All Purpose Politics and News Thread

[GoodBoy]

I tend to have BBC news on all day. Switch to ITV as its news comes on. Sky news on twitter plus many others are my sources. Don't have any surface tv so nothing via Bell, Rogers etc. but to be honest, what I get via the U.K. is so much better anyway.


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[Natalka]

This is SO wonderful on so many levels! So proud of her!




Megan Couto on Monday became the first female officer to command the troops protecting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, as a Canadian battalion took over guard duties.

Captain Couto, 24, has been given the prestigious role of Captain of The Queen's Guard, responsible for guarding the London palace.

Based in the central province of Manitoba, The Second Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry has been invited to Britain to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of modern Canada.

"I'm just focusing on doing my job as best I can and staying humble. Any of my peers would be absolutely delighted to be Captain of The Queen's Guard and I'm equally honoured," she said.

Carrying her sword and wearing a scarlet tunic and white hat, Couto marched her troops to Buckingham Palace from the nearby Wellington Barracks in the historic and colourful ceremony.

The changing of the guard, conducted on four days a week, draws thousands of tourists to Buckingham Palace and Monday was no exception, with large crowds outside the gates in the summer sunshine.

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/first-fema...132837441.html

[Steve276]

Interesting read: some prognosis on global housing market in Trump's era https://tranio.com/world/news/what-t...ty-market_5219.

[Ciel]

Something shiny to look for at the Canadian Tire stores and maybe a parking lot near you: Canada 150 edition of CT's 10 cent paper money!
Somehow the leaves' design reminds me of the kerfuffle over Queen Elizabeth the II's flowers on her hat for the Throne Speech in Parliament (flowers said to resemble the EU flag and seen as comment on Brexit).

https://ca.yahoo.com/finance/news/ca...161623880.html

I do use CT money for $1 deals in the flyer. However, my store seems to get many customers' paper money donations in the Jump Start donation box.

[walkonby]

ooohhh! Very snazzy looking CT money! ^^^

[Darth Penguin]

Germany gay marriage approved by MPs in snap vote

A clear majority of German MPs have voted to legalise same-sex marriage, days after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her opposition to a vote.
The reform grants couples now limited to civil unions full marital rights, and allows them to adopt children.
Mrs Merkel's political opponents were strongly in favour. But the chancellor, who signalled her backing for a free vote only on Monday, voted against.
The bill was backed by 393 lawmakers, 226 voted against and four abstained.
The German legal code will now read: "Marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex", AFP news agency reported.
Following Friday's vote, Mrs Merkel said that for her marriage was between a man and a woman. But she said she hoped the passing of the bill would lead to more "social cohesion and peace".

Darth approves

[Natalka]

Too much going on in the news, I suppose - I don't think their visit has been given enough coverage!

Prince of Wales, Camilla Honour Soldiers At CFB Trenton

CFB TRENTON, Ont. — The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall began the second day of their royal tour Friday at a soggy CFB Trenton, where they greeted members of the military and honoured soldiers who died in Afghanistan.

Charles started the afternoon by taking in a search and rescue demonstration before he met families of the soldiers.
Camilla attended a separate event where she met with the Queen's Own Rifles; she is Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment.

The couple then took part in a solemn commemoration service and wreath laying at the Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial located near the base.





http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06...cahpmg00000001

[Darth Penguin]

