|
Hello again! I'm back after my regular summer hiatus and am looking forward to a new season of newsletters from September to June!
Fall is a very busy time with back-to-school and, for many, a return to work after some well-earned summer vacation. Enjoy the last week of summer as we get ready to enjoy a beautiful fall season.
| | | |
In this issue...
• New version of iconic map-bearing Hilroy scribblers printed without Newfoundland and Cape Breton
• Canada getting new $20 bill featuring King Charles four years after Queen Elizabeth's death
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Ask Terry!
• Columbia House shutting down after building music lovers' album collections for 70+ years
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news
• Trivia: Did you know?
• Quotes of note
• Check out the completely revised and updated Rose Michaels line of colouring books!
• Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, September 28
• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
| | |
New version of iconic map-bearing Hilroy scribblers printed without Newfoundland and Cape Breton
The new covers have been out since last year, but only recently did people start raising a stink that Hilroy had forgotten to include Newfoundland and Cape Breton on the map of Canada gracing its iconic notebooks - I call them "scribblers" - that have been around for what seems like forever. I distinctly remember using these when I was in elementary school in the 1970s.
Fear not, dear Canadians, because the error has been corrected and Newfoundland and Cape Breton have found their way back onto the most unofficial of official maps!
Article excerpt: "Hilroy has apologized for leaving Newfoundland and Cape Breton off the Canadian map on its glossy notebooks, after the mistake led to backlash online.
Hilroy's pastel-coloured paper exercise books are well known across the country for the map of Canada on their covers. But the map on Hilroy's glossy covered notebooks is missing a few parts of the country.
In a post to its Facebook page Tuesday, the company said its team has always been proud of the map, 'which is exactly why getting it wrong stings.'
The inaccurate map was the result of a production error, the post said. The company has stopped distributing the books and is fixing the cover artwork.
'That's our mistake, and we're sorry,' it said. 'To everyone who spotted it: you're right and thank you for telling us."
Hilroy's parent company, ACCO Brands, said Wednesday that the faulty books have been on shelves since last year. However, it seems customers only recently noticed the errors. The mishap has generated discussion on social media, prompting posts from Newfoundlanders and Nova Scotians expressing their dismay."
Now, if they would just bring back Laurentien coloured pencils (also called "pencil crayons" by many) and Campfire notebooks, all would be well in the world!
With that said, as someone who's worked in marketing agencies, I know that these types of changes go through multiple levels of approval. How was this even missed? Or was it brought up and ignored? Either way, it should have never happened.
Read: Hilroy says sorry for leaving Newfoundland, Cape Breton off notebooks' Canadian map.
| |
Canada getting new $20 bill featuring King Charles four years after Queen Elizabeth's death
More than four years after the passing of his mother - Queen Elizabeth II - King Charles III will be featured on Canadian banknotes with the recent introduction of the new $20 bill.
Article excerpt: "The Bank of Canada has unveiled a new version of the $20 bill, which is set to be put in circulation in February 2027.
Unlike previous horizontal incarnations of the currency, the new $20 bill’s design layout is vertical.
It is the first banknote in Canada to feature King Charles III.
The design of the bill began shortly after the King’s coronation in May 2023.
It will be replacing that of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose face has graced 18 different banknotes in the country since 1935.
In marking the historic occasion, Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour noted that the late Queen’s image became one of the “most recognizable on our currency for generations of Canadians.”
'Today, this tradition continues with his Majesty King Charles III, who is appearing on a Canadian bank note for the first time,' Arbour said.
On the other side of the bill is an image of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which is located on the site of the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge in France."
Personally, I think Canadian paper money is absolutely beautiful. This new $20 bill doesn't disappoint, especially the colourful depiction of the Vimy Memorial on the back. I also like the vertical design, but it does take some getting used to! But why four years to make the change? Charles ascended to the throne quite late in life and is having health issues. The clock is ticking!
Read: Bank of Canada unveils new $20 bill featuring King Charles.
| |
CBC Radio's Under the Influence: Ask Terry!
Since the 2026 season finale of the show aired on June 25 after the last newsletter before the hiatus, here's one last look at Under the Influence until next January!
The June 25th episode of CBC Radio's Under the Influence with host Terry O'Reilly was its annual Ask Terry episode, where he answers questions from listeners.
• June 25, 2026 - Ask Terry: "This week, we open the show up to our listeners, and answer your very interesting questions. Every wonder why gas station prices always include decimal points? Well, we’ll tell you why. We’ll listen to some memorable commercials starring kids, and play 'where are they now.' And we’ll talk about a famous luxury brand that is owned by a charity. It will surprise you." Click here to listen to the episode.
