Sunday, 24 August, 2014 -( 64˚F / 18˚C with scattered clouds in Ithaca @ 9:30 am ET )-
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news. —Thanks. ———djo——— }
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A 6.0 magnitude earthquake centered north of San Francisco ‘shook thousands awake’ this morning. “Thousands without power.”
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“Lead Stories”
Magnitude 6.0 earthquake rocks San Francisco Bay area { }
Ukraine’s president vows to boost military spending by $3B { }
2 quakes rattle Iceland volcano day after red alert issued { }
Winnie, the bear behind Winnie the Poo turns 100 { Another headline indicates ‘The story’ turns 100 years old. }
Parliament has not properly debated assisted suicide: Tory MP { }
Harper ‘on wrong side of history’ with aboriginal women comments, Trudeau says { In the ‘Most Viewed’ section, “Trudeau calls Harper ‘out of touch‘ -over comments we reported on yesterday. This is the first day I haven’t seen Justin Trudeau mentioned in a headline that didn’t look biased to me. —djo— }
-Photos- Bao Bao, rare captive-bred panda, gets 1st birthday cake at National Zoo { }
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“Offbeat”
-Bao Bao story made it to the top in the offbeat section-
Peeing in the ocean is good for the environment, scientists say { This headline was actually under the “Technology & Science” heading. }
-other stories are repeats from yesterday-
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“Most Viewed”
[Orca] pod rallies around orca trapped in fisherman’s net { I replaced “Killer Whale” with [Orca] —djo— }
-Blog- Indian Status: 5 things you need to know { “Filmmaker dispels myths and misconceptions about [First Nations] status in new film” }
Run-down Labrador highway destroyed motorhome, says couple { * If politicians, after being sued over issues such as fraudulent tax assessments, overcharging for municipality services, such as water if the town or city ‘owns’ the water supply, not being completely honest about where their money comes from -& how much money they’ve hidden from the public, allowing infrastructure decay, -and other things I don’t have time to list here- -& if they lose the court case – had to pay out of their own pockets and could not raise taxes to cover their losses, would this keep the not-so-public-minded from running for office? * }
3D printers widely accessible at libraries, makerspaces { “Makerspaces” might be internet cafés with 3D printers available for public use. }
Diner en Blanc pops up in Halifax courtyard { ‘Diner en Blanc’ appears to be a kind of ‘happening’ where, in this case, nearly 1,000 participants found out where the event would take place ‘moments before the event’. Diners are asked to wear only white and bring their own food, chairs and dishes. Looks like everybody brought white folding chairs. This took place in the quad at the University of King’s College. }
Iceland volcano: Bardarbunga eruption begins { I’ve seen no pictures yet, they said the eruption began beneath the ice of Iceland’s largest glacier. }
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“Other”
‘This is something we shouldn’t forget,’ Ferguson protesters say { }
Lev Tahor sect quietly moves from Chatham, Ontario, to Guatemala { Members of Lev Tahor have been accused of abusing their children and been threatened with having children removed from their custody by Child Protective Services. They’ve also been accused of moving away from more than one area to avoid prosecution, or, from their perspective, to escape persecution. If I had absolute proof that they systematically abuse their children I bet I would feel differently —djo— }
2 days of deadly attacks in Iraq threaten fragile government transition { }
Montreal photographer calls report on journalist’s kidnapping ‘personal attack’ { “Photographer Yves Choquette says he did not compromise the safety of American journalist Steven Sotloff, who was kidnapped in Syria last year and also appeared in a recent jihadist video in which fellow U.S. journalist James Foley was executed.” }
China’s toxic soil { “A once-secret government study says that nearly 20% of all farmland is polluted, causing danger to people working on the fields and those buying its products.” }
Where’s the fire pole? { “A more than 100-year-old tradition is slowly fading into history, as the fire pole is being phased out from fire halls across the country.” }
Alberta’s proposed tuition hikes could see increases of almost 60% in some [institutions] { Their headline said “-in some falculties’. ] }
Painkillers prescribed chronically to many Americans on disability { }
How bad news effects your brain: Day 6 { There are live links in the following Copied and Pasted feature: >>—-> “Awful, emotionally wrenching stories are dominating the summer news cycle – from violence in Iraq, protests in Ferguson, Ebola in West Africa and mounting deaths in Israel and Gaza. Though most of us are watching these stories unfold at a safe distance, that doesn’t mean we’re not affected. Brent speaks to Mary McNaughton-Cassill, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, about the relationship between bad news and stress.” *** There are more interesting details on the page with the above, Link >>—-> “How to keep bad news from bringing you down” }
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“Local” / “New Brunswick”
Firefighter hurt in Rothesay house fire { }
Human remains found in Sheffield { }
&&&&& From an ad type box on the side: Links included: >>—->
Friday, 22 August, 2014 -( 67˚F / 19˚C & cloudy in Ithaca @ 9:45 am ET )-
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news. —Thanks. ———djo——— }
— Somebody just re-tweeted a nearly whited out photo: – See Below, I hope – “Malek Jandali @MalekJandali – My name is Katya: I am one of 17,000+ #Syria children killed by brutal #dictator #Assad war crimes against #humanity” — Looks like somebody is escalating the propaganda campaign to psyche you into ‘wanting’ their next war.
$431,000 stolen in armoured truck heist in Montreal subburb { ‘Halloween-masked thieves pepper-spray 2 armoured car guards and steal what another link calls ‘Nearly $400K’ }
Winnipeg cleans up after mall, roads, basements flooded { }
Canada’s inflation rate slows to 2.1% in July as gas price hikes cool: StatsCan { }
Russian aid convoy rolls into Ukraine without permission { }
Hamas kills 18 suspected informers for Israel in Gaza { }
How lessons from other cities may help Ferguson heal after Michael Brown shooting { }
-Updated- At least 30 dead in militia attack on Sunni mosque { }
Looks like a Tanker to me
& the story below popped up when I hit ‘refresh’:
-New- -12 Turkish sailors stranded on ship in Quebec a ‘barbaric’ situation { ‘Twelve Turkish sailors are stranded on a ship in Sorel, Que., say they haven’t been paid for two months and are now out of food, a situation called “barbaric and beyond comprehension.” 9:47 AM ET }
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“Offbeat”
Exploding rabbit population vexes residents in Sudbury neighbourhood { Exploding rabbits? Has Monty Python been seen near Sudbury? }
Thunderstorm send Winnipeggers into streets with canoes, snorkels { }
Spider-Woman’s butt sparks conversation about sexism in comics { Oh, you think men and women with impossibly sexy physiques wearing ridiculous costumes might have something to do with sexism? I think I remember young women reading ‘Archie’ comics while most boys were ‘reading’ superman and batman and I got hooked on Spiderman, X-men and the Fantastic 4. Marvel in those days was more about angst and cute tricks -a bank manager named “Ben Dover”?- but, yeah, women in comic books looked like women in television commercials might if college nerds could have digitally ‘enhanced’ them and altered their clothing. }
‘Facebook drug task force’ hoax dupes thousands of stoners { 100,000 people send messages on facebook to warn others about a rumored campaign to intercept messages with keywords that might indicate that somebody was setting up a drug sale on-line and get those messages to local police. }
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“Most Viewed”
Ukraine crisis: Russian aid convoy crosses border without Kyiv OK { }
Workers not to blame for Quebec pension problem: Don Pittis { }
Montague homicide victims, suspect not acquainted, say RCMP { The victims were a father and his adult son. A suspect is charged with two counts of first degree murder. I’m not as confused about this one as some others, but, if the accused didn’t know the victims, how is that ‘pre-meditated’? Did he plot to kill people who drove the wrong colour of the wrong model car? Or something equally irritating to the alleged killer? }
Video of Rockliffe prowling person of interest released by police { On Twitter – Somebody retweeted this photo with the caption “It’s Pierre Poutine” – a reference to the guy recently convicted in the Conservative robocall scandal – I thought the photo was too blurry to be certain. }
Cliché alert: Grits ‘rolling up their sleeves’ for Canada { ‘Grits’ is the nickname for the Liberal Party. This seems to me to be another headline written by somebody who doesn’t like Justin Trudeau or has an anti-Liberal bias. – unlike me- I have an anti-politician bias. The party in power has the biggest virtual target painted on their foreheads at the moment. }
James Foley killing: Why ISIS beheaded the U.S. journalist { In the article, a reported ex-C.I.A. analyst says ISIS believes the publicity will help their cause and attract many more supporters. The article also says there are amputations taking place and people being crucified in ISIS held territory. There is a mention of a ransom under a photo at the top of the article and the only ransom-like detail I read was -If the U.S. stops the airstrikes in Iraq, we’ll stop beheading U.S. journalists.- sounds like a win-win situation for both sides. ISIS gets to brag that they’re powerful enough to either kill U.S. citizens or blackmail the U.S. into stopping the bombing and the C.I.A. has a really nasty looking ‘enemy’ to protect U.S. citizens from- and has the opportunity to get rid of a couple pesky investigative journalists in the process. }
Iceland volcano: Bardarbunga shaken by 3 earthquakes { }
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“Other”
-Analysis- Canadian pension tension: Don’t blame the workers writes Don Pittis { The link in the ‘Most Viewed’ hinted that it was Quebec’s problem and that headline didn’t have as creative liguistics. }
Fewer jobs for students in federal public service, think-tank says { Okay, they won’t hire anybody so that ensures that they can point their fingers at the federal agencies and accuse them of not doing their jobs properly when major catastrophes take place, but if, for instance, Transport Canada wants to hire more and better qualified inspectors in order to properly do their job and they are told, ‘Hiring more people or more expensive people is not in the budget.’ – Who do you suppose should get the blame next time? }
Hiker in B.C. rescued days after fleeing bear in tree { You have to sit through commercials before and after you get to see the real video. A twenty five year old hiker climbed a tree to escape a bear. The bear did not immediately leave. The hiker fell asleep and fell out of the tree, suffered a severe concussion and a back injury, and may have been in and out of consciousness for as many as 4 days while people were searching for him. A man walking his dog found the injured hiker, face down, on the ground and said the injured hiker was ‘aware, but not lucid,’ then added, ‘he was quite groggy’. An expert on bears says you should freeze and talk in a nice calm voice, climbing a tree is not a very good idea. If you speak nice and calm and friendly, bear will ‘probably’ become bored with you and walk away. }
Death toll of Syrian civil war nearly 190,000, UN says { }
‘Everything is on fire’: Lac-Mégantic train engineer’s calls from night of disaster released { }
Are wearable camera companies going to cash in after Ferguson? { Probably not- if the people who are plotting to destroy the buying power of your currency have their way. The U.S. economy is scheduled to crash this autumn. People will starve to death and those who depend on electricity for home medical devices will be terminally out of luck. Link >>—-> Half Past Human Tweet >>—-> @clif_high }
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“Local” / “New Brunswick”
Fracking wastewater clean enough for Dieppe sewer, says company { A Nova Scotia based company that wants to ship as much as 30 million litres of fracking wastewater to New Brunswick says the water is clean. ***But the process is not safe. It doesn’t matter how clean the water is that you want to use for fracking, the process of fracking destroys the purity of ground water and can lead to flammable gas coming into your home through your pipes with what you thought was clean, drinkable water. Haven’t you seen the video of flames shooting out of faucets in people’s kitchen sinks? Don’t let yourself be duped. & If you’re determined to commit suicide and want to be fracked to death, please move a million miles away from any neighbors, and frack yourself. }
Photo of Poster = # of jobs per Million $ invested – Jim W took this photo in a hurry when he saw the poster.
