For Today

Lots to talk about ...



Thirteen people were killed when a proverbial lone wolf plowed through a market in Barcelona:

Two men have been arrested and at least one more is still at large after a white van ploughed into a crowd of people in a busy Barcelona tourist district, killing at least 13 and injuring 100 others.

(Sidebar: where is Sadiq Khan right now when one needs the clarity of his wisdom the most?)

It is now being reported that the "perpetrators" of this attack have been killed by the police.

More to come.


Also - are there statues of Confederate generals in Spain, Mr. Blitzer?

CNN host Wolf Blitzer said Thursday there would be questions if the Barcelona terror attack involving a van crashing into a group of people was a "copycat" of what happened in Charlottesville, Va.

The famous Confederate general, Tomas "El Piedro" Juanez

Why is it not "rich and cultural" when she does it?

Pauline Hanson, leader of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigration One Nation minor party, sat wearing the black head-to-ankle garment for more than 10 minutes before taking it off as she rose to explain that she wanted such outfits banned on national security grounds.

“There has been a large majority of Australians (who) wish to see the banning of the burka,” said Hanson, an outspoken fan of U.S. President Donald Trump, as senators objected.

Attorney-General George Brandis drew applause when he said his government would not ban the burka, and chastised Hanson for what he described as a “stunt” that offended Australia’s Muslim minority.

Would this be the same minority that calls "uncovered" women "meat" or plots terrorist attacks? THAT minority?




It's on. Or will be soon:

As nuclear posturing between North Korea and the United States rivets the world, a quieter conflict between India and China is playing out on a remote Himalayan ridge — with stakes just as high.

For the past two months, Indian and Chinese troops have faced off on a plateau in the Himalayas in tense proximity, in a dispute prompted by moves by the Chinese military to build a road into territory claimed by India’s close ally, Bhutan.

India has suggested that both sides withdraw, and its foreign minister said in Parliament that the dispute can be resolved only by dialogue.

Yet China has vociferously defended the right it claims to build a road in the Doklam area, land it also claims.

Yes, many Canadians have similar questions:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been getting a lot of attention from international media, but now the spotlight has landed on his senior adviser, Gerald Butts, and his dealings with a contentious figure in the White House.

Steve Bannon, the controversial chief strategist to U.S. President Donald Trump, told the New Yorker he struck up a friendship with Butts, the long-time friend and principal secretary to Trudeau, after the pair met in New York during the transition to government.

The magazine reported Bannon, who is apparently on the outs with Trump, has been mulling the idea of raising taxes on the wealthy and that Butts had spoken to him about how such a move could have a populist appeal that could boost the president's political fortune.

"There's nothing better for a populist than a rich guy raising taxes on rich guys," the magazine said Butts had told Bannon.

Also:

Ever since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his version of our immigration policy to virtue signal how it differed from the Trump administration in the U.S., the predictable has happened.

Illegal asylum seekers have been flooding across our border with the U.S., most frequently in Quebec.

(Sidebar: these illegal asylum seekers.)

The numbers are spinning out of control, with Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and other facilities conscripted to provide emergency shelter, traditional refugee services having been overwhelmed.

Plus, the emergency creation of a rapidly growing tent city set up by the Canadian army at the border, to handle the growing backlog.

None of this is surprising, given Trudeau’s tweet on Jan. 27, which read: “To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength.” #WelcomeToCanada.

So far, there have been more refugee claims in Quebec in 2017 than all of last year,
While the government insists everything is under control, an Ipsos/Global poll of 1,003 Canadians taken Aug. 11 to 14, suggests Canadians don’t agree.

-- 62% don’t think the Trudeau government has a “solid plan” to deal with the issue, while 67% believe the border crossers are trying to skip the legal immigration process.

-- 56% believe with the government calling in the army, the situation is “out of control”. An equal number say the government isn’t doing enough to protect the border from “those who want to cause harm to Canada”.

And:

China doesn't buy many Canadian exports, and their communist government uses what they do purchase to threaten our government if they don't get political concessions.

China doesn't respect physical or intellectual property rights, either, and has even threatened a BC winery owner with life in prison for alleged "smuggling."

If Canada had a leader, he would tell the UN's various lackeys and hangers-on to get stuffed:

The United Nations refugee agency has sent a representative to Manitoba to check how asylum seekers are being processed near the border with the U.S.

Jean-Nicolas Beuze of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was in Emerson getting a tour of the area from Manitoba Mounties on Thursday morning. The visit comes as hundreds of asylum seekers continue to make their way into Quebec daily.

As of Thursday morning, there were 1,000 people near the Quebec border waiting to be processed. The United Nations isn't sure whether numbers in Manitoba could pick up the way they have in Quebec.

"We don't know," said Beuze. "We need to keep a watch on what's happening here. It's very difficult to predict."

Will Mr. Beuze wait by the Yalu for North Korean defectors? 

The woman who attacked customers at Canadian Tire store will be in court on Monday:

A judge has ordered a Toronto-area woman facing terror-related charges in an alleged attack at a Canadian Tire store to appear in court on Monday, by force if necessary.

The order was issued for Rehab Dughmosh after the 32-year-old refused to leave her cell to attend a court hearing via video on Thursday.

The Crown says Dughmosh believes she has said all that she needs to in court.

