Today's News: Feeling so misunderstood

 

I don't understand why Alberta and Saskatchewan feel so misunderstood and persecuted and hard-done-by all the time. 

Fact of life: Canada's population is not fairly distributed across the country and it never will be. Most of our people live in Ontario and Quebec, with several million more in Vancouver. The Prairies have just 20 per cent of the country. 

Fact of life: A quarter of Canada lives here - in the Ontario Golden Horseshoe:

Fact of life: That's also where much of Canada's money is made, too - industry, banks, manufacturing, transportation, etc. -- though when it comes to the economy, this year the Prairies are actually expected to do a little better than anywhere else in the country:

Alberta and Saskatchewan, quit yer bitchin'! We're not living in the Red Wedding, no matter how much our politicians want us to trash the East.  We are, actually, great places to live (for most of the year anyway) with friendly people, beautiful scenery, a terrific economy. 

Please can't we just stop all this pissing and moaning and complaining?

Dear god.

“Smith has directed her cabinet ministers to look for federal "intrusions" into provincial jurisdiction, past and future, and create special resolutions that will be introduced and debated in the spring 2023 legislative session.”

…

— David Moscrop: Subscribe to my Substack. It’s fun! (@David_Moscrop) November 30, 2022

But tell me again about how Trudeau is a dictator... #cdnpoli #ableg https://t.co/rm7IVaIf40

— Stephen Lautens (@stephenlautens) November 30, 2022

"The bill creates choice opportunities to ramp up hostilities before the provincial election set for next May 29." Ottawa has the power to disallow this bill. That's likely what Premier Smith wants. Come May 29th, she'd rather fight Trudeau than Notley. https://t.co/8WDxk9MgxR

— Charles Adler (@charlesadler) November 30, 2022

Lunocracy: rule by loons.

The bill would "enable [the government of Alberta] to deem federal laws unconstitutional, allow it to make unilateral changes to provincial legislation, and direct provincial entities to ignore “harmful” federal policies."https://t.co/ajeANuNH6c

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) November 29, 2022

Beautiful

There was some beautiful stuff happening here:

Just a reminder that Canada's first ever goal in Men's World Cup history was scored by a kid who fled a war, came to Canada as a refugee, was welcomed by Canadians, learned English, and grew up playing soccer in the snow.

It's what Canada does.

🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/jixajtBvJe

— Goodable (@Goodable) November 28, 2022

And this was beautiful too:

🏆 WORLD CHAMPIONS 🏆

Team Canada presented by @sobeys are crowned WORLD CHAMPIONS after beating Australia in the Davis Cup Finals.

Auger-Aliassime, Diallo, Galarneau, Pospisil, Shapovalov and Dancevic's amazing run in Malaga marks Canada's first ever #DavisCup Title. pic.twitter.com/1Mo1LJH27i

— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) November 27, 2022

how it started / how it's going pic.twitter.com/aLynOXPgdd

— lena 🇦🇷 (@shapovarolov) November 27, 2022

And here some other great stuff:

“Ok so there’s 3 rings for the elven kings under the sky, right? And 7 for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone. You following me?” pic.twitter.com/ZRmWeSgSKD

— Casual Thursday (@CasualThursday) November 24, 2022

When I turned 70, I thought, well that’s it. I’ve had a great career, but it’s winding down.

Boy was I wrong. I found social media, and then a second wind at my sails in my 70s! I made my Broadway debut at 78, and I’ll make my London debut at 85.

Life is wonderful and magical.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 27, 2022

I love the difference between dog and cat rescue stories. dog owners will be like oh I prepped for months and applied and had a home check then did a foster to adopt trial period and then the rescue chose me! and cat owners are like .. I found him in the trash

— danielle weisberg (@danielleweisber) November 7, 2022

The best thing you will watch here today.
pic.twitter.com/OAPW5Gh2vY

— TG (@TG22110) November 25, 2022

This discussion about cats and dogs reminds me of one of my all-time favorites:

Today's News: FluTruxKlan hearings wrap up

Hey everyone -- first of all, please forgive the lack of posts these days - along with thousands of others, I have been searching for a social media platform to keep up with the day's commentary, as Twitter continues to implode into a racist hellhole. 

