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In this issue...

• LIV Golf was supposed to overtake the PGA, but now it looks like it's going under

• When you're so stupid and incompetent that you don't know the Bible quote you're uttering at an event is fake

• By the numbers X 10 + 1

• CBC Radio's Under the Influence: 1) Brand Envy 2026; 2) Monumental Advertisements: Branded Buildings

• Who knew? The law needs to catch up to dealing with romantic relationships involving multiple partners.

• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news

• Mother's Day: Sunday, May 10

• Trivia: Did you know?

• Quotes of note

• Check out these delicious recipe compilations from Brian Cormier

• Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group

LIV Golf was supposed to overtake the PGA, but now it looks like it's going under

I don't watch a lot of golf on TV, but I clearly remember when the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf tour was created. It sent shivers down the spine of the well-established and seemingly omnipotent PGA. LIV poached PGA members away with huge paycheques and dreams of even more money into the future.

Today, however, it's another story. The PGA seems to have prevailed. Like the NHL, NFL and NBA, it's hard to split audiences into two after establishing a new competitor. They pop up. They glow brightly for a year or two - and then poof! They're gone. And the old established sport brands keep on truckin'.

As per the pattern, LIV Golf now appears to be on life support. In fact, it looks like 2026 will be its last year.

Article excerpt: "LIV Golf’s race to secure at least a watered-down future is formally under way after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) confirmed it will cease to fund the breakaway circuit at the end of this year. Fears over LIV’s existence are inescapable given the PIF has bestowed in excess of $5bn on the tour since 2021. Tournaments started in the following year; there is a very real chance the 2026 season will prove LIV’s last.

LIV had already confirmed appointment of new board members, aimed with the specific task of raising finance, by the time the PIF stipulated its position on Thursday. 'PIF has made the decision to fund LIV Golf only for the remainder of the 2026 season,' read a statement. 'The substantial investment required by LIV Golf over a longer term is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF’s investment strategy. This decision has been made in light of PIF’s investment priorities and current macro dynamics.'

'PIF remains committed to deploying capital internationally in line with its investment strategy, including its substantial current and future investments in various sports as a priority sector.'

The PIF’s abrupt switch in strategy caught LIV’s executives completely off-guard in the immediate aftermath of Rory McIlroy’s win at last month’s Masters."

Established sport leagues have spent decades of developing and perfecting their brands. They've cultivated and nurtured rabid fan bases. It's difficult for any upstart league to match that, no matter how much money they throw around.

Read: LIV Golf races against time for investment with confirmation Saudi funding will end in 2026. Related: LIV Golf members have reached out to PGA Tour about return, but terms and pathways will be more restrictive.

When you're so stupid and incompetent that you don't know the Bible quote you're uttering at an event is fake

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has got to be one of the dumbest idiots to have ever served in that country's cabinet. His warped Christianity, over-the-top testosterone-filled demeanor and just pure "ick" factor make him insufferable to watch. And as far as boot-licking goes, all hail King of the Boot-Lickers. The man is hateful.

The Warped Christian - as I'll refer to him - is so holy that he seems to insist on invoking Jesus Christ at every news conference. Recently, he even read a so-called Bible passage - except that it was a fake one from the movie Pulp Fiction. The man and his team are so stupid that they don't even know the difference or couldn't take five minutes to Google it to see if it was accurate.

Article excerpt: "In a move that seems indicative of the Trump administration’s increasingly fractured relationship with the Vatican, Pete Hegseth appeared to mistake lines from a classic crime film for Scripture during a public appearance this week.

The defense secretary delivered a prayer during a livestreamed worship service at the Pentagon on Wednesday. 'They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,' he said in his introduction of the prayer he’d been given.

However, viewers quickly noticed his words more closely echoed one of Samuel L. Jackson’s monologues from 1994’s Pulp Fiction than the biblical verse he’d referenced.

'The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,' Hegseth said in part. 'Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee.'"

I don't like talking about the administration down south - we're overwhelmed with news about them every day - but this was just so dumb that I couldn't let it pass. This guy is in charge of the world's largest and most powerful military. The incompetence is scary.

Read: Pete Hegseth quoted a Bible verse. Turns out it was a rip-off of Pulp Fiction. Related: Hegseth channels his inner Tarantino with fake Bible verse from Pulp Fiction.

By the numbers X 10 + 1

• 1. Health Canada approves 1st generic version of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic

• 2. Marathon milestone: Kenya's Sawe breaks fabled 2-hour barrier by 30 seconds in London

• 3. Struggling to fall asleep? Experts say the 5-step military sleep method can help.

• 4. Air Canada suspends 6 routes 'no longer economically feasible' amid jet fuel cost crisis

• 5. 11 mistakes people make using honey

• 6. 19 best anti-theft travel bags to keep your stuff safe

• 7. These are the 21 greatest blues songs of all time... ranked

• 8. One Quebecer saw a family doctor 362 times in a year

• 9. Rogers offering buyouts to about 10,000 employees as it aims to cut spending

• 10. Michael moonwalks to $217M opening weekend, shattering box office records for a biopic

• Bonus: The 9 best ways to cook cabbage

CBC Radio's Under the Influence: 1) Brand Envy 2026; 2) Monumental Advertisements: Branded Buildings

The last two episodes of CBC Radio's Under the Influence with host Terry O'Reilly looked at 1) brands admired by Terry; and 2) buildings that are brands unto themselves.

