Q. In kindergarten, one of our favourite games 👀 was ‘horsey’. We’d be cantering around, hands slapping onto hot pavement, neighing when the mood hit. It’s hard not to be reminded of horsey hijinks when watching Olympics steeplechase. Well, add in a shake of extreme athleticism, some steely-eyed competitors, and

Q. It’s hothothot this B.C. long weekend. Whom do we have to thank for inventing this beautifully juicy relief on a stick? . A. Most credit 11 year old Frank W. Epperson of Oakland, California for the invention of the popsicle. After an intense day of outdoor play, Frank retired inside

Q. Few would be surprised to learn that people despise household chores – some have their particular nemeses, some hate the whole lot. I mean, it’s in the word. Cambridge Dictionary defines a ‘chore’ as ‘a job or piece of work that is often boring or unpleasant but needs to

Q. Have you visited a museum recently – at home or when away? What have been some of the busiest museums as of late? . A. The Art Newspaper’s 2023 Visitor Figure Survey reveals a total of 175 million visits to the 100 museums in their analysis. With 8.86 million

Q. Hurray, it’s the Summer Olympics! Time for some ultra high-pressure sports. It’s remarkable that so many athletes manage to remain ‘cool as cucumbers’, even when all those years of training come to a head in just a few minutes – or even seconds – of intense scrutiny and competition.

Q. Plenty of us would be more than happy to have breakfast food at any meal. Eggs, fried potatoes, fresh berries, tea…what’s not to like? What are some of the most beloved breakfast foods? . A. In 2024, the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University surveyed 9,000 Canadians on their

Q. Creative partnerships are notoriously combustible. Yet, somehow, composer Richard Rodgers (1902-79) and dramatist/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960) managed to collaborate for nearly two decades, producing beloved musicals from The Sound of Music (💐) to Oklahoma, Carousal, South Pacific, The King and I. The pair also created the Cinderella musical for

Q. What are some examples of inventions that were a flop to start, but then found new life put to an altogether different purpose? . A. As it turns out, there have been lots. Our first look in… Bubble Wrap How do you feel about the pop, pop, pop of

Q. Be it for pleasure or for work, plenty of people find themselves travelling alone. What are people looking for in the solo travel experience? . A. It’s a question American Express explored in their 2024 Global Travel Trends Report. Their respondents were more than 7,000 adults from Australia, Canada,

Q. It is too easy to plunge into the pool of corporate jargon, especially if these spray-cheese words find their way into official corporate documents. ‘Our mission critical for 2024? Effective Accelerationism.’ If we’re lucky, the jargon becomes easy company short-hand. “Ah, yes. This accelerationism does seem effective.” More likely