By Jodi A. Shaw Navigating your way through the grocery store requires slightly more skill than usual this time of year. Maneuvering the cart around the mountains of Hallowe’en candy displayed in the entryway and randomly throughout the store becomes an exercise in both agility and self-restraint. On my routine weekend trip to the Co-Op, […]
Alberta’s doctor dilemma
By Jodi A. Shaw I just wanted to go to the doctor. Alberta has been suffering from a physician shortage for several years, but it’s become especially keen lately. With Calgary’s population just over 1,070,000 and growing, an estimated 200,000 Calgarians are currently without a family doctor. It’s a complex issue – fewer doctors are […]
My big break
By Bev Schellenberg Do you ever find yourself longing for the kind of attention that stars receive? Do you sometimes feel like an invisible drop in the sea of humanity? Follow these simple three steps and you’ll be irresistible to those people who currently pass you by: 1) Break your left foot and/or otherwise damage […]
Not so kissable lips
By Jodi A. Shaw According to this perky little item, lipstick sales are up 40% since the start of the recession. Apparently the same thing happened after the 9/11 attacks, leading the chairmain of Esteé Lauder to coin the term “lipstick index,” to account for the phenomenon of glossy sales during bad times. Women would […]
What about the kids?
By Bev Schellenberg Now here’s a thought: According to the crown prosecutor in the case of Christopher Pauchay, the father of two children who froze to death while in his care, it’s important that people care for the children they have. Marylynne Beaton says the three-year sentence handed down on Friday, March 6th, sends an […]
Dentists: focus!
By Bev Schellenberg The next time you book your annual check-up with your dentist, consider getting rid of a few wrinkles or puffing up your lips with a botox treatment at the same time. British Columbia is the first province in Canada to permit dentists to shoot botox into their patients’ wrinkles and lips, joining […]
12-step New Year’s resolutions
By Jodi A. Shaw It’s common knowledge that many of us take off full blast with our New Year’s resolutions on January 1st — smokers throw out their lighters and ashtrays, wannabe fitness buffs get locked in for three years at their local gym — only to come crashing back to earth by mid-January. Others, […]
Alberta delivers on midwives’ potential
By Jodi A. Shaw I prefer not to know the finer details of child birth. Instead, I’d rather wait my turn to experience it, and find out the good, the bad, and the ugly of pregnancy and delivery. A pregnant co-worker, however, has been spoiling some of the secrets for me . . . and […]
Don’t put that in your mouth
By Jodi A. Shaw Recently, a friend asked me for my “secret” to a healthy diet. I was confused, so she explained how she admired my food preparation practices and efforts to eat organically. I was still confused, so she added, “You never seem to have to worry when there’s food crisis.” She was referring, […]
Lotsa nudes is good nudes
Bev Schellenberg Regardless of what you may think of nude bicyclists, nude maids, or nudists in general (“naturists” for the politically correct out there), consider this the next time you step out of the shower or the tub: there’s a nude in your bathroom. You. Granted, you probably have hair sprouting here and there, but […]