• April 23, 2026 - Brand Envy 2026: "This week, it’s our annual Brand Envy episode, where I tip my hat to great ideas that have lasted for years. We’ll talk about a very funny character who has made the world laugh without uttering a single word. (See Mr. Bean photo above.) An idea that was born on the side of highways. And we’ll talk about a movie that has had the longest run in cinema history." Click here to listen to the episode.

• April 30, 2026 - Monumental Advertisements: Branded Buildings: "This week, we talk about spectacular landmarks built by visionary entrepreneurs. These magnificent buildings stand in Toronto, New York and Chicago. They are all very different in design, built in different eras, but they share one thing in common. They are all named after famous brands. And it’s easy to forget that." Click here to listen to the episode.

Under the Influence airs Thursdays and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on CBC Radio One; Tuesdays at 4 p.m., Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on Sirius XM Channel 169. The show is also available as a podcast through your favourite podcast provider. Click here for the show's website (note: not regularly maintained) and click here for the show's on-demand audio archive.

Who knew? The law needs to catch up to dealing with romantic relationships involving multiple partners.

Some people can't even go on one date and others find themselves in close romantic relationships with several people all under the same roof! If you find yourself in one of these unique situations, you're practising polyamory, which is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as: "the state or practice of having more than one open romantic relationship at a time."

Although relatively rare, these situations do exist, but the law hasn't really caught up yet. What happens legally if one person leaves a relationship of three people (a "thruple") and there are relationship-based assets to divide? Sound complicated? Well, it kind of is. The problem is that the law relates almost entirely to couples.

Article excerpt: "As non-traditional relationships become more visible across Canada, a growing number of people are entering into polyamorous relationships. The legal system is struggling to keep up.

While polyamory itself is legal, experts say gaps in Canada’s legal framework leave multi-partner families navigating uncertain terrain when it comes to property, parenting and financial protections.

At the centre of the issue is Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada, which criminalizes polygamy - but not polyamory.

B.C. family lawyer Marcus Sixta says the distinction is critical.

'If you’re married to more than one person at a time, that’s called polygamy,' he explained in an phone interview with CTVNews.ca Thursday. 'Polygamy is illegal in Canada... punishable by up to five years in prison.'

Polyamory involves multiple consenting adults in a committed relationship without legal marriage between more than two partners. It’s legal across Canada, but how polyamory is covered in family law varies across provinces and territories.

Sixta said his west coast office is seeing more people in polyamorous relationships seek legal advice, as clients try to navigate the lagging legal system."

I know a few family lawyers, and I can't imagine the nightmares these sorts of situations would involve because there are enough horror stories out there about divorces or break-ups involving only two people. Polyamory just complicates things to another level. But hey, to each their own!

Read: Polyamory is growing in Canada, but the legal system hasn’t caught up.

Before you go: 7 things you may have missed in the news

• 1. Canadian drama Heated Rivalry wins prestigious Peabody Award (see photo)

• 2. Carney announces creation of Canada's first national sovereign wealth fund

• 3. This invasive dandelion lookalike can spread fast in your yard

• 4. Dylan Carter, The Voice alum, died after his Tesla veered "off the road"

• 5. Manitoba premier says social media ban coming for kids, like Australia

• 6. Move over Big Mac: McDonald's Canada taps beverage craze with new drinks line-up

• 7. Reitmans unveils new logo, enters new era with reimagined store concept

Mother's Day: Sunday, May 10

A sure sign of spring is Mother's Day, which lands this year on Sunday, May 10! Here are some related links to help you get ready to celebrate Mom:

• 1. 3 ways to get through Mother’s Day when you’re grieving

• 2. Set a gorgeous Mother’s Day tablescape with these 12 creative ideas

• 3. 20+ Mother’s Day gift ideas that are practical, thoughtful, and will get so much use

• 4. The 22 best Mother's Day gift ideas that'll arrive with time to spare, handpicked by a gifting expert

• 5. 25 Mom-approved gifts for a first Mother’s Day

• 6. 35 geeky Mother's Day gifts to put your siblings to shame

• 7. Marie Claire: When my 73-year-old Mom asks for beauty tips, I tell her about these products

• 8. Mom will melt for this new Jellycat Mother's Day collection

• 9. Esquire: The ultimate Mother’s Day gift guide for every type of Mom

• 10. Last-minute Mother's Day gifts that don't feel last minute

Trivia: Did you know?

There seems to be a phobia about everything, eh? If you suffer from dextrophobia, you're afraid of objects to the right of you. Yup... just because they're to the right of you, they scare you!

Quotes of note

• 1. "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."

- Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983), American architect (see photo)

• 2. "We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works."

- Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time 

• 3. "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."

- Pablo Picasso

• 4. "Books don't need batteries."

- Nadine Gordimer

• 5. "Humans are the reproductive organs of technology."

- Kevin Kelly, What Technology Wants

• 6. "Americans worship technology. It's an inherent trait in the national zeitgeist."

- Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

• 7. "It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works."

- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

• 8. "I did not attend his funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."

- Mark Twain

• 9. "To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable."

- Oscar Wilde

• 10. "Once I pulled a job, I was so stupid. I picked a guy's pocket on an airplane and made a run for it."

- Rodney Dangerfield

Enjoy the outdoors with the Greater Moncton Walking Group

In May, the group walks on the Dobson Trail in Riverview. Meetup is in the Trail's parking lot on Quinn Court.

The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.

About this newsletter

Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.