Out and about or oot and aboot? (what’s new in the Maritimes, 2026 edition)

Here’s a fine set of stories I came across in the last year concerning my home town (Glace Bay), my province (Nova Scotia), and the region (the Maritimes, with a shout out to Newfoundland).

Like all places, A.I. is having an impact on people in the Maritimes. So much so that Nova Scotia is launching 5-person team to help government staff incorporate AI into their work. That’s not uncommon.  Using A.I. to harvest blueberries…that’s a bit more uncommon.

Speaking of food, I was sad to see that Kay’s Kozy Korner was  closing after nearly 75 years in business. They had a good run. Speaking of cosy (Kozy?), if you are dining on the east coast, consider getting what is considered Canada’s coziest comfort food (hint, it’s not poutine).

In terms of law and order stories, we had the story of a Cape Breton legion having to pay $250 over Chase the Ace regulation violations. A very Cape Breton crime. As is this story of vandalism in Glace Bay. In other violent Nova Scotian news, protesters surround Premier Tim Houston’s car and his windshield was smashed after a speech he made last year.  Such actions may be why the Truro police have add an armoured vehicle to fleet.

Finally when it comes to news from out east, this priest says he regrets comments about ‘residential’ school in Honduras during CBU convocation speech. Yeah, I can imagine.

On the topic of Maritimers in the news, I was sad to see the great Colleen Jones has passed away. Not passed away but passing the baton is ‘Big Jim’ MacLellan, the last of the original performing member of Cape Breton’s The Men of the Deeps. May the remaining Men of the Deeps continue to sing on. As for other Cape Breton singers, this high school choir from Sydney was excited to sing with Foreigner when they performed there. I can imagine!

I’d like to close out this with a few things concerning Glace Bay, my home town:

And lastly this beautiful drone shot of the Bay:

P.S. The building shown is from this piece in Wallpaper*. The link to the Glace Bay drone shot is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYXCjRSYRcI

Homelessness and poverty in Nova Scotia and elsewhere


Nova Scotia: like many places in the world, Nova Scotia is struggling to deal with homelessness and poverty. There were a number of homeless encampments in Halifax, and the government took steps to deal with this, although not always successfully. The stories I have been following were around building new places to live and getting rid of the encampments, like these:


The rest of the world: while I was focused on what was being done in Nova Scotia, I also have been following stories on poverty and homelessness in the rest of the world

Finally: VOX had a good piece on how you can help others suffering  homelessness. And the New York Times has a section called Headway which is Exploring the world’s challenges through the lens of progress and touches on homelessness and other social issues.

P.S. Remember, the problems of poverty are simple and solvable. Also, homelessness is a concurrent disorder.

On the end (?) of the Cape Breton Post, and other stories of the Maritimes


It’s not the end of the Post yet, but it could soon be. Saltwire, the company that owns the Cape Breton Post and plus 22 more papers from Eastern Canada is seeking creditor protection. It’s possible that the Post survives that somehow, but it’s looking grim. I can’t imagine a world without being able to read the Cape Breton Post, but I might have to.

Speaking of reading materials, Atlantic News in Halifax celebrated its 50th anniversary not too long ago. That’s awesome! I loved going there when I was a Dal Student in the 80s. They had every possible magazine you could imagine, and plenty of newspapers too. It was a readers dream, and no doubt it still is. (Photo above from that story.)

I would like to be living near it still, but like many Maritimers I ended up heading out of province to look for work. Here’s a good story on someone who used to judge people who chose to leave Newfoundland for work until she had to leave too. Well worth a read.

Finally, this story is a reminder of how isolated it can be in parts of Cape Breton: trapped for 5 day as water dwindled, this Cape Breton couple was thankful for snowmobile delivery.

 

85 or so interesting things I wanted to write about and maybe will some day


Many times I find things I would like to write about but never do. I think people should check out these links though. So I am including them all in this Sunday post to read at your leisure.

Start with this one on mapping data visualisations from Victorian London to today. Or this, on the film Unforgiven and the line, “deserves got nothing to do with it”. I am fascinating by ex-Royals haunting Europe, like Ferdinand Habsburg, who occupies his time racecar driving, so I recommend that. I also loved the story of  Jenny Nguyen and the sports bar she opened just for women’s sports, The Sports Bra.

