It looks like the country’s broadcast regulator is finally catching up with the wants of the people, at least in one regard. They’re getting down to the finer points of changing the way we subscribe to cable and satellite television channels. Â …
Cutting the Cable and Dish Read More »
That’s the title of the theme from M*A*S*H and I always wondered why it was appropriate for a TV show about a war, but that’s a topic for another day. Now that we’ve had time to absorb what Robin Williams has done, I’m really hoping the dialogue around suicide and mental health will change a bit. I hope Williams’ universal appeal is enough to make some people learn more about depression and how it differs from ordinary feelings of being down or sad. Â …
Suicide is Painless Read More »
Stand-up comedians, the good ones, are the philosophers of our time.  There are people working in other realms that make us think, but it’s my belief that comics are pushing the walls of our minds open and forcing us to see things in new ways. …
The Philosophers of Our Time Read More »
It’s so COOL to be negative about something everybody loves. We saw it with Robin Williams. In every stream expressing understandable surprise and sadness about Williams’ death, there was at least one fly in the ointment. My favourite? The guy who wrote, “my uncle killed himself last year. Where was the worldwide outpouring for him?” That’s what the social media BLOCK feature is for.
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Hating on the Haters Read More »
Bill Gates has done it.  So have Oprah, Ricky Gervais, Martha Stewart and a host of other internationally famous people. Finally, ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease – is getting some much-deserved attention and donations.  And it’s all through a bucket of cold, icy water that has gone viral, quickly. …
The Ice Bucket Challenge Read More »
It feels like I’ve been in Websites 101 and I still know very little about them. Â I’d like to apologize for my site being unavailable this past week …
Sorry For the Outage Read More »
I am officially off duty this week and as such, I leave you with a gallery of photos from Rock the Park. Nothing will match the 2013 version when I met and had a lovely chat with Tommy Shaw of Styx, but it was big  fun nonetheless. …
It was unexpected, as these incidents always are. Â London’s southwest Costco, jammed with Friday afternoon shoppers, suddenly ducking and covering from raining shards of glass as a vehicle backs through the front doors. Â How it missed the posts that hold the huge panes of glass, how it ended up going backwards into an area full of people, are still under investigation. Â …
Beyond Tragic Circumstances Read More »
The Weird one is back. The man who brought us Eat It to the tune of Michael Jackson’s Beat It, King of Suede to King of Pain by the Police and many, many more parodies has returned. His first release left me a little cold. Tacky is a take on Pharrell’s Happy and the only thing it seemed to have going for it was a bunch of celebrities. Watch it once, and you’re done with it. Â …
Professor Weird Al Read More »
I simply don’t believe in outdoor cats except in the two cases I specify in this randt. And I will randt you why! Â …
Brandt’s Randt – A Familiar Refrain Read More »
Is anybody else feeling lucky today? Â …
Our Home and Native Land Read More »
Here we are, the end of June, and that happened in a blink, didn’t it? The speed with which life throws itself behind us as we get older, has irked me for years. So I went to Mr. Google and read the research of scholars and psychology experts linked to respected schools and organizations. …
Thursday was one of the weirdest work days I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something! Â …
I’m on Fire For You Read More »
This is not to lay blame but as a call to action. To wake up. To be aware. To risk looking foolish in case it’s nothing. Because it might be something. …
Brandt’s Randt – Taking Threats Seriously Read More »
…for Tim Hortons. I don’t think that jingle has been in use for some time, but when it comes to helping children, maybe you’ll make a little time. Â Â …
You’ve Always Got Time… Read More »
There’s a real art to writing headlines. I have to do it for Blackburnnews.com and to come up with something in four or five words is often a challenge. …
Headline Hilarity Read More »
I try to keep things positive on these pages. I try, in my life, not to dwell on the sick and depraved and those who harm others when I’m powerless to change the situation on my own. …
A Dangerous World Read More »