A Post For A Monday

(in progress)


What the hell did Australia just do?

Australia's prime minister-designate Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday assured the country that his government remained strong despite an internal party revolt that made him the nation's fourth leader in little more than two years and will leave deep divisions in his administration's ranks.

Turnbull will be sworn in as Australia's 29th prime minister on Tuesday after a surprise ballot of his conservative Liberal Party colleagues voted 54-to-44 on Monday night to replace Prime Minister Tony Abbott only two years after he was elected. Turnbull's elevation has cemented a culture of disposable leaders as the new norm in Australian politics since the 11-year reign of the Prime Minister John Howard ended in 2007.

"There's been a change of prime minister, but we are a very, very strong government, a very strong country with a great potential and we will realize that potential working very hard together," Turnbull told reporters as he left his Canberra apartment on Tuesday morning.

Whillickers!

A liberal is better than a leader brought in because everyone hated the carbon tax?

Oh, Australia...

This must be embarrassing for some:

The federal government posted a surplus of $1.9 billion for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, according to final numbers from Ottawa released today.

The Department of Finance said the figure is a reversal of a $5.2 billion-deficit posted for the previous fiscal year.

In its recent budget, Ottawa was forecasting a deficit of $2 billion for 2014-2015. The surplus brings an end to a six-year streak of deficits, which began in the fiscal year that ended in April 2009.

The excess financial wiggle room inched Canada's debt-to-gross domestic product ratio down to 31 per cent for the year, from 32.3 per cent the year before.

But that figure doesn't include debts owed by various local, provincial and territorial governments across Canada. Including those figures, Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio rises to 40.4 per cent, which is still the lowest among G7 nations.

Thomas Mulcair plans on using someone else's hard work for his benefit should he be elected:

The department reported an unexpected surplus of $1.9 billion last year, which bodes well for the NDP's commitment to balance the budget, Mulcair said earlier Monday.

"Today's numbers are good news for Canadians," Mulcair said after making the health funding announcement in Vancouver.

"It shows that the NDP is going to be starting off on the right foot by proposing to have a balanced budget, talking to Canadians about what we can accomplish together in health care, quality, affordable $15-a day child care."

Also:

Justin Trudeau says the first thing he’ll do to improve the Canadian economy on becoming prime minister will be to hold a meeting with the premiers about climate change. ...

Trudeau went on to talk about working with the premiers to lower inter-provincial trade barriers and investing $5 billion in infrasctructure in his first budget.

Mansbridge’s next question was: “So you need all these other men and women at the table to make those first decisions on the economy that you and your government would make?”

To which Trudeau responded, “No, our decisions are already made about lowering taxes” before going on to cite several of his election promises.

What’s alarming here is that Trudeau doesn’t seem to understand reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions isn’t about lowering taxes, but raising them.

Trudeau’s promised to introduce a national carbon price if elected.

Justin Trudeau has his helpers: former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, the fossil who never met a dictator he didn't like and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne who behaves erratically like one.

Who needs enemies, right?



Don't make this @$$hole to be the victim:

Christopher Husbands was on his way to Lord Dufferin School on a night in June, walking through the Regent Park neighbourhood he had grown up in.

Then Toronto police stopped him.

Husbands, 12 years old at the time, said he was thrown against a wall and threatened by officers.

He was on his way, ironically, to appear on CBC's town hall on policing and gun violence, held at the school that night in 2002. When he arrived, he was visibly shaken. 

That was almost exactly 10 years before Husbands would pull out a gun in the crowded food court at the Eaton Centre and start shooting. He fired 14 times, killing his childhood friend, Nixon Nirmalendran, and a 24-year-old named Ahmed Hassan.

Some people should never be near children:

An Ottawa woman told police "I haven't done anything" after she and her RCMP officer husband were accused of severe long-term abuse of the man's 11-year-old son, including chaining him up in the basement of their home, court heard Monday.

