A look at Alberta’s referen-dumbs

Election day in Alberta is Monday, Oct. 18. Wait, you may be saying, didn’t we just have an election? Very observant of you. Yes, we did have an election, but of the federal kind. This one is the civic election, and it is in many ways much more important than a federal vote. Whereas your…

Things to be sort of thankful for this weekend

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone. Or, as Americans call it, Canadian Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a day Canadians set aside to be thankful, as opposed to the just completed Truth and Reconciliation Day, which is set aside to be shameful. I prefer Thanksgiving, because it comes with food.  (By the way, couldn’t Justin Trudeau have waited until…

A few words about words and phrases we should drop

One of the pleasures of writing a blog is that I can vent about trivial things that previously only my wife and sons had the privilege to hear. So this week, in lieu of a blog complaining about the results of the election or about COVID deniers (I’m going to avoid that landmine, for this…

Winners, and losers, in the election that should not have been

So, the federal election – the shortest allowed by law – is over. Did you notice it was happening?  Anyway, let’s take a look at what we have learned, if anything. • Justin Trudeau is a winner. He’s a winner in that he is still the prime minister. Despite leading a government of spendthrift incompetents,…

Why I’m sitting out this cynical, shameful election

The woman in the photo below looks like any suburban soccer mom, late 30s to early 40s. She has a little girl in front of her, presumably her daughter.  The woman’s mouth is open in a picture of pure rage. Both middle fingers are raised proudly above her head. Even her daughter is screaming, but…

Plenty of blame to share for current COVID crisis

A lot of stupid stuff has been written about the pandemic over the past year. (Year and a half? Two years? Seems like forever.) Here’s an example of one of the dumber statements, from July 4, 2021: “Yes, I know, the crisis isn’t officially over, and it may never be. There will be spikes in…

A rumination on the month of September …

Ask anyone to name their least favourite month, and September will make the list.  It’s not as bad as February (how could such a short month seem so long?). It doesn’t have the ominous death row feel of November. But September is, well, melancholic.  September is still mostly a summer month. The average daily high…

Would-be Jeopardy! host becomes a future Jeopardy! answer

As you know, there were three big stories in the world this past week.  First, Justin Trudeau’s “snap” election call that everyone saw coming for months. Second, the collapse of Afghanistan, resulting in every Afghanistan “expert” saying, “Wow. I did NOT see that coming.” And third, the hiring and immediate retirement of new Jeopary! host…

I attend my first COVID-era gathering. It was weird.

On Saturday, for the first time since God knows when, I attended a large scale event with thousands of other humanoids in attendance. The event was rife with the utter weirdness and sometimes straight out stupidity of the new world we are living in. The event was an Edmonton Eski … sorry, ‘Elks’ game. (Until…

Skip the hip, Olympics, and stick with real sports

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are nearing the half-way point. A few of you will be bleary-eyed from watching synchronized three-man fencing at 4 a.m., or something like that. Most of you will be saying, “Wait, how is this the 2020 Olympics? This is 2021, right?” Very astute observation. Yes, this is officially the 2020 Olympics,…