But the Twitter platform is miles ahead of all the other social media sits for a blogger like me - no wonder they had so many staff to keep it going. I have been using their Bookmarks, Lists, and Embed Post functions just about every day, and unfortunately the other social media sites just don't offer these features in such an easily usable format. 

I am still searching -- Mastodon does have some of the twitter features, but I am still finding it too clunky to use easily.  Tribel looks good but has no way to save posts so they can be retrieved later. Instagram and TikToc don't have political posts as far as I can understand them. Just yesterday I got accepted onto the Post platform, and it looks promising. 

Also, a large number of the people I follow now have their own Substacks or daily newsletters so this is promising too.  Many of them are navigating to the Post too, so that platform will be more useful I think.

Anyway, I will get it sorted out as soon as I am able. 

Fascinating to see how Mastodon is turning into Geek Twitter, https://t.co/JXyysSIK87 into Blue Check Twitter, and Twitter into Truth Social.

— scottjshapiro@mastodon.social (@scottjshapiro) November 20, 2022

In the meantime, Canadian news yesterday and today was full of the testimonies at the FluTruxKlan inquiry (AKA the Public Emergency Order Commission). Overall, Trudeau and the other cabinet ministers and PMO staff did a good job explaining why they turned to the Emergency order to resolve the crisis last February:

Not accustomed to saying nice things about the PM, but here goes https://t.co/4mNUmz8x65

— Don Martin (@DonMartinCTV) November 26, 2022

This thread from pundit Scott Reid sums it up:

Trudeau faced a grueling test today. Hours of televised, public testimony on technical, difficult and extremely important issues. And he provided controlled, compelling & in-depth explanations of his every move and consideration. He didn't take a single punch. #POEC

— Scott Reid (@_scottreid) November 26, 2022

But those hoping for a faceplant from the relevant Ministers and PM surely came away devastated. Instead, the convoy's advocates limped off looking reduced and incoherent. All week, they offered conspiracies, incompetence and heckles. And not much else #POEC

— Scott Reid (@_scottreid) November 26, 2022

Who knows what Rouleau thinks. Who knows what he'll conclude or recommend. Those are challenges to contemplate another day. But this week was a giant landmine. And Blair, Mendocino, Lametti, Freeland, Telford, Broadhead, Clow and Trudeau all walked through unscathed. #POEC

— Scott Reid (@_scottreid) November 26, 2022

Great stuff!

Here's some of the funny stuff I have collected recently.

Can you find both the rabbit and the mouse?

#LockdownTrivia

Can you find the rabbit? pic.twitter.com/xv3bezqEVw

— Abraxsys (@Abraxsys) November 24, 2022

Dogs, bruh!

 

https://doggo.tube/post/701771764593770496/sunny-the-rescue-dog-growing-up-with-his-favorite

Happiness.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/x425OoTB0U

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) November 20, 2022

The apex predator, one of nature's most efficient killing machines. He stalks his quarry undetected and pounces, slaying without remorse. pic.twitter.com/cTdySc8tUe

— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) November 19, 2022

Doggie sings pic.twitter.com/Js4alkfgvt

— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) November 17, 2022

Today's News: Update about the war in Ukraine

I haven't posted as much about Ukraine lately so I wanted to assemble an update now. 

First, this remarkable photo:

His eyes say it all.

A 🇺🇦boy from #Kherson who survived the #Russian occupation.

📷 Hajdú D. András#StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/XTzjoZEQZH

— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) November 19, 2022

When this war is over, and Ukraine has won, I expect Ukrainians will create a mile-wide border of salted soil, so they never have anything to do with Russia ever again. 

As Adam Silverman said in his Balloon Juice post last night: 

I just want to take a moment and note, again, that what Russia is doing and has been doing since the start of the re-invasion, is the systemic targeting of civilians, civilian residential areas, civilian infrastructure such as power generation, power transmission, water treatment facilities, reservoirs, railways, agriculture, hospitals, schools, cultural facilities, the widespread mining of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia, the use of Ukrainian citizens as hostages, etc. The vast majority of Russia’s targeting in the re-invasion constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. ....the news media regularly fails to make this clear. 

