By Jonathan van Bilsen Under the expansive blue sky, at the historic Harland & Wolff shipyard, in Northern Ireland, where the Titanic was...

DAN CEARNS The Standard Recent information is backing up what I’ve written about before in this column, getting out in nature has immense...

by Geoffrey Carpentier People spend a lot of time and money trying to keep their lawns perfectly weed-free. I could not determine how...

Did you know, the clear liquid found inside young coconuts has a surprising application? It can serve as a substitute for blood plasma,...

by Jonathan van Bilsen It is, once again, time to look at the etymology of phrases. Ever wonder where some of our frequently used sayings...

by Geoffrey Carpentier One of the greatest challenges we face as we grow older is that our balance changes, our eyesight diminishes, and...

by Jonathan van Bilsen In the very early nineties, I had an opportunity to emcee an event in Orlando, Florida. I introduced the...

DAN CEARNS The Standard Unfortunately, we’ve come to the end of another Toronto Maple Leafs season, recently, with yet another early...

by Jonathan van Bilsen One of my favourite animals on the planet are elephants. I respect their intellect, cherish their family values...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Many people, including those I know and many I do not, worry about what is going to happen to our environment in...

DAN CEARNS The Standard The Canadian sports landscape lost a true legend, this past week, when hockey announcer Bob Cole passed away, at...

By Jonathan van Bilsen I have always been intrigued at how we handle waste. The Dutch, for example, recycle 57 percent of their collected...

by Geoffrey Carpentier Last column, I spoke about salamanders and newts, so today I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the...

by Jonathan van Bilsen I have always been a fan of musicals, and have seen most of the major productions when they are hosted in Toronto....

DAN CEARNS The Standard As the old saying goes, the wheels of government turn slowly, and with no project does that seem more the case...

By Geoff Carpentier I love to watch these elusive amphibians, as they forage through varied watery habitats. This may be in the form of...

By Jonathan van Bilsen As the population ages, seniors are increasingly becoming targets for scams and fraudulent schemes. With...

DAN CEARNS The Standard Recently, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews reached a milestone for this season. In a game against the...

JONATHAN VAN BILSEN Special to The Standard Have you ever pondered the peculiarities of certain everyday practices or objects? From the...

By Jonathan van Bilsen Religion is a very personal thing and that is why I never bring it up in my column. History, however, is quite...