January 14, 2025

On The Upside with Marley

Being “present” in the conversation

For years, I lived as a professional touring guitarist, fully confident on stage. Yet in public speaking, job interviews, and even intimate conversations like band auditions, I often came across as uncertain. My ability was never in question, but my presence was. I assumed it was simple shyness, until I realized that shyness often reveals itself in subtle ways. One of the most powerful being a lack of eye contact. When eye contact is missing, the unspoken message can be that the other person’s perspective matters less. And nothing erodes connection faster than that.

Eye contact is a cornerstone of human communication.

It builds trust and honesty. In Western culture, meeting someone’s gaze signals transparency and integrity. It says, “I have nothing to hide,” and invites the other person to feel safe in your words.

It conveys confidence and competence. Those who maintain steady eye contact are perceived as self-assured, capable, and emotionally grounded. This silent signal earns respect before a single sentence is fully heard.

It shows attention and engagement. Looking someone in the eyes communicates that you are fully present, not distracted, not divided, but truly listening. That presence makes people feel valued and understood.

It deepens emotional connection and empathy. The eyes, often called the windows to the soul, reveal emotion before language does. Mutual gaze activates our ability to mirror feelings, creating resonance, rapport, and genuine human bonding.

It strengthens persuasion. Eye contact makes messages more memorable and more believable. It allows you to read reactions, adjust in real time, and speak not just to ears, but to hearts.

Good eye contact does more than improve communication
it dissolves insecurity, builds authority, and transforms interaction into connection.

Haunted Ontario

Haunted places have always captured the imagination because they sit at the crossroads of history, emotion, and mystery. Even while the paranormal remains unproven by science, stories of unexplained sounds, shadows, cold spots, and uneasy feelings persist across cultures and generations. Whether these experiences are psychological, environmental, or something we do not yet understand, they often arise in locations marked by intense human experience—tragedy, conflict, isolation, or profound change. In that sense, “haunted” places may reflect the way memory lingers in physical spaces, where the past seems to echo into the present.

Approaching these sites with curiosity rather than certainty allows them to be appreciated both as historical landmarks and as vessels of folklore. You don’t have to believe in ghosts to feel the atmosphere of an old jail, asylum, battlefield, or century-old mansion after dark. The stories themselves become part of the cultural fabric, reminding us that places, like people, carry layers of lived experience that can still be felt long after events have passed.

Some well-known haunted locations in Ontario that visitors often explore include:

• Casa Loma (Toronto) – Said to host apparitions of servants and a woman in white.

• Fort Henry (Kingston) – Reports of ghostly soldiers and unexplained footsteps.

• Kingston Penitentiary (Kingston) – Frequently cited for shadow figures and voices.

• The Keg Mansion (Toronto) – Former home with stories of a tragic spirit.

• Hamilton Asylum for the Insane / Century Manor (Hamilton) – A focal point of paranormal lore.

• Screaming Tunnel (Niagara Falls area) – Known for eerie acoustics and legend.

• The Hermitage Ruins (Ancaster) – A historic site tied to a famous unsolved murder.

Whether one views these places as genuinely paranormal or simply rich in atmosphere and history, they offer a compelling way to explore Ontario’s past through the lens of legend and lingering mystery. Comment below on the experiences you have had in “Haunted Ontario”

2025’s Funniest Headlines.

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“Pennsylvania flood museum temporarily closed due to flooding.”

“When asked, a drunk driver speeding at 210 kilometers per hour said his reason was to see his cat.”

“Kingston pensioner credited for the design of the breathalyzer is banned for drunk-driving.”

“Louisville Nature Center will let you name a roach after your ex for Valentine’s Day.”

“Woman accidentally joins search party looking for herself.”

“Rather than placing his letters in the mailbox, man discovers he’s been putting them in dog waste receptacles outside a local park.”

“Child spots real unicorn only to be told that it was a donkey with an adult toy on its head.”

Adam, Eve And The Monkey

A child asked his father, “How were people born?” So his father said, “Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on.” The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question, and she told him, “We were monkeys, then we evolved to become like we are now.” The child ran back to his father and said, “You lied to me!” His father replied, “No, your mom was talking about her side of the family.”

Mind Your Own Business

Mr. and Mrs. Brown had two sons. One was named Mind Your Own Business, and the other was named Trouble. One day the two boys decided to play hide and seek. Trouble hid while Mind Your Own Business counted to one hundred. Mind Your Own Business began looking for his brother behind garbage cans and bushes. Then he started looking in and under cars until a policeman approached him and asked, “What are you doing?” “Playing a game,” the boy replied. “What is your name?” the officer questioned. “Mind Your Own Business.” Furious, the policeman inquired, “Are you looking for trouble?!” The boy replied, “Why, yes.”

What’s For Dinner?

A boy asks his father, “Dad, are bugs good to eat?” “That’s disgusting. Don’t talk about things like that over dinner,” the dad replies. After dinner the father asks, “Now, son, what did you want to ask me?” “Oh, nothing,” the boy says. “There was a bug in your soup, but it’s gone now.”

The Generation Gap

A mom texts, “Hi! Son, what does IDK, LY, & TTYL mean?” He texts back, “I Don’t Know, Love You, & Talk To You Later.” The mom texts him, “It’s ok, don’t worry about it. I’ll ask your sister, love you too.”

Editors Quote Book

 “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

Trivia Quiz

(Click Question For Answer)

It’s A Big Tower, But I wouldn’t Want To Climb It!

Spider Dan, a Canadian stunt climber, made headlines in 1986 when he scaled Toronto’s CN Tower without safety equipment, astonishing onlookers and drawing worldwide attention. Dan, age 70, now says he’d never do that again.**

Your Horoscope

For Amusement Only

Preparing A Turkey

A couple is sitting at a table in a restaurant when the waiter recommends the Turkey Dinner. The guy says, “How do you prepare the turkey?” And the waiter answers, “We just tell it, ‘you’re going to die.'”

Imaginary Friend

A guy visits the psychiatrist. “What can I do for you?” he asks. “My son has got this imaginary friend,” the man says.

“There is nothing wrong with a good healthy imagination to help a child develop, and this is very common and nothing to worry about at all,” said the psychiatrist.

“We haven’t got a son,” the man says.

Dreams

After she woke up, a woman told her husband, “I just dreamed you gave me a diamond necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?”

“You’ll know tonight,” he said.

That evening the husband came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it, to find a book entitled:

“The Meaning of Dreams.”

The Last Word

“People only throw rocks at things that shine!”