A relative remarked to me recently about a particular couple of our mutual acquaintance. “They both have good jobs. They have a beautiful house. They have no kids. They travel. They drive expensive cars. They heat their garage throughout the winter. Oh, and you should see all the gadgets and … Read more →
Category Archives: Science Scribe
Ghosts of seasons past appear in many guises
During this season of celebrations, seasonal concerts and parties, the subject of holiday traditions inevitably comes up. At a recent party, a friend admitted she had a number of tangible Christmas memories hanging around her place. “I think of them more like skeletons,” she said. “In the closet.” Her closet … Read more →
Hollywood dramas influence real-world medical practice
I recently asked Nature Boy when he had last seen a doctor. He answered, “Not since the final season of House M.D.” Other British Columbians share a similar rate of exposure to medical practice. Most of us are more familiar with characters who take medical license on TV than with … Read more →
We obsess over celebrities’ tribulations and ignore widespread horrors
The killing of Cecil the Lion by big-game hunters in June outraged the world. Thirteen-year-old Cecil lived in Hwanga National Park, Zimbabwe, where he was a major attraction for wildlife tourists. He may have been lured out of the park prior to being killed. Yet this is one animal, albeit … Read more →
Poppies stay in style year round
I recently visited the Jimmy Choo and Christian Laboutin footwear displays in a much-trumpeted Lower Mainland department store. When a staff person approached me, I expected the usual “Can I help you?” Instead, the young man gestured at the poppy on my lapel. “This is the earliest I’ve ever seen … Read more →
