construction workers, the nine yards referring to the maximum capacity a cement-mixer truck can carry—nine cubic yards of cement.” Hendrickson was [...]
I took the Big Leap last month. Not sky-diving, not bungee-jumping, not leaping in front of a New York subway. Instead, I stood up in front of a crowd of about 60 strangers, most of them half or one-third my age, and told a five-minute story. The technical name for [...]
David Sherman – journalist, editor, playwright and singer-songwriter – is presenting his latest work, a musical titled Lost & Found, with fellow musician Nancy Lee. Its subtitle – a story of love, loss, life and lunacy – reflects Sherman’s travels of the mind and heart. It is directed by Guy [...]
So, a man walks into a bar and says … (and at this point, dear reader, you can supply a favourite story). Actually, a man opens a refrigerator and says: “What can I make for dinner?” This is different from a woman opening the refrigerator and asking: “What are we [...]
A group of 25 adults gather around a table in a church hall on a Sunday afternoon to engage with a Montreal professor and his guest. Norman Cornett, 62, has convinced the usually private novelist Rawi Hage to attend a third session in what Cornett calls dialogic learning. It is [...]
Montreal’s Blue Metropolis literary festival is back for a 15th year, and it remains a great place to meet and hear local and international writers discuss their work. It’s also a great opportunity to take part in workshops and seminars. The nerve centre where most events are held is Hôtel [...]
We learned two lessons on our visit to the Greek island of Sifnos: always check your ticket before boarding a busy ferry, and it pays—big time—to explore the lesser-known island destinations. We boarded the ferry precisely at the right time, 1 pm sharp. Our tickets were snapped up. The voyage [...]
In early March, publisher Barbara Moser and editor Hayley Juhl visited Jukebox Burgers in Marché de l’Ouest. These are their stories. Barbara Moser I love those “create your own hamburger restos” in L.A. and New York, the ones that include veggie burgers as choices, so it was with a deliberately [...]
Another week, another festival. This one presents 10 Israeli films at Guzzo Mega-Plex Speretech, 3500 Côte Vertu. Single tickets cost $14. April 20, 9 pm: Rock the Casbah, set in a Gaza refugee camp in 1989, reflects tensions among Israeli soldiers and the feelings of a Palestinian family caught in [...]
Since Chubby Checker’s performances of Hank Ballard’s The Twist ignited the dance floor in the early ’60s on American Bandstand, the artist, the song and the dance are still with us, compelling us to move. And no one can do The Twist without a big smile on their face, no [...]
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