Friday Post

Quickly now ...



Pastor Lim Hyeong-Soo has been freed:

Relatives of a Canadian pastor released this week after more than two years in a North Korean prison say he is “on his way home” and they are anxious to be reunited with him.

The Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday that North Korea’s central court had decided to free Hyeong Soo Lim, who was serving a life sentence for anti-state activities.

The pastor’s release was described as “sick bail,” but no other details were given.

In a statement Thursday, a spokeswoman for his family said “there is a long way to go” in terms of Lim’s healing and stressed the need for privacy as he receives unspecified medical attention.

Lisa Pak also said the family is grateful to the Canadian government and the Swedish embassy in North Korea for working behind the scenes to secure the pastor’s freedom. She did not say when he was scheduled to arrive in Canada.

Yes, the Swedes pulled their weight.

I am doubtful that Chrystia Freedland (the one prone to tears) moved the stony hearts of Kim Jong-Un and one of his Chinese handlers, Foreign Minister, Wang Yi (this Wang Yi). I am also very aware that Canada does not reward terrorists who do not embarrass the Liberal party directly. It begs the question of what was promised to free the hapless pastor.


Also:

Now that North Korea has intercontinental ballistic missiles, this has made the troubled and unpredictable state even more dangerous. And now that they may have miniaturized nuclear warheads, as a U.S. defense department report recently stated, things are even worse.

Kim Jong-un of course hasn’t singled out Canada. But the United States has been and if the U.S. were targeted by any form of attack – even a failed one – there would be implications for Canada’s national security.

However unlikely this all may be – and we certainly hope it never comes to pass – the game has changed in recent months as North Korea has bolstered their arsenal. It’s changed in a way that matters more now than ever to Canada.

We need to have a plan in action for all eventual outcomes of both this latest flare-up and the long-term goals of the U.S. and its allies.

After all, Canada has a small number of personnel stationed along the demilitarized zone in the Korean Peninsula. We have many people stationed at the NORAD facility in Cheyenne Mountain, as we watch the skies for incoming missiles alongside our American counterparts. We’re already in the game.

And we have a broader interest in peace and stability.

Yet, when asked by reporters his position on this issue, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stumbled. He was at a loss for words, simply getting out a jumbled statement about North Korea being fundamentally irresponsible.

This Trudeau:

There are several reasons why Trudeau will never take a stronger stance against North Korea and some of them are actually political. The rest points to his inability to be an adult in any way.



And:

The United Nations’ latest sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear program extend beyond the conventional exports cited in the Security Council resolution — coal, iron ore, lead ore and seafood.

The restrictions described by diplomats on Aug. 5 as the “most stringent” against the nation also freeze the assets of some of North Korea’s biggest companies, including a maker of massive monuments and a Pyongyang-based insurance company that’s been linked to a slush fund for leader Kim Jong Un and his family.

Hey! Why not let these guys traffick people? What could go wrong?

Smugglers have thrown some 280 migrants into the sea off the coast of Yemen in the last two days, causing more than 50 to drown and leaving over 30 missing, the U.N. migration agency said Thursday.

Yet another obstacle for the Kinder Morgan pipeline:

British Columbia will not allow Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd to begin work on public land for its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion until it "meaningfully" consults aboriginal communities, provincial officials said on Thursday. 

The $5.5 billion project through British Columbia, which secured federal government approval last year, would almost triple the capacity of the current Trans Mountain pipeline. 

The project's prospect has become more uncertain after a left-leaning government took power in British Columbia in June, although the administration has since softened its rhetoric. 

Brad Wall will resign from politics: 

One of Canada's most high-profile premiers who rose to national prominence for his down-to-earth style, sharp wit and, more recently, his willingness to lock horns with Ottawa is retiring from politics after a decade in office.

 

Oh, like fun they are! 

And now, ordering food made stupid:

Recky
Customer complains after eating her omelette that the menu didn't explicitly state that it contained “so much egg...”
Just Jim
"Can I get the special with fettuccine? I'm allergic to penne." "You're allergic to a shape?"
Sergeant Pepper
Obligatory hybrid temperatures on steaks.
Will
Well-done steak tartare.
Good to go
Mid-rare ossu rucco.
Shanks
We had a guest claim that they were allergic to all fish then order a Caesar salad, when I said that the dressing contained anchovies they got annoyed and said "I eat it all the time, it's fine!"
RAS1187
French onion soup, no onions.

Yep.