0°Recent Blog Posts - In This Corner
Nothing to fear this Halloween
I was never a big fan of Halloween as a kid. I always had a fear of being mugged by bigger kids who might rip open my pillow case and steal my hard-earned booty. And, growing up in Edmonton, it wasn’t much fun to wear a snowsuit under a costume. But most kids love Halloween,…
Published at In This Corner
I was never a big fan of Halloween as a kid. I always had a fear of being mugged by bigger kids who might rip open my pillow case and steal my hard-earned booty. And, growing up in Edmonton, it wasn’t much fun to wear a snowsuit under a costume. But most kids love Halloween,…
Published at In This Corner
The (almost forgotten) October Crisis
In October 1970, Canada was looking pretty good, at least in the eyes of a 14-year-old boy, mainly me. An avid newspaper reader in the early stages of a long addiction to news, I was pretty confident that Canada was just the best and safest place to live. While student protestors were shot dead a...
Published at In This Corner
In October 1970, Canada was looking pretty good, at least in the eyes of a 14-year-old boy, mainly me. An avid newspaper reader in the early stages of a long addiction to news, I was pretty confident that Canada was just the best and safest place to live. While student protestors were shot dead a...
Published at In This Corner
R.I.P U.S.A.
I confess to being kind of excited to watch the first presidential debate between Democrat Joseph R. Biden II (his full New York Times title), and Trump party candidate Donald J. (Jackass? Jerk? Juvenile?) Trump. And for about a half-hour, it delivered plenty of laughs and so many jaw dropping mo...
Published at In This Corner
I confess to being kind of excited to watch the first presidential debate between Democrat Joseph R. Biden II (his full New York Times title), and Trump party candidate Donald J. (Jackass? Jerk? Juvenile?) Trump. And for about a half-hour, it delivered plenty of laughs and so many jaw dropping mo...
Published at In This Corner
Everything I know about Britain I’ve learned from TV
As a forced-into-retirement man approaching senior citizenship, I watch a lot of TV. Actually, I’ve always watched a lot of TV. When I was a kid, when we had just three channels, I knew exactly what was on TV at any time of the evening. If we didn’t have the TV listings, family member...
Published at In This Corner
As a forced-into-retirement man approaching senior citizenship, I watch a lot of TV. Actually, I’ve always watched a lot of TV. When I was a kid, when we had just three channels, I knew exactly what was on TV at any time of the evening. If we didn’t have the TV listings, family member...
Published at In This Corner
Telus v. Shaw: Pick your poison
Here’s a test: get together with friends and/or family (at a safe distance, of course), and ask them if they use Shaw or Telus for their TV and internet needs. Then ask them who has had a bad experience with Shaw or Telus. My guess is everyone. Here in the People’s Republic of Alberta...
Published at In This Corner
Here’s a test: get together with friends and/or family (at a safe distance, of course), and ask them if they use Shaw or Telus for their TV and internet needs. Then ask them who has had a bad experience with Shaw or Telus. My guess is everyone. Here in the People’s Republic of Alberta...
Published at In This Corner
The Trump that Ate America
When the Democrats held their virtual convention to crown Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (this is the actual way the New York Times describes Biden), I didn’t watch a moment of it. I knew the Democrats and their roster of celebrities would be predictably pious and politically correct to a fault. So-o...
Published at In This Corner
When the Democrats held their virtual convention to crown Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (this is the actual way the New York Times describes Biden), I didn’t watch a moment of it. I knew the Democrats and their roster of celebrities would be predictably pious and politically correct to a fault. So-o...
Published at In This Corner
Hey, Edmonton. Put down that beer and grow up
doesn’t have much to celebrate these days. The Oilers of the NHL exited the faux Stanley Cup playoffs in almost the fastest manner possible. There is no CFL team to cheer for this year, and even if there was a season, we wouldn’t know what to call them. In our fight against COVID-19, ...
Published at In This Corner
doesn’t have much to celebrate these days. The Oilers of the NHL exited the faux Stanley Cup playoffs in almost the fastest manner possible. There is no CFL team to cheer for this year, and even if there was a season, we wouldn’t know what to call them. In our fight against COVID-19, ...
Published at In This Corner
Adieu, Dr. Foth
In my checkered 40-plus year career in and out of the newspaper business, I’ve written hundreds of opinion columns. I started at the Fort Saskatchewan Record (sports, amazingly), spent many mostly happy years pontificating at the Red Deer Advocate, then many more years blathering on in the ...