Dughmosh faces a total of 21 charges, including attempted murder of at least three people for the benefit of or in association with a terrorist group.

Police allege Dughmosh swung a golf club at Canadian Tire employees and a customer on June 3 and threatened them.

They say she then pulled a large knife from under her clothes but store staff pried it out of her hands and restrained her.

Media reports have said Dughmosh pledged her allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group during a previous court appearance.

Don't be a wanker, Andrew:

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Thursday he’ll do no further interviews with conservative news outlet the Rebel until it changes its editorial direction, following its coverage of last weekend’s protests in Charlottesville, Va.

Scheer’s declaration he’ll stay away was followed hours later by Brian Jean and Jason Kenney, both running for leadership of the new United Conservative Party in Alberta, distancing themselves as well.

While all three had condemned the violence in Virginia last weekend, they’d also previously stopped short of addressing the Rebel’s coverage, seen by some as sympathetic to the white nationalists who initially organized the event that later collapsed into clashes that killed one counter-protester and injured nearly 20 others.

“I am disgusted by the vile comments made by hate groups this past weekend,” Scheer said in a statement Thursday.

“I believe there is fine line between reporting the facts and giving those groups a platform. I have a positive vision for Canada and I want to share that vision with Canadians and talk about issues that unite us all. Until the editorial directions of the Rebel Media changes, I will not grant interviews to the outlet.”

Had Mr. Scheer been paying attention, that was not what Rebel Media was doing at all.

No one in their right minds would support the revolting racial supremacists on either side who were present in Charlottesville. That such mindsets even exist in this age is baffling and sad.

What could and should be pointed out that sandwiched between repellent white supremacists and leftist vandals were virtue-signallers who did not understand with whom they were getting in bed.

There are no sides to pick here. Everyone is nauseating.

That groundless charges of racism can be levelled against anyone serve only to cloud and ultimately stop any debate. It is a slander in which the illogical left find refuge, particularly those whose hypocrisy knows no bounds. No one should be playing this denouncing game anymore than people should be touting racial supremacy or pulling down statues.

Perhaps cooler heads should prevail.


Also:

Ryerson University has canceled a panel discussion called “The Stifling of Free Speech on University Campuses” following pushback from activists who said the event was giving a platform to fascists.

There was no fanfare for this for some reason:

There were tears, hugs, smiles and songs at the Winnipeg airport early Thursday morning as friends and family witnessed the reunion of a Yazidi refugee mother and her 12-year-old son.

Nofa Zaghla wept as she met her son privately behind airport security before appearing before dozens of supporters and reporters in the arrivals area.

"Thank you, Canada, thank you Steve Maman," Emad Mishko Tamo said, referring to the president of the group The Liberation of Christian and Yazidi Children of Iraq, which orchestrated a campaign to expedite his reunion with his mother.

"I'm happy, I'm very thankful for anyone that had any part in me reuniting with my mom," Emad added through a translator.

"I am very happy and very thankful to God that he got here safely and soundly," his mother said, also speaking through a translator.

 Well, this must be embarrassing:

Quebec's anglophone population is declining, rather than booming, Statistics Canada said Thursday as the agency officially corrected a census finding that stoked political fires in Quebec's emotionally charged language debate.

The change is the result of a computer error that recorded some 55,000 people in last year's census as English speakers, when they really had French as their mother tongue. Correcting the mistake cut the increase in the anglophone population in half and pushed the francophone population up by more than 145,000 between 2011 and 2016.

Statistics Canada officials suggested the revisions did little to change the overall narrative captured in the census that showed an increase in the number of French speakers in the country, largely driven by Quebec.

The country's revised bilingualism rate dropped to 17.9 per cent from 18 per cent, but remains at an all-time high.

The census data originally indicated roughly one-half of the 57,325 increase in Quebec's anglophones over five years came from outside of the Montreal, a finding that puzzled experts, given trend lines and other information like school enrolment figures that pointed in the opposition direction.

What officials found was that a mistake in the online prompts for 61,000 respondents who did a follow-up step when they failed to complete the questionnaire and then had their answered flipped. A panel of outside experts reviewed the corrections before Statistics Canada released the figures almost a week after publicly reporting the mistake.

About 40 per cent of the wrongly classified responses were in Montreal.

The government invaded people's privacy only to make an error.





And now, a feel-good story:

Flora, the 100 pound Malamute, shared a very special bond with Dexter, a super senior cat, who was adopted from Best Friends Animal Society at the age of 20.

When Dexter came to his forever home, Flora became his biggest fan. They were always together, completely inseparable. After two wonderful yeas, Dexter crossed the rainbow bridge at 22. Flora was grieving and felt so sad and lonely. She missed her best buddy's cuddles every day.

Jill Williams, Flora's mom, quickly adopted two kitties from the shelter, hoping it would heal Flora's broken heart.

"While that cats did help ease some of the sadness that Flora was feeling, the new youngsters didn't like to cuddle the way Dexter did. She was still lonely," Best Friends shared with Love Meow.

In early August the family decided to foster a litter of kittens as they felt fostering would be a great experience for their children. …

When it was time to introduce the fur babies to their canine friend Flora, Iggy the kitty went right up to the gentle giant and sniffed her nose.

"Flora gently brought her face down to meet his and got a huge smile on her face," Jill said.