This is good: how to help your kids find happiness.

Are these the best movies ever made? Possibly. Do I know why old man Robert de Niro is having a 7th kid? Nope.

I wanted to say something/something more about  Ted Lasso, The_Blues_Brothers, bad artists, David_Shrigley, or ska, but I could not. I don’t even have anything clever to say about the Wakefield amazonian love god statue, other than you should check it out. (Seen above.)

I recommend you also check out this amazing Maine home, this Manual Coffeemaker (seen below) and this piece on the Amazon Halo Rise. Even this desk lamp, which is the visual motivation youll need to start your day. Or this cool utility shelf , or this Concept TV, or even these linen sheets.

If you need some advice, read about the move out method of organizing or read this for anxiety reduction. I do believe writing make you healthier. This can tell you how to retire when you have basically nothing saved. Consider this more radical and practical than stoicism (shugendo).

When it comes to health and fitness, here’s a good piece on Kipchoge’s boston marathon pace. It’s VERY Fast. This guy is not fast but he is a cheat: Joasia Zakrzewski at the ultramarathon. A different form of cheating:  how one man ate cheat meals which helped him lose weight. I was going to write about the mediterranean diet and Kettlebell exercises and how kettlebell workouts burn 20 calories / minute, but didn’t. I didn’t know what to say about this article that was a grim reflection on a life of drinking. Nor did I know what to write on how depression rates are reaching new highs.

This is an interesting story about Carmelite nuns abandoning their nest in Brooklyn. A good piece on  riding  the New York subway in the 70s. Speaking of the craziness of the 70s, here’s a story on cocaine and cooking at Chez Panisse. All worthy of a post some day.

I once wanted to write about the red shoes of Pope Benedict XVI and their many hidden meanings but I passed. Related in a fashion sense, here’s something on GQ’s outfit of the week. And from a religious POV, I’ve always been fascinated by the story of France’s eminence grise. Not to mention forgotten masses like Childermas!

Here’s some LISS links I never could make anything of: What Makes Fascism Fascist? – by John Ganz, how Nazis are not socialists, and Why Paul Ehrlich got everything wrong. Then this is this piece on who will sell the books. Plus Horizontal History on Wait But Why this? A cautionary tale: The Dangerous Decline of the Historical Profession. Quasi-historical: on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Strangely historical: It’s not a darning tool it’s a very naughty toy – Roman dildo found.

Some clippings from out east where I come from: on the East Coast Kitchen. Here’s 2 things on the international student housing crisis in Cape Breton, including how medical residents moving to cape breton are struggling to find housing. The famous nscad university is moving to the Halifax seaport. Also worthy of fame, Kate Beaton’s affecting ducks dives into the lonely life of labour in Alberta’s oil sands. Lastly, Food truck diner experience helped relaunch Zellers brand.

I didn’t know what to do about  Linda McCartney’s photos, or why art installations make people angry, or this piece on Vermont and the law and art and slavery, but they are all interesting. Go check them out.

For some time I was going to write a defence on consultants after reading this and this and this and this and this. Even this and this. Most of them insinuating that consultants are all powerful and manipulative and evil, like this: Opinion: The Trudeau government seems awfully cozy with McKinsey. In the end I didn’t have the energy or the interest.

I thought this piece, you can’t say that in the 1930s which relates to this, Agatha Christie novels reworked to remove potentially offensive language was worthwhile. Likewise, this, on Black Panther 2’s Namor casting and how it opens up a Latino colorism debate.

I found these social media leaks disturbing and a caution as to what to share and not share: alcohol counseling patient data leak and discord document leak tiktok.

Here’s two things on Samuel Alito, whom I find especially terrible: here and here. Also terrible, those doing child labor lobbying in the USA.

Last, I was going to write something on the bystander effect, on some blogging myths, on happy warriors, on Maiden Lane Transactions, on the CBC Massey lectures archives, on driving a Lyft, and on college and students and success. Someday, perhaps.


As always, thanks for reading this blog. I deeply appreciate it. I hope you found a link or two above worthwhile.