Today's news: Hooray for Pride Parades!

The happiest photos ever taken in Canada are from our Pride parades!

Here are photos of Toronto's Pride Parade today:

As usual, Trudeau was there!

🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈I STAND WITH TRUDEAU🏳️‍🌈🇨🇦
Happy Pride Canada
🇨🇦#Trudeau2025🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/Q4nl0BzW1I

— BKBelton (@bk_belton) June 30, 2024

Animal Crackers!

A Dog at the Museum, by Tom Mosser

It's been one of those weeks, eh ... the Liberals lose the by-election, the Oilers lose the cup, Joe Biden loses the debate. 

So here's some funny to go on with, for the weekend:

Dog got skills..🐕🐾🛹🤯 pic.twitter.com/4r7vGzeQkh

— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) June 26, 2024

Friends come in all shapes and sizes..🦍🐾🐕😍 pic.twitter.com/wS48pgx2yK

— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) June 23, 2024

This is Éowyn. She taught herself sign language after living with her deaf human. 14/10 pic.twitter.com/JYPcoLVOKE

— WeRateDogs (@dog_rates) June 27, 2024

i think this is some sort of secret handshake
(bdeli34 IG) pic.twitter.com/2N8yUgRk6p

— theworldofdog (@theworldofdog) June 26, 2024

He owns the car now.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/E2HP6WyZYG

— Mirthful Moments (@moment_mirthful) June 26, 2024

A woman gave a hungry fox food and he came back with friends 🥹❤️pic.twitter.com/a46FgZ0jW5

— The Random Guy (@RandomTheGuy_) June 22, 2024

Happy Saturday: from Reggie Jackson to Indigenous Peoples Day; from "shark!" to Dark Brandon; some great moments in Twitter; animal crackers; & some beautiful threads to enjoy

Reggie Jackson describes the racism he had to endure when playing ball:

👉🏽 “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin

— Coach Julio (@FitnessFoundry) June 21, 2024

For National Indigenous Peoples Day:

It is National Indigenous Peoples Day, so enjoy this thread of Indigenous leaders and activists from our history!

Elsie Knott (1922-1995) In 1954, she became the 1st woman to serve as the Chief of a First Nation following changes to the Indian Act three years earlier

🧵1/19 pic.twitter.com/c2npfh1JTP

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) June 21, 2024

American politics:

A lot of you all would’ve absolutely hated the Civil Rights Movement had you lived through it, and it shows.

— Kevin Saucedo-Broach (@kevsaucebro) April 26, 2024

I think during the presidential debate, Biden should just yell...SHARK!

— Auntie Smartassy (@AuntSassyAss) June 20, 2024

Random Roundup: trying to kibosh the capital gains tax; trying to debunk misinformation; jousting over "likes"; hearing Dr. Fauci's story; and laughing at Trump

Some interesting factoids and articles recently: 

First, some comments on how Canada's rich people are trying to kibosh the Liberal plan to increase tax rates on capital gain profits:

Why is the debate about the capital gains inclusion rate so deranged?
Because associations of very rich people have paid think tanks and foundation to operate a constant non-stop misinformation campaign about tax policy for 50+ years aimed at lowering their own tax rates. (1/3)

— Drew Yewchuk (@DrewYewchuk) June 19, 2024

It would be hard to overstate how successful this misinformation campaign has been. A huge number of North Americans believe a pack of lies are eternal truths of economics, and Alberta’s premier spent nearly her entire career working for such think thanks and foundations. (3/3)

— Drew Yewchuk (@DrewYewchuk) June 19, 2024

It's just incredible. In poll after poll, going back decades, there is majority support (usually in the 75-80% range) for making the rich pay more, but the minute you try to do it, the Conservatives swing into action and manage to convince Joe Q Public that he'll be paying more.

— 𝙲𝙹𝚃𝙾 🇨🇦 🏳️‍🌈 (@CJ_Toronto) June 19, 2024

So what you are saying, Robyn, is that a lot of Canadians are misinformed. Someone has been telling them the sky is falling when it isn't, right? Pity we don't have any journalists who could be keeping Canadians better informed.

— Dr Norlaine Thomas (She/Her) (@Norlaine) June 19, 2024

Today's News: Heatwave!

This summer's first heat wave is here.

Over 135 million people are facing a dangerous heat wave this week with the AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures occasionally approaching the 100-degree mark. https://t.co/9aZ2r7LycJ pic.twitter.com/9QndnUU6IC

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) June 17, 2024

Today's News: About the Foreign Interference Scandal, from May, Wark, Smith, and Scrimshaw

So I've been sort of following the NSICORP (National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians) report revelations about foreign interference in Canadian politics, except there really hadn't been any, nothing concrete at any rate, about exactly who did what and to whom.

Until this happened:

https://t.co/jN71L25Yxt

— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) June 11, 2024

@ElizabethMay says the media firestorm steaming from the NSICOP is "overblown." She says the person (on p.26 of public report) is a FORMER MP who wittingly participated should be prosecuted. She says there is no list of disloyal MPs. 1/2

— Althia Raj (@althiaraj) June 11, 2024

May says fewer than 5 MPs are named in the report.
She starts to talk talking about the Senate, but stops herself and says, no, she is just talking about people in the HoC. None of the MPs, the low number, she suggests, could be described as witting participants.

— Althia Raj (@althiaraj) June 11, 2024

The few MPs mentioned were unknowingly helped, maybe they should have asked who was paying for busloads of people showing up to nomination contests, May says, but that's not uncommon in Canadian politics (notes interference in federal PC race in '83).

— Althia Raj (@althiaraj) June 11, 2024

May says she was also surprised to see FI in the media in the form of undisclosed sponsored content.

— Althia Raj (@althiaraj) June 11, 2024

80th anniversary of D-Day: "We will remember them"

Too much going on this week to do a longer post, but here's some interesting stuff about D-Day and the 80th anniversary.  

First, posted above is the Veterans Affairs video commemorating the 80th anniversary - "We will remember them".

Next, check out historian Craig Baird's Canada on D-Day podcast:

,,,The Canadian troops had managed to push farther inland than any other force on D-Day, but only one Canadian unit made their objectives.

Regardless, the first line of German defences were completely smashed.

One Canadian journalist said,

“The German dead were littered over the dunes, by the gun positions. By them, lay Canadians in bloodstained battledress, in the sand and in the grass, on the wire and by the concrete forts. They had lived a few minutes of the victory they had made. That was all.”

In the mayhem of Normandy, progress was made...

Plus, Baird has a great story about James Doohan, who played Scotty on Star Trek!

Today in 1944, 14,000 Canadian landed at Juno Beach on D-Day. There were also 110 Canadian ships, 10,000 sailors & 15 RCAF squadrons in the assault.
On D-Day, 1,076 Canadians will be casualties, of whom 359 are killed. By Aug. 30, there will be 18,700 casualties. pic.twitter.com/W1ifiYMqdl

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) June 6, 2023

Today in 1920, James Doohan aka Scotty, was born in Vancouver. This is his story!

After moving to Sarnia, Doohan enlisted with the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1939.
During the Second World War, he stormed Juno Beach on D-Day, where he shot two snipers.

🧵1/3 pic.twitter.com/xxAaoJVHiI

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) March 3, 2023

In 1966, he gained the role of Montgomery Scott on Star Trek. He chose the name to honour his grandfather & the character became a fan favourite. Along with building the role of Scotty, he also helped develop the Klingon & Vulcan languages.
He passed away on July 20, 2005.

🧵3/3 pic.twitter.com/i46eZ2JyAO

— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) March 3, 2023