Other Contributors

“If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do will matter very much.” That quote is by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I expect her sentiment is widely shared. To tend the future, surely we can do little better than to start our children on a patch to […]

It was never quite clear why the book rose to the top of the best-seller list back in the early 1970s. “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” was a thin, different kind of book–complete with artistic photos of Jonathan and his friends in flight. A simple book about a seagull who wanted to […]

Now, here is a good-sized fish. It makes fine eating, it puts up a good fight when caught, and it is very prolific. Not much wonder that this is the most popular game fish in the U.S. The Largemouth is bigger than its close relative, the Smallmouth Bass. In fact, […]

Did you know 58 percent of Canadian families have pets while only 34 percent have children? Yes, pets are big business–and it’s growing. Which town doesn’t have a pet groomer, pet food store, breeding kennel? Does your community have people taking cats and dogs to cheer up seniors in care […]

Leeches are the most plentiful of all the baits. It seems they are natural to all bodies of water, including creeks, rivers, and lakes. And they can be left in a container of water for a long time without food. Walleyes love leeches almost all year round, and they are […]

Each year, the Trends Research Institute in Rhinebeck, N.Y. picks the 10 areas out of 300 in which it sees the biggest global changes in social, economic, and political structures. This year they are: I explored most of them in previous columns. Here are the rest. The Trends Research Institute […]

Could “Walkerton” happen in your town? You bet. Like others, I puzzle over how this could happen. It is likely due to a confluence of unfortunate events. But I see two primary causes that I have observed in many work settings: Both miscommunicated seriously. What would you answer to a […]

By any assessment of my childhood, I grew up happy. The days were fun-filled and friendly. We laughed and talked. We ate spaghetti suppers with our neighbours and went to Grandma’s every Sunday. We looked forward to occasional all-day excursions to scenic spots. We played hard and we worked hard. […]

Now that winter is over in Northwestern Ontario, this can be fun to think about what does Thunder Bay have in common with Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia), Sapporo (Japan), and Lulea (Sweden)? All are “winter cities,” and there are a lot more! The international Association of Winter Cities is doing its […]

As I moved across the opening of this inlet, I noticed a submerged log across the opening. I flipped out my rig and just as the No-Snagg touched the vertical limbs of another tree I felt a walleye pick up my minnow and I set the hook. The race was […]

Call him Forrest Gump if you like. Or thinking further back–Peter Sellers as the gardener in the movie “Being There.” And you’d be close to right. For Christopher Lambert in the title role of the movie, “Gideon,” is exactly that kind of person. A gentle, uncomplicated, kind human being. A […]

Our youth represent our hope for the future; we should prepare them as best we can. In Northwestern Ontario, parents and others who are doing that got a boost April 28-30 via a Young Women’s Conference at Quetico Centre. How young? Surprise–the age range of the 38 participants was 12 […]