Many voters say jobs and economy are top priority { Party hacks for the sitting government might want you to believe that jobs and the economy are your most important issue, but this article starts out naming voters with other top priorities, a man in Moncton says health care is most important and believes a system modeled after a combination of the English and French medical systems should be implemented here. One woman from Beresford believes the environment is most her most important concern, ‘If the environment goes, we’re not here anymore.’ Another woman says government accountability is her most important issue and she would like to see more transparency. I saw photos of a Poster, “Jobs per million $ invested / You do the math” *** Jim W sent me the poster photo. (above) }
4 parties launch election campaigns { The ‘Progressive Conservatives‘ -*does anybody else seem to realize that ‘-looking or moving forward – while -looking or moving backward’ doesn’t make sense as a name for a political party that stands for anything but the status quo?- The PC party is ‘banking’ on voters being stupid enough to vote to hand their government over to those who want to Frack them to death. The Liberals -who currently enjoy a big lead in the polls we’ve seen- say they would support an oil exporting facility, the Energy East Pipeline, and Sisson Brook and other mining opportunities. The NDP -New Democratic Party- say that neither the PC nor Liberal Party can give ‘New Bunswickers’ the government they deserve because both front running parties are indebted to special interests -Big Business- The NDP wants to ‘create the best education system’ to help N.B.-ers get high paying jobs, and also wants to ‘fix the health care system’, ‘lift rural communities out of poverty’, ‘give an equal voice to all communities’ and ‘eliminate patronage from government’. The Green Party has criticized the Premier for saying he would not meet the Green Party Candidate in CBC televized debates, and said the party will release their platform on September 3rd. There is a mention of a fifth party down at the bottom of this article. The People’s Alliance, but no mention of the party’s ideals or philosophy was included here. On the People’s Alliance web site there are 4 press releases talking about their ideas that changing Motor Vehicle registration and cutting the requirement for vehicles to have front license plates will save taxpayers money. Their policies page is blank. }
Rothesay police used reasonable force in fatal shooting, RCMP say { }
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{ 1:06 pm ET : Proofreading and colorizing / 1:43 pm EDT = ready to Publish ———djo——— }
Thursday, 21 August, 2014 -( 77˚F / 25˚C & thunderstorming in Ithaca @ 12:50 pm ET )-
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news. —Thanks. ———djo——— }
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{ I’ve been really busy tracking down leads and ‘tweets’ about journalists being, at least, threatened by police and other officials. Sorry I’m later than usual with this. }
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The Lead Story has a photo of James Foley staring at me. a related story reports: “James Foley profile: A ‘committed and brave journalist’ Aug 20” { There may be video with this. }
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“Lead Stories”
Ontario police say motorcycle deaths could hit 7-year high { }
New rules on mechanically tenderized beef take effect { Because there may be an increased risk of bacteria resulting from this form of ‘tenderizing’ – the packaging must contain a warning that the beef must be properly cooked to a certain temperature that I couldn’t find while reading the article. }
RCMP investigate double homicide near Montaque , PEI { }
American doctor infected with Ebola recovers in Atlanta { }
Interpol says co-ordinated effort needed against ISIS { A couple years ago, remote viewers told us the U.S. would become involved in a war with Syria. Maybe just ‘in’ Syria. I’d rather see a war against disinformation and government manipulation of the truth in order to manipulate the population. Remember- Governments killed more of their own people in the last century than all those horrific wars we went through- combined. }
Fighters traveling to conflict zones pose terror threat { Buzz word = terror- Be careful- They’re trying to pull something over our eyes. }
U.S. says troops tried to rescue James Foley in Syria { See above comment. }
Hamas says 3 military leaders killed in Israeli airstrikes { }
U.S. AG tells Missouri he understands mistrust of police { ‘AG’ = Attorney General }
Protests in Ferguson smaller with no tear gas fired { }
-Analysis- A ‘great training tool’ for police chiefs: How Ferguson botched crowd control { Before Ian Punnet had to leave Coast to Coast am because of the ringing in his ears, he interviewed a retired police officer who believes that part of the problem with people seeing what they believe is inappropriate use of force by police officers- is that the officers have been trained to believe that they must ‘maintain control of the situation’. That advice sometimes leads to the officers going a bit too far. We need to rethink this. }
How Ottawa’s $24M ad campaign to sell Keystone in the U.S. fell flat { }
B.C. woman with dementia leaves final right-to-die plea { I found out she died while I was reading another headline farther down the web site. }
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“Offbeat”
Tooth fairy pays premium for teeth in Atlantic Canada { This report estimates that kids in Atlantic Canada receive an average of $3.46 per tooth? Kids in Ontario receive an average of $2.80? }
Historic Thunder Bay buildings rendered in Lego { }
Killer whale tosses ‘sea lion’ 6 metres into the air { There is a video. I have issues – #1- They’re Orcas- stop calling them ‘killer whales’. #2- I don’t want to see anything being tortured or killed. #3- If we showed video of beef cattle being slaughtered, do you think we’d all become vegetarians? }
Giant Rubber Duck sails into L.A. port { Okay, now this one I’d probably like to see. }
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“Most Viewed”
Jacinda and Janika Hodder get mystery illness diagnosed in U.S. { It took 20 years and $50,000.00 in donations for 2 sisters from Newfoundland to learn the diagnosis for a ‘brain disorder’ they’ve been suffering from all this time. Their disorder is called ‘Cerebellar Ataxia’ – ‘damage, degeneration, or loss of nerve cells in the cerebellum- the part of the brain that controls muscle co-ordination. They were hoping they’d find out it was something there might be a cure for. }
Liberals edge back from the brink under Justin Trudeau { For the last couple days, I’ve been seeing headlines that seem to be aimed at undermining the electorate’s confidence in Justine Trudeau’s chances of being elected Prime Minister. Okay, Canadians do not elect a Prime Minister directly. They elect Members of Parliament, and the ‘Leader’ of the party with the most Members of Parliament gets to be Prime Minister. If no party has more than half the members elected to Parliament under its banner, The one with the most members elected will still get to ‘form the government’ and their ‘Leader’ is then the Prime Minister, they call this a ‘minority government’. Under a minority government a lot of compromises have to be made, and if a ‘confidence vote’ is called for and the minority government does not win that vote- it will be time to have a new federal election. To say that Liberals were almost at the ‘brink’ -you’d have to forget that in the 1993 election the ‘Progressive Conservative’ only party ‘won’ only 2 seats. }
Iceland volcano: Bardarbunga volcano remains poised to erupt { Last night on teevee news somebody said that there have been earthquakes related to the volcano, but no lava was seen as coming near the surface, yet. }
{ The rest of the reports here are repeats from “Lead Stories” above. }
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“Other”
-Analysis- Justin Trudeau fulfilling Liberal hopes ahead of 2015 election { Okay- I don’t see any ‘loaded’ words in this headline. -I am not a Liberal- I am not a Conservative -I am an independent (small i) Nobody floats my boat. I used to have a bumper sticker, “Don’t Vote – It only encourages them.” My boss made me get rid of it because he was afraid somebody might see me get out of my car in uniform and associate the uniform with the bumper sticker. I would really like to see a politician appear from anywhere that I could believe in. Maybe not in this life. The Conservative party of Canada has already run commercials featuring unflattering photos and video of Justin Trudeau. They are trying to portray him as an irresponsible youngster who couldn’t be trusted to head a government. I thought these commercials were remarkably mean spirited. But, apparently- the Conservative Party of Canada is still afraid that Justin might be popular enough to unseat them. The people I trust to look ahead have told me they’re confident the Canadian electorate will see through the Conservative Party, will see the ‘Leaders’ of this party for what they are and hand them their walking papers. I don’t know- but for now, I can only hope that the campaign, and the pre- campaign shenanigans, do not paint either party as junior high school bullies who never grew up, pointing their finger at their opponents and making faces and sticking their tongues out and acting like barely pubescent boys (and girls?) I mean, jeeze- acting like a twelve year old while accusing your opponent of not being mature enough to take your job away from you is just plain silly. }
Transport Canada’s lax safety practices go beyond rail { Transport Canada is the victim of the current government’s attempt to make it impossible for Transport Canada to enforce its regulations because the current government is in bed with big business and wants to take all oversight away- period. They want to convince us that Big Business will be able to ‘police themselves’ better than any government regulatory body. We saw how well that worked last year in Lac-Mégantic. And then, at the press conference, yesterday, they tried to make it look like Transport Canada was at least as guilty as the MM&R railroad. If the government won’t allow Transport Canada the funds it would need to hire enough qualified inspectors, how in hell could they expect TC to do their job effectively? It’s the conservative agenda: un-fund programs, then tell the world those programs aren’t working, try to disband those agencies that protect the population from unscrupulous corporations and other businesses- and then what? Hide in your bunker while the world falls apart? -Hold the bloody government responsible. They’re lying to you. Investigate what they’re really up to and do not believe their argument that they can’t tell you the truth because national security is at stake. Their security is at stake. If you knew what your government is up to, you’d go nuts and try to rip their heads from their shoulders (without any form of pain killers being offered them). Oops, somebody help me down from this soap box? }