A powerful statement.

In regard to progress in the war itself, it appears that the war is in a lull phase at the moment, until the mud is frozen and heavy trucks can move again:

Ukraine's retaking of Kherson is reshaping the battle front, as Kyiv's forces work to push their initiative in the south and Russia strives to redeploy withdrawn troops to Donbas. https://t.co/KTVZLQY1JE via @WSJ

— Franz-Stefan Gady (@HoansSolo) November 20, 2022

But Russians are still dying:

BAKHMUT/1315 UTC 20 NOV/ RU forces continue costly, unsuccessful assaults on Bakhmut. Overhead imagery confirms that RU fontal attacks in the vicinity of the NE suburbs of Bakhmutske & Pidhorodne have resulted in the deaths of 100s of RU mobniks. pic.twitter.com/tIHOla4Az7

— Chuck Pfarrer | Indications & Warnings | (@ChuckPfarrer) November 20, 2022

I read Silverman's account tonight expressing concerns about Russia increasing its alliances with Iran and with Syria - previously my concern was whether the Russia-Ukraine war would spread to Europe, but a spread to involve the Middle East might also be problematic.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary general, says the alliance must prepare for a protracted conflict in Ukraine. https://t.co/2qpZEqlZsJ

— Qudach Canada (@QudachCA) November 20, 2022

Canada hosted the Halifax International Security Forum this weekend, described as the world's leading security conference for democracies:

The Forum has made a particular effort this year to bring in Ukrainians to explain first-hand the cost of the war. Forum President Peter Van Praagh points out that the hotel where the conference is happening, the Westin, actually employees about a dozen Ukrainian refugees.

— Justin Ling (@Justin_Ling) November 18, 2022

Ukrainian president Zelenskyy calls on Canada to help with long-term peace https://t.co/ni6SU8J1Jt pic.twitter.com/5nAtSwqWTa

— CTV News (@CTVNews) November 19, 2022

Here is more detail on what Zelenskyy said:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Canada to help spearhead a long-term peace plan with Russia, as the nearly 10-month war in Ukraine enters a critical phase with the approach of winter.

The Ukrainian leader threw down the gauntlet in a pre-recorded video address to the Halifax International Security Forum, where senior government and military officials from Canada and around the world are gathering this weekend.

Zelenskyy, whose country was invaded by Russia in February, told participants that real and enduring peace between Kyiv and Moscow will require agreement on 10 different areas.

Those include the withdrawal of Russian forces, the release of prisoners, the securing of Ukraine's nuclear, food and energy security, the restoration of his country's territorial integrity and a tribunal to hold those responsible to account.

The Ukrainian president went on to encourage countries to "choose which item you can help with," adding: "I believe that Canada, which strongly supports us, will also choose one of the peace formula items for itself and will show all strands of leadership."

Thank you Minister @AnitaAnandMP, Minister of National Defence, Canada, for making time to add material to one of the camouflage nets that will be sent to Ukraine after the @HFXforum. I appreciate everything you continue to do to support Ukraine. #HFX2022 #StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/6VHR7bH5V9

— Jessica Lynn Wiebe (@Jessica_L_Wiebe) November 19, 2022

And I wonder how those Russian soldiers will do after this war, too:

This is still the most hardcore thing Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever said pic.twitter.com/2js4gs6qYj

— Maladroithe (@Maladroithe) November 18, 2022

Here is some sad news:

Canadian soldier Joseph Hildebrand (33) of Saskatchewan has died battling Russian forces near Bakhmut Ukraine, say family members. pic.twitter.com/W5fjZflTN7

— 🇺🇦 Born again fella 🇨🇦 (@iEndure_4evr) November 17, 2022

Finally a couple of posts about some of the ways Canada continues to help Ukraine:

Russia’s war in #Ukraine has turned many crop fields into minefields.
Canada, in partnership with the @TheHALOTrust, is helping farmers in Ukraine make their land safe to cultivate again. #StandWithUkraine #FoodSecurity #MineAction pic.twitter.com/Wb3pEHcBg2

— Development Canada (@CanadaDev) November 15, 2022

Great behind-the-scenes look at how #Canada is helping #Ukraine with armoured personnel vehicles @globalnews

cc: @HKaaman
https://t.co/uHjw451dzf pic.twitter.com/RPTcyJZ6Za

— Broderick McDonald (@brodymcdonald_) November 19, 2022

Cold weather blues and other news

So pending Twitter's possible demise, I have now signed up at Mastodon and at Tribel -- I'm not sure either of them can work as easily as Twitter did so we'll see how it goes. 

Here are my links to these sites, if you have to find me someday soon: 

Tribel: https://www.tribel.com/cathiecanada/wall 

Mastodon: https://mstdn.ca/@CathieCanada 

I haven't made many posts on these sites yet and I'm not sure how much I will be able to use them, because they don't seem to have easy ways to save posts or to embed them here on Blogger. 

I think the thing about Twitter that's hardest for other places to reproduce is that it's one of the few places people can learn from in-group conversation from groups they're not a member of.

— Danielle Evans (@daniellevalore) November 18, 2022

Moving on to today's news, here in Saskatchewan tonight, its COLD. Damned cold.

People have already died of exposure in Saskatchewan this winter:

That choked me up. I can see the STC shelter from my window. As I write there are four people sitting on the sidewalk under piles of quilts while several others stand around. I’ve become a UBI convert. The misery and sheer waste of human talent is too much.

— Janice Braden (@JL_Braden) November 19, 2022

To humanize and publicize the problem,Yann Martel writes of his 36-hour "homeless" experience: 

Over and over, I met people who showed me the respect and dignity that poverty and homelessness so quickly strip you of. 

That’s how we begin to deal with homelessness in our city, by re-humanizing people from whom so much has been taken. Homelessness is not a cancer. It’s the suffering of fellow citizens, and if we don’t help them, we’re all brought down, the homeless and everyone around them, residents, business owners, the city, everyone. 

700 low income units are sitting empty and the best the city has is a bus?

— Fritz🔥🇨🇦 (not a parody) (@FritzWyssen) November 19, 2022

This Saskatchewan homeless man patrols streets to save others from freezing to death | CBC News https://t.co/mOvbF5q2ya

— kathy mahar (@kathymahar) November 16, 2022

“Natanis Bundschuh, executive director of the Meadow Lake Outreach Ministries, says her organization has been receiving an influx of calls from people looking to help the homeless population in the northern Saskatchewan community.” https://t.co/JZTPkrqPQ5

— Jenn Summers (@jenn_summers01) November 20, 2022

Today's News: Sometimes I wanna go Where a few hundred people know my name...

After ordering everyone back to work, Musk has now locked up his office buildings and ordered everyone to stay home for a few days. 

Nobody knows whether Twitter will reopen or just disappear. 

So the feeling on Twitter tonight is gloomy. 

I know Twitter wasn't perfect, but I liked it -- met some great people there, and I even got followed by a few hundred good folks too.  

I would be sad to see it all disintegrate.

It’s honestly surprising Tesla wheels don’t just fall off all the time https://t.co/iDRToHj9g2

— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisKC) November 18, 2022

Getting ready for absence of Twitter by standing on street corner shouting mordant observations to passing cars

— Popehat (@Popehat) November 18, 2022

Sometimes I wanna go
Where a few hundred people know my name...

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) November 18, 2022

If this is the last thing everyone sees on Twitter then I can absolutely live with that… https://t.co/UrxucnxAPj

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) November 18, 2022

I mean, leave Twitter because of a middle aged erratic man-child boss, chaotic back end, and a reasonable percentage of unpleasant people talking at you? Dude, I worked retail

— Tinnitis Emeritus (@pbontoast1) November 17, 2022

*seeing everyone standing on the deck of the Titanic*

Wow, we’ve never had this many passengers enjoying the scenery at 12 AM! https://t.co/lD3TKivwkP

— Jessy Han (@hjessy_) November 18, 2022

Gentlemen, it has been a privilege tweeting with you tonight.#RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/wDRHyWhwf3

— Mitchell Nagy (@mryannagy) November 18, 2022

Twitter's destruction is not like the sinking of the Titanic. That was an accident. This is the Bismarck sinking the Hood. One shell through the turret into the magazine, and KABLOOIE! Congratulations, Elon!#RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/DLNHmcTCPk

— Harry Turtledove (@HNTurtledove) November 18, 2022

So tonight I tried out my Mastodon account - here it is:  

It took me FOREVER to find where I could turn off the "dark mode" that Mastodon apparently defaults to - I find it too difficult to read white print on black background all the time - but I notice here when I embed a toot it is coming through in Dark mode still.

