We like to watch old reruns of Shark Tank. For me, it’s not about seeing people become rich. It’s about people who need it getting a hand up from someone who has already been there, trying to make a dream come true. As we watch, I Google the company name and find out whether they are still in business, or what happened to them. But there’s an aspect of the show that I despise.
…Billionaires Owe the World That Made Them Read More »
Derek has the silliest ring tone I’ve ever heard.
…Catching Scam Callers Isn’t So Easy Read More »
Years ago, in a private Facebook messenger conversation, my pal Stacey told me that she used to combat the stress of college by watching videos of puppies on YouTube.
…News Trauma and Its Antidote Read More »
Clothing manufacturers should have to agree on standard sizes. A person shouldn’t swim in a size 10 from one brand and not be able to pull a 10 from another brand over their body.
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It might not be wise to greet your boss by saying, “Hey, dummy!” But it might be accurate.
…The Link Between Success and Intelligence Read More »
I recently finished reading Jody Wilson-Raybould’s 2021 book, Indian in the Cabinet. I heard her speak eloquently and candidly on the podcast Women of Ill Repute. Wilson-Raybould is an Indigenous lawyer and leader who served as a Liberal Cabinet Minister in Trudeau’s first term as PM. She left the Liberals after a scandal known as the SNC Lavalin affair.
…The Red Meat Issue of Reconciliation Read More »
Everyone talks about the many ways we are different. In a deliberately sweeping generalization, Liberals want everything to change and Conservatives want life to go back to the way it was. In this country, we don’t even know why someone’s flying our nation’s flag anymore. Are they showing pride in Canada, or making a political statement?
…Closing the Great Divide Read More »
Recently, I tried out a headline analyzer. You plunk in a headline for a blog post and the analyzer tells you whether it’s going to attract clicks. For example, the analysis says the headline needs, “more emotional words”. So, you write it again to improve the headline’s percentage score.
…Poking the Emotional Bears in All of Us Read More »
We’re about a month away from Ontario’s municipal election. The most important issues for Port Stanley as a whole seem to be:
…Election Talk – Import Stanley Read More »
I’ll admit it. I’m one of those people who judges a blue box if I walk past and notice non-recyclables in it. I study recycling rules like I’m cramming for the finals. And it looks like some of my neighbours are just winging it and hoping to pass. But it’s really not all their fault.
…The Recycling Dilemma Read More »
ImPort Stanley is weekly series about life and discoveries by a recent “import” to Port Stanley, ON. Access previous posts on everything from shopping to hotels and our beaches by clicking the tag ImPort Stanley.
Can anyone explain Port Stanley’s new parking rules to me, in three sentences or less? It’s a pebble in our sandal, for sure.
…The Parking Problem – ImPort Stanley Read More »
…Comedy is much more difficult than tragedy. It’s much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh.
Vivien Leigh
Comedy Always Wins Read More »
A young friend, a former colleague actually, told me this phrase as part of a teenage-hood anecdote. When she got upset about something she couldn’t do anything about, her Mother would say, “You’ve got to change your mind”. As someone who didn’t grow up with that kind of advice, I see its immense power and wisdom.
…You’ve Got to Change Your Mind Read More »
Someone on Twitter recently asked whether anyone had seen a band or knew an actor before they became famous. Most of us radio types have had the good fortune to experience loads of those moments. But the questions took me further back, to my days of beer and bars. There were several times when I saw bands before they hit it big.
…Brushes Before Fame Read More »
The beginning of a new school year always makes me think of warm clothes like long sweaters and stiff cords. I remember an ugly belted sweater I wore until it practically disintegrated. And the sound of corduroys brushing against themselves as I walked quickly down the hallway at South Lincoln High School. You wanted to move fast because the Hare brothers, Craig Nelson and Jerald Collens were standing at the end of the hall. With folded arms they silently judged the girls rounding the corner to history class or the gym. You had to pass by, there was no way around it.
…A Lifetime of Learning Read More »
London is the largest city in Ontario without a green bin program. “It’s coming later this year”, they say. Forgive my uncharacteristic cynicism but I’ll believe it when I see it!
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When a journalist discovered that the FX network had the worst record for hiring women directors, the network’s President was horrified. Within a year, instead of being 89% male and 11% female, it was 50/50.
…This Could Change Everything Read More »
A while back, I shared a tweet by Senator Patrick Brazeau. He said one of the best things a Canadian could do to advance Indigenous issues, is to write to their member of parliament.
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