-New- Have Alward’s Torries been ‘proven through fire’? N.B. voters will decide Sept. 22 { Alward’s Conservative government is banking on the belief that they can convince a lot of people that ‘Fracking means jobs for you’ and ‘We should let Big Business cut down any tree they want to, because they have our best interest at heart’ and ‘You really don’t want to protect the water you drink from being poisoned, because we need to ‘Frack’ for jobs, and let mining waste ooze into your drinking, cleaning and recreation waters because those nice people who are fleecing you of your natural resources shouldn’t have to be careful about the toxic sludge they leave behind in their quest to frack you where it hurts’- -Anybody remember the newest incarnation of ‘Battlestar Gallactica’? remember what they meant when they used the word ‘Frack’? -Don’t bend over in front of a mother fracker- I saw video that Jim W took in which a First Nations elder said that the elemental beings -like leprachauns- that we’ve been sharing this planet with allalong started the fires that burned several old police vehicles while the police were arresting protesters at anti-fracking roadblocks last year. -I saw the vehicles and was ready to believe that the police set their own aging vehicles on fire to both get new vehicles and make the protesters look bad. I wasn’t there, I didn’t see who did or did not set any fires. Jim did nothing with his video because one of the First Nations people in the background looked up and said he did not want to be in any video. Fracking is dangerous to your health. It really looks like fracking is part of a plot to destroy your ability to live anywhere that has been fracked. Somebody has an agenda. }
‘This country is capable of change,’ U.S. Attorney General says in Ferguson { Can I quote a folk rocker? “Nothing is quite as sure as change-‘ John Phillips, -of the Mamas & Papas }
Neanderthals, humans may have coexisted for thousands of years { Maybe we interbred to the point where we’ve become one race? Maybe they’re hiding somewhere, waiting for the humans to self-destruct? }
Air Canada accused of discriminating against Muslim man { }
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“Local” / “New Brunswick”
New Brunswick election: Voters challenged to choose on resources, jobs { They want you to choose between having safe drinking water, clean water to swim in and wash yourself and your clothes in — and allowing big energy companies to frack for natural gas, ruin your environment to make a couple fat cats richer than they already are? Do Not Believe that fracking will do anything but make your life more miserable. }
Government cancels First Nation tax and gaming deals { Brilliant- Looks like the current N.B. government doesn’t believe they need the votes of any First Nations People. }
McCains Pizza sale leaves Grand Falls wondering about jobs { ‘McCain sold their pizza plant to Dr Oetker- the new owners say they will keep all the current employees, operate under the McCain name for two years and then switch to the ‘Dr Oetker’ name on their packaging’ – Jim W -in his email message asking if I was sick and needed him to do this today. }
Blogger feud continues with Fredericton City Hall {Chris MacPherson, Fredericton’s chief administration officer, asked Google to shut down a blog because thate blog contained ‘inaccurate and hurtful content about Fredericton police.’ Charles LeBlanc, the blogger, says he never accused the Fredericton police of being pedophiles, merely asked a question and said, ‘somebody is’. & “I’m just shooting back what they did to me. They’re the one that started this, not me.” He said that if he had received an apology from the police department he would have removed the posts that upset the police and the local government. – In 2012, officers seized computer equipment from Charles LeBlanc’s home. An independent review later found that police misused a request form for that raid, used a form reserved for child exploitation offenses. No charges were ever laid against Charles LeBlanc. }
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{ Ack! This isn’t supposed to take me all day- it’s 3:45 pm, I had to get up and answer the phone several times, get my night-time ‘day job’ stuff done and here we are- double ‘Ack’ I finished checking for typos and colorizing the headlines and now it’s 4:24 pm. ———djo——— }
Wednesday, 20 August, 2014 -(68˚F / 20˚C & Hazy/overcast in Ithaca @ 8:30 am ET )-
-( Happy Birthday to Jim W’s nephew Sam in Alaska -I get updates from an old yahoogroups list- )-
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news. —Thanks. ———djo——— }
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“Michael Brown Riot Police Aug 17”
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“Lead Stories”
-Analysis- Is Michael Brown’s shooting really about race?: Keith Boag { Well, judging from the evening news and everything in the “Main Stream Media”- If it wasn’t about race, it is now. }
47 arrested in Ferguson, Mo., but protests more subdued { Another link to this story said, ‘no tear gas employed protests more subdued’. }
Obama to speak about alleged beheading of a U.S. journalist { There are too many links to the video of this alleged beheading. I can’t watch it. My PTSD will flare up, probably off the charts. }
PM Harper leaves today for his 9th annual northern tour { Trying to look like a viable choice to continue as Prime Minister? He wants to show everybody that he’s big on Agriculture and Arctic sovereignty. I bet that doesn’t mean he believes the First Nations people up there are sovereign citizens of that region. He’s probably trying to say the ‘Crown’ owns the north pole. }
26 children died under care of N.L. government since 2009 { ‘N.L.’ = Newfoundland and Labrador, not ‘National League’. }
Over 1,000 gather in Winnipeg to honour 2 dead in river { 🙁 }
-Analysis- Never mind the West, can Justin Trudeau crack Fortress Quebec? { Does this sound to anybody, besides myself, like the headline writer is trying to cast doubts about Justin Trudeau’s ability to win the Prime Minister’s job in the Canadian Federal Elections next year? }
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“Offbeat”
“Tiny house on wheels”
Couple builds tiny house on wheels { A couple is building their tiny dream house on wheels on the back of a flatbed truck in Guelph, Ontario. – See photo that should be above this- They spent eight months traveling around Canada and the U.S.A. with an even smaller trailer hitched to the back of fairly small car. }
{ The above story is the only new one under “offbeat” on the CBC news web page. I imagine that anyone reading this from the Point of View of having lived in a much ‘saner’ society in a much less violent and anxiety riddled time would thing that all the stuff on this page is ‘offbeat’. }
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“Most Viewed”
Brad Parker, avid climber, dies shortly after Yosemite marriage proposal { 🙁 }
MaraNatha, Trader Joe’s nut butters recalled over Salmonella risk { Funny, this is the first time I had to type Salmonella anywhere- Maybe I led a sheltered life? Or just never typed as much news as I have in the last couple months- }
Iceland volcano: area north of Bardarbunga evacuated { I hope Iceland doesn’t lose all their ice before Game Of Thrones finishes production- guess my priorities have been severely warped – sigh- }
Tom Hanks creates ‘Hanx Writer’ typewriter simulator for iPad { But I guess I’m not the most severely warped creative individual on the planet. And, neither is Tom Hanks. }
Toronto Zoo investigates after visitors get too close to pandas { }
Officials urge world to back Iraqi fight against ‘savage’ ISIS { Those ‘officials’ are Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari. I say, “Why can’t we knock these guys out with laughing gas, strip them naked and drop them in the middle of a tropical island somewhere where they’d have to spend all their time trying to survive against monster mosquitos and monkeys throwing coconuts at them? OH- and no cell phones or cell phone service, no internet- surrounded by starving Great White sharks- I mean, why do we put up with this doo-doo when we know it’s nonsense that could very easily have been dealt with long ago? If human beings were just a little bit nicer to each other we wouldn’t have these problems. What would we do with crazies who want to hurt people anyway? -or steal everything anybody else cares about? Feed them GMO lethargy-inducing crap and strap them into oversized recliners and force them to watch endless re-runs of Green Acres, The Brady Bunchh Leave it to Beaver and Gilligan’s Island etc, until their brains explode? Isn’t that what they’re doing to us? }
Why elephant poaching is still rampant { Um, because greedy people don’t share their God-given abundance with impoverished ‘minorities’, which they believe are below them? It’s not just the poachers who are guilty here, it’s anybody who could have helped everybody on the planet learn how to achieve a life they could believe in. It takes more than a village- It takes every one alive to recognize the sovereignty of every other person here and make sure they have the basic human needs of food and shelter, and a pat on the back to raise their self esteem wouldn’t hurt either. }
Justin Trudeau gets RCMP security at rally following break-in { I overheard someone say that, “Party thugs do this sort of thing all the time [try to terrorize their opponents and their opponents’ families] -Especially when there’s an election on the horizon.” }
Toronto carjacking victim needs 14 staples to close gash after pistol-whipping { }
Shark finning banned in New Zealand { It was already illegal there to remove the fins from live sharks, New Zealand passed a law to make it illegal to cut the fins off dead sharks and dump the carcasses at sea. }
Which 3 Canadian cities are on The Economist’s top 10 world ‘livability’ list? { Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary are on The Economist’s top 10 livability list. It isn’t perfectly clear, but one of those cities is tied with Adelaide, Australia. I’m not sure what the criteria are here. We listen to Coast to Coast am and hear that “Police had nothing to do after an earthquake knocked out a lot of utilities and phone service- but sit back and wait-” in New Zealand, where the people were so civilized, and cared so much about each other- that looting and other criminal activities in a time of ‘chaos’ were not a problem. }
