Sympathy would be misspent on uncaring ex

Personal vaccination choices have far-reaching implications

I may never think of Winnipeg — and some of my fellow Winnipeggers — quite the same again.

Last month, Manitoba Health released data that showed only 67 per cent of children born in 2008 received the recommended two doses of measles vaccine. In Fort Garry and parts of St. Vital, it's even lower, at 58 and 55 per cent, respectively.

This is below both the provincial average of 73 per cent, and considerably less than the recommended 90 to 95 per cent rate necessary to achieve the desired "herd immunity" that is necessary to effectively eradicate a highly contagious disease.

In the wake of the publication of that data, it seemed that everyone was talking about measles vaccination. That's not hard to understand; similar low-vaccination trends have led to significant measles outbreaks all over the world — including in Canada, where Vancouver Island, Montreal and Ottawa have joined the ranks of affected communities.

Padgett’s popular guitar-slinging show lands him a choice Toronto theatre gig

Fringe theatre fans across North America have long known about Chase Padgett and his guitar licks, singing and his knack at telling a good tale.

It appears some of Canada’s top theatre executives have also gotten the memo.

Mirvish Productions, Canada’s largest theatre company, has signed up Padgett and his storytelling musical 6 Guitars for an eight-show run Aug. 2-7 at the CAA Theatre in Toronto.

”I’m really hoping to knock it out of the park,” says the 38-year-old Padgett, who is performing a new one-man musical, Chase Padgett: Lucky Break, at Prairie Theatre Exchange during the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, which continues until July 24.

EXCERPT: 20 years on, 'The Falling Man' is still you and me

If TikTok has shown us anything, it’s that we crave the authenticity and accessibility which this Canadian tennis star exudes.

A year later, it’s nearly spring again

Was it like this, in the beginning? The same stirring in the air, the same gently blown kiss of an incoming spring? It must have been, because one of the last normal things I did was go out for drinks with a friend and, at the moment we hugged in parting, I dropped my coat on the sidewalk and savoured the night breeze on my skin.

He picked up the coat and handed it back. I slung it over my shoulder. When he left, I walked home with bare arms and sat on the stone steps of an old church, thumbing through my phone, full of hope for the year ahead. 

So yes, it must have been like this, the same hopeful weather. But it’s hard to remember what it felt like back then. 

Days after that night, everything began changing. Slowly, at first, because it was early March 2020 and we still had the luxury of not paying too much attention. The headlines were escalating, but in Manitoba; they still had the air of something that was happening somewhere else, just like so much of the news we get from the world. 

Folk Fashion

Flower crowns, neon tie dye, sparkly facepaint, flowy harem pants and Birkenstock sandals of every variety. Personal style knows no bounds at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

While fashion, in general, has taken a hit over the last three years — hello work-from-home sweatpants, goodbye stuffy office attire — festival fashion has been basically nonexistent. Aside from the beach, there are few places in regular life where bathing suits and barefeet pass for an acceptable outfit.

On Friday, festivalgoers appeared to be making up for lost time with a wide range of outfits carefully picked for their form and function. An outdoor summer festival with sun and rain in the forecast requires both, after all.

Here are just a few of the inspired looks from the first full day of the folk fest: