Contrarian's old friend Ivan Smith—retired teacher, railway buff, and citizen watchdog—writes to decry the inexplicable removal from Lieutenant Governor Mayann Francis's official website of the brief biographies of former L-Gs it once contained: Nowadays there is a simple list of the previous office-holders, showing names, dates of service, and nothing else. Contrast this sparse treatment with the list that was available in 2005. At first glance, the two look similar, but there is a crucial difference. In the website's 2005 list, each name was a link to a brief but informative biographical note about that Lieutenant Governor or Governor. In the...

09 October, 2009

I promise not to go on about this ad nauseam, but I just discovered that Beagle-owner Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic noted Rosie's obit in his Daily Dish blog Sunday. Rosie's sardine can caper reminded Andrew of the time his now aging beagle Dusty broke into an overnight bag some house guests had imprudently left on the floor of his loft—with two large boxes of Godiva chocolates hidden inside. Moneyquote: It was a beagle Linda Blair - with viscous chocolate liquid projectile vomiting everywhere in sight. I went to grab her to get her outside. She decided this was a game....

09 October, 2009
Moss Scuttle-csA few years ago, Contrarian's participation in the now-obscure practice of wet shaving was rescued by a Nova Scotia invention, the Moss Scuttle, a unique collaboration between a Tatamagouche potter and the town doctor. This Saturday, from 2-4 p.m., Thanksgiving weekend tourists will have a chance to visit Sara Bonnyman's pottery studio for her first ever open house. The event will celebrate the 35th anniversary of  this remarkable business (recently given new vigor by worldwide sales of the Moss Scuttle) and raise funds for the Lillian Fraser Memorial Hospital in Tatamagouche. A bit of background: Chris Moss, a Tatamagouche physician, is even more of a shavegeek than Contrarian. He uses an old fashioned straight razor (ouch!) and a badger brush (ahhh!) for his morning ritual. Unable to find a proper scuttle, the antique, double-walled bowl traditionally used to keep lather warm, he designed one himself, and asked Sara to make it.
08 October, 2009

Robert Creighton writes: As happens in most places when Street View goes live, I predict the local media will run around the streets trying to find locals who are outraged at the "invasion of privacy" introduced by this technology. I will be watching Tom Murphy on CBC News as they try to stir up yet another "controversy." Worth noting that the cameras used in UK seem to be much higher resolution than used here. No idea what Tom will do, but in recent weeks, CBC has been conspicuously indulging the hoary tradition whereby old media condemn the moral decay promoted by attractive new-media...

08 October, 2009

Google's Halifax street view feature is now online. Getting there is a little tricky. Here's how: Go to maps.google.ca Enter a specific address in the search box, and press enter. I entered "1726 Hollis St, Halifax, NS B3J 2Y3," which is the address of Province House. A little red-orange teardrop enclosing the letter "A" should show up in the map. Click on it. In the small window that pops up, click on "street view." Voila! Play with the cursor and the arrows in the image. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it is pretty darned cool. Let me know how far it ranges: Dartmouth?...

07 October, 2009

Doug MacKay, who edited the Halifax Daily News in its heyday, writes from Toronto: I am sorry to read that Rosie passed away. From the moment she peed on the editor's carpet, I knew she and her owner were of like mind. A great companion. For the record, Rosie only ever peed on the editor's carpet once, and at a young age. It is acknowledged, however, that the stain never came out, and may have played a role in Transcontinental's subsequent decision to abandon the Burnside location. UPDATE: What is it with beagles and journalists? James Cobb, Automobiles Editor of the New York...

06 October, 2009

Mike deAdder writes about the lot of cartoonists in a era of declining newspapers. Moneyquote: In 1967, Canada's Centennial Year and the year of my birth, Terry "Aislin" Mosher, Canada's pre-eminent editorial cartoonist began his long illustrious career after graduating from École des Beaux-arts in Quebec City. He started at The Montreal Star in 1967, then transferred to The Montreal Gazette in 1972. To this day, he still works for The Gazette. The great Roy Peterson, who retired this year, always called The Vancouver Sun his home, as did The Edmonton Journal's Malcolm Mayes, the Calgary Herald's Vance Rodewalt, and The Province's...

05 October, 2009
Rosie running -cropped -sRosie, who died yesterday at 13, was the World's Most Food-Motivated Dog. She won the title with a stunt modern science has yet to explain. sardine can 1-ssOne evening about five years ago, I returned home from a day-trip to Sydney with a notion to make a sardine sandwich for supper. I had left an unopened tin of sardines on the kitchen table before leaving for town. At least, I thought I had, but now I couldn't find it. Losing things is nothing new for Contrarian, and finding them is not his long suit. I spent a few minutes searching for the sardines, then made something else for supper. While putting Rosie to bed later that night, I spotted the sardine can stashed among the blankets at the back of her sleeping crate. She had chewed the top off, and extracted every morsel of fish and every drop of sardine oil. The can didn't even smell of sardines anymore. In horror, I rushed to inspect Rosie's mouth, expecting to find her lips and tongue shredded. Not a nick. Rosie was fit as a fiddle, and wondering when her next meal would arrive. "Golden slumber close your eyes." And sate your tummy. [More tributes after the jump.]
04 October, 2009

Contrarian readers who are near a radio or a computer between 12:20 and 1:00 p.m. today can hear the grumpy optimist himself on the Maritime Noon phone-in, where he will be discussing The Wark Principle and other matters with Mike Bradfield and Costas Halavrezos....

01 October, 2009
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