Tracker

Black Adam trailer:

Loved the humourous and often bizarre Duckman.

I am concerned that we will become so inured to these preventable deaths that we will recalibrate and accept them as inevitable and acceptable.

Or the coaches.

I thought Whop showed enough in his brief outing to deserve a better fate.

I am afraid that with your political system being what it is and with the unrestricted, massive flow of money both in the open and dark money to sway candidates, there is little chance of meaningful change in your country. The massive inequality and concentration of power has created system that benefits few and fuels the violence and unrest there. I feel for the many good people in America who are essentially powerless.

You may wish to check out the Opera browser- less of a systems hog, faster than Edge and with built-in VPN. One would think that, given all the tech expertise of Microsoft, they could come up with a browser that would blow all the others into the weeds.

Louisiana mother forced to give up custody of her daughter and pay child support to her rapist: report Crysta Abelseth, now 32, was allegedly raped at age 16 by John Barnes, a man nearly twice her age who she had never previously met, after accepting a ride home from him after a night out at a restaurant with friends, and the sexual assault resulted in a pregnancy, reported WBRZ-TV. "Instead of bringing me home, he brought me to his house," Abelseth recalled. "Once inside, he raped me on his living room couch." Abelseth said other people assumed a boyfriend was the father and she never corrected them, but sometime in 2011 Barnes learned that he might have a daughter and pursued custody. "When my daughter was five years old, he found out about her, and once he found out about her, he pursued custody and wanted to take her away from me," Abelseth said. "They granted him 50/50 custody despite the fact that [the child] was caused by rape." A DNA test showed Barnes was almost certainly the father, despite the fact that he had been 30 and Abseleth was younger than the age of consent when he assaulted her, and she eventually pressed criminal charges against him in 2015 because she didn't previously understand how the law worked. "I thought if I didn't do it the next day, there was nothing I could do about it," Abelseth said. "I went to a trauma counselor, and he said, 'No, you have 30 years after you turn 18.'" The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said that investigation remained open seven years later, and Abelseth said it was never even assigned to a detective. She claimed that Barnes had law enforcement connections that allowed him to escape accountability and gain full custody several weeks ago over allegations that she gave her teenage daughter a cell phone. "He's well connected," Abelseth said. "He's threatened me multiple times, saying he has connections in the justice system, so I better be careful and he can take her away anytime he wants to. I didn't believe him until it happened." Stacie Triche, of the non-profit organization Save Lives, is started helping Abelseth with her legal fight after Barnes challenged her custodial rights, and she said it's hard to understand why a judge would give Barnes full custody and force Abelseth to pay child support to her rapist. "When I found out she was a rape victim, and this rapist could potentially get full custody, that's when I stepped in and said something has to be done about this," Triche said. "She's been forced to pay her perpetrator, forced to pay her rapist child support and legal fees and give up custody of the child that's a product of the rape. It makes no sense." Judge Jeffrey Cashe granted Barnes custody, but an employee in his office said judicial canons would prevent him from explaining the decision, which was placed under seal, and an attorney from the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LFASA) said the decision was egregious. "It seems pretty straightforward that not only did a crime take place, but as a result of the crime, this person should not have custody of the child," said LFASA attorney Sean Cassidy. https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/louisiana-mother-daughter-custody-rapist/

Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton on the Uvalde massacre: 'God has a plan' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said recently that he would tell parents of young children killed in the Uvalde school shooting that "God has a plan." Paxton, who took the leading role in a failed Supreme Court case aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 election, went on a media blitz to fight calls for gun restrictions shortly after an 18-year-old shooter killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in the West Texas town of Uvalde. In an interview with right-wing radio host Trey Graham, Paxton acknowledged that it is "difficult to give comfort" to families who lost their kids. "If I lost one of my children I'd be pretty devastated, especially in a way that is so senseless and seemingly has no purpose," he continued. "I think ... I would just have to say, if I had the opportunity to talk to the people I'd have to say, look, there's always a plan. I believe God always has a plan. Life is short no matter what it is. And certainly, we're not going to make sense of, you know, a young child being shot and killed way before their life expectancy." https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/god-always-has-a-plan/

Irony and shame are lost on the GOP.

"Signs of distress"? He lives in Regina half the year. Isn't that cause enough for distress? Possible PTSD?

Welcome aboard, and don't be concerned about your cat- cats hate everyone. So many cats, so few good recipes.

