1 OH, WHAT A NIGHT; LATE FEBRUARY, 2014 The City Of Regina passed a 4.9 plus one per cent property tax increase last night. Paul Dechene already wrote about this, but since Prairie Dog readers are too sophisticated to be media monogamous you’ll all want to read budget stories by Pat Book at CJME, Emma Graney at the Leader-Post and Anonymous Mystery Writer at the byline-free CBC.
2 BRAD WALL KEEPS RUNNING To no one’s surprise, Canada’s most popular premier says he will seek a third term.
3 FAMILY OF WOMAN KILLED IN BUS ACCIDENT SUES THE CITY OF REGINA I’m rooting for them.
4 UGANDA SUCKS Proving that no one can top a bigot for saying creepy things, Uganda’s president says gay oral sex gives you worms. Yes, he really said that. And he says it’s “science.”Yesterday the fucker signed a law that will imprison people for being gay. Meanwhile, a Ugandan tabloid published the names of “Uganda’s Top 200 Homos”, presumably in an attempt to have them murdered. Fortunately, the non-Russian world is taking notice, as countries cut or review their aid. Also under the spotlight: the North American Christian extremists who push for these evil laws and are every bit as loathsome as Ugandan prez Yoweri “Gayworm” Museveni . Bottom line: it’s pretty clear that a lot of marginalized, angry, frightened headcases want gay people dead. No one should pretend this isn’t the case, and it’s up to all of us sane people to push back.
5 JOHN BAIRD HEADS TO UKRAINE Yup. Prediction: he will yell at it until it’s fixed.
6 JUSTIN TRUDEAU: NOT AS FUNNY AS GREG BEATTY The Liberal leader says he’s apologized for his awkward joke about hockey and Ukraine violence, thank you very much.
7 LOTS OF CHEATING GOING ON; NOT MUCH UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS UNDERLYING AT LEAST SOME, IF NOT MOST, OF IT This CBC story looks at cheating in Canadian universities, which is apparently at epidemic levels. Missing from the story: how two decades of way-above-inflation tuition hikes, the rising cost of living and a loss of high-paying public sector summer jobs for young students often probably them to work too much, in turn undermining the quality of their education, creating pressure to cut corners and perpetrating a cynical attitude to education. Also not discussed: how ESL students might not be able to pass courses WITHOUT cheating. Basically, this story completely failed to put its information in context and got carried away with its “today’s young people ain’t gots no morals” undertones. Pathetic.
8 AN ADORABLE LEOPARD IS ON THE LOOSE AND FRIGHTENED IN MEERUT, INDIA I hope they catch it without hurting it. Poor beautiful thing.
WANT KAIJU NOW! The full trailer for the upcoming big-budget Godzilla movie looks GREAT. I will see this movie at least six times on its opening weekend. Well, possibly twice.