Anyway, for anyone interested in following me there, my Mastodon name is:

@CathieCanada@mstdn.ca

I will add it to the side column as soon as I can figure out how to do this. 

UPDATE: Just had to share this one, too:

Joining a new social media platform feels a little undignified.

Like being notified you have to re-interview for your current job only now there's also a swimsuit competition plus a ton of forms to fill out.

— Merlin Mann (@hotdogsladies) November 18, 2022

Today's News: Christ, what an asshole!

Time for this week's edition of "Christ, what an asshole!" 

So this happened:

The perfect candidate for voters whose concerns are less about healthcare and the economy than more relevant issues, like vampires and werewolves.🧛🐺 https://t.co/UEGkcPkvHm

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) November 16, 2022

"A Werewolf can kill a Vampire did you know that? I never knew that so I didn't want to be a Vampire anymore I want to be a Werewolf"

- Republican Hershel Walker #FreakNight https://t.co/HKjsaUfOUb

— AltBlueOhio (@StickerDeep) November 16, 2022

Leading, of course to this:

I saw Herschel Walker telling werewolf stories to a slack-jawed crowd. His hair was perfect.

— J. Elvis Weinstein (@JElvisWeinstein) November 16, 2022

Here's the reference:

   

 Speaking of perfection:

This is perfect pic.twitter.com/29ZEa56ycA

— Megs - mastodon.sdf.org/@the_meghaning (@the_meghaning) November 15, 2022

And here's the reference:

   

Today's News: It is to laugh!

The least surprising news of the day was Trump announcing he would run for president again --to the delight only of cartoonists and Maggie Haberman, I think. 

"Growing visibly" Maggie? What, is Little Donnie eating more donuts again?

Trump is growing visibly with his speech and delivering some ad libs.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 16, 2022

The grifter announces another run for the presidency #TrumpAnnouncement https://t.co/RfWCdZgaP3 pic.twitter.com/sVlrWjJmMu

— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) November 16, 2022

The hashtags "NotAgain and #GoAway reflect exactly the way I feel, too:

#TrumpAnnouncement #goaway pic.twitter.com/6ZkYw2azq1

— Steve Breen (@sdutBreen) November 16, 2022

Not again. Cut it short people. pic.twitter.com/Y64qc7y9ed

— Leigh Christopher (@christopherhnl) November 16, 2022

And from overseas:

Osama Hajjaj, Jordan, https://t.co/mCDBfqTnQr pic.twitter.com/vy9mXjflii

— Editorial & Political Cartoons (@EandPCartoons) November 15, 2022

Other reactions:

I did not watch the racist misogynistic xenophobic narcissistic orange pile of garbage tonight, but still, I'm kinda hoping this tears the GOP apart. That'd be fun.

— Phil (I have a SubStack link in bio) Plait (@BadAstronomer) November 16, 2022

Tonight from Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump officially launched his campaign to lose the 2024 presidential election. pic.twitter.com/ogSOHXGRh7

— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot) November 16, 2022

🚨BREAKING NEWS: 45 Announces Future Failed Run For The Presidency 🚨

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) November 16, 2022

Finally, in other news:

My favourite part of Trudeau's socks is how they live rent free in the minds of conservatives.

— Yuri Wuensch (@enigmamachine) November 14, 2022

From the bookmarks

Of course dinosaurs and humans never co-existed - dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years before humans developed, and the CBC knows it, as do all paleontologists. 

