As you may have read, the University of Western Ontario has “rebranded” itself as Western University.

This news inspired me to do a bit of rebranding of my own in Monday’s column, with my suggestions for renaming local landmarks such as Victoria Park, Storybook Gardens and the JLC.

Maybe you’ve got some ideas, too. (They’re probably better than mine.) Drop me a comment and let’s see if we can “re-position” some of this city’s better-known sites and sayings.

That headline (“something inside me dies”) is from a lyric in a song from the Broadway musical How To Succeed in Business (Without Really Trying). The song is about coffee. And for many of us, I think it’s a fair — albeit sad — reflection of our daily dependence on caffeine.

In Monday’s column, I weigh in on the new “upsized” cups being offered at Tim Hortons, including the new “extra large” 24 ounce serving.

What about you? Ever wonder why Canadians tend to have such a warm and fuzzy relationship with this corporate stimulant seller? Ever tried to kick the habit? Ever give up coffee and feel good about it?

Let me know. (The coffee’s on me.)

For Monday’s column, I spoke to Joanne Burk, a St. Thomas wedding planner whose business, Preludes, also offers “proposal planning.”

If you think you need help popping the question, you can give Burke a call at 519-636-3557, or e-mail her at joanne@preludes.ca

Maybe you had the perfect proposal? Or suffered through an awkward disaster? Let me know in the comment section of this blog.

Forty-five years after it was founded, the Western Ontario branch of the English Speaking Union (ESU) is calling it quits.

What, you may ask, is the ESU? (Frankly, I wondered the same thing.) Well, the ESU is an international organization whose overall aim is to contribute to world peace and global friendship with an emphasis on communication (and communication, to state the obvious, in English).

In practical terms, the ESU encourages and promotes things like public speaking, essay writing and the teaching of English as a second language.  Local president Wilma Gummow says over the years, the local ESU offered about $1,200 to $1,500 in annual awards and scholarships, with an emphasis on ESL achievements.

Sadly, Gummow says the local group’s membership peaked in 1967 when it boasted about 700 members. Recently, however, only about 20 members have remained. And the group’s final meeting takes place Thursday (Jan. 12) at the Berkshire Club. National ESU president John Wright will attend.

What happened to the once-strong group?

“It’s a different world (now),” says Gummow, adding some people thought the group was “elitist,” while others were apparently put off by the “union” moniker.

I have to wonder, however, if the demise of the Western Ontario Branch ESU is simply another sign of our collective disinterest in language and formal communication. In a world of instant e-mails and ungrammatical 140-character Tweets, there seems little enthusiasm for writing essays or public speaking.