St. Louis police kill knife-wielding suspect near Ferguson { }
-Video- Trivago guy to get makeover { Trivago – is the travel metasearch engine that focuses on hotels. It launched in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2005- spread to Spain, France and the U.K. in 2007- and spread to the U.S., China, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico in 2009. In 2012 Expedia bought a majority stake in trivago for about $630 million U.S. bucks. Too many television ad watchers complained that current commercials feature a guy who hasn’t shaved in a week and looks ‘unhealthy’. I think the video I saw showed the same commercial with the guy digitally altered to look clean shaven. }
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“Local” / “New Brunswick”
Liberals pledge to cut $250M in government spending { If they want my approval, they’d have to pledge to end the governmental shell game and allow Walter Burien of CAFR1.com to audit their books and reveal his results in every media outlet in the world. }
Lac-Mégantic report lacking: Saint John region officials { Saint John is in New Brunswick. Saint John’s is in Newfoundland. The official report by the Transport Safety Board was big news and had its video sound bites played on most networks’ news last night. They blamed both the Railroad (MM&A) and Transport Canada (Sort of theCanadian version of the ICC which used to also include the Canadian version of the FAA) for its lack of oversight. My take is that Conservative Governments have been trying to ‘de-fang’ Transport Canada since the days when Mulrouney was their Prime Minister. Their ‘strategy’ is to make it impossible for regulatory bureaus to enforce their regulations so they can crucify them in public and claim they never worked anyway. The philosophy behind this ‘strategy’ is to allow industry to police itself, which, clearly, doesn’t work- never did work and never will work. The definition of ‘Fascism’ is ‘Government in bed with big business’ / Governments taking orders from big business / governments letting big business convince them not to tax them, but to raise taxes on the ‘common citizens’.
Conservationists slam province over watershed inaction { Conservatives, not conservationists, are in power in New Brunswick. Their Minister of the Environment has not allowed any of the studies done by 19 groups, which were submitted for classification to go through and be accepted as ‘Baseline’ studies. Without the baseline studies, any amount of pollution from toxic fracking water or toxic sludge from mining operations could not be verified and companies doing the polluting/poisoning could be traced back to the polluters. Yesterday, the Provincial ombudsman called the current regulations a sham and compared those regulations as something demanding that all homes have a type of smoke detector for which no one makes the proper batteries. <— I reworded that. If it’s confusing, blame me. }
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{ 10:53 am Ithaca time. Typing finished, ready to check for typos and add the colours. Ready to rock and roll @ 11:24 am Ithaca, Finger Lakes, New York State, U.S.A. time ———djo———}
Tuesday, 19 August, 2014 -(49˚F / 9˚C & clear in Ithaca @ 6:30 am ET )- -( Happy Birthday Bill Clinton (?) )-
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news. —Thanks. ———djo——— }
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The National Guard arrived in Ferguson but kept its distance from the streets where police clashed again protesters, as clouds of tear gas and smoke hung over the St. Louis suburb where an 18-year-old was fatally shot by a police officer. 5:55 AM ET
-New- 2 shot, 31 arrested in Ferguson during clashes with police { Last night I watched television interviews with interested parties on both sides of this issue. African Americans don’t trust the police, and believe the police will kill them without reason and get their friends to back up their ‘self-defense’ stories. The police are afraid for their lives, those police officers who were brought up bigoted believe they are trying to protect themselves from a drug crazed mob of sub human animals who might have been stirred up by enemies of the state. Not a nice friendly way to spend a Monday night in Middle America. The question to ask is: “Who benefits from a situation like this?” And if everybody suddenly realized that their strings were being pulled, that their buttons were being pushed- by evil men with an agenda hiding behind a curtain somewhere, could both sides wake up and give each other bear hugs and turn around, hunt down and eliminated the ice-holes who get their jollies by planning this divide-and-conquer b.s.? And, if there are no evil manipulating enemies of freedom and all things wonderful in the U.S.A.- Is it something in the food we’ve been fed since Monsanto began to poison us that is putting us into a constant state of fear? Werner Von Braun warned his friends that things like this can happen. Anti-Social control freaks will plot and plan to keep everybody in a state of fear because people in that state of fear will surrender their hard won rights and freedoms for the promise of safety and security. Only the ice-holes who want total control will never give anybody any safety of security. The founding fathers of the U.S. of A. warned us with advice to the effect that “Freedom has to be earned in every generation.” Reaching for the nearest weapon and going on a rampage probably isn’t going to bring that freedom, or equality- ya think? Maybe the hardest way to fight for Freedom, Peace of Mind, Equality, and all those things we really want and need, is to know when to step back, take a breath and say- “What the bleep is going on here, and how can we fix this?” }
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“Lead Stories”
Body of 15-year-old girl found in bag in Red River { }
Obama urges Ferguson, Mo., protesters to remain peaceful { }
Winnipeg’s ‘homeless hero’ found dead in river { This time I’m giving you a link: >>—-> Homeless Hero found dead in Red River in Winnipeg. This guy was given an award for saving a teen-ager from drowning in 2011 and later beaten up by people who recognized him from the media attention he got. There must have been a monetary award with the ‘Mayor’s Medal of Valor’ because he donated $1,000.00 to a Winnipeg homeless shelter. }
Health minister says anti-drug campaign is not political { Sunday’s headline was, ‘Canada’s doctors refuse to join anti-marijuana campaign’. *Let me blow your mind with this one: I don’t like marijuana. When I grew up it was impossible not to be exposed to it and I don’t know anybody who didn’t try it at least once. Some people should never go near the stuff. Not because they will instantly become homicidal maniacs or loose all touch with the consensus reality and run around indiscriminately raping underage boys and girls anywhere he or she sees one, but because they may become dependent on the stuff too easily and spend all their time and effort getting ‘high’- to the point where they may resort to stealing and other unethical and dangerous practices in order to get the stuff. Unscrupulous people will recruit vulnerable people who believe they need marijuana and get them to sell it for them and then force them to sell and use much more dangerous chemicals, we know that. Let me quote a friend from high school,”Every single alcoholic I know started out on milk. You don’t see anybody trying to make milk illegal do you?” & One of my favourite people on this planet tells me she could not have survived her dysfunctional/abused childhood without it (and she doesn’t smoke any now) There is medical evidence that the stuff helps many people. Autism Spectrum Disorder people can often find relaxation and relief they can’t get through normal channels by ‘toking up’ now and then. There are more serious medical conditions that have been treated with marijuana with remarkably good results. I’m just not one of those people who needs it. With the epidemic of physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual conditions that are prevalent these days, I see marijuana as the least of way too many evils. Genetically Modified Organisms in your food cause a whole lot more problems than marijuana does. The drugs that medical doctors have been conned into believing are needed for quite a few conditions and ailments do much more harm that the weed does. Go check out >>>—-> Dr Peter Breggin’s web site if you don’t want to take my word for any of this. Seeing medical professionals argue like this – one group says they will not be suckered into taking sides against something that has not been thoroughly and properly researched and the other side stamping their feet and turning red in the face and calling people names- in public- makes me feel like I fell through a black hole and woke up in a cosmic luney bin -where the keepers might be crazier than their patients. 😉 }
Taking dam from from ISIS a ‘major step forward’, says Obama { }
Tattoo removal business booming a inked teens grow up { }
-New- ‘Who is going to pay for it?’ Federal party leaders and security { After somebody broke into the home of Justin Trudeau, the head of the Liberal Party of Canada- The dialog was opened, “Should public officials have more security?” Some voices were heard to say, “We like not being a police state where cops in kevlar are not standing around on every street corner with the latest high tech machine guns at the ready.” One head of security said, -when he took that head of security for Parliament position, he looked at the lawn in front of the Parliament Building and saw peaceful people tossing a frisbee around. He wanted to continue seeing that sort of thing as long as he was in that office.- A loaded line like “Who is going to pay for it?” is a trademark of corrupt politicians who do not need tax money, but ant it all for themselves anyway. Governments could stop collecting taxes right now this minute and see to it that the citizens of Canada and the U.S.A. and every other ‘free’ country on this planet got more and better services than they do now. Everybody! Wake up and take back your governments. They are not serving you. Do you feel like the people you elect to office are there to make your life more comfortable? Or do you feel like those ‘elected officials’ believe that you are here to serve them? }
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HitchBot. Looks like this might be the most positive story line I’ve seen lately.