But no scientist wants to put their job on the line with our nutty right-wing government over such a stupid issue, just because the CBC is trying to play Got-ya! with Scott Moe:

"When CBC requested to speak with a paleontologist from the Royal SK Museum to clear [up whether dinosaurs lives with humans], that request was routed through to the education minister's office, which said the minister wasn't available." https://t.co/S6cx22w5U0

— Chris Selley (@cselley) November 12, 2022

Remembrance Day was Friday - here are some tweets I noticed especially:

Today on #RemembranceDay, Animal Justice is reflecting on the lives of the countless animals who have died in battle & who continue to be used in warfare today. These animals are not valiant, willing participants—they are victims.#CanadaRemembers #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/3xZoZiapQe

— Animal Justice (@AnimalJustice) November 11, 2022

In their last NHL game before heading off to serve for Canada in the Second World War, Bruins' Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer were carried off the ice by their opponents, a remarkable show of respect and camaraderie #CanadaRemembers #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/nlGxujOgzw

— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) November 11, 2022

Lieutenant Wilf Gildersleeve served in the Second World War and fell in love with a Dutch woman following the Liberation of the Netherlands. Watch their #HeritageMinute for the story. #CanadaRemembers pic.twitter.com/mZs30qfA6j

— Historica Canada (@HistoricaCanada) November 11, 2022

Today's News: When the waves turn the minutes to hours

 

"Does any one know where the love of God goes 

When the waves turn the minutes to hours?" 

Here is a great thread about a great song:

47 years ago today the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior.
In this thread I'm going to discuss a few things:
- The actual story
- The Gordon Lightfoot song
- The different roles of an artist/storyteller and an educator
- Why it's ok to say we were wrong

— Ada McVean M.Sc. (@AdaMcVean) November 10, 2022

But Gordon had artistic license, and he used it, and we got a better ballad for it.
He once said that he agonized over inaccuracies in the song until his producer advised him to just tell a story.
Nonetheless, since its release, Gordon has altered 2 lyrics when he performs live.

— Ada McVean M.Sc. (@AdaMcVean) November 10, 2022

At some point, a parishioner from the Mariners' Church of Detroit reached out to him and reported that their hall was not "musty" as he had sung. Lightfoot changed the lyric to "In a rustic old hall".

— Ada McVean M.Sc. (@AdaMcVean) November 10, 2022

And yet he made those changes.
But he made them as a mark of respect. It's his song, yes, but it is a tale of real people, real places and real events.
Gordon Lightfoot never claimed to be a historian, and holding him to the standard of one is ludicrous.

— Ada McVean M.Sc. (@AdaMcVean) November 10, 2022

I was front row at the 2010 Lightfoot concert, where he explained that he was about to change the line "At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in". He said he had only recently learned that what he had understood to be the facts were not accurate, and the crew was owed an honest tale.

— Ed's Edits (@waddington_ed) November 11, 2022

Thanks for a great thread.
I want to share this cool noaa site for those on here who may be interested.https://t.co/3PdPObqSdJ

— Todd Silas (@tsilas) November 10, 2022

This is a beautiful version, too:

If you've never seen it, I'd like to share the cover of the song done by the group Cadence. Both music and video are beautifully done. https://t.co/BgylIak5gc

— Marla Kishimoto (@MarlaYuriko) November 11, 2022

In other news:

Trudeau does it again! The Canadian right may froth and scream but Trudeau doesn't care, he just keeps on reaching out and leading Canada to become a happier and more inclusive place - sunny days:

We have a PM the right calls 'divisive' but reaction to his appearing on the much watched, highly successful show demonstrates who the divisive people really are. Looking at you, Pieerson.

— Mike Morris (@1MikeMorris) November 9, 2022

At a time when right-wing populists are targeting drag queens as a front in the American culture war, it’s actually a pretty big statement that a world leader is not joining that particular pile-on, and is visiting a global drag franchise like this. https://t.co/4op5YFEGyu

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 9, 2022

Finally!

Finally ... Ford blinked.

All unions who had supported @fordnation during 2022 election, came out publicly in support of education workers & against Bill 28. Ontario was on verge of general strike. @fordnation has now pledged to repeal Bill 28 (which only passed 4 days ago). 5/

— Professor Carol Campbell (@CarolCampbell4) November 7, 2022

Don't ever tell me @fordnation is "for the people" again.

