OK, I’m well aware Stuff Happened this past week. Justin Trudeau had his knuckles rapped for accepting an all-expenses paid trip on a private island, courtesy the Aga Khan some sort of religious leader/zillionaire. Trudeau claimed that the Aga Khan was a “close family friend”, when in fact the last
Continue readingAuthor: Maurice Tougas
In This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 50: The year in Google
In lieu of an actual look at the past week, here’s a look at last year, as tabulated by most popular searches on Google. Here in Canada, Hurricane Irma was the top search for the year, even though it never touched Canada. Surprisingly, the no. 2 overall search was Meghan
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 49: Pure Canadiana
I’ve written so much stuff about American political craziness (more to come, I’m sure), I feel that I’ve been neglecting my home and native land. So this week, let us turn our gaze inward. First, let’s go to Quebec, the Florida of Canada, the province that passed a law earlier
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 46: Trump loses it.
I swear I didn’t want to write another word about Donald Trump. But some weeks – almost any week, in fact – he’s inescapable. So, with apologies, here we go again… When the history of the Donald Trump presidency is written (my guess is sometime around mid-2018), Dec. 1, 2017
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, weeks 44 & 45: Men behaving badly
This is not a good time to be a male. Every day, we are revealed to be dirtbags. It all began with Harvey Weinstein. Once, this Oscar-winning deal maker was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Now, he’s its leading pariah. Weinstein’s long, long history of sexually harassing
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 43: It’s all politics, folks.
As you may recall, last week Premier Rachael Notley and her sneaky government laid a trap for the new leader of the united conservatives, Jason Kenney. Making a mountain out of a molehill, the government introduced a bill to make it illegal for teachers to “out” kids who joined school
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 42: When terrorism becomes routine
There was a terrorist attack in New York this week. A self-professed ISIS disciple used a rented truck to run down pedestrians and cyclists on a busy New York street, killing eight. Using rented vehicles to mow down pedestrians is the favoured tactic of these would-be terrorists; here in Edmonton
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 41: Now the hard part begins for the UPC
The United Conservative Party – somehow fresh-faced and old at the same time – has chosen its first leader. Jason Kenney, a career politician who has spent his entire life has been devoted to right- Someone has a lousy poker face. wing politics and causes, is the first leader
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 40: The photo-op PM wearing thin
The bloom is off the Justin Trudeau rose, and the opposition (and much of the media) is in full attack mode. The government is in mid-term stumble right now, lurching from one self-imposed miscue from the other. The government’s attempts at tax reforms – always promoted as aimed only at
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 39: The world of perpetual crisis
I’m too young to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis (what a pleasure, for once, to be ‘too young’ to remember something). From what I know of it, it sounds like a truly terrifying time. The USSR was installing nukes on Cuba, within easy reach of the U.S. mainland. The U.S.,
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 38: Trans Canada pulls the plug; Vegas joins the club
Pipeline builder Trans Canada dropped a bomb on the Liberal government on Thursday when it cancelled its $15.7-billion proposed Energy East pipeline, which was designed to carry 1.1-million barrels a day of Western crude to Eastern refineries and export terminals.. The reason, according to Trans Canada: “changed circumstances”. Hmmm. An
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 37: Terrorism in my backyard
You know that it could happen in your town. You just don’t expect that it will. I went to the Edmonton Eskimo game last night, and as I entered the stadium I was struck by how much security there is today. Bags are searched, and for some reason wands were
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 36: Trudeau vs. Trump
Donald Trump, the increasingly, dangerously irrational U.S. president, addressed the UN General Assembly this week. So, too, did Justin Trudeau, the poster boy for all that is liberal in the world. Their addresses could not be more different, which is to be expected. And thank God for that. Trump was
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 35: A game as old as hockey itself.
There was big news from Alberta’s second city this week — the Calgary Flames are unhappy. And if the Flames are unhappy, ain’t nobody happy. As you may have heard, the Flames and the City of Calgary have been haggling over the construction of a new arena for some time.
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 34: Dear Earth …
Dear Earth: This is a difficult letter for us to write, but something has to be said. Are you mad at us? I mean, seriously, seriously angry? It sure seems that way. I mean, just look at your attitude of late. You sent a hurricane named Harvey to batter poor
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 33: Water, water, everywhere …
Houston and much of Texas was devastated this week by Hurricane Harvey, or Wally, or Larry, or whatever it was called. (Note to the people who name hurricanes: if you know it’s going to be a big one, give it a powerful name. Hurricane Harvey doesn’t exactly inspire fear, but
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 32: The history police strike!
The Ontario elementary school teachers’ federation has voted to ask the provincial government to remove the name of Sir John. A. Macdonald from Ontario schools. According to the teachers’ union (sorry, that should be ‘federation’), Macdonald is the architect of the “genocide” of Canada’s Aboriginal people. Yes, it has come to
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 31: Isn’t summer supposed to be a quiet time?
The world is truly moving too fast. Or at least it is in the United States of America, the flickering beacon of democracy. It seems like more stuff happened in the States in the past week than we experience in a typical month, or even a year. For simplicity’s sake,
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 30: Bad boy gets caught with hands in cookie jar
The political career of Derek Fildebrandt is coming to an end. We hope. Fildebrandt, the United Conservative Party (and fanantical former Wildrose) MLA for Strathmore-Brooks, was revealed last week to be cashing in on his taxpayer-supported rental apartment in downtown Edmonton. Out-of-town MLAs get $23,160 a year to own or
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 29: Western nation in crisis … guess which one.
An important democracy in the Western Hemisphere is lurching towards a dictatorship after the election of a crazed, megalomaniacal leader. And no, this isn’t another blog about Donald Trump. (Betcha ya didn’t see THAT coming, did ya?) No, this week, it’s Venezuela. We don’t hear much about Venezuela. To be
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