It’s summer here in the Great Green North, the brief respite from the snow and cold and ceaseless hockey talk. Or at least that’s supposed to be the way it goes. While there are no reports of winter weather, hockey news just never goes away. This week, the obsessive fan base of the Edmonton Oilers […]
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In This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 22: Muhammad Ali, when boxing mattered
The death on Friday of Muhammad Ali, described by the New York Times as a “titan of boxing and the 20th century” reminded me of a time when boxing mattered. There was a time, before Ali and for a while after he retired, when boxing was one of the premiere sports in the world. Everyone […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 3: The slow death of the daily newspaper
And so, the era of competitive newspapers in Canada has come to an end. This week, the wretched Postmedia group consolidated the newsrooms in four cities where they own both papers, including Edmonton. The Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Sun — once bitter foes whose rivalry benefited Edmonton — are now together in one newsroom, […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Still Happens, week 2: Caution, bad news ahead
Hoo-boy, what a bad news week for Alberta, and Canada. Oil continued its slide, falling to below $30 a barrel. The Canadian dollar continued its slide, falling to below 70 cents US. If it weren’t for the fact that Mexico already has the peso, we’d be calling the loonie the peso of North America. Thanks […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 51: It was a very bad year
Well, I did it. And I’m sure you’re thrilled. When I started writing this blog, I vowed to write a weekly review of events as I saw them. I did it mostly as a personal challenge, a way to instil a little discipline in my undisciplined life, and to boost my memory of the events […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Why I’ll be last in line for the new Star Wars movie
You may or may not have heard this, but a new Star Wars movie comes out this week. It seems like its kind of a big deal, just a little less anticipated than the second coming of Christ (Jesus Christ II: The Rapturing, coming soon to a planet near you). Typically when a much anticipated […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 47: Farmers raising hell; this week’s gun atrocity
I have to say I am greatly enjoying watching the NDP government squirm over Bill 6, their farm safety bill. The bill would force farms to apply the same safety regulations that apply in other industries, something that is commonplace across the country. I don’t disagree with this at all; in fact, I think it […]
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 43: ‘Trudeau II: The son also rises’ makes its debut; pipeline politics
It’s now official — Prime Minister Trudeau. For those of us of a certain age, that has a familiar ring. Now, I’m not a naturally optimistic person. I see myself as more of a realist. However, I’m strangely optimistic about our new government. Maybe it’s just the residual joy of
Continue readingIn This Corner: The supplement conundrum
As an OMIT (Old Man in Training is an acronym I just now made up. I think it’s pretty cool, but then, I’m an Old Man in Training), I am increasingly concerned about my health. Overall, I’m pretty healthy, at least I think so. My health care plan is quite
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Will Ferrell does a mock music video of gangster rap – and it’s a scathingly hilarious critique of the genre
A musical commentary, followed by social and political analysis, followed by hilarious spoof rap videos, and more This is scathingly funny. Will Ferrell does a mock music video of macho gangster rap. Man, how I despise that music. As Rage Against the Machine said, “So-called rap’s a fraud.” Worse, most
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 41: World notices Canada, enjoy it while you can.
Canadians, forever the neglected middle child in the family of nations, are always weirdly excited when the world pays us any attention. So worldwide reaction to the election of Justin Trudeau got media play this week, as the world is briefly paying attention to Canada in a way not seen
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 41: World notices Canada, enjoy it while you can.
Canadians, forever the neglected middle child in the family of nations, are always weirdly excited when the world pays us any attention. So worldwide reaction to the election of Justin Trudeau got media play this week, as the world is briefly paying attention to Canada in a way not seen
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 35: Refugees keep coming; Liz sets employment record
The European refugee crisis continued unabated this week, and the numbers are staggering. For example, Germany has announced that it will accept 500,000 refugees. Every year. For several years. Germany is a big country, with 81 million people, but a half-million refugees every year for several years is an awful
Continue readingIn This Corner: Stuff Happens, week 35: Refugees keep coming; Liz sets employment record
The European refugee crisis continued unabated this week, and the numbers are staggering. For example, Germany has announced that it will accept 500,000 refugees. Every year. For several years. Germany is a big country, with 81 million people, but a half-million refugees every year for several years is an awful
Continue readingIn This Corner: The Pain Campaign, week 4: Nothing happens, so I make some stuff up
The interminable Canadian election campaign is now one-month old. In the pre-Harper days, the election would have been over by now, and we would all be celebrating the end of the Harper horror show (let us pray). But thanks to Harper’s shameless manipulation of the system, the campaign has barely
Continue readingmark a rayner: Fahrenheit 1600
The Amazon servers take even more heating… Alltop is hot for the funny. Cartoon via Hungry for Knowledge.
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Ask General Kang: How can I get more respect?
It depends on how much respect you’re looking for, really. I mean, if you just want your friends, family and neighbours to respect you then it should be pretty easy. From what I can see, your smaller primate groupings here … Continue reading →
Continue readingIn This Corner: Everything I’ve taught my sons: a Father’s Day tribute to me
Hey, everybody, it’s Father’s Day! I feel I have to remind you, my minimal readership, of this fact. Father’s Day has always been the distant, definitely poorer relative of Mother’s Day. I don’t know who created Father’s Day (the tie makers’ cartel is a good bet), but I’m guessing it
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Salathial Turgid, Hanging Judge
The O’Reilly Boys finally caught up with Old Judge Turgid at the Annual Pecos River Ride and Chili Jamboree. Salathial had hung their older brother Seamus “The Tinkle” O’Reilly just the year before and they were plum angry. But Old … Continue reading →
Continue readingIn This Corner: It would actually be awesome if we stopped using ‘no worries’.
I’m the kind of guy who just wants to make the world a better place (mostly for me). But I can’t do this by myself, of course. I’m only one barely employed, mostly unemployable, rapidly aging male, so I’ll need your help. My goal today is to eliminate three common
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