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"Do not go gentle into that good night. Blog, blog against the dying of the light"
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What a stupid week it has been!Like Arthur Clark said way back when on possibility of extraterrestrial life in the universe:
— Dame Kerrin ☮ - Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 (@Barking52731887) August 25, 2023
"We're either alone, or we're not. And either way you look at it, it's staggering."
Rallies are being organized against Sask Ed:Great interview by @SLangeneggerCBC on the Saskatchewan policy around LGBTQ+ students, and absolutely frustrating to hear a straight white male minister absolutely refusing to understand why queer and trans students may feel unsafe at home. #canqueer https://t.co/LOVIppKtsD
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) August 24, 2023
Star Phoenix reporter Julia Peterson writes a very comprehensive article about the Saskatoon rally this weekend: "I think there's going to be an army there': Advocates to rally in Saskatoon against new Sask. education policiesSunday at noon in Saskatoon. Protest the Sask United lapdog Scott Moe's anti-trans school regulations. pic.twitter.com/12uT5izs9G
— Kyle Anderson (@DrKyle) August 26, 2023
...Fran Forsberg is one of the organizers of a rally set to take place Sunday afternoon at Saskatoon MLA Don Morgan’s office, where she and others will voice their opposition to the policies.When Forsberg heard about the new policies on Tuesday, she recalled a conversation she had with now-Education Minister Dustin Duncan about rights and dignity for transgender people in Saskatchewan more than six years ago.“He said to me that he was a 40-year-old from (Weyburn), so he didn’t really understand or know about all this,” she said. “And I said, in this day and age, where this information is so readily available, his kind of ignorance is not acceptable.“Now, he’s had a lot of time to learn. And I’m older than him by 20 years. I learned about transgender people. I educated myself and I understand how important this issue is. What’s his excuse?”Jolene Brown, who sits on the board of Prince Albert Pride, says these new policies are “harming more than helping, while pretending to help.” Prince Albert Pride is calling on the government to rescind Tuesday’s announcement.“To me, this policy change is not positive,” said Brown. “It solves no existing problem. It just shackles teachers’ ability to help (and) all this is doing is removing resources. It’s putting a cage around teachers, and it’s putting a cage around kids, too. I just can’t imagine how a parent would want that.”Forsberg says schools need to be a safe place for children to be themselves — whether or not they come from an accepting home.“Being a foster parent, I’ve seen so many kids literally kicked out of their homes because of their sexual or gender diversity,” she said. “I’ve seen physical violence towards these children and youth.“The government is saying this is for the safety and well-being of children and youth, but I think they’re just pandering to the far-right. It’s ridiculous, and it’s so backwards.”Brenda Montgrand, who works as a school counsellor at Hector Thiboutot Community School in the village of Sandy Bay, says that especially in remote, isolated communities like hers schools need to be safe havens for LGBTQ2S+ youth.“They hang out in the school, even after classes in the evening,” she said. “If I was doing something in the evening — even showing a movie and having a talk about it afterwards — they’ll stay for that. Because a lot of them don’t want to go home. It’s not comfortable there, or they may not feel safe. So it’s nice to have them here, and we don’t mind being there for them.”Some of Montgrand’s gay, trans and two-spirit students have recently started a GSA. She says these students are “brave, and they want to do something,” and eager to learn more about their own identities and those of their friends.“We want to be able to talk openly amongst each other,” she said. “We all need to be able to look and talk more openly. But we need more, in that area, for them to learn about what it is to live a gay life and to be more comfortable. And if these kids are getting treated differently because they’re changing how they want to be called, that’s going to have an effect on them.”Forsberg also worries about how the changes to sex education in schools will affect the rates of STIs and unplanned pregnancies in Saskatchewan, which are already much higher than the national average.“When we know better, we do better,” she said. “This education can do nothing but help kids make the right decisions for them. I know of nobody who has ever been harmed by too much education; quite the contrary.” ...
RW and LW politicians both complain and moan and groan about spending on things that “no one will need anyway.”