A Big New Parkinson’s Drug Just Passed a Crucial Safety Trial There are currently no FDA-approved means to prevent or cure Parkinson’s—a disease that afflicts more than 10 million adults worldwide, and is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. Patients usually start to show symptoms around age 50, and are prescribed the drug L-Dopa to alleviate some symptoms like tremors or involuntary body movements. Unfortunately it doesn’t slow down or stop the progression of Parkinson’s. We may soon have a better form of treatment on the way. In a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers at San Francisco-based Denali Therapeutics developed a drug called DNL201 that targets LRRK2, a protein that is commonly mutated in Parkison’s and ends up killing brain cells. DNL201 stamped out the rogue protein’s presence in lab mice suffering from Parkinson’s, and was also shown to be safe in a Phase 1 clinical trial in 150 people (which included both healthy individuals as well as those with Parkinson’s). Should future clinical trials prove successful as well, this new drug could be a powerful new intervention against a growing health crisis. Parkinson’s arises due to the destruction of neurons that produce dopamine, best known as the “feel-good” chemical that’s associated with pleasure and reward but is also crucial for motor function. Scientists estimate that 85 percent or more of all cases are caused by complex interactions between environmental and common genetic risk factors. Will This Stem Cell Breakthrough Spell the End of Parkinson’s? We’re About to Find Out. One of the genes that seem to play a role governs the production of LRRK2. Mutated versions of the gene encourage inflammation that kills dopamine-making neurons. Early genetic and animal studies conducted by scientists in Germany, the U.K., and by biotechnology company Genetech in the mid-2010’s showed a way to target LRRK2 with small molecule drugs that can more easily enter our cells. Enter: DNL201. In previous studies on lab rats and macaque monkeys, the drug helped safely lower LRRK2 levels in the brain. Denali Therapeutics moved forward with a pair of human trials, administering DNL201 as a pill. Just as in the animal studies, the drug significantly reduced blood levels of LRRK while causing no adverse reactions. In the second trial in particular, DNL201 was given to 28 patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, some of whom carried the LRRK2 gene mutation. Again, DNL201 lowered levels of LRRK2 without significant adverse reactions, except for those who got the higher dose of the drug (though the most severe complaint for those participants was a headache). While these initial results are a promising start, the researchers caution that the study’s findings aren’t enough to guarantee DNL201 can treat Parkinson’s. It boils down to whether the drop in LRRK2 does correlate with saving dopamine-producing neurons from chemical destruction in humans as it did in the cell studies. To test that, DNL201 needs to be closely watched in much larger studies and for longer periods of time than simply one year, the researchers emphasize. In the meantime, Denali Therapeutics is focusing on another LRRK2 blocker developed in tandem to DNL201, called DNL151. This drug was also found to be pretty effective at paring down LRRK2 and may be more convenient for patients since they need to take it only once a day, Laura Hansen, a spokesperson for Denali Therapeutics, told The Daily Beast in an email. There’s one clinical trial underway testing DNL151 in people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. Another clinical trial for Parkinson’s patients who carry the LRRK2 mutation is expected for later this year.

Agreed. That he was in the CFL as long as he has would seem to indicate that he has potential and I had high hopes for him, but am disappointed so far.

We're desperate for something to agonize over, so don't knock it.

For the sane Americans this has to be frightening. There is an an unholy alliance bonded together by fear, hated and intolerance comprised of neo-Nazis, violent anti-abortionists, racists, fundamentalist "Christians", political opportunists and oligarchs who see the movement as a way to increase their influence and profits. If they ever came to power, there would follow almost immediately an internal blood war to determine who led the agenda. Lets hope it never comes to that.

Idaho cops inundated with death threats following bust of white supremacist group: report On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that the police department in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is being bombarded with angry messages — including death threats — after a high-profile mass arrest of the members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front. The arrests took place over the weekend, after 31 men were caught piled into a rented truck, on their way to a local Pride event where they allegedly were intending to cause a riot. The arrested white supremacists came from at least 11 states around the country, and included 23-year-old Thomas Ryan Rousseau of Grapevine, Texas, believed to be the group's leader. "Police Chief Lee White said Monday the department had received 149 phone calls since the arrests, some of which have included death threats," reported Alice Tecotzky. "About half of the calls were complimentary, White told reporters, 'and the other 50 percent — who are completely anonymous, who want nothing more than to scream and yell at us and use some really choice words — offer death threats against myself and other members of the police department.' Some callers have threatened to publish officers’ personal information, such as their phone numbers or addressed, online." According to Nick Martin of the independent hate group tracker The Informant, white supremacist activists are already zeroing on on the Coeur d'Alene police department as a target after the arrests took place. "Neo-Nazis on other social media platforms have started doxxing members of law enforcement in Coeur d'Alene. Names, home addresses, phone numbers and photos are being circulated," wrote Martin. "One of the members of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department is being described by neo-Nazis as an 'Anti-American and Pedophile Apologist' because the arrests prevented the Patriot Front members from allegedly planning to disrupt a Pride event." https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/idaho-cops-inundated-threats/

Apparently a yahoo is trying to raise money and bodies on Facebook for another convoy from Alberta (surprise!) to Ottawa. I expect this to fizzle out once enough money has been bled from the rubes.

He is hors de combat, so I now choose Bailey.

