1. GOODBYE, WHATCOTT? An entertaining hatemonger says he’s moved to the Philippines. Here’s Bill Whatcott’s open letter. I interviewed Whatcott in January and enjoyed meeting him — Whatcott is charismatic, and honest about his bigoted and ignorant beliefs. I sort of like him. The fact remains he spreads factually incorrect and harmful information about topics from sexuality to climate change. Whatcott also uses dehumanizing language for vulnerable minorities — his fondness for the term “sodomite” (the LGBT version of the N-word) is despicable. Canadians can feel proud that people like Whatcott no longer feel welcome in this country. It’s worrying he’s moved to a place where there might be a bigger audience for his beliefs, though.
2. TWO COPS SHOT IN FERGUSON Sounds like they’re okay, unlike the African Americans U.S. police like killing.
3. A NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD Read more here. Sorry for the auto-playing videos; the Leader-Post’s advertising department doesn’t understand how the Internet is supposed to work. I’d link to another news site if I could.
4. PEOPLE SAID SOMETHING AND GOT IN TROUBLE A University Of Regina trivia night is apparently looking for new hosts.
5. LOCKING PEOPLE UP TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS Canada’s Conservative justice minister, who does “not know how many released murderers kill again,” wants new laws to keep murderers behind bars for life. Yeah, well, there are cases where criminals should never be released from jail, but grandstanding yahoos like Peter “I Love Assault Rifles” Mackay who just want to score political points are not qualified to join the conversation on what to do about them.
6. IT’S HARD TO BE ORIGINAL A Regina musician talks about the problem with the “Blurred Lines” ruling. A musician once told me about the time he accidentally composed “I’m Walking On Sunshine”. Graphic designer Paul Rand paraphrased a famous quote, saying “don’t try to be original. Just try to be good”. It’s tough to be good if all the culture that inspires artists is locked up in a legal safe where no one can play with it.
7. THE 21ST CENTURY UNIVERSITY IS BUILT ON THE EXPLOITED BACKS OF YOUNGER GENERATIONS Did you know there are epic strikes at the University Of Toronto and York University? It’s another example of a Canada with less hope and opportunity today than it had 30 years ago.
8. CALGARY WOMEN KILLED BY WHALE Shitty.
9. LIFE EXPECTANCY PLUMMETS IN SYRIA Dropped 20 years.
10. THE AGE OF HUMANS STARTED IN 1610 Good article by The Stranger’s Charles Mudede on the new Anthropocene era.
11. REST IN PEACE, TERRY PRATCHETT A beloved author passes away.
VIDEO: MR. HOLMES This upcoming movie looks interesting!