Robert Animikii Horton – Northern Reflections

This morning, I found myself in Wilson’s Office Supply. With a near-identical delivery to Brian in The Fast and the Furious explaining to Harry, “I need NOS. I need NOS. One. No, no, two! And I need them by tonight,” I expressed the need for Expo dry-erase markers with the […]

“She must know Rick ‘The Model’ Martel… probably Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine, too.” At least that’s what I figured. After all, when my sister would put me in the Boston Crab or the Figure Four Leglock when we were younger, she would apply it with excellence of execution. She had […]

It arrived as equal parts flash flood of liquid metal and a breath of fresh air—as if the sky split to spill the quicksilver while each inhale and exhale was delivered by the exhaust of a stealth bomber. Twenty-five years ago, industrial nu-metal battalion American Head Charge released the 2001 […]

There was no morning, no east where a sun might rise and no west into which it could vanish. There were no oceans reflecting moonlight, no mountains holding snow, and no breeze wrapping around leaves. Moreover, there was not a single eye and nothing for one to witness. And then, […]

There is something truly humbling about the learning curve that comes with owning your first home. Over the last couple of years, I have occasionally reached out to my phenomenal neighbours from my cul-de-sac, who have fielded random (but still semi-reasonable) questions from the new guy on the street. For […]

Did you know that Eminem can be conjured to teach psychology? While developing psychoanalytic theory, Sigmund Freud proposed that personality could be understood as three interacting parts. First is the id. The id drives primal desires (as well as urges motivated by basic instincts). Focused on instant gratification with little […]

Spending decades at the nexus and intersection of cultural traditions and education can certainly conjure significant reflection. Lately, conjuring has been active. Lively, even. The last few decades in Canada have seen an emphasis on traditional education. On one level, I understand this focus due to damage, turbulence and aims […]

Editor’s note: Rob Horton is absolutely, definitely NOT running for mayor. A platform for the future we deserve, whether we asked for it or not Fellow Fort Frances residents, For too long, municipal politics has suffered from moderation, practicality, reason, logic and compromise. I am running to end this failed […]

Across time and locale, one symbolic figure repeatedly emerges in healthy societies. They are the counterbalance carried by myth, lore, story, impulse and expressions of art. A male in some cultures and eras. A female in others. This enduring figure is known by many names, but the most universal is […]

A gift. I think that’s where the contrarian cacophony began. Perhaps it was also the admiration of the rebel. Likely, through the introduction of dry, witty humour before I could tie my shoes (I also wore Velcro shoes until I was almost 12, so maybe it is a moot point). […]

I love purple. That’s it. What else is there to say? I love purple. Any shade. Any variation. Any hue. Purple is my favourite colour. Not to wear necessarily, as this olive-in-late-summer tone doesn’t vibe and mix well with it, but anything purple draws my eyes like a moth to […]