{ I found a full photograph of HitchBot on the Coast to Coast am web site and snitched it from there, no, I didn’t say that- I mean- an image of the HitchBot got a ride to this web site. Jee – He just showed up, hmmm- How cool is that? }
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“Offbeat”
Alabama hunters haul in 459-kilogram alligator { 459 kg = 1,011 pounds }
Miss Texas new contender for worst opening pitch { At a baseball game, I bet- }
repeat- Rolf Buchholz, German man with horn implants and 400 piercings, denied entry to Dubai { I might think twice about letting that guy into my house if his car broke down within sight, I might let him use a cell phone- }
Montreal resident a magnet for Russian mail { Along with a postcard addressed to the Montreal resident, Canada Post delivered a whole bundle of mail -maybe with a rubber band around it? Mail in that bundle was addressed to other destinations all across Canada. }
-Blog- Mom’s ‘ignore no more’ app forces kids to call back. { I think somebody has created an app that removes the ‘ignore’ button from cell phones- or disables it. }
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“Most Viewed”
Justin Trudeau’s home break-in: Do party leaders need more security? { In my tirade, above, I neglected to mention that Justin Trudeau was away on party business and his wife and children were in the home at the time of the break-in. Nobody claiming to be a plumber in a ‘Land-Shark’ suit knocked on the door first. }
Ice Bucket Challenge: Charlie Sheen dumps cold, hard cash -instead of ice water- { Ya know? That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard him say or do in a while. }
Pope Francis urges peace in South Korea trip { This one is slide show with 8 photos, you can either see of hide the captions. I think I like this Pope. -and isn’t that the height of egotism? }
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“Other”
Mars 2020 rover’s RIMFAX radar will ‘see’ deep underground { }
Analysis- Why London Mayor Boris Johnson could be on way to No. 10 { London, England. London’s mayor -who may be nicknamed ‘BoJo’- is apparently quite a character, with quite a sense of humour, I bet Toronto would swap for this guy in a second, but I doubt that the British Londoners would accept that- }
New- Ebola outbreak: Africans understandably wary about promised cures { Hey- Since we’ve learned that a well respected doctor in U.S. America’s southwest held a press conference to show how safe polio vaccine was by injecting his grandchildren in public – and within 48 hours one child was dead and the other had full blown polio- Do you blame them? ‘Big Pharma’ puts profit ahead of people, puts profit ahead of health, puts profit ahead of everything. -Charging thousands of dollars for pills that cost them less than a penny apiece to produce- squashing therapies that work against some cancers because their poisonous chemicals bring them such nice big bucks, for a much longer time than an easy cure would? When these Big Pharma crooks are brought to justice, what punishment do you believe would fit their crimes? }
Israel-Gaza conflict: Talks resume on Gaza deal { The last I heard on this the ceasefire had been extended. }
NEW- Lac-Mégantic derailment investigation findings released today { }
Khurram Sher terror trial verdict expected today { “Khurram Sher should find out in an Ottawa courtroom today whether he has been found guilty of planning al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist activities. -The former London, Ont., pathologist was arrested Aug. 6, 2010 and charged with conspiring to knowingly facilitate a terrorist activity. He was charged about two weeks after a wiretapped meeting at the centre of the trial. }
How the defensive shift and big data are changing baseball { }
PC leadership candidates face off over free memberships { ‘PC’ = ‘Progressive Conservatives’ -sound like an oxymoron to you?- I have long believed that if a politician opens his or her mouth and the word ‘leadership’ dribbles out, they are robotically repeating some b.s. line they’ve been taught to recite and it would be a total waste of your time to listen any further. }
Intruding 10-foot snake tries to hide under a couch { It took two big guys from ‘Animal Control’ and a camera crew to capture the Burmese Python and get it into a crate that looked like an oversized cat taxi. A boy in his teens discovered the snake when he came home and thought he saw or heard something behind the couch. }
Solar plant sets birds on fire as they fly overhead { The people who run that plant will have to reincarnate as birds and incinerated themselves a whole lot of times to make up for this. }
Facebook’s new ‘satire’ tag identifies fake news articles { If they come up with a ‘stupid’ or ‘why bother?’ tag they would be in danger of discovering what people think of their ‘social media’ site. effbook is one ‘Stupid’ waste of time and energy! }
Alberta dinosaur egg excavation could yield rare fossilized babies { 🙁 }
Calgary family celebrates after starring in Emmy-winning Apple ad { Now, if only Apple lived up to its earlier reputation and dropped the planned obsolescence and ‘change everything you can as often as you can so they have to buy new adapters etc all the time” b.s.- I might think about liking them again. }
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“Local” / “New Brunswick”
Provincial ombudsman calls piece of waterway legislation useless { Conservationists and First Nations groups have voiced concerns about such things as mines’ toxic wastes and fracking’s disastrous consequences possibly ruining drinking water, as well as water used for recreation and by wildlife. The Provincial Ombudsman says the current regulations protecting New Brunswick’s waterways are worse than useless. He compared that legislation as requiring smoke detectors in every house without batteries. Political appointees can ignore the regulations any time they feel like it. }
Judge reserves decision on forestry plan challenge by First Nations chiefs { The deepest issue here may be that First Nations legally own the land, with all resource and mineral -and other- rights that federal, provincial, and local politicians believe they can sell off the rights to, or just plain sell off. }
Grand Manan air ambulance service restored after fatal crash { }
UNB professors upset by president’s contract { }
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{ 9:40 am – I usually type and edit this in “Radio Free Earth News” first and then copy and paste to a couple other blogs. But today, I started here. -Time to colorize and edit for typos ———djo——— }
Monday, 18 August, 2014. -( 61°F / 16°C & cloudy @ 9:30 am near Ithaca, NY, USA )-
{ & again, these are not links. If you want to read these stories, listen to sound clips, or see any video -if there is any video- go to CBC dot CA/news. —Thanks. ———djo——— }
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“Lead Stories”
Missouri governor sends National Guard to Ferguson to restore order { }
Julian Assange says health has suffered while in London embassy { How about all the good people in this world pray for a healing for this guy? —> This is how it seems to me: He stuck his neck out, thinking he was doing something morally right and the C.I.A., NSA and other alphabet soup ice-holes saw to it that he was framed for an immoral act ? }
WikiLeaks founder says he’ll leave embassy in London soon { }
TSB says Grand Manan, N.B. air ambulance crash a mystery { Grand Manan is an Island off the southern coast of New Brunswick }
This was the scene last July when the ‘deadly derailment’ at Lac-Megantic killed 47 people, many of them in a pub enjoying the summer evening.
