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. …
If you’ve never had reason to buy advertising on Facebook, let me tell you that it works. You can micro-target your ad to reach the narrowest of demographics. Do you want to appeal only to Moms in their 30s with two children who belong to Pinterest and eat only organic arugula? Done. Or you can blanket the whole FB population. You control it and you set the budget. You pay by the click. It’s cheap and it’s effective. …
Facebook is Stalking Me Read More »
This novel was one of the darlings of Canadian publishing last year. It was nominated for this, won that, short-listed for something else – does it bother you that I didn’t even share the specific prizes? That’s kind of what reading this book is like. …
Review: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall Read More »
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 »
A few months ago, a journalist with The Toronto Star contacted me for permission to use parts of a blog post I wrote last year about the Symphony of Fire, the fireworks competition that used to be held at Ontario Place. …
Looking for something different to do last Friday, my pal Jenn suggested we check out the new broadcasting exhibit at Museum London. At the time, we didn’t realize it was the second anniversary of the death of our then-patriarch at Free-FM, Richard Costley-White. Fitting that we had stood in front of his photo at the Museum and remembered what a good guy he was. …
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 »
When someone who woke up at the crack of stupid as long as Erin Davis did gives you a recommendation that she says will make wake-up time easier, you listen. You don’t have to wake up at 3:15 am to relate, but it helps. …
I’ve Seen the Light Read More »
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but I’m not a big jewellery nut. Oh, I can appreciate but I don’t often covet. When Derek and decided to get married I explicitly told him I didn’t want an engagement ring. There isn’t much in the way of bling that I wish I had for my own. Except for a Pandora bracelet. They’re beautiful and customizable and I’ve always wanted one. …
It’s been less than two years since I left Free-FM but sometimes it feels like decades. Derek and I both made some great friends there and there’s a photo of one in particular that makes me LOL every time. …
Throwback Thursday – Free to Be Read More »
Not all scientific studies are created equal. Having been a radio broadcaster for a long time, I also know how they can get distilled down to a couple of sentences of highlights, potentially making a worldwide study of thousands of people sound as credible as a small study of twenty. It rests on the public to look deeper into the data, but only three out of ten will bother in a stat I just made up.
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Studying the Studies Read More »
I used to own sleeplessness as a part of my personal profile. Because I get up so early, retire so early and nap in between, I felt my complicated relationship with sleep was special. We’re on-again, off-again. Sometimes sleep turns into a total bitch and won’t even text me back. Sleep crank-calls me in the middle of the night and just breathes and stands me up on a regular basis. …