by Jonathan van Bilsen Anyone who lives in North Durham, and has had the pleasure of being involved in any theatre or musical production,...

by Jonathan van Bilsen I looked at the calendar, last Monday, and realized it has been exactly four years since the world shut down for...

by Jonathan van Bilsen I have been riding a bicycle regularly for the past 30 years and quite enjoy it. The other day, I began to wonder...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Thank goodness I was not born on February 29th of a leap year. Although I would only be in my teens, I would have...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of hosting a candidate’s forum, prior to the upcoming by-election for Durham...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Like many of us, I was raised in an analogue world. There were no computers, no microwaves, and phones were...

by Jonathan van Bilsen The world is changing at an extremely rapid pace. I have just read the rate of transformation accelerates every...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Carnival seems to be a global time for partying, dressing up and parading around neighbourhoods. I have been to...

by Jonathan van Bilsen By now, you have probably heard we, the people of Scugog, and a large part of Durham Region, are heading into...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Slowly, but surely, everything seems to be escalating in price, especially when it comes to leisure activities. It...

by Jonathan van Bilsen I do not often touch on political issues in this column, but having watched the republican caucuses in Iowa last...

By Jonathan van Bilsen The arduous journey to becoming a physician, involves years of education, accumulating substantial debts, and...

By Jonathan van Bilsen A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on the history of coffee, and received numerous, positive replies. It made me...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Many of you, who follow this column, know I love traveling, but I have never stepped on board a cruise ship. I...

by Jonathan van Bilsen I have been drinking coffee for as long as I can remember. While recently sipping a cup of Java, I began to wonder...

by Jonathan van Bilsen For the past several years, during this happy Christmas season, I am always drawn to write an article about Santa...

By Jonathan van Bilsen One of the most popular Christmas songs, was not even a Yuletide melody when it was written. The cheerful and...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Christmas is a tradition, celebrated around the world; from China to Norway and from Germany to Chile. I thought I...

by Jonathan van Bilsen One of my favourite Christmas carols is Silent Night and the history behind the composition is quite interesting....

by Jonathan van Bilsen I have always been fascinated with the origin of phrases in the English language. Here is my latest contribution...