— Aurelia Cotta (@AureliaCotta) August 20, 2023
The RW wants spending cuts and tax cuts. The LW wants us to redirect spending to non-emergency regular program spending 2/8#cdnpoli #kelownafires #Yellowknife #covid19
And all govts around the world bought fewer waterbomber planes, fire trucks, and stopped hiring firefighters, and stopped zoning buildings right—because putting homes in forests and on flood plains is AOK, right? 4/8 #KelownaWildfires #Yellowknifewildfire #covid19 #cdnpoli
— Aurelia Cotta (@AureliaCotta) August 20, 2023
And the RW delighted in tax cuts and the LW spent the money on current programs.
— Aurelia Cotta (@AureliaCotta) August 20, 2023
Public Health spoke up and we ignored them.
Rural areas and low income countries asked what the plan to help them was…and we ignored them. 6/8#yellowknife #cdnpoli #covid19 #kelownafires
I know we all want to find one single person to blame. One single cause.
— Aurelia Cotta (@AureliaCotta) August 20, 2023
But it’s not a conspiracy…it’s not organized. That would be a simple fix.
No, we all have screwed up our world together.
Now we have to fix it. 8/8#covid19 #cdnpoli #Yellowknife #kelownafires
Fin
I saw these on Bluesky:How to lure me to my death pic.twitter.com/X0sVRGJOWK
— Hermeshuns 🤍 (@hermeshuns) August 13, 2023
According to federal data, roughly 13.4 million hectares have burned in wildfires in Canada this summer. To put that in context, that's an area about the size of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island combined.https://t.co/84dvUMA0PG
— Seth Klein (@SethDKlein) August 17, 2023
My parents (my dad a retired water bomber) were evacuated from #FortSmith Friday and drove to Kelowna to stay with my sister. Her neighborhood in #WestKelowna is now on evac alert. Canada’s wildfire season from hell continues #fireweather #wildfires https://t.co/ub3aEUXNnJ
— Wes Regan (@411Regan) August 17, 2023
Journalist John Vaillant has a new book out - Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast - about the Fort McMurray fire in May 2016 and the Literary Review of Canada has published Bob Armstrong's review titled Alarm Bells.Fires beginning to close in on parts of Kelowna, a city of 222,000 in British Columbia, Canada. Temperature forecast today is 38C (101F), far above normal. https://t.co/QUcI38pStt
— Nate Bear (@NateB_Panic) August 18, 2023
My @TinyviewComics cartoon published 7/13/23. #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #weather #heat #storms #floods #wildfires #pollution #environment
— Rob Rogers (@Rob_Rogers) August 13, 2023
Support cartoonists by subscribing: https://t.co/nTA2r3Qrmm pic.twitter.com/czSzjMzJYL
— Michael de Adder (@deAdder) August 9, 2023
— mike luckovich (@mluckovichajc) August 7, 2023Hey, do you know conservatives have no sense of humour?
Here's one of my all-time favourites. Boy, did I get trolled when I ran this. Please enjoy. pic.twitter.com/XqdBX18uql
— Theo Moudakis (@TheoMoudakis) July 30, 2023
— Effin' Birds 🔜 FAN EXPO Canada (@EffinBirds) August 15, 2023
Announcer: “IIIIIIN THIS CORNER, weighing in at 185 pounds, CEO of Facebook…”
— Leon Wolf 🇺🇦 (@LeonHWolf) August 14, 2023
Zuckerberg:”Meta.”
Announcer: “Whatever. And in this corner, weighing in at 205 pounds, CEO of Twitter…”
Musk “X.”
Announcer: “Am I in the wrong place?”
Woman finds her cat amid the charred ruins of the Maui fires in Lahaina. Photo: Moses Slovatizki/Getty. pic.twitter.com/EI3D6sSjNZ
— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) August 13, 2023
Yes, he's fine.
— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) August 14, 2023
“I’m thankful for the people who made it out alive,” said Ms. Wong, who is also the chef and owner of the Koko Head Cafe in Honolulu, “but an entire town has burned down.”The Pioneer Inn was known for a parrot, Alex, who regaled guests. He made it out alive, Ms. Wong said, “but again, there are thousands of pets who didn’t.”Ms. Wong is now working out of the University of Hawaii’s Maui campus with World Central Kitchen, the global nonprofit organization founded by the chef José Andrés, as well as local business owners to prepare meals for evacuees.