Corporations are not people. The workers are people and he proved with Bill 28 that he does not see us as people.#onted #onpoli #Ontario #FireLecce #FordFailedThePeople pic.twitter.com/XY76ecOv8R

— 🄴🄶🄶🅄 (@ohayoodesu) November 8, 2022

Finally .... Canada is finding out who the FluTruxKlan organizers actually are:

I’m so tired of hearing this testimony that “their voices weren’t being heard”.They were heard. For years and years of this pandemic. They were the loudest and most obnoxious in our communities. They just wanted their way.

— mel n | she+her | 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@cmelissa_n) November 4, 2022

Gary Clement on the Emergencies Act inquiry. pic.twitter.com/V3E0xPpUNb

— National Post (@nationalpost) November 5, 2022

Dear Tamara Lich,

I’m sorry your dad felt persecuted for refusing to follow mandates put in place to protect others during a pandemic.

My dad died of COVID last fall. Where are your tears for him? #KuKluxKonvoy #FreeDumbConvoy

— Shxwnx Risdon (@RisdonShawna) November 5, 2022

Most of the protesters weren’t truckers, and most truckers didn’t support the protest. It wasn’t organized by truckers, and wasn’t about truckers. The only reason its right-wing propagandists like to call them truckers is so they can dress up as class warriors. https://t.co/TJqaWBu54m

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) November 4, 2022

Who among us has not threatened to shoot our parents at one time or another? https://t.co/yam8aqiV20

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) November 2, 2022

Well we did wonder how they could stay out there with no income & those trucks literally idling. Now we know. They were paid & paid well.

— Barbara Byers, C.M. (@BarbByersCLC) November 2, 2022

Finally...the US midterms are almost over:

“Voting as Fire Extinguisher,” @elguante pic.twitter.com/wxQ0cjc4fa

— Alexander Chee (@alexanderchee) November 7, 2022

Researchers have identified a new and more narrowly targeted Russian misinformation effort ahead of Tuesday’s midterms. It appears intended to not only undermine the U.S. electoral system, but also the Biden administration’s military assistance to Ukraine. https://t.co/uVe4FAbu6M

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 6, 2022

Finally...the Musk Lettuce Watch has begun:

Let the countdown begin pic.twitter.com/RQ7w3OhXcp

— Elon Musk Fondles Dogs (@chaser) November 7, 2022

Starting to suspect this is some kind of “Brewster’s Millions” situation where he secretly has only 30 days to lose all $44 billion dollars

— Joe Muto (@JoeMuto) November 8, 2022

Every Elon post is like watching Joe Pesci enter the Home Alone house

— John Frankensteiner (@JFrankensteiner) November 7, 2022

Today's News: The story behind Russia-gate and the Ukraine War

The New York Times has published a major article The Untold Story of "Russia-gate" and the Road to War in Ukraine (gift article link), and the story actually turns out to be remarkably simple -- Putin wanted to get Trump elected so Trump could support a plan that would give Putin control of Ukraine's industry and agriculture. 

Paul Manafort was the go-between - he had a plan to trade Mariupol for Russia's help in electing Trump in 2016. After Manafort's arrest, Giuliani jumped into the game in 2020.  It was a domestic and international scheme to hand Ukraine to Putin. When that failed, war became inevitable. 

This story explains everything from the inexplicable deletion of Ukraine support in the 2016 Republican platform, to the incredible July 4 2018 Congressional trip to Russia, to Trump's incredibly inept series of secret meetings with Putin.

This should be the biggest story in America. Putin put Trump in the White House to help him take out Ukraine… https://t.co/Z2bXUHz1kd

— Thom Hartmann (@Thom_Hartmann) November 5, 2022

 Here's an excerpt that summarizes the thesis of Jim Rutenberg's article:

Putin’s assault on Ukraine [in 2022] and his attack on American democracy [in 2016] have until now been treated largely as two distinct story lines. Across the intervening years, Russia’s election meddling has been viewed essentially as a closed chapter in America’s political history — a perilous moment in which a foreign leader sought to set the United States against itself by exploiting and exacerbating its political divides.

