Many people think sexism is a thing of the past. More women than ever are doing whatever they want -working or raising kids or a mixture of both – so they reason that it must mean they’re treated equally. Oh I wish it were true! Many individuals and companies aren’t sexist but some industries are still overwhelmingly that way, including my own: Media. …
When Ken’s away, I’ll do whatever it takes to not be boring. Our morning show – a talk show, may I remind you – eats up so much more content when there’s just one person at the helm. Without Ken there to keep the conversation going, there’s only so much I can do alone that’s interesting. Oh, I could prattle on incessantly if I loved the sound of my own voice a bit more! But “interesting” is the key! …
Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Misfortune Read More »
We have to find some common ground in this deeply divided world in which we now live. Did you support Donald Trump? Liberals think you’re a moron. Are you against him? Conservatives think you’re stupid. Politics didn’t used to be so overtly black and white. You’re either fer us or agin us and there’s no compromise, no in-between. …
The Emperor is Naked and Afraid Read More »
My maternal grandfather, who died when my Mom was ten years old, relied on rations during the Second World War. We recently found a ration coupon booklet with many of the little tickets still intact. …
Throwback Thursday – As Good As It Gets Read More »
Someone knocked on the door after 8 pm one night last week. Derek and I were in bed, reading, but I scrambled up and grabbed a robe. By the time I got to the door I saw a woman I didn’t know hustling down the end of our driveway, carrying signs on metal frames. …
Oh Canada (Free Flag!) Read More »
Volunteers do lots of good things for others and never brag about it. And some researchers decided to try to put a dollar value on what they do, to figure out what would happen if they suddenly stopped. It’s called the Halo Project. …
I Can See Your Halo Read More »
Sometimes it’s a struggle to remember the positive when you’re in the news business. News is, by definition, made up of anomalies and bad things. The sun came up, people helped each other and took care of their families, children got enough to eat – those are the things that are supposed to happen. News is about when things go awry. …
It Walks Like A Duck Read More »
The City of London is considering adopting a different method of voting for the municipal election next year. Instead of first-past-the-post, they’re looking at ranked choice ballots. You rank your first, second and third choices instead of choosing just one and the ones with the fewest votes are eliminated, until a clear winner emerges. …
Voting for Voice-Work Read More »
On Sunday, I received a forwarded email from the head of a racist/white supremacist political party who shall go unnamed. (I don’t want any link to their name on this site.) The President of this awful group was advising members about how to deal with radio talk show hosts. He basically said that talk show hosts are puppets for corporate masters who want to ruin the white race by promoting race-mixing. It was incredibly insulting to broadcasters. It advised the faithful (racists) to see through us and keep calling, using fake names, to get on the air and spew. …
Perhaps you’re familiar with the bad lip-reading video series? Someone takes the Donald Trump speeches and painstakingly (and poorly) reads his lips and adds corresponding voice-overs. Well, Ken and I did the same with this week’s Canadian political viral video. …
Bad Leitch-Reading Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, The Toronto Star’s Public Editor nailed it in an editorial on an issue that’s been bugging me but I didn’t quite click the Lego pieces together as well as she did. The gist is this: there’s a misunderstanding about what fake news is. …
The Reality of Fake News Read More »
A massive report on Canada’s media was released a couple of weeks ago. It aimed to study the country’s corporate media landscape – newspapers, radio, television, Internet – and report to the federal government on what can be done to make sure that 1. journalism survives and 2. democracy also survives because without journalists, no one keeps politicians in check. This is why Donald Trump is attempting to repeatedly discredit major media. But I digress. …
Two words uttered by the Counselor to the President on the weekend scared the heck out of me. “Alternative facts”. That’s what people who deny evolution rely on. The Flat-Earth Society. Those who think the missions to the moon were shot on a soundstage in the Nevada desert. Late Democratic Senator Patrick Moynihan said, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” …
Putting the Con in Conway Read More »
As the 45th President of the US is sworn in today, the oldest first-timer at that, I’m really split on how to feel about it. Part of me wants to take a wait-and-see attitude. After all, there’s a sentiment that says, the electorate never gets it wrong. …
Perhaps you’ve read a self-help book or two about how to argue. Maybe you’ve taken a class or been in marriage counselling or took another type of conflict resolution lesson. So, you know that the number one rule is to focus on how you feel, and not to attack the other person. And you separate the behavior from the individual. “I love you Timmy, but I don’t love that you hired that hooker!” …
Attack Ideas and Not People Read More »
The Huffington Post conducted a fascinating experiment this week. They crafted an article with a deliberately false headline just to see how many people would share it without even reading it. Thousands did. …
“Upset” describes what Donald Trump pulled off and how many people feel this morning. …
A former colleague once said to me, “people are liberal when they’re younger and they get more conservative as they get older”. My first thought was, well isn’t that a sweeping statement! And my second: that doesn’t apply to me. …
Election Prediction Read More »