We spent some time sorting stuff in the basement last weekend, after the temperature plummeted to -22C after hitting 9C the day before. Bins of papers from The World of Motorcycles Expo are stacked floor to ceiling. As suspected, not all of them have to be kept. …
Throwback Thursday – Biker Buddies Read More »
I’ve written and set aside at least a half-dozen columns about the #metoo movement. Most of what’s worth saying has already been said. Then I considered my own experiences and realized I had an unusual one, long ago, that might serve as a cautionary tale. It became my final column before Our London closed its pages for good. I was also invited to talk about it this week on News 95.7 in Halifax. …
Judge With Caution Read More »
Over the holidays, the sister of a London police Constable posted photos on social media. They showed the officer – long before she was an officer – step by step as she dressed up in blackface, tribal-like beads and a colourful dress for Halloween 2006. At the time, she was a teenager who thought she was putting on a costume and didn’t understand the implications of her actions. Now she certainly does. …
Back in September, I posted a blog about what potential radio guests should know before they pitch an idea. (Want to Attract the Media? Follow These Tips!) It was shared several times on social media and some people messaged me privately to say that these things never occurred to them. I know! That’s why I wrote it. 🙂 …
“Increased geographic synergies”. Just typing that bullshit sentence makes my blood pressure spike. Yesterday, Torstar and Postmedia swapped nearly two-dozen newspapers for the sole purpose of shutting them down, and reducing competition. Hundreds of people will lose their jobs, including my friends at Our London, for whom I write a biweekly column. They have about six weeks left before the padlock goes on the door. …
Our London No Longer Read More »
Every year it happens and I brace for it. The predictable outrage about when Christmas decorations go up. No one can do anything about when they appear in stores, so they crab about peoples’ personal preferences. Can’t someone wear a poppy and install Christmas lights at the same time without being judged for it? …
Here Comes the Judge Read More »
Plenty of discussion is underway about what London’s Bus Rapid Transit plans will do to properties along the proposed routes. It seems that several homeowners, especially along Richmond St. North, were unaware that the city owns a part of their frontage. City Hall can claim several metres if it needs it without offering compensation. …
Throwback Thursday – Timber! Read More »
If you hand out candy for Halloween, this information is probably too late for you. (And you ought not feel guilty about that!) But if you eat candy, it’s worth knowing that like so many things before it, candy can be made from ethically and unethically sourced ingredients. …
Aislin aka Terry Mosher, based in Montreal, is one of Canada’s best-known and most respected political cartoonists. And I was fortunate enough to work with him years ago, although “with” is a relative term. …
Throwback Thursday – Aislin’s Still Nailin’ It Read More »
Something didn’t sit right in my news-junkie tummy last week when a Canadian-American family was freed from Taliban custody after five years. …
Reflecting on the Week That Was Read More »
In smaller cities in a less glitzy industry with a tinier career and projects at stake, I went through some of what Harvey Weinstein’s victims experienced. That doesn’t make me special; it’s ordinary. We women share these stories like soldiers reminiscing about being in battle. It’s everywhere and I’m willing to bet that there’s one powerful predator at every big company whose behavior is being covered up or ignored. People in Hollywood knew about Weinstein’s predatory ways. He had the Midas touch and veto power and no one wanted to piss him off, as horrible as he was. …
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been to Las Vegas. I went to the old Vegas three times, before the mega-resorts and resort fees and insanely-sized hotels were erected. I vividly remember waiting in the limo with my Dad before we left for the airport. We were watching the cranes and other signs of construction that would eventually completely change The Strip and the city as we knew it. Dad said, “We won’t recognize this place next time we come back”. He didn’t go back, as far as I know, but I did and he was right. It was unrecognizable. …
Throwback Thursday – What Happens in Vegas Read More »
Of all the things that have come along with the campaign and Presidency of Donald Trump – gah, every time I say President Trump I feel my blood pressure rise – the most egregious in my opinion is the proliferation of fake news. …
The Reality of Fake News Read More »
And now, more excerpts from the listener text file. …
Text-ament to the Innermost Thoughts of Some ListenersRead More »
Text-ament to the Innermost Thoughts of Some Listeners Read More »
Does everyone get the Sunday Night Blues? Generally, I just get on with it, but sometimes I feel a bit of dread about Monday. I enjoy my job, really I do, but the longer I do it, the more concern I have about peoples’ states of mind. …
The Vocal Minority Read More »
Writing an opinion column is hard. Writing a daily blog is hard. Writing is hard! …
“The scariest moment is always just before you start” ~Stephen KingRead More »
“The scariest moment is always just before you start” ~Stephen King Read More »
Hate isn’t the opposite of love, fear is. I truly believe that the root of hatred, whether it’s white supremacy or any of those other disgusting world views, is fear. Ignorance. Insecurity. They might be buried deeply but they’re down there. …
Sign of the Times Read More »
The Trump presidency is making me angry but also confused. I feel the need to figure out how so many smart, accomplished people refuse to acknowledge that he is a buffoon who isn’t keeping any of his promises to “make America great again”. His administration is boiling in a soup of mistrust, firings, public back-stabbings and deceptions. Three things I read in recent days helped shape my focus on what’s really happening in the USA and I want to share them with you. The first is a tweet. …