Did you check getting squished in a crowd or contracting measles off your summer to-do list?
I just want to lay by the lake!
July 13, 2025
It’s not all doom and gloom
It’s sunny! I just love summer — the weather, my porcelain skin getting a little tan and a schedule filled with fun times like concerts and trips to the beach. Unfortunately for us, summer this year includes some not super inspiring news events. Whether it’s the perils of the Calgary Stampede, rising measles cases or the tariffs that have plagued this entire year, the news is providing us with a bleak view of our summer vacation.
So with that in mind (and the substantial info I have to share with you below) let’s talk about what we love about the season instead!
With that in mind, take a little break for yourself after you read this week’s edition of Not That Clueless. Staying informed isn’t all bad!
Let’s get into it.
Get a clue
Triple stabbing at Calgary Stampede on Tuesday. As Calgarians wrap up the final weekend of Stampede, citizens are reflecting on the stabbing that happened July 8, leaving three teens badly injured. Attendance that day was at an all-time high, with a record breaking 193,000 individuals making their way through the grounds, many to see Don Toliver on the Coca-Cola Stage, the free outdoor spot that hosts a number of shows throughout the 10-day festival. For non-locals, the story might not have any implications but breaking down how something like this happens might help us better understand crowd control in a Canadian setting. With so many people on the grounds, how are festivals preventing potentially dangerous incidents?
The entrance to Stampede sees security guards briefly looking through purses and sending each attendee through a metal detector. During the concert, fans of Don Toliver were being squished together in large crowds while temperatures peaked at 30 C. It’s not the first year complaints have surfaced over the functionality of having big name musicians on the stage — last year, rapper Logic performed to huge crowds, raising safety concerns. /CTV News
New Cowboys location prompts resident complaints. Since we’re talking about Stampede, local Calgary residents aren’t too pleased with festival tents this year. If you’re not from here, it’s important to know that Stampede isn’t confined to the grounds themselves. Stampede tents set up all around the city, including Cowboys Park and Badlands Music Festival, which are in the middle of residential neighbourhoods. Big acts like Megan Moroney, Macklemore, Disclosure and Zedd are some of the ticketed shows playing in these partially outdoor venues, and sounds have regularly been disruptive to nearby residents. Personally, if I’m not participating in Stampede, I’m leaving the city in part because of the noise at my downtown apartment. So far, it looks like city councillors aren’t too concerned about making any major efforts to change these negative effects for locals. /Global News
Alberta to ban books deemed sexually explicit from school libraries. Alberta’s education minister has issued a ministerial order to restrict books from school libraries that are deemed to be “too sexually explicit.” The deadline is set for Oct. 1, when schools must update their policies around content included in their libraries and remove any books not deemed appropriate. All books that contain explicit sexual content (think clear sexual acts) will be removed, but libraries will also not be permitted to provide students in Grade 9 or below with material that contains non-explicit sexual content, like unclear or indirect depictions of sexual acts. This does not include references to menstruation, puberty or romantic relationships.
Book banning has become an increasingly polarizing issue — many advocate for open access to books for all ages, while others claim to seeking bans as a protection for children. The issue comes up in a story I’ve previously recommended by my MRU colleague Rachel Ward who works for The Fifth Estate, called A shadow war against libraries. If you want to know more about the political motivation for book banning, I recommend checking that investigation out. /The Globe and Mail
Trump’s latest tariff threats. Are you getting as sick of hearing about this as me? The latest on tariffs is U.S. President Donald Trump threatening a 35 per cent tariff rate to be applied to goods currently being tariffed at 25 per cent. He claims this rate would take effect on Aug. 1, but even Trump himself isn’t too sure about that. “These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” the president wrote at the end of a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney. CBC is doing an excellent job at rounding up tariff updates so keep an eye on the story linked here. /CBC News
Japan and Canada ink key intel-sharing deal. It seems that international free trade isn’t the only thing on Canada’s agenda. Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand signed the Security of Information Agreement (SIA) alongside her Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya Tuesday in Tokyo. While some details of the agreement are classified, the SIA is designed to allow the exchange of national security-related data and facilitate two-way defence procurements. The agreement would regulate how sensitive information is shared, handled, stored and disposed of by the two sides. /The Japan Times
UPDATE: Alberta has highest measles cases per capita in North America. With summer travel well underway, Alberta is still not doing great on the measles front. A former Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mark Joffe says Alberta has twice the rate of confirmed cases compared to Ontario. Since March, 1,230 people have been infected. Measles can spread through coughing and sneezing, meaning crowded events like Calgary Stampede are a potential breeding ground if someone with measles is in attendance. /CP24
Shortages at Gaza hospital force newborns to share incubators. Palestinians are struggling in Gaza, and the latest update from the area is bleak. Shortages of necessary supplies are forcing difficult decisions, including this video which talks about newborns sharing incubators. Additional updates have included around 800 people being killed in six weeks while receiving aid in Gaza and a lack of diapers and baby formula putting young children at risk. /The Globe and Mail
That’s my OPINION!
Let’s step away from talking about the practice of journalism today and return to the tried and true opinion section. Now that we’re in the dog days of summer and temperatures are at their hottest, it’s no surprise that I’ve been featuring wildfires in the newsletter over the past few weeks. But something particularly interesting caught my attention this week. Check out the TikTok below before you keep reading.
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I’m sorry, but are you actually joking? As you can predict, the comments are not positive — the question being, of course, is why do these lawmakers seem to think we can simply stop smoke from crossing the border? Unfortunately for us all, an increase in wildfires are one of the many effects of climate change, and they aren’t restricted by geographical borders. On another note, many commenters are also criticizing the U.S. by pointing out that when they were dealing with wildfires (re: Los Angeles) we sent assistance to help fight the fires, but when Canada is dealing with a similar event, it’s not their problem.
This is just one topic that has seen Canadians at their wits end with our neighbours down south, but it raises a much more important issue, which is that we should really all be paying a little more attention to the devastating effects of climate change. One of my favourite sources for staying updated on the topic is the excellent work being produced by The Narwhal, an independent, non-profit publication that focuses on environmental reporting. For more insight, you can visit their ongoing wildfires in Canada page.
Extra, extra
I don’t have a lot to tell you about myself this week. In reflecting on the first edition of the newsletter (which BTW, was 14 Sundays ago!) I thought I would revisit the short recommendation section format that points you towards some fun entertainment and culture instead of just talking about myself, no matter how much I love to do that.
Love Island USA season 7 is approaching its end, and after an explosively popular season 6, expectations were high. Instead, this season is riddled with controversy. One long standing contestant, Cierra Ortega, recently left the show, and it’s speculated the exit was because of online backlash to a post in which she uses a slur against Asian people to describe her eyes pre-botox.
BSFFR. Justin Bieber dropped a surprise album on Friday literally titled Swag. Did we just get transported back to 2012?
Is anyone else on the OG Birkin side of TikTok? Or no, it’s just me? The first Hermes Birkin handbag, a prototype for the now famous purse, sold at an auction on Thursday for 8.6 million euros (equivalent to about Canadian $13.8 million).
Can someone give me their Netflix login? I’m mad at the streaming service for charging so much and I keep getting kicked out of my family’s account, but I really want to catch up on the final season of Squid Game — plus, Netflix originals like Bridgerton and Stranger Things are set to release new seasons in the near future. I might have to sign up for a free trial to binge watch.
It’s summer, so if you’re anything like me, all you want to do is check out and sip a cocktail by the lake. Hopefully this week’s newsletter keeps you as informed as you need to be, so forward it along to anyone else who’s decided to log out and enjoy the sunshine.
XO,
Amber