All Purpose Politics and News Thread

[walkonby]

This guy is NO Herschel Walker ( thank goodness ) but Colin Allred could probably unseat Ted Cruz in the 2024 Senate race!! Fingers crossed the the most hated Senator from Texas gets beaten!!
Texas has not voted for a Democratic Senator since 1994 but times are a changing!!

https://twitter.com/ColinAllredTX/st...27403536183301

[Ciel21]

Toronto will get a new area code next year. The existing three area codes in use will run out of numbers in the next couple of years.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2023/05/12/c...rth-area-code/

[heartgirl99]

New randy rainbow!

[walkonby]

It's about time!!!

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/08/polit...nts/index.html

[walkonby]

NOT Politics ( grateful ) JUST an emotionally GREAT story! How did these amazing kids survive for 40 days?? In the Jungle! After the Plane crashed and killed all the adults!

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/09/w...ren-found.html

[Ciel21]

If you own an Instant Pot, you might wish to make sure you take care of it (and buy a backup unit in case you need parts or a replacement for the first one).
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/instant...135843118.html

The Pyrex cookware connection to Instant Pot is news to me.


In Toronto and Greater Toronto Area (Ontario), shopping malls with tourism designations don't have to close on statutory holidays. More malls want the same freedom to be open but retail workers want to know they get the statutory holidays off.

https://www.thestar.com/ts/news/gta/...ce=parsely-api

Today's the last day for the Canadian Nordstrom department stores ():

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/06/...tores-june-13/

[Ciel21]

Looks like the Buy Buy Baby brand did not get a buyer:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...uction-falters

If you can travel to the US stores, you might get some deals:
https://www.facebook.com/buybuyBABY/...n__=%2CO%2CP-R

[Ciel21]

When not keeping up with restaurant ownership changes leads to face palms:https://www.thespec.com/business/mis...dium=ymbii_top

[Ciel21]

Finally, a news article talking about the coming closure in June 2024 of the Bay/Zellers store at Burlington Centre in Ontario:https://www.thespec.com/news/clearan...mmunities-news

I was in the store last Friday and there were no clearance signs, just summer sales signs.
I did spot a lot of Olli & Lime crib sheets on final clearance at $49.95 (for parents who like black, white and grey crosshatch designs) on one endcap in the baby gear/apparel area on the first floor.

[Ciel21]

Bell wants CRTC involvement over wireless user access on the Toronto Transit Commission's network (aka subway) since Rogers' customers will get first dibs to the network:

Bell’s June application asked the commission to block Rogers from giving its customers wireless access first before granting the same to other carriers. Bell also asked the CRTC to create a regulatory framework, arguing the intervention was needed for the “public interest.”

https://mobilesyrup.com/2023/07/19/r...eid=be9d88b3e1

Bell may become the second Canadian wireless carrier to adopt eSim transfer service on iPhones for phone number porting:

https://mobilesyrup.com/2023/07/21/i...orted-on-bell/

[walkonby]

Now THIS was a hopeful news story!!

https://www.cp24.com/news/metro-says...kers-1.6540712

Lets hope the deal gets inked and the workers go back, I am tired of empty shelves!!

[Ciel21]

Planning a trip to an European country in 2024? If it is in the EU, you will need to pay a fee and request a visa waiver online BEFORE you book your plane tickets. Pray that you don't selected for an interview-it may take 30 days to find out that you got chosen. Sounds like Nexus but for the EU!

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/what-etias_en

Application fee

You will need a payment card to cover the EUR 7 fee. You can use a variety of online payment options to pay the fee.

Applicants who are under 18 or above 70 years of age are exempt from this payment. Also exempt are family members of EU citizens or of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the European Union.

So dual-citizens with EU passports have perks for their family!

Just in time for the Paris 2024 Summer Games! I am aware that the city of Venice has had requests by residents to control the number of tourists coming into the city (by boat or otherwise) during peak travel season (aka High Season).

[Ciel21]

Buy Buy Baby did get a buyer-Dream on Me. I saw a video online that a new website will be coming soon under the new ownership. No you cannot use the former BBB's gift cards at the new store.

Ooh, the landing page is updated already. https://www.buybuybaby.com/

Cosplay fans of Yaya Han, that famous US cosplayer, can rejoice-there are two sewing machines that are Yaya Han editions released during this summer and both are limited edition for all kinds of costume making efforts:

I knew about the $2500 price (seems to be a promo price if you pre-order now for SEpt)but not the original price! https://www.bernette.com/en-CA/model...ya-han-edition
The benefit of this offer is the included digital software. I believe you have to update the licence every 30 days on the machine so it'd help to have wi-fi in your sewing area.
Wish I had such a machine in my 20s! Think community makerspaces need this unit too!

See machine in action in the education video: https://www.bernina.com/en-US/Learn-...Education-Team

[walkonby]

Trust me when I say I AN NO FAN of this POS GOP Senator ( Mitch the turtle McConnell ) , however, I do have empathy/sympathy for this clip.
It is really painful to watch. He has frozen up like this 2 times before but at 81 he simply refuses to admit that maybe it's time to hang up his Senators hat!
( or in his case his SHELL! ha ha, oops sorry )

[walkonby]

good grief! Really? taking serb money when you were STILL employed!!?

https://www.cp24.com/news/120-cra-em...oyed-1.6544579