By Jim Poling Sr.   Staring out a window at Sky Harbour Airport in Phoenix, Ariz., I become increasingly edgy. Outside that window, baggage handlers toss dozens of bulky bags onto the conveyor belt crawling…

By Jim Poling Sr. Molto bene Italia! Perfettamente! Indeed Italy has done a wonderful thing in disrupting a Steve Bannon extreme right project aimed at converting the world to his white power conservatism. Bannon and…

No matter the weather no matter what is happening June is the best month. It is a time of hope. A time to believe that the world can overcome its problems and become a better…

Beware the ‘silent evil’ By Jim Poling Sr.   Black flies and mosquitoes are true nuisances but at least you can see and hear them. A new danger developing in cottage country is one you…

By Jim Poling Sr. Despite its wet raw coolness this spring has provided some joyful observation. Blue jays in their sartorial splendour gorge greedily on seed we have spread on the ground. There are as…

By Jim Poling Sr. The ice it seems was scarcely off the lakes when the bugs were back. Morning frost warnings and the absence of any semblance of daytime warmth has not postponed their return.…

By Laurie Sweig For years I have been a huge fan of Brené Brown. Her book Daring Greatly was inspired by this part of Theodore Roosevelt’s speech in 1910: “It is not the critic who…

Boat launch day thoughts   By Jim Poling Sr.    Getting the boat ready for spring launch can be stressful.  Will the motor start quickly and run smoothly after its winter hibernation? Did you remember…

By Laurie Sweig   Clients of mine travelled to Florida by car this year. Before heading off they asked my advice on what to do to minimize the body stiffness that comes with driving for…

By Jim Poling Sr.   With lakes opening, winter-weary minds turn to fish. A fish netted in the open water floating your boat is genuine proof that spring is here.    Fish, however, provide us…

By Jim Poling Sr. Something exceptional occurred last week as so many of us watched flames smoke and water ravage the iconic Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. As the steeple fell and the roof collapsed there…

By Jim Poling Sr. I am walking in the almost-spring woods hoping not to slip and fall on one of the remaining icy patches left by the melting snow. If I do I can’t phone…

By Jim Poling Sr.    The plan this week was to write a column about the SNC-Lavalin political madness whipped up by the muddled minds of the nation’s political elite.   Plans change; this one…

By Jim Poling Sr.   Many years ago I was coached not to write anything in anger. Anger allowed to chill makes for cooler thoughts and prudent words.   I have tried to follow that…

By Jim Poling Published March 28 2019 There is a lesson learned from the tenacious and tiresome winter which according to the calendar ended last week. It comes on an almost-spring breeze that brushes my…

Published  March 21 2019

By Jim Poling Sr. Published March 14 2019 “The child that is hungry must be fed. The child that is sick must be nursed. The child must be the first to receive relief in times…

By Jim Poling Sr. Published March 7, 2019   It seems ludicrous that any political moment these days could make you proud to be a Canadian. But there was one last week when pride swelled…

Perhaps because of our northern latitude, or perhaps because we thought we had been vaccinated, we expected Canada to escape the epidemic.   Alas, we haven’t. It is here, perhaps swept in on wind shifts…

Movies are welcome comfort during a nasty winter like the one we are experiencing. January and February are prime times to catch up on the newest and best movies which will be celebrated Sunday at…