🎥 The WCK convoy earlier today heading to western Maui with thousands of meals for first responders & families impacted by the fires. Communities in this area are the hardest-hit on the island, so we’ll continue supporting the best way we know how. #ChefsForHawaii pic.twitter.com/patyPLsHYi
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) August 13, 2023
The Maui Bird Conservation Center, a sanctuary for endangered bird spieces, was defended by a staffer and a neighbour until firefighters could get there.Mahalo to everyone -- human and canine -- helping us with our recovery. #MauiFires #MauiStrong https://t.co/cSDz5qMYTn
— HawaiiDelilah™ 🟦 #MauiStrong (@HawaiiDelilah) August 13, 2023
... The center houses about 40 ‘akikiki, a native songbird, and about 40 ‘alalā, also known as the Hawaiian crow. ‘Alalā are extinct in the wild, and only about five ‘akikiki are known to remain there. The only other members of these species live at the center’s sister facility on the Big Island.... As Ms. Pribble watched the fire in the distance, she felt reassured that it was in the forest, where a bed of thick pine needles seemed to be making it hard for the flames to spread. For a time, they actually reduced in size.But she grew increasingly worried as fire approached grasses closer to a road.If it crossed, she thought, the grasses on the 46 acre property would provide ample fuel....“All of a sudden, basically, the fire jumped the road and it was on our property,” she said.Ms. Pribble ran inside to get two fire extinguishers to douse the flames, but she worried it would happen again. She raced back in for more extinguishers and a garden hose. She texted the forest manager saying she needed assistance. “We just went out and kept it under control the best that we could, just so it didn’t cross back over the road, until the state firefighters could arrive.”
Checking several of the posts at X (twitter) tonight, I see conspiracy theories by the dozen are already springing up all over the hashtags about the Maui fires.🐾 Furiends, our hearts are with the pets and hoomans of Maui ♥️. @mauihumane is working hard to pawtect and save the lives of Maui’s animals. For information on how to help during this time, please paw https://t.co/ez6ij2UuPc
— The Oval Pawffice® 🇺🇸 DOTUS Fans (@TheOvalPawffice) August 14, 2023
Today in 1928, Ethel Catherwood won Gold at the 1928 Olympics in the High Jump.
— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) August 11, 2023
She was one of the Matchless Six, a group of Canadian women who dominated at those Olympics.
Let's learn a bit more about Catherwood, the Saskatoon Lily!
Ethel was born on April 28, 1908 in Hannah,… pic.twitter.com/kYSzgCfWaL
Each day, I am sharing the history of the Indigenous people of each province and territory.
— Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) August 8, 2023
Today I am looking at the Woodland Cree People who live in their territory across the northern area of Prairie Provinces
The Woodland Cree call themselves Nîhithaw in their own language.… pic.twitter.com/KMBnMf53Sz
Balancing things out: Oppenheimer with Ella. pic.twitter.com/MdcZlhDwaG
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 9, 2023
Study: Being hated by Piers Morgan, Jordan Peterson et al. most likeable thing about Justin Trudeau https://t.co/mCfxOEG5FJ pic.twitter.com/su5ndluee8
— The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) August 8, 2023
keep going, Donny.you’re about to find what it’s like to no longer be above the law.you’re going run your stupid mouth until you talk yourself into custody, and you’ll have no one to blame but your own reckless self.Donald Trump has the right to remain silent. too bad he doesn’t have the ability.pass the popcorn. this is going to be entertaining as fuck.
Judge Chutkan: “Mr. Trump, you have the right to keep yapping. Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
— Captain Obvious ™️ (@TheFungi669) August 7, 2023
This morning in Ottawa, I got to send off an incredible group of people. They came from Korea and spent the last few weeks battling wildfires in Quebec. On behalf of all Canadians — I thanked them for their heroic work. pic.twitter.com/nYZEhRXO43
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 1, 2023
I did not know you are a ‘New Canadian’. You will like this quote pic.twitter.com/C4RbzE6MBm
— Old Man with a Beard (@Brianebutler1) August 2, 2023
Earth is currently traveling through multiple clouds of dusty comet debris, bringing a higher-than-usual amount of meteors to the night sky. When these fragments of rock and metal enter the atmosphere, the air around them heats up, creating a blazing glow visible from the ground. The Delta Aquariids coincide with a few other meteor showers, such as the famous Perseids, that promise to impress spectators for weeks to come.