Yet those two narratives came together that summer night at the Grand Havana Room. And the lesson of that meeting is that Putin’s American adventure might be best understood as advance payment for a geopolitical grail closer to home: a vassal Ukrainian state. 

Thrumming beneath the whole election saga was another story — about Ukraine’s efforts to establish a modern democracy and, as a result, its position as a hot zone of the new Cold War between Russia and the West, autocracy and democracy. 

To a remarkable degree, the long struggle for Ukraine was a bass note to the upheavals and scandals of the Trump years, from the earliest days of the 2016 campaign and then the presidential transition, through Trump’s first impeachment and into the final days of the 2020 election. Even now, some influential voices in American politics, mostly but not entirely on the right, are suggesting that Ukraine make concessions of sovereignty similar to those contained in Kilimnik’s plan, which the nation’s leaders categorically reject.

Its a long read but worth it. 

In other Ukraine news:

In what would be a major defeat for Moscow in its war against Ukraine, the Pentagon is now saying that Ukrainian forces are capable of retaking the strategic southern city of Kherson from Russian troops https://t.co/Y7tzrnVTo1 pic.twitter.com/uFwsXXKpM8

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 4, 2022

The faster Ukraine wins this war, the safer we all are

— Paul Massaro (@apmassaro3) November 2, 2022

Here is an American pilot's message to Putin:

Flightradar24 data showed the image for several hours on Russian radar, making it impossible to ignore. @MrScarce https://t.co/0QG782xa82

— Crooks and Liars (@crooksandliars) November 5, 2022

Friday funnies

Just some of the funny stuff collected this week:

Darn right, Mercedes. 👍🇨🇦All Canadians should write letters to our president in Winnipeg asking for that very thing.

— editorsneedlovetoo (@editorsneedlov1) November 3, 2022

Elon Musk continues to demonstrate why he so richly deserves the sobriquet "Christ, what an asshole!":

mocking of users will continue until profits improve

— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) November 2, 2022

An interesting comment here, too -- and see this article at Daily Kos for more:

Great example of how weird Musk's plan to charge power users for verification is. AOC has 13.5 million followers. When she writes a tweet like this, it generates millions of impressions, creating considerable economic value for Twitter. And he wants to charge her $8 to do it! pic.twitter.com/EjviPPOAQY

— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) November 3, 2022

Want to call yourself Citibank Password Verification? Here's your blue tick, thanks for the $8. Want to say you're the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and announce you're abolishing the police? $8. Call yourself WXBM Local News Arkansas and invent a school shooting? Yours for $8

— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) November 3, 2022

Today's News: It's another edition of "Christ, what an asshole!"

Elon Musk - he will be the gift that keeps on giving, at least until he has bashed Twitter into the ground:

The funniest thing about this is that Elon Musk thinks the issue is that Stephen King is balking at the $20 per month fee. pic.twitter.com/BB5rnmaKKb

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) November 1, 2022

imagine being the richest man on the planet and begging Stephen King for 8 bucks lmao

— God (@thegoodgodabove) November 1, 2022

One thing they don’t teach you in business school is that product pricing is often determined through live negotiations with Stephen King. https://t.co/5CeDL6Iw9l

— Aaron Levie (@levie) November 1, 2022

Unless he's trying to tank this place on purpose, I've never seen somebody more out of their depth in my life. The dog has caught the car and is now demanding the car pay for gas. https://t.co/Pp5TcaAsIl

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) October 31, 2022

sounds like things are going well https://t.co/pnYCGXr6yK

— The Ghost of GC 🌻 (@gtconway3dg) November 2, 2022

Elon's inner 12-year-old is emerging now:

A better term for this project would be "on-demand kiddie porn" because that's EXACTLY what's going to happen. https://t.co/ByO1Odat2j

— soonergrunt 🇺🇸 A Capybara Appreciation Account (@soonergrunt) November 2, 2022

Everyone is declaring "their stance" about whether they will quit Twitter or not:

my stance: pic.twitter.com/5lHR4lUrUq

— Emma Berquist (@eeberquist) October 29, 2022