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Planes, Trains and Automobiles
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
May 1, 20242 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Apr 24, 20242 min read


The Story Behind the Person: Dr. Amita Dayal, There is a Book in All of Us
by Jonathan van Bilsen Being a physician certainly has its challenges and most often, the work can be quite demanding, so where does...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Apr 17, 20244 min read


Break a leg
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....

Jonathan van Bilsen
Apr 17, 20242 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Apr 10, 20242 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Apr 2, 20242 min read


I’ve Lost My Head
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Mar 27, 20242 min read


Judy Anderson, All About Giving Back: The Story Behind the Person
by Jonathan van Bilsen Anyone who lives in North Durham, and has had the pleasure of being involved in any theatre or musical production,...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Mar 21, 20243 min read


Four years later
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Mar 21, 20242 min read


Me and my bicycle
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Mar 13, 20242 min read


I could be a teenager
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Mar 6, 20242 min read


Informed
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Feb 27, 20242 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Feb 21, 20242 min read


Dr. Sharon Lauricella; the Future of Artificial Intelligence
by Jonathan van Bilsen The world is changing at an extremely rapid pace. I have just read the rate of transformation accelerates every...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Feb 13, 20244 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Feb 13, 20242 min read


Time to Head to the Polls
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Feb 7, 20242 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Jan 30, 20242 min read


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

Jonathan van Bilsen
Jan 26, 20242 min read


Story Behind the Person - Dr. Kim Ferguson and the Family Health Team
By Jonathan van Bilsen The arduous journey to becoming a physician, involves years of education, accumulating substantial debts, and...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Jan 16, 20243 min read


Who Doesn’t Like Cookies?
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...

Jonathan van Bilsen
Jan 16, 20242 min read
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