Published at In This Corner
In my checkered 40-plus year career in and out of the newspaper business, I’ve written hundreds of opinion columns. I started at the Fort Saskatchewan Record (sports, amazingly), spent many mostly happy years pontificating at the Red Deer Advocate, then many more years blathering on in the ...
Published at In This Corner
Hockey in August? Pass
So it’s a 30C day in August, and the Stanley Cup playoffs are in full gear. What’s wrong with this picture? Everything. The only ice I want to see in August is in my rye and Coke. (Confession: I don’t drink rye and Coke, and I don’t even know if you use ice in a…
Published at In This Corner
So it’s a 30C day in August, and the Stanley Cup playoffs are in full gear. What’s wrong with this picture? Everything. The only ice I want to see in August is in my rye and Coke. (Confession: I don’t drink rye and Coke, and I don’t even know if you use ice in a…
Published at In This Corner
Us versus U.S. We’re not the same, kids
A lot of Canadians – particularly young, American-media obsessed Canadians who have never been taught enough about their own country – seem to believe that Canada and the United States are basically the same country. The best example of this is the phoney controversy over the name of the Edmonton...
Published at In This Corner
A lot of Canadians – particularly young, American-media obsessed Canadians who have never been taught enough about their own country – seem to believe that Canada and the United States are basically the same country. The best example of this is the phoney controversy over the name of the Edmonton...
Published at In This Corner
Is this the end of ‘the E word’?
As you may know, there is a controversy over the name of the Edmonton Canadian Football League franchise. Various Edmonton teams have been known as the Eskimos since 1903, and the current organization has been Eskimos since its founding in 1949. But recently, some (but certainly not all) members ...
Published at In This Corner
As you may know, there is a controversy over the name of the Edmonton Canadian Football League franchise. Various Edmonton teams have been known as the Eskimos since 1903, and the current organization has been Eskimos since its founding in 1949. But recently, some (but certainly not all) members ...
Published at In This Corner
Gun crazy
As a Father’s Day gift, my youngest son Blake took me to the Wild West Shooting Centre at West Edmonton Mall so we could share some father-son blasting time. During our day out, I discovered something amazing – Blake is 29 years old! Who knew? Oh, and I also discovered that shooting guns is...
Published at In This Corner
As a Father’s Day gift, my youngest son Blake took me to the Wild West Shooting Centre at West Edmonton Mall so we could share some father-son blasting time. During our day out, I discovered something amazing – Blake is 29 years old! Who knew? Oh, and I also discovered that shooting guns is...
Published at In This Corner
It’s a puzzlement …
These are difficult times. I know this because every second commercial on TV mentions ‘these difficult times’ (TDT). They are so difficult, in fact, that I just want to punch the next person who says ‘these difficult times’. But that’s not my topic. Since most of us ...
Published at In This Corner
These are difficult times. I know this because every second commercial on TV mentions ‘these difficult times’ (TDT). They are so difficult, in fact, that I just want to punch the next person who says ‘these difficult times’. But that’s not my topic. Since most of us ...
Published at In This Corner
Trump goes nuts, and Trudeau gets his moment
You’ve got to hand it to Donald Trump. Just when you think he couldn’t go any lower, he digs himself deeper. The man’s consistency is amazing. Trump was in full maniac mode this past week. With his country spiralling towards near anarchy, Trump chose not to address his troubled ...
Published at In This Corner
You’ve got to hand it to Donald Trump. Just when you think he couldn’t go any lower, he digs himself deeper. The man’s consistency is amazing. Trump was in full maniac mode this past week. With his country spiralling towards near anarchy, Trump chose not to address his troubled ...
Published at In This Corner
America is burning
I’ve always pictured Minnesota as being as close to a Canadian province as you’ll find in the United States. It’s northern, it’s cold, and it’s nice. So watching the city of Minneapolis set ablaze by protestors this past week – with the utterly surreal sight of a pol...
Published at In This Corner
I’ve always pictured Minnesota as being as close to a Canadian province as you’ll find in the United States. It’s northern, it’s cold, and it’s nice. So watching the city of Minneapolis set ablaze by protestors this past week – with the utterly surreal sight of a pol...
Published at In This Corner