States fight Trump commission's efforts to gather voters personal data

An attempt by Donald Trump’s newly convened commission on election integrity to gather detailed information on the country’s voting population prompted a furious backlash on Friday, as at least 24 states either resisted the request on privacy protection grounds or flat-out rejected it as a backdoor effort at mass voter suppression.
On Saturday the president gave voice to his frustration, tweeting: “Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?”
In a letter sent to the states on Thursday, the commission’s vice-chair, Kris Kobach, asked for comprehensive lists including names of voters, addresses, voting histories, party affiliation, criminal histories, military status and more. The letter did not spell out how the commission intended to use this information, but in an interview with the Kansas City Star newspaper, Kobach said he wanted to “quantify different forms of voter fraud and registration fraud and offer solutions”.
That set alarm bells ringing among election experts and voting rights activists who have followed Kobach’s career as elections chief in Kansas and seen him cite the risk of individual voter fraud – in reality, a negligible or non-existent problem – as an excuse to pass controversial laws making it harder for many lower-income and minority voters to cast a ballot.
Many of them believe the commission has been set up to justify Trump’s false claim – echoed by Kobach and by the commission’s chairman, vice-president Mike Pence – that 3 to 5m votes were cast illegally in last November’s election.
California’s elections chief, Alex Padilla, said his state’s participation “would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud”. He called the commission “a waste of taxpayer money and a distraction from the real threats to the integrity of our elections today: aging voting systems and documented Russian interference in our elections”.

[Darth Penguin]

Darth says you won, get over it..

[Natalka]

What a buffoon!

Happy Canada Day, Mr. PM! Memes save me from typing....





It was on the teleprompter, funny that's the one he 'misses'....

[Darth Penguin]

Simone Veil: French politician and Holocaust survivor dies

The French politician, women's rights champion and Holocaust survivor Simone Veil has died at the age of 89.
Best known in France for her instrumental role in legalising abortion in the 1970s, she went on to serve as the first president of an elected European Parliament.
Ms Veil, a liberal, later re-entered French politics, returning to the cabinet in the 1990s.
President Emmanuel Macron described her as "inspiring" and the best of France.
She became one of the 40 "immortals" of the Académie Française in 2010 - a great honour in France.
Ms Veil was France's minister of health from 1974-79, in which role she made access to contraception easier and fought a long battle to legalise abortion.
The law which did so, passed in 1975, is known as "la loi Veil".

Darth is sad

[DaveP]

Simone Veil: French politician and Holocaust survivor dies



Darth is sad

Oh my lord you actually said something! Now this is progress! Next time don't change the color so it's invisible. I'll have you fixed up and fit for mixed company in no time.

[ben.barbour]

Cool story on CBC for techies!


Robots roam Mount Etna volcano as part of lunar testing ground


A robot wheels across a rocky, windswept landscape that looks like the surface of some distant planet from a science fiction film. But it is not in outer space, it's on the slopes of Europe's most active volcano.
Mount Etna, in Sicily, is a test bed for the approximately one-metre high, four-wheeled machine ahead of a future mission to the moon. It is being conducted by the German Aerospace Centre, the agency which runs Germany's space programme.
The programme has enlisted experts from Germany, Britain, the United States and Italy to research ROBEX (Robotic Exploration of Extreme Environments) with the aim of improving robotic equipment that will be used in space.
"This is aimed at simulating a future, hypothetical landing mission on the moon or Mars and they use a lot of robots which are there to transport and install different instruments", said Boris Behncke, a volcanologist from the National Vulcanology Institute in Catania, near Mount Etna.
Scientists also hope to use the robots to explore the depths of Mount Etna and relay back useful technical data on seismic movement. The techniques learned on Etna would then be deployed in lunar missions or in the exploration of Mars.

An initial robotic testing phase has nearly been completed on the Piano del Lago area of the volcano, a desolate stretch of terrain buffeted by strong winds.
Next, a network of equipment including rover robots and drones will be mounted to monitor seismic activity that closely simulates that which would be used on the moon.

[GoodBoy]

Oh my lord you actually said something! Now this is progress! Next time don't change the color so it's invisible. I'll have you fixed up and fit for mixed company in no time.

I see no value nor purpose in your post except to harass - change the colour on this to whatever you wish.

[annedougherty]

I see no value nor purpose in your post except to harass - change the colour on this to whatever you wish - you obviously have too much time on your hands

Two wrongs don't make a right so if EVERYONE could cool it that would be wonderful. Thank you


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