“Going forward” gets my prize for the dumbest, most overused expression of 2010. It's only 'cool' people who use it, so that's apparently why more people are using it. They want to be seen as cool. So how about cooling it in the future going forward. OK? . . . The Journal's email was inoperative for about 36 hours last week and, well, it wasn't exactly a calamity in the fashion of the BP oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, but it was close. It wasn't a death-in-the-family bad nor was it as terrible as the stock market plummeting to March 2009 values. But when we didn't get the emailed invitation to the Five Guys Burgers and Fries pre-opening because of our technological problems, it meant we missed out on free food which, to a member of the media, is about as dire a situation as we could encounter. . . . With the restaurant's great reputation and with Ben Hernandez at the helm, Five Guys should be a big hit in Brandon. . . . Yes, if you ask me, the Liberals are right to demand Brian Mulroney to return the $2.1 million he won in a libel suit when it turns out the government of the day was right in its accusations against the ex-PM . . . And yes, why would any Member of Parliament even consider not making all of his or her expense receipts public? It's our money, remember? . . . Speaking of Mulroney, one has to wonder about CTV News’ credibility in its Mulroney-related coverage since his son, Ben, plays such a high-profile role with the private network . . . Whatever Kelly McCrimmon's paying Rick Dillabough, it's not enough. . . . If you were alive in Manitoba in the 60s, you may remember the heat Premier Duff Roblin took for spending millions on the Red River diversion, aka Duff's Ditch. In the aftermath of his death last week, we were reminded that as far as Winnipeggers are concerned, it ranks up there on the value scale with the Trans-Canada Highway and the CP mainline. . . . Lotto Max was worth $50 million last Friday. Why not pick 20 winning numbers and share the wealth? Fifty million is far too much for anyone to be comfortable handling, although I'd love to give that kind of discomfort a try . . . Philadelphia Flyers can't possibly do it again, can they? . . . Downtown Brandon perhaps doesn't get the attention it deserves from the city, but Rosser Avenue, at least from Eighteenth to about Twelfth Street, is badly in need of fresh asphalt. . . . I haven't seen Tyler Seguin play, but if he's better than Taylor Hall, the Windsor flash who won his second straight Memorial Cup MVP crown at the Keystone Centre a couple of weeks back, as some scounts say, they may as well start building his Hall of Fame bust. . . . The 50th Grey Owl golf tournament goes this weekend at Clear Lake and there will be more tall tales told than shots taken. . . . One of life's biggest regrets: Never having seen the Beatles or Elvis in person. . . . If you like shrimp, you might be paying more, a lot more, at your local grocery store in the next while thanks to the BP oil spill. It's times like this when people like me wish we had different initials. It's akin to having a birthday on Sept. 11 or Dec. 7 — a few dark overtones through no fault of our own. . . . . By the way, now that Hernandez has departed, Jason Rowley is now the man in charge at Remington's, one of the city's high-class restaurants. . . . When Major League Baseball finally adopts instant replay — and there will be tremendous pressure on MLB to do it posthaste — you can thank two people, umpire Jim Joyce and pitcher Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers. . . .Will it be Dave Burgess vs. Shari Dector Hirst — mano a womano — for Sheriff this October, or will it be a three- four- or five-way race? Logic says the more people in the race, the better chance for a Burgess re-election. . . . Like dandelions, the Montreal Canadiens shirts and hats that flourished for about two weeks in May, seem to have disappeared, too. . . . See you at the Fair.