Ex’s stubborn persistence no laughing matter

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: When I got into a bank lineup recently, I had no idea who queued up behind me, because I was too busy checking my phone. Then I heard this guy say down my neck, “Just as beautiful as ever!”

I whirled around and saw my ex-boyfriend grinning at me. I waited for him to finish at the bank, so we could go for coffee at a breakfast place and catch up. But that was it for me — coffee and a chat! Unfortunately, he wants more of “us” and he’s been calling me every night since. The guy’s in sales now, and he’s using his new techniques, but he’s going overboard and really annoying me now!

How do you tell a past boyfriend to cease and desist? To be fair, he’s said nothing overly inappropriate, except how he’s really loving my new look and that he wants to see me again. Why isn’t he getting the hint when I refuse all his suggestions to do more together?

— Getting Fed Up, East Kildonan

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My neighbour mowed the words “dumb ass” into my lawn, which had grown way too long while I was staying at the lake in my new cabin — for four weeks.

I agree my long front lawn got annoying to look at on our residential street. So, I got home and got out of my car, and took pictures of what he did to my lawn — in front of some neighbours for witnesses.

Then I unpacked my stuff, and that night just before bed I finally mowed the lawn with my loud mower. I did it in my own sweet time and went to bed, still mad. I honestly thought my neighbour was mostly just jealous because he doesn’t have a cabin himself!

I’d finally cooled off by noon the next day, so I went out and bought the guy a 12-pack, and left the beer on his back steps, with a card saying, “You can relax now!”

I was reading The Guardian the other day, which is one of the best, if not the best, newspaper for climate change coverage. I say this, despite the fact that it still silos the subject into a special section called “Climate Crisis and Environment.”

And it continues to publish front page headlines like “May and June heatwave kills about 2,700 in England and Wales, data suggests,” with no reference to climate change, until you hit the body of the story.

Which, quite frankly, is better than most newspapers do.

Indeed, in a recent issue of The Guardian, there’s an article about just that — the fact that an analysis of British newspapers revealed that 72 per cent of articles covering the U.K.’s June heatwave failed to even mention the climate crisis.

A Good Samaritan who was trying to help a woman who appeared to be suffering from a drug overdose on Tuesday night was instead stabbed by her companion, police say.

The victim, a 51-year-old man, came across the woman near Jubilee Avenue and Osborne Street at about 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday and tried to assist her, before a suspect came up and stabbed him in the upper body. Police say the suspect knows the woman.

The 51-year-old was rushed to hospital in unstable condition, where he was given medical treatment. The woman, too, was taken to hospital for medical attention. Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service personnel alerted police to the incident.

Patrol officers, along with a police dog unit, found the suspect on the 400 block of Brandon Avenue just before 11 p.m. He tried to run, but officers made the arrest and seized two knives, police said.