What does your family name mean?

Depending on your lineage, family names come from many different sources. Medieval Europeans, for instance, adopted surnames based on professions, influencing surnames you’ll hear today like Smith, Skinner, Fletcher, or Baker.

Here's a cool summer fact for you: did you know air conditioning (as we know it today) was originally invented in 1902 to help cool down a printing plant?

It was 23 years later that the technology was first deployed to a non-industrial setting - meaning 2025 marks 100 years of indoor air conditioning (for those of us not employed in manufacturing, anyway). Pretty cool, hmm?

We all get by "With a Little Help from My (Our) Friends".

Getting by with some help might mean going to a place where everybody knows your name. 

Or it might mean inviting people to "Stand By Me (Us?)".

I once read a story about a kid at camp who saw another child in medical distress. He ran to tell a camp counsellor.

Once he explained the situation to the camp counsellor, the counsellor slowly and calmly walked over to the child. In the end, the child’s life was saved and all worked out. But why did the counsellor walk in a time of crisis?

While the score sheet at the end of the night might have a certain player’s name on it, every goal scored and every save made was a team effort.

It may be hard to believe, but once upon a time cities like New York wouldn’t build above four stories. OK, maybe it won’t be quite so difficult for my Kingston readers to believe! (Kidding of course)

As we approach the end of the year, it’s natural to reflect on the past year and ask how we did.

Did we exceed our resolutions and expectations? Was it a ‘better year’ than last?

Did you know gold doesn’t rust?

It’s one of just 10 metals that don’t rust – along with silver, platinum, and (as you might’ve already guessed) stainless steel. Yet, if you found a pot of silver or stainless steel at the end of a rainbow I suspect you’d be a bit disappointed.

We’re just rounding out apple picking season and I wanted to share a bit of trivia with you about apples. Did you know the seeds in your apple cannot be used to grow a tree with the same type of apple? It’s true!

Here’s a fun fact that those of us with more life experience will already know. It might be a something you share next time you’re playing Monopoly. When you pick up a Community Chest card, what modern and real life organization are you getting help from?