From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. It’s been a while since I’ve gone shopping at a gun store, but I found myself in one last week. A target shooter was having trouble finding ammunition…
Fewer perks for the privileged
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I've always been in love with the RCAF – the Royal Canadian Air Force. My love affair began young when I set out to become an RCAF fighter…
An Uphill Battle
By Emily Stonehouse March 8 is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate everything it means to be a woman; the strength, the resilience, the power, the magic. It’s also a time to acknowledge the…
Of elves and trolls
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. The world’s problems are becoming so complex that it appears politicians are turning to elves for help. It’s happening in Mexico. Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently posted…
A Needed Covid Inquiry
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Canadian politicians have been working diligently to complete a new long-term agreement on how health care will operate in this country. Sounds nice, but they are neglecting something…
The threat from above
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. I’m eating my cereal and staring out the kitchen window when M arrives at the bird bath, now filled with seed for feathered friends not gone south. M…
Jack’s POV
By Jack Brezina The recent agreement on health care transfers and the attendant side deals notwithstanding, there is still a lot to be done to improve health care in this country. And while the federal…
Beyond the fluff
By Emily Stonehouse You know I have to do it. It’s the only time of year I can be sappy. The great news though, is that by the time this edition is printed, all the…
Thinking hearts and flowers
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. It’s been an unsettling week. My two oldest children were born on Valentine’s Day, two years apart. So, I had to consider whether to cancel their birthday celebrations.…
Old news
By Emily Stonehouse The process of aging is guaranteed. It’s the only constant in life. Yet this society we live in does everything in its power to reverse that. Anti-aging creams. Wrinkle removers. Boxed dyes…
Bye Bye American Pie
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. It’s February, and as the singer-songwriter Don McLean wrote in his 1971 smash hit American Pie: February makes you shiver. It isn’t February cold that makes McLean shiver.…
Can we do it alone?
By Emily Stonehouse Nearly half a million dollars for a concession stand. A hot topic in the community these days. I’ve had a series of emails, people stopping me on the street, calling my cell…
No greater love…
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. There are times when we might want to despair over living in a world of selfishness. This week isn’t one of them. That’s because the first week of…
To the dreamers
By Emily Stonehouse To dream the impossible dream. That was the theme of the newspaper this week. From celebrating the memories of Canoe FM founding father Don Cameron, to an aquatic rehabilitation facility opening up…
The age of the grandparent
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. There’s been little to do during this winter’s days of chilly grey overcast. So I’ve taken to thumbing through stacks of photo prints that have been gathering dust…
Seen, heard, and together
By Emily Stonehouse I sleep with a notebook beside my bed. Usually, my favourite ideas slither into my groggy mind at approximately 3 a.m. I had a few ideas for this week’s editorial. Conversations around…
What’s with our winters?
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. Canada is winter country and we Canadians are winter people. So, I’m concerned about what is happening to our winters. Is the current one of above average temperatures,…
Lots of noise about little
From Shaman’s RockBy Jim Poling Sr. When you go to a 10-pin bowling alley you have to put up with a lot of noise.That’s why Prince Harry’s book Spare, released this week, seems so appropriatelytitled.…
A year in review
By Emily Stonehouse I have read through every single Minden Times that was published in 2022. Every year, the Times and Echo produce a year in review. The highlights of our hometown, the best of…
The realities of 2023
From Shaman’s Rock By Jim Poling Sr. The celebratory shouts of Happy New Year! are but faint echoes now, pushed into the past by the realities of today. Today’s realities unfortunately remain the realities of…
Check on your friends
By Emily Stonehouse It’s no secret that this is the season for kindness. The concept of giving - whether it be time, money, energy, or gifts - is the centrepoint for the holidays. Last Thursday,…