Friday Post

The American astronaut John Glenn has passed away at age ninety-five:

John Glenn, who became one of the 20th century's greatest explorers as the first American to orbit Earth and later as the world's oldest astronaut, and also had a long career as a U.S. senator, died in Ohio on Thursday at age 95.

Oh, dear:

South Korean lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal, setting the stage for her to become the country's first elected leader to be expelled from office in disgrace.

The impeachment motion was carried by a wider-than-expect 234-56 margin in a secret ballot in parliament, meaning more than 60 of Park's own conservative Saenuri Party members backed removing her. The votes of at least 200 members of the 300-seat chamber were needed for the motion to pass.

The Constitutional Court must now decide whether to uphold the impeachment, a process that could take up to 180 days.

 




I'm sure Trudeau will apologise shortly:

Canada has quietly imposed additional sanctions on Russian nationals over the annexation of Crimea and Moscow's ongoing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The new measures, including asset-freezing and a prohibition on business dealings, were passed by the Liberal cabinet on Nov. 28 and released, without much fanfare compared with the former Conservative government, on the Global Affairs Canada website the same day.

There are 15 individuals named in the regulation, which was to be formally posted Thursday in the Canada Gazette, the government's official publication of record.

Six of the people are members of Russia's national assembly — known as the Duma — who were elected from Crimea in September in the first vote since the takeover.

It is the second time the Liberal government has tightened sanctions in relation to the eastern European crisis which erupted in the spring of 2014.

The last round of measures were imposed in August of this year.

It is significant because the Liberals have made diplomatic re-engagement with Russia a cornerstone of their foreign policy since being elected last year, much to the private — and sometimes public — dismay of the Ukrainian government.

Also:

Ever since Russia annexed Crimea and launched an unacknowledged war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the former Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with their large Russian-speaking minorities, have feared they could be next on Vladimir Putin’s list for “reunification.” Since 2014, jets from NATO air forces including the RAF have patrolled Estonia’s skies. In spring an 800-strong battalion of British troops equipped with tanks will arrive as part of what the alliance calls an “enhanced forward presence.” The mission is to deter Russia by demonstrating Western commitment to Baltic security.

Ladies and gentlemen, sit back and watch the following train wrecks:

Twelve-year-old Autumn Peltier didn't get to deliver her speech in the presence of the prime minister, but she's still spreading her message that the Canadian government needs to protect the country's water.

Peltier, who is from Wikwemikong First Nation in Ontario, had been asked to be part of the introduction of Justin Trudeau at the Assembly of First Nations' annual meeting on Tuesday. She had prepared three handwritten pages of a speech.

"I’m not here to just have fun to travel and anything, because I have a really serious statement and I really want it to be heard," she told The Huffington Post Canada in an interview.

(Sidebar: whatever you say, pre-teen pawn.)


**

An Algonquin band in western Quebec is suing the federal government saying it owns Parliament Hill.

Another train wreck, this:

The Canadian government on Friday agreed a deal with most of the country's 10 provinces to introduce a first-ever national carbon price, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters.


Trudeau says the move will help Canada meet its international climate change obligations.

Bullsh--.
 




 
Well, colour me shocked:

The Garden Diner and Cafe—previously known as the Bartertown Diner—featured a vegan, vegetarian and raw food menu that had met with significant national acclaim. But the restaurant’s business model, which did not allow for bosses or managers, promised a “living wage” to all employees and a strong union, did not allow the restaurant to make enough profit to stay in business.

Worse still, while the food earned Bartertown a spot on VegNews’s “10 Hot New Vegan Restaurants” list, customers complained that it was almost impossible to get a meal at the diner.

People frequently noted on the restaurant’s Facebook page that they waited more than 40 minutes for a sandwich—and that’s when the diner was even open. Because the employees set the shop’s hours by group decision, the restaurant opened and closed at random times, leaving potential sandwich buyers totally confused.

Why wouldn't anyone want to duplicate long lines at the town's only bakery, the goods of which are made from what trees are composed of?

 

Also:

Rising at midday, Castro would be dressed in his scuba gear by kneeling flunkeys. He would then head off in a gleaming motor boat — filled with his favorite expensive whisky and grilled langoustines — to waters that had already been scouted that morning by staff anxious to find the areas with the most fish.

(Merci beaucoup tout)






And now, get festive on this Friday: