Nearly every time I go grocery shopping at Safeway, they have some kind of charity that they are trying to raise money for. In a recent stop at the grocery store, I was interested by the cashier’s choice of words: instead of asking, “Would you like to donate x amount of money to x organization?”, he …

In one way, I feel that there has been a definite decline in literacy rates over the years. Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes abound; even leading newspapers are rife with typos. No doubt part of this is due to online writing, texting, and the shorthand of social media networks such as Twitter. In another way, …

Penguin Group sent me this book to review as a member of the Blogger Book Network. Although it was originally published in 1991, it was released again this year with a new introduction by BBC correspondent Fergal Keane. Aung San Suu Kyi has lived a remarkable life as a political leader fighting for democracy in …

I seem to be hearing this kind of conversation between two people everywhere, both in real life and in the blogging world: “The KFC Double Down looks disgusting.” “Ew, why would they have made it?” “I almost want to get it just to see what it’s like.” “Yeah, me too.” We wonder why we’re getting …

Moving on to page 1,252 of my Canadian Oxford English Dictionary, we have here two words (bonus!), because I simply couldn’t choose between them. They are both new to me, although the meanings of the words are simple enough. Incorporate them into your vocabulary today! Pukka (adjective) 1. Anglo-Indian Genuine. 2. Of good quality; perfect …

There are some things that we just don’t tend to “do”, for the sake of social expectations. Singing or dancing down the street is generally considered “weird”, for example. Talking to yourself- particularly if you haven’t showered or slept in a couple days- is liable to cause skittish passers-by to give you a wide berth. …

If you’ve ever wanted to calculate the nutritional content of your homemade dish, look no further! The Dietitians of Canada’s Recipe Analyzer is one of my favourite online tools to plug in a recipe’s ingredients for a quick way to check out the nutritional statistics. Not only can you know exactly what’s going into your …

…why it isn’t rude to talk to a person across the table from you at a restaurant, but it is rude to talk on your cell phone at a restaurant if you don’t have someone in-person to chat with. …why it is acceptable in society to ask a “young” person what their age is, but …

I got a kick out of this word when I found it. I doubt that any kind of detective would appreciate being called a “gumshoe”. It doesn’t have quite the same pizzazz as “secret agent”, for example. Nor does it carry the same air of impressibility as the title of “detective”. Finding this word reminds …

When I went grocery shopping at the Forks Market last weekend, I saw a sign at the Tall Grass Prairie Bakery that read: All day old bread for $1.50! The sign was posted in front of a stand full of delicious-looking baked goods. I immediately grabbed a bag of whole wheat buns, a loaf of …

Yesterday was Moving Day for me- the movers arrived and, four hours later, all of my things had been transported from my apartment to my new condo. It’s rather disgusting just how much stuff I own. And I’m not a “stuff” person, either. I used to be a bit of a pack-rat, but several years …

Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen have written an article entitled “Front Pages: Analysis of Newspaper Layout”. Even if you aren’t involved in working with a newspaper, and even if you don’t read the newspaper, you likely see them all over the place and thus have an idea of newspaper layout. The Internet may be …