Regulatory gaps partly to blame for Lac-Mégantic: CCPA { ‘CCPA = Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, which is a group that is calling for an independent public inquiry into the accident that killed 47 people in the centre of town when the train derailed and burst into flames. The CCPA doesn’t believe the Transportation Safetry Board will go far enough to expose government regulatory failures. }
Intruder’s note left atop 5 or 6 knives at Trudeau home { Now that’s creepy. I should put a poll in here: How many people think this is political dirty tricks? }
Private autopsy finds Michael Brown shot 6 times: NYT { NYT, I suppose that means New York Times, not the Monty Python Knights who go “Nyt!” [wink] }
Dying Sierra Leone doctor never told Ebola drug was at his bedside { }
Analysis- Harper’s latest northern tour: Is government’s approach to ‘the great treasure house’ failing? { Harper’s trying to win votes without appearing to campaign for them? I bet that’s not what he meant when he said something about ‘transparency in government’. }
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“Offbeat”
Montreal resident a magnet for Russian mail { }
Nobody’s claiming this might be a crop circle that was put there by aliens.
Derek Jeter’s head profiled in New Jersey corn maze { Somebody went to a lot of trouble to do this. }
Messy summer festivals in Japan { Rain and floods messed up the area. }
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“Most Viewed”
Rolf Buchholz, man with horn implants and 400 piercings, denied entry to Dubai { }
Drone video shows stubborness, severity of Goodridge Street fire { Goodridge Street is in Saint John’s, Newfoundland. They have a video of a ‘Snorkle’ type fire engine at work trying to put the fire out. }
Second Union Station subway platform opens today { }
{ Everything else in this category relisted from “Lead Stories” }
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“Other”
Analysis – Year of record recalls: how concerned should car drivers be? { }
Updated – Iraq forces say they’ve retaken Mosul Dam, but militants deny claim { }
5-day Gaza ceasefire ends tonight between Israelis and Palestinians { }
Quarantine creates ‘plaque villages’ in Ebola epicentre { }
Ukraine claims rebels fire on civilian convoy { }
OPP did not have ‘leading role’ in CBSA immigration arrests { }
Video – 911 call service often includes access to interpreters { }
180 dead as floods wash away homes in Nepal, India { }
– Blog – Teacher’s online campaign raises $40K to feed hungry kids in Ferguson { }
This is ‘HitchBot’s face.
HitchBot completes 6,000 kn cross-Canada trip { }
Indian pangolins -From India- this is one of the species that are being killed or smuggled out of India.
Indian poachers threaten lesser-known animals { }
{ & Somewhere: I saw a blurb about a 6.2 earthquake in southern Iran }
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“Local” / “New Brunswick”
Grand Manan mayor says plane crash victims will be missed { Grand Manan is an island off the southern coast of New Brunswick }
Grand Manan plane crash site offers few clues about cause { }
Anglophone East district standardizes school supply list { ‘Anglophone’ means ‘English speaking’. Parents of students receiving standardized list of items teachers expect students to show up with voice mixed opinions on this matter. }
14 year old Nova Scotia woman in Northumberland Strait charity swim: Youngest ever { }
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{ Posted at 11:30 am EDST Updated here at Independent Canadian News after the captions failed to load with the photos ———djo——— }
Friday, August 1st, 2014. -( 65°F / 18°C & Clear @ 9:15 am in Ithaca, New York )-
((I’m posting this in three places, here, on my own “Radio Free Earth News” and at “Inter World News” – so forgive me for explaining stuff that you might already know. – I’m a ‘USAtian’ [US citizen and resident] who likes reading and listening to Canadian (((and British, BBC, and Radio Netherlands— and–))) news to see what the ‘free world’ press is reporting these days and how they’re reporting it. ))
((& I guess I’m pretty much committed to trying to pop these headlines from the CBC up here every morning, or pretty much every morning, until further notice.))
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“Offbeat”
Plastic surgeon’s ‘fat-shaming’ muffin top billboard vandalized { Somebody crossed over “Friends don’t let friends Muffin Top” and scrawled/painted “You’re Beautiful!” in purple paint and drew squiggles over what might be the name of the Plastic Surgeons firm. }
Should Costco be selling Christmas goods in July? { “Marketing professor links early Christmas shopping to American ownership of big box stores” In Canada, if you opened two coffee shops fairly close to each other, served identical products with the same ingredients in both and called one “Great American Donut Shop” and the other “Canada’s Best Donuts & Coffee”, my bet is the ‘Great American-‘ branded place would go bankrupt in no time flat. }
5 vintage fire trucks up for sale in Calgary
Oyster shucking world record attempted at festival
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“New”
Ottawa man faces nearly 200 international cyberbullying charges { A 42 year old man faces charges including identity fraud, defamation and criminal harassment which he allegedly aimed at 38 people in Canada, the U.S. and U.K }
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“Most Viewed”
Burlington Skyway crash: What you need to know { The Skyway is an elevated stretch of a limited access highway above Burlington, Ontario. It’s a lot like the turnpike in New Jersey. A “Large Truck” crashed into and damaged the skyway. If you go to the web site you might find out whether the truck was on the Skyway or hit one of the supports. }
Burlington Skyway crash: Driver charged with impaired driving
Mountie who played ‘Mr Big’ upset with Nelson Hart decision { The Canadian Supreme Court put limits on a practice that would be seen as entrapment down here in the U.S. The case they heard involved a man who allegedly murdered his two daughters and the photos of the two cute little girls were all over media articles. Apparently, the mounty (“RCMP Officer”) who acted the part of the crime boss (and got the alleged perpetrator to brag about his alleged crime in order for the perpetrator to secure a lucrative position inside the fictitious crime family) believed he had done what needed to be done to protect law abiding citizens from criminals and other monsters. }
Why Republicans suing Obama is a good thing for Democrats { “Democrats believe their base is energized by lawsuit and impeachment threat” —It’s fun to see what Canadians really think about U.S. politics. I’m surprised they let the media get away with calling citizens of the U.S. “Americans”, Canada is part of America, ya know- Canadian weather maps acknowledge the fact that there might be something besides a plain grey nothingness south of their borders. Are we really too smug to realize we’re making ‘arses’ of ourselves? }
B.C. chief Ron Giesbrecht’s $1M pay ‘very troubling’, minister’s office says { The Chief of the Kwikwetiem First Nation (we call them ‘Native Americans’ does anybody ask them what they call themselves?) was paid “$914,219.” last year. The ‘very troubling’ statement came from the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development’s office. This is a cabinet level appointment (We call them Secretaries of whatever, Canadians call them Ministers of whatever.) The current Prime Minister and just about all of his appointees have the same party line and philosophy that believes it is perfectly correct to seize the property of a laid off worker who can’t pay his taxes (& whose 25 years with a company ((that closed down their Canadian operation and moved to some country where unions don’t stand a chance and virtual slavery in ‘employment’ is encouraged))– left him without a job and without a prayer for any kind of compensation, sometimes even without a pension ((although Canadians can get an ‘Old Age Pension’, supplemented income— for now anyway— unless the Conservatives get their way))- ), but they won’t touch corporations who thumb their noses at regulations and owe thousands of times more money in unpaid taxes and fees. }
Gaza conflict: Israeli soldier reportedly captured as ceasefire unravels
Crystal Palace closure leaves some tourists ‘pretty mad’ { The Crystal Palace Amusement Park is in Dieppe, New Brunswick. The “Cadillac Fairview Corporation” wants to open one of its “Bass Pro Shops” either on the site of the Amusement Park or beside it. The Amusement Park is scheduled to close down on September 1st. The Ramada Inn Crystal Palace Hotel and Convention Centre and the McGinnis Landing Restaurant are scheduled to close down on October 31st. The rides from the Amusement Park “have been aquired by the Maritime Fun group of companies, which includes Magic Mountain Waterpark and will soon have a new Moncton (NB) home.” (((—Sounds like it’s greedy bad guys vs innocent kids who want to go on having fun and guess who wins? But in all honesty, I do not know the whole story behind this. ))) }
Perseid meteor shower: Watch now to beat supermoon’s brightness { Radio Station WPKN FM in Bridgeport, Connecticut (<— Link ) has had a volunteer programmer (the uninformed would probably call him a ‘deejay’) who has for years has dedicated part of his Friday evening program to a a segment he calls “The Skies Of Bridgeport” – When a friend who was originally from the Bridgeport area ‘turned me on’ to this program I learned how to pronouce “Perseid” properly (( persie-id )) & it’s nice to know a ‘supermoon’ event is coming. 🙂 }
Why Argentina’s default feels like American bullying: Don Pittis { This article has the subtitle: “Why did courts side with hedge funds that bought up bonds supposedly restructured in 2001?” —I believe I heard something on Coast to Coast am last night that sounded like one extraordinary ‘Psychic’ believes that the ‘banksters’ are about to be blindsided out of their perceived victorious grip on the world’s resources. }
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“Other” / “More Headlines”
Canada Post thefts halt Lens Rentals Canada service { The ‘current government’ ((regime?)) in Canada wants to dismantle Canada Post (their postal service) the same way the conservative Republicans in the US would like to dismantle the US Postal Service and sell off the rights to deliver mail and parcels to ‘Private Business Interests’. [ Remember that the definition of a Fascist Government is one that is in bed with Corporate Powers ((a.k.a. : “Banksters”)) ] So I’m a bit suspicious here…. Lens Rentals Canada is a company that rents high-end camera lenses and other equipment to photographers across the country. Several of its packages that had been mailed through the Canada Post were apparently stolen out of a Canada Post facility in Mississauga, Ontario, ((In the western reaches of the ‘Greater Toronto Area’)). Lens Rental Canada has stopped taking orders and is shipping stuff that has already been ordered through Purolator, which is ‘majority owned by Canada Post’ but does not share any aspects of the Canada Post delivery network. }
HitchBOT takes a ‘botnap’ in Toronto during cross-Canada trek { “HitchBot” is a cutesy creation that looks like a cross between the robot on “Lost in Space” and a muppet. A subtitle in the article says, “Experiment looks at the interaction between people and technology” Farther down inside the article we read: “A talking robot hithiking its way across Canada is taking a rest in Toronto.” You can follow this experiment through twitter (( @hitchBOT )) }
Sanctions against Russia in phase 3, but is Vladimir Putin listening?
Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine discovering pros and cons of social media in war
Uganda anti-gay law invalidated by constitutional court
“Exclusive” Canada to clinch trade deal with EU in September
‘A keen patriotic desire’: Why Canadian media embraced censorship during WWI { “Ideas”, a long running conversational and interview program on CBC radio one, which airs at 9 pm Eastern Time weekdays recently aired a series about the rise of propaganda and censorship and traced both back to World War One efforts to control the news that was reaching the public at large by using the media as a propaganda agency/arm of the government.
American aid worker with Ebola to be brought to U.S. for treatment
(( & There is a slide show: )) = “Taiwan city rocked by gas explosions“
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“Must Watch” ((Videos waiting for web site visitor activation))
Dog stuck in wall { “Firefighters, police and the Arizona Human Society work to free ‘Chip’ the dog” — Looks like a two tone brown, six month old puppy (my guess) got his head stuck through a ventilation type decorative cement block in an outside wall of mostly solid cement blocks. It has a happy looking ending. }
Double wingsuit jump
Bavarian crop circle { An aerial shot of a 75 meter geometric pattern that appeared in a farmer’s field next to the largest interplanetary monitoring station in Germany. }
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“Local”
Moncton puts final touches on FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup
Soldiers with PTSD waiting up to 6 months for help { I do believe I know Viet Nam veterans down here who would have loved to wait only 6 months for help with issues they came home with. But- maybe it’s hopeful that somebody somewhere is taking PTSD and the nightmares of returning Armed Forces people seriously. There has been an epidemic of suicides among returning soldiers in Canada as well as the USA. In Canada, many veterans have allegedly been separated from service just before they would become eligible for extended years of benefits. }
2 in hospital after domestic trailer park dispute
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((( I had one catestrophic systems crash and still finished earlier than yesterday- it is now 11:57 am in Ithaca. )))
Thursday, July 31, 2014 -( 61°F / 16°C @ 9:30 am & raining in Ithaca )-
This morning’s headlines from CBC.ca/news : { These are not links, they’re hints of what the CBC thinks are most Newsworthy this morning. }
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“Offbeat”:
Dexter the cat rescued from debris of burned-out warehouse
No jokes, all plot: YouTuber strips the funny from Seinfeld and Friends
Say cheese! 12 great celebrity photobombs
$1M wording mistake leads to refund of 2,574 Winnipeg photo radar fines
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“Most Viewed”
Marijuana advocate Marc Emery vows ‘political revenge’ against Tories { “Tories” refers to the Conservative Party of Canada, who are now in power with a “Majority Government” under Stephen Harper, Prime Minister. I thought that if one party did not get at least 50% + 1 of the popular vote either the other two might form a coalition government and share power, as long as they had more than 50% together, or the party with the most votes would have to form a coalition/partnership with one of the other parties. Nope, not up there in Canada, that’s a European model. If the party with the most votes has something like 37% of the seats in Parliament, they form the government, they call this a ‘minority government,’ & that might not last a full five years, I think it’s five years-? And they have to pass laws and do stuff that does not anger the other two strongest parties (right now I think the Green Party might have one seat? One “MP” ((member of parliament)) / representative. I’ll have to ask somebody.) If a budget bill is not approved they might have to call on the “Governor General” (Representative of the Queen, I think this person, at least lately, is always a Canadian citizen chosen by the Prime Minister and I think somebody has to approve this person for that position before it is final.) When the prime minister calls on the Governor General (or “G.G.”) and asks to have Parliament dissolved, and gets the approval, they set a date, usually within a month, or just slightly longer than a month. The current ‘Tory’ government would be scheduled to expire next year, 2015, unless somebody, probably enough somebodies, call for and pass a no-confidence vote or too many sitting MPs and/or Ministers and/or Senators get caught with their hands in the wrong cookie jars or something like that (Senators are appointed, not elected; -appointed by the sitting Prime Minister) Sitting Prime Ministers sometimes call for an election when they believe their chances are really good to wing more seats than last time, or hang on to enough seats to remain in control, if they see something ominous down the road ahead.. Most of the Canadians I know can’t wait for a change to get rid of this prime minister and his lackeys. My friends up there claim they know too many people who would vote for a dead goat as long as it was a registered member of the Conservative Party of Canada. Others, like most of the people I know, wouldn’t vote for anybody or anything Conservative if their lives depended on it. But then, I think I did meet a few people up there who believed they had reason to hate and never vote for any member of one party or another, and the scales are not quite balanced, but I got to realize that people everywhere have reasonable and sometimes anti-reasonable ‘reasons’ for their political likes and dislikes. This is the lead story, their are several links to earlier stories featuring Marc Emory below the main teaser. }
Girl, 15, dies after accident on Bradford soccer field { Bradford is north of Toronto, Ontario, and the soccer goal with its netting fell over on her. The metal post is what apparently did the damage. Police don’t know how it could have happened. }
Fire in the sky: ‘Apocalypse’ thunderstorm rolls into Yellowknife { Storm clouds mixed with smoke from wild forest fires made for some eerie photographs and video. If you want to, go to the CBC News web site this article has some eerie photographs that don’t involve lightening or pouring rain. }
Summer anomaly brings chilly days to residents between sweltering coasts { Weird Weather”: Hotter than usual on the coasts, cooler than usual in the middle. }
Gaza conflict: Israel calls up 16,000 more reserves { “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will destroy the Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Strip “With or without a ceasefire,-” (and more) I’m interested in the matter of fact way this is reported. Definitely not Fox News. I’m also wondering if the order these links appear on the CBC site are planned, or just happen depending on which story came to their web people and when. }
Seattle cop issues 80% of city’s marijuana tickets in 2014 { One officer issued 66 of the 83 tickets issued in the first half of 2014 and was reassigned to something else inside the department. The Chief of Police said that changes in the marijuana law were ‘Silly’. }
Winnipeg armed standoff ‘resolved’ police give no further details { Winnipeg police received information that someone was threatening to harm police officers and himself, surrounded the house and after a “17 hour standoff” the situation was ‘resolved’ I don’t have any more details either. }
Mr Big stings: Supreme Court to rule on admissibility of evidence { A “Mr Big Sting” involves police officers pretending to be recruiting someone to join a criminal organization. The ‘Mr Big’ / Crime boss supposedly wants to meet the ‘perpetrator’ in person and hear his version of the crimes he committed, then the cuffs and badges come out and all the cops pretending to be bad guys are ready to give testimony about the ‘confessions’ obtained in this manner (as well as video evidence which might not always be admissible, depending on the judge in the case?) The Supreme Court of Canada is listening to arguments and probably asking each other for opinions. It may be interesting to find out what they decide and why- }
Ukraine conflict: Investigators reach Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash site { Yesterday, the investigators couldn’t get to the crash site because there was armed conflict too close to the site, happening between the Ukrainian Loyal troops and the Russian sympathizers ((Or sympathizers mixed in with Russian Army infiltrators? I don’t know for sure- We may never know. )) But then, most of you already read, saw or heard this story. }
Bacon Nation: Toronto restaurant caters to bacon-loving foodies { I’m not sure whether it was in Canada- but I heard on the television news one time I was up there, One restaurant had anybody who ordered special items from their menu sign a waiver, releasing the restaurant from liability if the customer died from a heart attack and the hamburger or whatever else they ate seemed likely to have triggered that heart attack. Canadians like their bacon. }
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Under “More Headlines”
Sleeping in darkness improves effectiveness of breast cancer drug
