And the Rest of It

Saint Francis Xavier: the original X-man

If one is still pushing the faulty idea of equalisation payments, then one has already capitulated to failure:

After pushing the federal government to amend the formula for equalization payments — which give money to some provinces but not others — premiers upset with the formula shifted focus to changing the fiscal stabilization program on Monday.

Premiers of provinces that don’t get equalization funds argued it was one way they could get some money back amid the oil and energy sector’s economic instability.

While meeting in Mississauga, Ont. Monday, premiers tried to find consensus on key issues ahead of their meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the new year. Among the four areas of consensus was a call on the federal government to reassess fiscal stabilization, which provides financial assistance to provinces amid economic downturns.

From the most corrupt government ever re-elected:

A former SNC-Lavalin executive on trial for fraud and corruption has opted not to present a defence.

Lawyers for Sami Bebawi informed the jury of their decision on Tuesday, meaning the evidence is complete and the accused won’t testify.

Bebawi, 73, faces eight charges, including fraud, corruption, laundering proceeds of crime, possession of stolen goods and bribery of foreign officials.

“Mr. Bebawi won’t present a defence,” lawyer Annie Emond said simply.

Justice Guy Cournoyer reminded jurors of an earlier directive that it was up to the Crown to prove the charges against Bebawi beyond a reasonable doubt and that Bebawi wasn’t obliged to present a defence.

I'm calling mistrial.




A Chinese diplomat will visit South Korea for the first time in five years to discuss the American missile defense system (which I'm sure the Chinese want gone):

A high-ranking Chinese diplomat is visiting Seoul this week for the first time in five years as the two countries seek to improve ties amid a spat over a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea.

The Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, is set to arrive on Wednesday for a two-day stay, during which he will meet his counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, and President Moon Jae-in, Seoul officials said.

(Sidebar: this Wang Yi.)




I believe China does similar things:

Australia’s Catholic bishops support “nationally consistent” reporting standards for the abuse of minors, but cannot support new national legal standards that would force priests to report real or suspected child abuse learned under the strict confidence of sacramental confessions, the bishops have said.

“The removal of protections at law would be ineffective, counter-productive and unjust: ineffective because abusers do not seek out confession and certainly would not seek it out if they knew that their offences would be reported,” Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, said in a statement to Reuters.

“Counter-productive because the rare opportunity a priest may have to counsel abusers to turn themselves in and amend their life would be lost; and unjust because it would establish as a matter of law a situation where a priest would not be able to defend himself against an accusation made against him,” he added.

The Seal of the Confessional is demanded by God.

So there's that.

Secondly, anyone who trusts a system that railroads an innocent man under the guise of stopping abuse is full of sh--.

It is never about doing the right thing. It is always about governmental control.




I'll bet he showed up to work:

Mr Koczocik armed himself with a long stick and “charges towards the bad guy” but hits “something protective”.

"But he’s buying time and he allows others to escape to move to adjacent rooms and at that point he has about a one minute one on one straight combat,” Mr Williamson said.

“This guy Khan then works his way up Lukasz pole slashing with his knife, he takes five wounds to his left side.”

Mr Bain said that it “felt like a warzone... it felt like total chaos."

Mr Koczocik, who it was announced on Monday will be getting an honour for bravery in his native Poland, started to lose strength but two men from the conference rushed to intervene.

Because salt of the Earth:

The families of fallen soldiers were treated to a special holiday trip thanks to the Gary Sinise Foundation. And where better to bring them than the happiest place on Earth: Disney World.