By Jonathan van Bilsen Many of you may have recently heard about the devastating turbulence encountered, on a flight from London to...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Last week I flew back to Toronto, from a few weeks of fun and travel in Europe. The trip and everything associated...

By Jonathan van Bilsen Under the expansive blue sky, at the historic Harland & Wolff shipyard, in Northern Ireland, where the Titanic was...

Did you know, the clear liquid found inside young coconuts has a surprising application? It can serve as a substitute for blood plasma,...

by Jonathan van Bilsen It is, once again, time to look at the etymology of phrases. Ever wonder where some of our frequently used sayings...

by Jonathan van Bilsen One of my favourite animals on the planet are elephants. I respect their intellect, cherish their family values...

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...

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

by Jonathan van Bilsen Being a physician certainly has its challenges and most often, the work can be quite demanding, so where does...

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....

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

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

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...

by Jonathan van Bilsen Anyone who lives in North Durham, and has had the pleasure of being involved in any theatre or musical production,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

by Jonathan van Bilsen The world is changing at an extremely rapid pace. I have just read the rate of transformation accelerates every...