Boris Johnson Announces Law to Overturn the Treaty Europe Signed With Boris Johnson In its latest efforts to annoy the rest of Europe as spectacularly as possible, the British government put forward head-scratching new plans Monday to override a critical deal it reached with the European Union—after tortuous negotiations—just three years ago. The unorthodox move has been variously alleged to threaten the integrity of the European Union (EU); the union of the United Kingdom; and even undermine the peace process on the island of Ireland. Boris Johnson—a prime minister who narrowly survived a vote of no confidence after attending a series of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street—sees the rogue move differently, characterizing his explosive legislation as “a relatively trivial set of adjustments.” Trouble has been brewing around what to do about Northern Ireland for months. Now, it seems, Johnson’s solution for breaking the deadlock is to scrap parts of one section of the deal known as the Northern Ireland Protocol. His Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, is expected to introduce legislation that can override parts of the Protocol into parliament on Monday. The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trade deal which dictates how goods enter Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. after Brexit. It was agreed between the U.K. and the EU in 2019 and was designed to stop a hard border being placed between the Republic of Ireland (which is in the EU) and Northern Ireland (which is in the U.K.). This was vital to protect a 1998 peace deal which brought an end to decades of major sectarian violence in the region. Instead of a hard border, customs checks were imposed on goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland. But that has, in effect, divided the United Kingdom by creating a border in the Irish Sea between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Communities in Northern Ireland that strongly identify as British hate the arrangement, saying it effectively pushes them out of the U.K., and some British companies have even cut ties with Northern Ireland businesses due to the new paperwork. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/boris-johnson-announces-law-overturn-125620032.html

Lauren Boebert tells church crowd that she prays for Biden's demise: "May his days be few" Psalms 109:8 is a GOP favorite. The next verse reads: "Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow". Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., suggested that she prays for President Biden's death during a Colorado church event this past weekend. The Republican lawmaker's remarks came during a Sunday family gathering at the Charis Christian Center in Colorado Springs, where she attacked the Democratic effort to regulate guns in the aftermath of two shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. "I do want you to know that I pray for our President. Psalm 109:8 says, 'May his days be few and another take his office.' Hallelujah! Glory to God," Boebert said, garnering applause from the crowd.

Historian lays out the far right’s violent game plan for 'overturning democracy' June 11, 31 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front were arrested in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for allegedly planning to attack a local gay pride event. Historian Thomas Lecaque, in an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on May 13, stresses that this alleged plot shouldn’t be viewed as an isolated incident, but as one example of the far right’s campaign for “overturning democracy.” “The arrest of dozens of members of extremist group Patriot Front over the weekend shines a light on the new agenda for the militant factions of the far right,” Lecaque explains. “Their energies are now being focused on another goal: prosecuting a renewed culture war against sexual minorities. Packed tightly into the back of a rented U-Haul truck with their flags and weapons, members of the accelerationist fascist group were en route to the Coeur d’Alene Pride rally when they were pulled over and arrested.” The historian adds, “Police made the stop on the basis of a tip from local residents. Images of the men, kneeling and zip tied in a field next to their truck, spread quickly on social media.” Lecaque, a professor at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, describes Patriot Front as part of the openly violent wing of the far right; other examples include the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. “As has been the case at other times in history when political instability has drawn extremist groups into open street-fighting — a Proud Boys calling card — these groups represent the sharp end of the ax that the far right is driving into American society,” Lecaque warns. “On January 6, 2021, their goal was to overturn the results of the recent presidential election. In June 2022, however, their goals have shifted.” Lecaque notes that Patriot Front was founded in 2017 by Thomas Rousseau, who is among the members charged with conspiracy to riot. Rousseau had been a member of Vanguard America, one of the white supremacist and white nationalist groups that was part of the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that year. But after that event, where activist Heather Heyer was murdered, Rousseau left Vanguard America to start his own group. “Patriot Front members believe themselves to be the ruling heirs to the continent by dint of their racial connection to its European colonizers and consider their racial identity essential to American identity more broadly,” Lecaque observes. “Of course, this is just the sort of blood genealogy nonsense one expects from Nazis…. What makes them significant, however, is their media savvy.” Lecaque stresses that Patriot Front should be viewed as part of a broader far-right anti-democracy movement. “Patriot Front is just one distinctive group of many,” Lecaque warns. “Other extremist groups gathered in Coeur d’Alene to watch and harass the pride march, including Three Percenters, Ammon’s Army, PDX Liberation, Proud Boys, and Atomwaffen. These groups have their own ideologies, own brands of violence, and many of them — Atomwaffen being an incredibly clear example — are much readier to engage in violence first, foremost, and often.” Lecaque adds, “The Coeur d’Alene pride event was not the only target. Christian fascists in Dallas protested at an LGBTQ bar at the beginning of the month as part of a coordinated far-right assault on Pride Month. American Nationalist Initiative, a neo-fascist group, planned to link up with Proud Boys to flash mob outside of a Planned Parenthood in Plano, Texas this weekend, while other planned to harass a Pride Drag event in Arlington.” The push for anti-gay violence, according to Lecaque, “goes beyond the White supremacists and militias” — and he cites far-right evangelical pastor Dillon Awes as an example. During a June 5 sermon, Awes called for murdering gays. “Violent fantasies about murdering marginalized communities and overturning democracy are not new,” Lecaque writes. “We have seen them before.” https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/patriot-front-2657499955/

Scary. Apparently in the US of A, the time to sell a house has crept up to a month and in many cities, many housing sales prices have fallen by as much as 20%.

And I defy you to find a nice, sandy beach like Grand Beach or Winnipeg Beach anywhere in Alberta.

Justin time, too. I would question the "great president" part. After all, they hired Chris Jones, didn't they?