A Veteran Writer
I haven’t met him in person yet but Eddie Rhodes is a new pal of Derek’s. Eddie is a 90-year-old veteran of WWII who lives close to London. He has written the first of what he hopes will be several books about his life. …
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My Christmas Wish
…is for writers to stop putting an e on the end of Claus as in Santa. Â …
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Kinder and Gentler
It was tempting to write a scathing column about the coming end of Our London and other newspapers. …
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“Like” Fatigue
One of the co-founders of Facebook admitted what we all suspected: the program was designed to be addictive. …
Last Week in Listener Texts
I maintain that there is no “war on Christmas”. People began saying “Merry Christmas” less often because they were trying to be inclusive. Some Canadians celebrate other holidays such as Hannukah, Kwanzaa and the Solstice. It would be a problem if people guessed at someone’s religion just by looking at their face. …
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Where are the Older People at Work?
According to New York financial services expert Jack Kelly, they’ve all been fired. …
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Throwback Thursday – A Summer at the Track
The NASCAR season has just wrapped up with Martin Truex Jr. the champion. Truex’s Crew Chief is Cole Pearn, who cut his racing teeth at Delaware Speedway. His Mom Patti is a local realtor. Anyone connected to Delaware knows Cole. He’s a star of the sport right now. …
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Review: Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and the Road Home by Tom Wilson
I truly love two songs in particular by the Hamilton rock band Junkhouse. One is Out of My Head, a hit from their 1993 breakout album, Strays. The other is Shine, and I’d put it in my top 20 of all time. Junkhouse appealed to my love for raw, filthy rock and roll that sounds live off the floor. (My all-time fave rocker: Humble Pie’s 30 Days in the Hole. It doesn’t get much filthier!) …
Our London No Longer
“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. …
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Ten Years After
When I returned to London, my first radio gig was midday host at Greatest Hits 1039fm. You think greatest hits, you think Beatles, of course. …
Here Comes the Judge
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? …
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The Voice First Revolution
Derek and I are proud to be a small part of a company called Witlingo. I’m a smaller part than he is. Derek is their Lead, Product Development and I’m a voice on call. …
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Smarter Every Day
You can learn something every day if you’re doing life right. My brother introduced me to the YouTube channel, Smarter Every Day. Host Destin Sandlin delves into all sorts of fascinating scientific experiments that are understandable by non-science types like me. The videos are high quality and most are nice and short. Â …
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They All Hurt, But This One Hurts Me More
I believe the women who accused Bill Cosby of drugging and assaulting them. And the men whom Kevin Spacey assaulted and harassed. And before Louis CK admitted it was true, I believed the women who accused him of being a Class A creep. …
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It’s a Wild, Wild Life
Thursdays on the News/Talk 1290 Morning Show, we host a segment titled Ask Me Anything. Our guest is someone with an unusual job or hobby. Last week, we welcomed Brian Salt, founder of Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre in Mount Brydges. …
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A Good Canadian
The tweet from The Tragically Hip announcing the news of frontman Gord Downie’s death in a statement, was published just as a newscast was ending. …
Throwback Thursday – Multiple Media Mishaps
I have the reputation of being a Grammar Nazi. However, I’m not a grammar expert. I double-check myself before I post anything publicly and I still make mistakes. I learned a lot by having my first book edited by a bulldog of an editor (that’s a compliment) who was relentless in her pursuit of perfection. When I got my first draft back it looked like someone had coloured on the pages with markers. Those were the changes she insisted on making. It was at first depressing and then illuminating. …
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