Opinion

The ongoing battle between Viacom and Google entered a cultural quagmire as a judge on July 2 ordered the latter to hand over all records of every video ever watched on YouTube. Google, which owns YouTube, will have to release a staggering 12 terabytes of data (a terabyte is equal…

I have a love/hate relationship with food. I love to eat it, cook it, talk about it, learn about it and dream about it, but I hate shopping for it. Once a week my body cringes as I prepare my list and head off into the unknown. It’s not that…

Some of you believe that air travel is a great thing. For the rest of us, flying is like death. And like death, air travel shares the same five stages of mourning. Denial comes first: “God I hope this flight won’t suck.” We convince ourselves that it will be different…

This has been a busy week for me. In addition to my normal duties, I’ve also been tending to my neighbors’ cats and garden while they’re away on vacation. It’s very rewarding and very stressful work. The cats have taken a shine to me. Now when I approach, they don’t…

I used to be like you. “Canada” was a word that brought forth images of draft dodgers, hockey and Howie Mandel. It shared brain space with such phrases as “take off, hoser,” and “beauty, eh.” To me, Canada was little more than America’s hat; and not a cool hat, but…

Evolution tells us that man evolved from apes. For some, the similarities between men and apes can be hard to see, but they are forgetting the great equalizer: camping. In the great outdoors, it’s every man (or ape) for himself. Based on my experiences, I think the apes may have…

Summer’s a great time for a lot of things, but it’s probably best for movies. The major studios pull out all the stops and release their biggest, most bloated and ridiculous movies to dazzle a slack-jawed, wide-eyed public. Summer blockbusters aren’t just movies, they’re events, and if you’re one of…

The human mind is a miraculous thing. When we need nutrients, our brain tells us we are hungry. When we need to recharge, it tells us to sleep. When we get hot, it tells us to sweat. Many years ago, someone’s mind even decided that we needed special pants to…

Weddings are great for many reasons: 1) people are in good spirits; 2) there are lots of single woman who want to be loved for one day only; 3) the booze flows freely; and 4) you get to watch old people dance to ’80s rap music (I always request Young…

Two years ago, a series of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad printed in a Danish newspaper made the rift between Islam and the largely Christian West a little bit wider. Most Muslims find images of the prophet offensive. I’m not sure the exact reason for this–I could look it up,…