MSI Press Blog

  Ask ten Canadians to name a national hero, and you may receive ten different answers. Canada's history, geography, and cultural diversity have produced heroes of many kinds: explorers, athletes, soldiers, scientists, artists, humanitarians, and advocates for justice. What unites them is not fame alone, but their contributions to the nation and the example they set for others. Heroes Who Helped Build a Nation Some Canadian heroes are remembered for shaping the country itself. Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, played a central role in Confederation. While historians continue to debate aspects of his legacy, his influence on the formation of modern Canada is undeniable. Others, such as explorer Samuel de Champlain, helped establish early European settlements and laid foundations for French Canadian culture that continue today. Heroes of Courage and Service Canada has produced countless heroes through military and public service. During times of war, individua...

  Traveling by RV can be one of the most comfortable ways to bring a dog along for the journey. But like all pet‑related decisions, it comes with tradeoffs. Here’s a straightforward look at the benefits and challenges so you can decide what fits your situation. Pros Your dog has a familiar “home base.” The RV smells like you, their bed, their toys. That stability reduces anxiety far more than hotels or constant packing/unpacking. Flexible potty breaks. You can stop whenever your dog needs to. No hunting for pet‑friendly rest areas or worrying about hotel carpets. Safer than loose car travel. With crates, anchored harnesses, and space to move, dogs are less cramped and less stressed than in a small vehicle. Easier mealtime and medication routines. You control the environment — no scrambling to feed them in a parking lot or manage meds on the road. Great for senior or anxious dogs. Dogs who dislike boarding, loud hotels, or unfamiliar environments often thrive with the...

  Today's publisher's pride is Travels with Elly by Larry MacDonald, which reached #78 in travel with pets books. Book description: Discover Canada like never before -- from a personal perspective, similar to John Steinbeck's view of America in his 1960 book Travels with Charley . The author travels from coast to coast in a trailer with his wife and pets, including their Standard Poodle, Elly, in order to gain a better understanding of his adopted country. Interspersed between descriptions of history, cultures, places, and icons are the author's reflections on various things such as Elly's antics, signage, ferries, political injustice, environmental issues, and animal instincts. To provide a canine's perspective, Elly reflects on things of interest to her, including cats, cows, and other critters...but especially cats! Where was Canada's first settlement? What is its prettiest town? When and where was its most devastating shipwreck? And who was its greatest h...

  Niagara Falls (Horseshoe Falls) It may sound like our trips were Canada were unplanned and unexpected. Actually, they were. We took a somewhat later trip to Niagara Falls, Canada, on the spur of the moment and could have ended up in some watery political depth that we fortunately, blessedly, without explanation avoided. We were traveling from Pittsburgh, where we were living at the time, to Acton, Maine, my home, to introduce a friend, Racho, visiting from Bulgaria to something beside concrete America. He thought he had seen a panoply of the US and had a sense of our country: concrete, fast, busy. Why? He lived in Pittsburgh for the time being and had attended conferences in Denver, Los  Angeles, and Chicago. Yep! Concrete, fast, and busy. We wanted to show him the other side of America: earth, ambling, and relaxed. What better place than a Maine farm? He enjoyed picking the blackberries, hiking the White Mountains, and experience closer in temperament to his native Bulgaria...