There are two types of people on this continent: those who have read and loved the 30+-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces and those who have never heard of it. Oh, and a third type – me. I’ve read the book and I still don’t know what the heck to make of it. …
Up until about the 1980s, Belfast, Maine was the world’s chicken-processing capital. Then, like car-makers high-tailing it out of Detroit, the chicken companies left Belfast for other parts of the world, taking with them jobs and the town’s economic engine. Now reinvented as a lobster and ship-repair hub, Belfast is a model for how other towns can survive after a similar downfall. …
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, is a sunny, sandy spot where Derek’s family traveled to a time or two when he was young. If you know Grand Bend, imagine its main drag opposite the beach and about 10 times as long. That’s Hampton Beach, which is beautiful and pristine and popular. …
While we’re on vacation, I’m reposting some of my favourite blog posts of the past.Â
I know, I know, there are some people who would say “Never!”  But Smart Money in the US claims to reveal the best times to buy certain items.  They claim it also translates to Canadian retailers, so let’s give it a look, shall we? …
While we’re on vacation, I’m rerunning some of my favourite blog posts.Â
I guess I never did receive a photo from the time I met Jane Fonda because I have looked everywhere and asked everyone I can think of with no luck. But I did meet her and had a delightful chat, backstage after she gave a talk at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, for which I had a front row seat. …
While we’re on vacation, I’m reposting some of my favourite blog posts of the past.Â
The most grizzled founding member of The Rolling Stones has told his fascinating life story in a thick volume that quickly jumped onto the best-seller lists. …
While we’re on vacation, I’m rerunning some of my favourite blog posts.Â
It was cold when we started out on our riding adventure. Â Once you get moving on a motorcycle -3 degree conditions turn much chillier and the wind whips your face into a froth. My riding goggles proved woefully inadequate and tears poured from both eyes as the frigid air permeated several layers of clothing. …
While we’re on vacation, I’m rerunning some of my favourite blog posts of the past.Â
Did that title grab you? It sure got me when I saw it on CNN and even more so once I realized Dr. Sanjay Gupta was presenting these five baddies with Men’s Health Magazine. I watched the video so you don’t have to. So what are they? …
Early on in my career, I undervalued myself and took a lower salary than I was worth. In a couple of cases, I later discovered that I could have earned a lot more. If I had had a little more confidence and faith in myself, I would have negotiated harder. It’s something I eventually learned to do. …
Concussions have cut short the careers of many athletes and caused the early deaths of thousands of them; professionals, children and weekend warriors. …
What are you watching? Seriously…I need a show to get hooked on. …
Aside from the questions about the timeline and who knew what when and should have told whom, the bottom line is that last week, our police prevented innocent people from getting hurt or killed. To say that the people of nearby Strathroy were shocked by the detonation of an explosion and the killing of Aaron Driver on a residential street, is like saying Michael Phelps is a pretty good swimmer. The RCMP limited the tragedy to one life, instead of whoever was unlucky enough to be in London’s City Centre that night. (Driver died inside a cab and had told the driver that’s where he wanted to go.)Â …
My regular job as newscaster and cohost of the News/Talk 1290 morning show is challenging enough. Filling in on The Live Drive for a week while Andy Oudman was on vacation gave me flashbacks to the years I hosted Midday on Hamilton’s 900 CHML. This, my friends, is work! …
Spice is sick. How sick, we weren’t sure, so we took him to the vet on Wednesday morning. Taking a senior cat to a vet is like logging onto webMD. The symptoms could be the common cold, or deadly cancer! …
A couple of weeks ago, a former star basketball player from Southern Mississippi was shot and killed not far from a high school in Chicago on a Monday afternoon as he was heading into the school’s gym to work out. The story made headlines in Canada because Jonathan Mills used to play for the London Lightning of the Canadian Basketball Leagues. As soon as I heard the story I thought, “slippers”. Â …
A couple of years ago, I was hired by a local First Nations group to speak to their chiefs about media relations. They were finding it difficult to talk to reporters and to get stories reported accurately, and wanted some tips. I came away from that session with a tough realization: I had taken on a mild form of racism through osmosis in my years in media, and didn’t even know it. Â …
This motorcycle mama is coming off the road. Â …
This week I’m hosting an afternoon drive show. …