Click here for the show's on-demand audio archive.
| |
Columbia House shutting down after building music lovers' album collections for 70+ years
Boy oh boy! How many times did I join and re-join Columbia House over the years? I'd buy that huge batch of albums or cassettes for dirt cheap and then immediately regret it when it came time to start buying them at their regular price, which always seemed astronomically higher than what you could purchase them for in stores.
But there's one thing that Columbia House did in a good way. It got all this music into my hands at once, encouraging me to listen to full albums instead of just the hits from listening to the radio or buying 45s. I can't remember the last time I've listened to a full album of new music - "new" meaning something from this century.
Article excerpt: "If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember ads and newspaper inserts from the Columbia House Record Club promising an unbelievable deal on records and tapes. We were told we could have seven/eight/11/12/13 albums from a long list of them for just a penny. One cent! That used to be the price of a single piece of Hubba-Bubba bubblegum!
Fantastic! An instant record collection practically for free! All you had to do was agree to buy a certain number of albums over a specified time at regular club prices. The trick was you didn’t get to choose which albums those were. That meant you were often stuck buying a record you didn’t care about. And they were often big into negative option billing, meaning albums kept coming unless you cancelled.
There were other downsides, too. Record club vinyl often wasn’t as, er, robust as the records you bought in stores. And while labels loved record clubs because they juiced sales numbers, artists did not. Many contracts contained clauses that said any records part of “12 for 1 cent” promotions were ineligible for royalties.
All of the above is moot because Columbia House, the most famous of the record clubs, is closing on Sept. 15. This marks the end of a 71-year-old business that’s been around since 1955."
The end of an era, but an end that was clearly inevitable in this era of streaming.
Read: Columbia House Record Club is shutting down. Wait, it was still in business?
| |
Trivia: Did you know?
Do you know someone who's petrified of chickens? Do you think they're crazy? Well, they're not. They actually have an intense fear called alektrophobia.
Maybe some people are afraid of chickens because - believe it or not - these birds are also the closest modern living relatives of the very scary tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur.
| |
Quotes of note
• 1. "But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you. "
- Stephen King (1947-present), American writer, Salem's Lot (see photo)
• 2. "September days have the warmth of summer in their briefer hours, but in their lengthening evenings a prophetic breath of autumn."
- Rowland E. Robinson
• 3. "As the alluring song of September begins to whisper in my ear, my passionate spirit yearns for the splendor of its promise."
- Peggy Toney Horton
• 4. "New adventures, new memories. New knowledge, every fall. But seeing you again, was the best of them all."
- B.K. Sweeting
• 5. "Let’s strive to be better in September!"
- Charmaine J. Forde
• 6. "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
- Albert Camus
• 7. "Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."
- Lauren DeStefano, Wither
• 8. "I said school starts tomorrow. I didn’t say I was going to be there."
- Kim Harrison
• 9. "When a teacher calls a boy by his entire name, it means trouble."
- Mark Twain
• 10. "Some students drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle."
- E.C. McKenzie
| |
Check out the completely revised and updated Rose Michaels line of colouring books!
Visit the Rose Michaels website at www.rosemichaels.com to check out a large array of colouring bbooks for young and old alike. Whether you like cars and trucks, owls, suns, moons, fashion, silly monsters or even scary demons, there's something for everyone. Links to purchase the books via Amazon are available on the Rose Michaels website noted above. And there's great news because most of the series was updated this summer with a variety of new interiors, new covers, new books and new pricing!
|
Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, September 28
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is back for the 2026-2027 Rotary Trivia Night season with a NEW LOCATION!
Join us for Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night at L'Igloo Beverage Room and Steakhouse, 300 Elmwood, Moncton, on Monday, September 28, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person at the door or $12.23 on Eventbrite (price includes Eventbrite fees): www.eventbrite.ca/e/1994871481301?aff=oddtdtcreator
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat and to eat. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m. sharp and is usually over by 8-8:15 p.m. Everyone welcome! (Please note that seats purchased on Eventbrite will be reserved.) Limited seating.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, canned goods, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated more than $20,000 to Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Children's Wish Canada, Krista Richard's Community Sports Program and Bicycle Program, Diabetes Canada's D-Camps for kids, Anglophone East School District's School Supplies Drive, Youth Quest Central, Ronald McDonald Family Room at The Moncton Hospital, and Shelter Movers, among others.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a no telephone rule at these events. The answers cannot be researched except among discussion with your team members.
See you then! Click here for the Facebook event listing.
|
Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group
In September, the group walks on the Riverview riverfront trail. Meetup at the gazebo on Coverdale Road
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
| | |
About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
| | © 2026 Bricor Communications | | | | |