The woman, 36, and man, 44, are on trial for what Ottawa police called the "worst case of abuse police have seen" when they were arrested in February 2013. They cannot be named to protect the boy's identity. 

Each is on trial for aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life. The woman is also charged with assaulting the child with a weapon, while the man is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.

On Monday, court saw the woman's police interview via video, which was taken after her arrest. She told police her 11-year-old stepson was "out of control" and that she feared for the safety of her toddler and four-month-old baby.

She said she never hit the boy nor was she aware of his many injuries, including burn marks near his genitals, scabs and scars on his body and that he was gaunt and malnourished. 

At one point, Ottawa Police Sgt. Tracy Butler told her in a raised voice the boy was "maltreated and abused by your husband." She added, "you knew about it, you condoned it and you let it happen."

The woman, who was at times emotional during the interview, said, "I haven't done anything. I swear to God."

Okay, why is anyone helping them?

Refugees heading to Greece on people smugglers' boats are given a 'migrants handbook' packed with tips, maps, phone numbers and advice about getting across Europe.

Among discarded life jackets and punctured rubber dinghies, Sky News discovered a tattered copy of the unique travel guide washed up on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos.

The booklet's cover features a photograph of a young man on a beach at sunset, looking longingly out to sea, with oars at his feet as he prepares to make the treacherous crossing.

The 'rough guide' is written in Arabic and contains phone numbers of organisations which might help refugees making the journey, such as the Red Cross and UNHCR.

Among those behind the booklet is an organisation called w2eu, which means 'Welcome To Europe'.

Sonia, who did not want to give her surname, is a volunteer with w2eu and told Sky News: "Activists from our network distribute the guides for free in Turkey".

She explained one of the aims of the booklet is to help those who get into trouble on the water .

They can call a 24-hour hotline number provided in the guide, volunteers then pass their details to the relevant coastguard.

"We take information about how many people are in the boats if they get into trouble" she said.

"It's a life-saving service we give to refugees. They are going to go anyway, so it's better if we give them advice."

First of all, if they can pay a trafficker, they are hardly poor. If they wanted safety, Greece (like Turkey was for the Kurdis) would be ideal.

One is giving people a carte blanche to enter the country illegally and assume Europe's dwindling resources for themselves.

Also:

Germany is expecting one million migrants this year - 200,000 more than previously estimated, Angela Merkel's deputy has said.

**

Germany resumed train service from Austria Monday after suspending it for about 12 hours in an attempt to better prepare for the wave of Syrian refugees streaming across its border.

**

Middle Eastern migrants are rejecting Denmark as a country in which to seek asylum, claiming that the “salaries” offered to “refugees” are not as high as other European countries. They are now demanding to go to Sweden or Finland as the terms of asylum there are more favourable.

**

Five families of Syrian refugees granted asylum in Uruguay last year protested outside the president's offices on Monday, demanding they be allowed to leave the South American country in search of better jobs, even back in the Middle East.

But... but... refugees...



I'm sure this is nothing to worry about:

Taliban insurgents stormed a prison in Afghanistan on Monday, killing police and releasing more than 350 inmates, including nearly 150 deemed a threat to national security, and then attacked troops rushing to help, officials said.

(Paws-up)



And now, a touching story about a wombat:

This is Tonka the wombat, and he’s become best friends with this lookalike teddy - after his mum was killed in a car accident.

The adorable marsupial was taken in by the Billabong Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia, and was soon given the toy to comfort him, but the pair are now said to be inseparable. 

Tonka’s handler Samantha Sherman even explained that the toy has to be regularly replaced due to wear and tear - such is the bond between the two.

Samantha said: ‘Many orphaned animals take comfort in cuddling teddies and Tonka just never grew out of it – he’s really just a big baby at heart. The teddy doesn’t have a name because he gets new ones when needed.’

‘He has big teeth so over time, as he carries his teddy around, it gets some tears,’ she explains. Whenever he rips a teddy, we make sure he gets a new one from our gift shop right away.’

(photo source)