The World Events Thread

[Ilunga]

On 1/8/2023 at 7:27 AM, RUPERTKBD said:

No good place for this, (AFAIK, we don't have a World Cup Skiing thread) but it's been a while since Canada was relevant on the WC circuit and this is a great result:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/cycling/it-s-a-dream-come-true-canada-s-valérie-grenier-wins-giant-slalom-gold-in-slovenia/ar-AA164wxv?cvid=c83090687e8f4f5098faed99ddcc653d

 

 

Maybe in the traditional events however in skier cross you had both a male and female athletes kicking ass at WC level.

 

Casey's family have been skiing at Big White for a few generations.

Had a run named after them before she started winning world cups.

She has won a World Championship and the X games. 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/2.675/canadians-leman-serwa-win-gold-at-ski-cross-world-cup-1.983509

 

 

[RUPERTKBD]

6 hours ago, Ilunga said:

Maybe in the traditional events however in skier cross you had both a male and female athletes kicking ass at WC level.

 

Casey's family have been skiing at Big White for a few generations.

Had a run named after them before she started winning world cups.

She has won a World Championship and the X games. 

 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/2.675/canadians-leman-serwa-win-gold-at-ski-cross-world-cup-1.983509

Yeah, I'm old enough to remember the "Crazy Canucks" era of Ken Read, Steve Podborski and the two Daves (Murray and Irwin).....back when it was all about speed. I fully admit that i don't pay a lot of attention to the newer X games events....at least, not until the Olympics roll around....

[RUPERTKBD]

2 hours ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

Just gonna leave this here... 

 

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2023/02/07/surrey-tim-hortons-customer-service/

 

[RUPERTKBD]

I'm a bit surprised that there isn't a thread on this, but there was a terrible incident in Laval yesterday. An obviously mentally disturbed bus driver crashed his bus into a Daycare at the time of morning when parents are typically dropping off their kids.

 

2 children were killed and 6 injured.....

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bus-hit-daycare-laval-1.6740987
 

Quote

 

A 51-year-old man drove a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que., on Wednesday morning, killing two children and injuring six more.

Pierre Ny St-Amand, a bus driver with the Société de transport de Laval (STL), was arrested at the scene.

He has been charged with several crimes, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm.

Around 8:30 a.m., the Laval city bus crashed into the Garderie Éducative de Sainte-Rose in the Sainte-Rose neighbourhood on Terrasse Dufferin. There is a bus stop for the 151 line on the roundabout near the daycare.

A neighbour who witnessed the crash said he and a group of parents tried to rescue children pinned under the bus and managed to subdue the driver, who was acting erratically. 

Laval police spokesperson Erika Landry said one child died at the scene. Seven children were rushed to hospital with injuries and one died in hospital. One adult was also taken to hospital to be treated for shock.

Dr. Marc Girard, the director of professional services at Sainte-Justine Hospital, said at an afternoon news conference that the hospital admitted four victims, all preschool-age children, two boys and two girls. 

The children were conscious when they arrived at the hospital, but were suffering from various traumatic injuries, Girard said. They are now recovering and in stable condition, he said.

Sébastien Rocheleau, director of medical services at the Laval regional health authority, said the Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital received three patients from the daycare. One child died despite resuscitation efforts. The other two are under observation and their injuries are not considered life-threatening.

On Wednesday afternoon, the suspect appeared in court virtually while lying in a hospital bed. The proceedings were delayed several times, as the judge wondered if St-Amand was fit to appear in court, but the situation was eventually sorted out and the appearance went ahead as planned.

St-Amand is scheduled to be in court in person on Feb. 17.

Hamdi Ben Chaabane, who lives in the neighbourhood and was one of the first on the scene, said the bus must have been travelling 30 or 40 km/h when it struck the daycare.

"From what I saw, it wasn't an accident," he said. 

After the bus struck the daycare, the driver emerged and began acting erratically. 

"He opened the door. He took off all his clothes. He was totally naked," Ben Chaabane said. "We don't know why he did that. We dove on him. We tried to subdue him."

He described the driver as being "in another world."

"It was a nightmare. It's horrible. He didn't stop yelling. He wasn't saying words," Ben Chaabane said.

The group worked to pry children out from underneath the bus, Ben Chaabane said. They reached one child, who was only lightly injured, but were unable to reach a girl who was stuck deeper beneath rubble, he said. 

He said they continued trying to reach the trapped children until firefighters arrived and told them to leave because the roof of the daycare was caving in. 

"It's chaos," said Julia Moreno, a mother whose child was in the daycare when the bus struck it. "There are injured children. It's terrible." 

Nathalie Vaillancourt, another mother whose child was inside, said the bus destroyed the front of the daycare. Both mothers said their children escaped physically unhurt.

Urgences-santé dispatched seven ambulances, a "tactical medical vehicle" — which responds to unusual medical situations, often alongside police — and a rapid response team. 

"It's terrible what happened this morning in Laval," Premier François Legault told a group of reporters at the National Assembly. "All my thoughts are with the children, with the parents and with the employees."