Can whales be healthy and happy in an aquarium? Scientists weigh in{ A friend from Connecticut treated my daughter and me to a trip to the Mystic Aquarium where we watched one of the shows they put on indoors with dolphins and a couple varieties of small whales, all of whom seemed happy to do tricks and show off for the people there. We went in early and were allowed to walk around and take any photographs we wanted to. My friend had an Olympus OM-2 with a flash unit that ran on 4 AA batteries and whined while it was charging. When one of the dolphins who was playing in the rather large indoor pool heard the whining, he or she looked at us, and with a big smile on his or her face jumped at lest six feet out of the water, right at us. My friend’s flash hadn’t finished recharging so he missed that shot. But it felt to me like that Dolphin was enjoying himself. After the show Rachel wanted to get closer to the Dolphins again. There was a whale we couldn’t see making interesting noises and my friend asked one of the trainers what that was all about. The trainer, an energetic young woman with a delighted look in her eyes, said, “Oh, that’s [whatsiname]. the Beluga Whale. He’s complaining because we didn’t let him come out here and show off with the others, it’s his turn next time.” I had gone there during a rough time in my life with a serious case of the ‘Why Me?’s- feeling like I might never find anything to feel happy about again in my life, and just being in that area with those Dolphins and Whales, I felt amazingly good for a change. My friend had read books by Dr John C Lilly who had done research with Dolphins and later, we heard about ‘swimming with Dolphins’ programs (in which patients, usually kids with chronic health issues get to swim with Dolphins and hyper vigilant adults who protect kids from dolphins and dolphins from kids, and either it was the Dolphins’ ‘radar’ or ‘sonar’ -but something works and these kids get healthier and sometimes really bad problems ‘go away’). My friend told me he’d heard one researcher say she believed these Dolphins chose to do what they were doing. One animal ‘psychic’ said performing Dolphins volunteer for their life and love what they’re doing. And when he told me that, I remembered the trip to that Aquarium and yeah, it felt like the Dolphins and Whales who were there loved what they were doing. Maybe they took on the job of ‘beaming good vibrations’ to people they took a liking to? I got the silly idea that they came from a higher civilization to ease along toward our own Spiritual growth. }
Alison Redford’s flight scandal ‘defies explanation’ ally says { Alison Redford was the Conservative Premier of Alberta, a Conservative strong-hold of a province out west, with the oil sands and all that. She resigned amid accusations that she’d misused her privileges, over spent on items for personal use with taxpayer money, and over used the government aircraft flight privileges. Last night there was something on the CBC web site about her booking fictitious passengers as part of her party so she and her entourage could have a whole plain to themselves after the fictitious passengers didn’t show up. Opposition types say Albertan taxpayers are ‘justifiably upset’ and defenders seem to believe she didn’t do anything that others from all political parties up there haven’t done before. I don’t know- I’m an American (as if Canada wasn’t part of North America?) I’m not in Alberta. The oil sands lovers up there claim they’re trying to save the province’s economy, and coincidentally, the whole country’s economy while anti oil sands people say they’re killing the country under the pretext of saving it. Don’t get me started on Fracking…. But Alison Redford? I don’t know enough about her to form an opinion. }}
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“Analysis”
Russia-U.S. relations are chilly, but is this a Cold War?
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“Local” (?) { I still think I get New Brunswick news here in New York State because there might be a cookie in this browser that thinks I’m still up there, over there, visiting. 🙂 }
Growlers to be sold at 3 NB Liquor stores. { “Growlers” are 64 ounce ‘jugs’ of beer produced by small specialty brewers. They used to be able to sell these ‘growlers’ to people who came for a tour at their small independent breweries. A provincial law passed recently, required small time brewers to sell 10,000 litres of their beer in province-owned liquor stores before they would be allowed to sell their “growlers” at their breweries. Some of these breweries do not produce that much beer in a year. So now I’m not sure whether they will be allowed to sell their stuff at their breweries or not, but the article goes on to say that if the pilot program is successful, it will be expanded from 3 stores to 10 or 15. }
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— It’s 12:14 pm and I might have spent a lot more time on this one little task than I thought I would – I think yesterday’s similar exercise netted me more praise than I expected, and if you think this is a waste of our time, let me know. Thanks-
Ira Glass tweets ‘Shakespeare sucks,’ the internet promptly explodes
Beaver blamed after tree hits car on highway ‘still at large’
Was that a UFO above Toronto last weekend?
Family Guy meets the Simpsons in extended trailer for crossover episode.
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“New Brunswick” { since I connected with the CBC website with this laptop one time while visiting somebody in New Brunswick, the internet must believe I’m still there. }
*Shale gas protesters sentenced to 15 months for violent clash with RCMP { *** Jim talked with some First Nations people up there who were sure that some of the fires that disabled obsolete police cruisers were started by angry ‘forest people’ (we might know them as leprechauns or angry faeries or ‘elementals’). Others believe the RCMP set their own cruisers on fire in order to get newer and better ones.*** }
Red bracelets thanking the RCMP being sold in Moncton { A high profile case in Monctor, NB hit the airwaves a couple months ago. A “troubled” teenager shot five RCMP officers, 3 of them died. Our real ‘died in the wool hardcore conspiracy buffs’ immediately claimed, ‘this has all the earmarks of somebody who’d been programmed by MK-Ultra types and activated to go on a rampage and kill police officers’ — But the people in Moncton, New Brunswick do not believe there is an evil, twisted plot by a dark ops group of ‘Empathically-Challenged Wannabe String-pulling Secretive Elitists’ & want to show that they appreciate being protected by Serve and Protect type officers of the law. Meanwhile, officers of the law in the USA are forming groups and calling themselves “Oath Keepers” who believe they have pledged to protect the population of the USA “From all enemies, foreign and domestic” and will not fire on unarmed civilians if ordered to. (( Would superior officers giving orders to fire on innocent, unarmed civilians then become one of those domestic enemies?)) I think the really scary part is that so many of them believe they just might be ordered to fire on unarmed civilians. }
Norovirus confirmed in Bathurst’s Chaleur Regional Hospital { Bathurst is in Northern New Brunswick. A college or university up there wants to close down their school of nursing. }
N.B. abortion access prompts St. John’s demonstration. { This was an anti-abortion demonstration, I remember when a friend of mine wanted to stop at an anti abortion demonstration on State Street here in Ithaca and have the demonstrators sign petitions stating that they were ready to support the desperate mothers (regardless of any addictions and/or other problematic conditions) for at least 18 years and support any child that mother might have for 18 years (again, regardless of any health problems, physical or ‘other’) or until that child graduated from a college or university of the child’s choice (( at the demonstrators’ expense )) or, for the child’s entire life if he or she tested positive for any one of a number of “Challenges” such as intellectually or physical challenges or disabilities. He was ready to shout, ‘You do this and I’ll believe you’re actually committed to your cause.’ His fiancée at the time threatened to leave him. That relationship didn’t last very long. I can not take sides on this issue. I believe everybody has to make that decision for themselves (Preferably ‘Herself’) & I don’t know if anybody knows all the psychological, emotional, and spiritual implications and consequences of either choosing to abort or stopping someone else from making that choice. I’m really glad I’m not a woman. (& a couple women friends have accused me of being a coward for not supporting their side of this issue. Quite a few, as a matter of fact, from both sides.) }
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“Analysis” The 100-year conflict that is the First World War still rages: Brian Stewart { This is the first time I’ve heard the First World War being referred to as another ‘Hundred Years War’. This could be depressing. Maybe most earthling humans never will be able to learn from the mistakes of their fathers and mothers? —— Of course they will, we are on an upward growth spurt as I write this. The ‘bad guys’ are making a last ditch, desperate effort to keep us all off balance so they can manipulate us into a constant state of fear, then, they believe, we will be most ‘manageable’. }
SARS was ‘wake-up call’ that could prevent Ebola spread to Canada, doctor says { I visited somebody in the Greater Toronto Area while the SARS scare was going full blast. I saw the signs at the hospitals that basically read “If you’re sick, don’t come here”. I can’t believe that anybody, especially a doctor, would have the audacity to say anything like, ‘SARS just might have been a good thing’. Any doctor who said “Death is a really good cure for Cancer” would not be going much farther into the ‘stupid zone’ than that. }
There are 3 more featured headlines about the Ebola Outbreak and “6 ways to avoid illness when travelling’ from January 29th posted in the cue. { The conspiracy guys believe this a plot to convince everybody to line up for drugs we’re supposed to believe will keep us safe so the MK-Ultra Elitists can distribute an inoculation that will kill off billions of the ‘great unwashed’ so ‘they’ can tighten their grip on this world’s population, strengthen their mind-control abilities, and keep just enough ‘useless eaters’ around to be whipped into subservience, & slavery. But remember the palmistry guy from a couple days ago? (scroll down) -He is sure that the manipulating control freaks will lose their grip and fight among themselves, and kill each other off before they can see their evil twisted plots reach fruition. }
{ I would like to add a bit of “Prayer Works”, or for the militant agnostics out there: Scientists don’t know how it works, but “Positive Intention Works!” }
A friend sent me a link to a CBC contest for writers (maybe only Canadian writers) who self publish their own books (Through services like Lulu dot com and cafepress dot com?) <—- The link to CafePress is to cafepress dot ca, the Canadian side of the service.