..."it comes down to the lack of a National Security (NS) culture in Canadian government, including around intelligence. Canadians just don’t take NS seriously, despite the dangerous security environment in which we find ourselves and all the events of the last two years (Afghanistan, Ukraine, the freedom convoy, foreign interference). Our major Allies seem to get it, but we don’t. Producing a strategy, creating a cabinet committee on NS, strengthening intelligence coordination at the centre, or being more transparent through public threat assessments and other similar measures, would put us on the same level as our allies. "...
The annual report from the National Security and intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians was tabled in Parliament on July 19. There was no one home to receive it. MPs and Senators are enjoying their summer recess and will not return to the Hill again until the end of September. A stealth release of this important committee’s report is in no one’s interest...
The RCMP have made some intriguing national security arrests recently. One involved terrorism offences. A second was based on charges laid under the Security of Information Act dealing with foreign interference. Both cases have unique features and are the product of long -run and, presumably, complex investigations.
For anyone interested in the government’s handling of national security issues, the biggest news coming out of today’s Cabinet shuffle is the replacement of the much besieged Marco Mendicino as Public Safety Minister by Dominic LeBlanc. Next in line as big news is the move of Bill Blair from a minor Cabinet post (Emergency Preparedness) to Defence, replacing Anita Anand. Melanie Joly stays as Foreign Minister. This is the big three trio of Ministers with responsibilities for security and intelligence.
As an addendum to news about the Cabinet shuffle, PMO is also announcing that the PM will create a National Security council-style Cabinet committee on national security and intelligence.
This is very much a welcome, and long overdue, reform to Canada's national security architecture. The current system is ad hoc and reactive; Cabinet will now finally be able to hold more focused, forward-looking debates on national security. https://t.co/iQnkWa8ng0
— Thomas Juneau (@thomasjuneau) July 26, 2023
...Poilievre might have gone too early – that he might have been better off from the position of doing well while in the leadership had he waited a decade – is very real, because right now, he’s not ready. Allowing his candidate in Portage Lisgar to use a photo of Max Bernier at Pride as an attack, posing for a photo with the Straight Pride Guy, going to the East Coast to talk about gun rights the weekend before a suburban byelection, accusing Justin Trudeau of conspiring with China to commit treason … at some point we have to face the reality of his fundamental unseriousness.[The Trudeau government] isn’t an unambiguously good government that is guaranteed a win on its merits, but that doesn’t matter if the opposition’s shit. Election are choices, not referendums, and Poilievre ... makes the electorate’s choice for them. ...At the end of the day, the Liberals are where they’ve often been in this country’s history – in office, and likely about to stay there, not on the merits of their term but because the Opposition has not hit the threshold at which this country overcomes its inertia against toppling Liberal governments. Unless we see a lot of people taking their chance to leave soon – and we won’t – then the idea that this Liberal government is dying should make its way to a graveyard, and usher in a proper understanding of reality.
It’s been interesting to watch as the same outrage merchants who led the unhinged attacks on Target and Bud Light for the *gasp* scandalous decision to… hire a trans woman (BL) and sell some super generic Pride merch, have struggled to land hits on Barbenheimer....Watching as professional crybabies like Ben Shapiro tried to get people to boycott “Barbie” because one of the actresses in the film (Hari Nef, who played Doctor Barbie) is trans, and seeing that has absolutely no effect on the film’s success demonstrates that the Bud Light and Target controversies and capitulations only became big deals because Bud Light and Target responded to the outrage as though it were genuine. It was not.Had Bud Light and Target told the outraged weirdos to pound sand, they’d have avoided the mess, but in the rush to appease the far right, they handed Shapiro and the rest of his Daily Wire goons wins they thought they could use to reshape culture around their own bigoted and exclusionary beliefs. ...Anyway, I hope that businesses around the country (and world, for that matter) realize that if you ignore these far-right goons or tell them to screw off, members of the Daily Wire’s hate machine will be the ones who come away looking foolish, as Shapiro has in his post-viewing tantrums.