Public Security Minister François Bonnardel, Family Minister Suzanne Roy and Christopher Skeete, the MNA for the Sainte-Rose riding, went to the scene to assess the situation.

Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer said psychologists would be available for those affected.

According to Boyer, the bus driver had worked for the STL for 10 years but had no prior incidents on his record. 

"There is a hypothesis that this was an intentional act but it will have to be confirmed by the investigation," Boyer said, adding that it was unclear if St-Amand had any connection to the daycare.

"It's a tragic act," Boyer said. "Obviously there are lots of parents right now wondering if their child was affected. I really want to be there for the families, show support."

The STL said in a statement it was devastated by the "tragedy in Laval." 

"Our hearts go out to the families and employees affected by this tragedy," the statement said. "The Service de police de la Ville de Laval is currently conducting an investigation in which we are actively collaborating."

The bus drivers' union released a statement this afternoon saying its members are in shock and wholeheartedly support the parents and the daycare workers affected by this "tragic event." The union says it is co-operating with the authorities investigating the event.

 

[nuckin_futz]

Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada

 

Sat, February 11, 2023 at 2:11 PM PST

 

 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an unidentified object that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.

 

North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, said it had detected an object flying at a high altitude over northern Canada. It wasn't immediately clear how high up it was flying or what it was.

 

Trudeau said he also spoke with President Joe Biden, who himself ordered the downing of an unidentified object over remote Alaska on Friday.

 

A spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said both Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD had been deployed. The jets were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot it down.

 

F-22 fighter jets have now downed three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development in the skies that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.

 

At least one of the objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China, but the other two have not yet been identified. Trudeau said that Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study.

 

The down came a day after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot down in remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.

 

Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.

 

According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.

 

In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.

 

“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.

 

Last Saturday, U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

 

The balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.

China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

 

The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.

[UnkNuk]

Continuing our history of Alpha Centauri expeditions to other planets:

 

We tried to establish contact with a planet the inhabitants called "Earth" to tell them how to solve their climate crisis and other major problems, of which there were many.  Unforturnately, both of our scout ships were attacked and destroyed.  It was decided to forgo any further expeditions.

 

The earthlings later destroyed themselves.

[DeNiro]

47 minutes ago, nuckin_futz said:

Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada

 

 

Sat, February 11, 2023 at 2:11 PM PST

 

 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an unidentified object that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.

 

North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, said it had detected an object flying at a high altitude over northern Canada. It wasn't immediately clear how high up it was flying or what it was.

 

Trudeau said he also spoke with President Joe Biden, who himself ordered the downing of an unidentified object over remote Alaska on Friday.

 

A spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said both Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD had been deployed. The jets were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot it down.

 

F-22 fighter jets have now downed three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development in the skies that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.

 

At least one of the objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China, but the other two have not yet been identified. Trudeau said that Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study.

 

The down came a day after White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot down in remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.

 

Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.

 

According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.

 

In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.

 

“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.

 

Last Saturday, U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

 

The balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.

China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

 

The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.

 

[Sharpshooter]

 

[Jaimito]

 

 

Better not be extraterrestrial probes, lol. 

 

 

 

[Jaimito]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Jaimito

[Boudrias]

On 2/6/2023 at 9:08 AM, Jaimito said:

Canada had a balloon too. No one could shoot it down. Lmao

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/weather-balloon-canada-china-1.6737831

 

The time a wayward Canadian balloon caused an international stir — and thwarted 3 air forces

The Sask. weather balloon survived more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition back in 1998

 

 

When a Canadian weather balloon veered into Russian airspace in 1998

24 years ago

 

In this excerpt from a 1998 edition of The National, CBC's Reg Sherren reports on a Canadian weather balloon that drifted off course and ended up over Russian airspace.

China isn't the only country to face questions about a curious balloon. Back in 1998, a 25-storey high runaway weather balloon proved to be an international headache for Canada.

 

The helium-filled balloon — about five football fields long when deflated— was launched out of Vanscoy, Sask. on Aug. 24 with an innocent-enough task: measure ozone levels.

 

But according to reports at the time, the instruments on the balloon failed to detach at the end of the test.

 

The backup system also failed — sending the balloon aloft. Once it hit the sky's jet streams it was able to pick up speeds of 100 km/h, according to a CBC report.

 

Canadian CF-18 fighter jet pilots caught up with the balloon off the coast of Newfoundland and took aim, firing more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition at it.

 

But the balloon survived the assault, soldiering on over the North Atlantic. 

 

A spokesperson for the air force told the Associated Press that the fighter jets were equipped with air-to-air missiles but the pilots restrained from using the heavier firepower.

 

"Citizens would not have appreciated having a missile blowing over their heads,″ said Maj. Roland Lavoie.

 

"Also, it might be overkill, spending a couple of hundred thousand dollars on a missile to shoot down a balloon that's drifting away.″

 

Undeterred, the balloon meandered into British airspace, forcing air traffic controllers to divert transatlantic flights and catching the attention of the British press.

 

A U.K. newspaper took aim at Canada's inability to shoot a massive weather balloon down, only for the Royal Air Force to also miss the target.

 

 

A U.K. newspaper took aim at Canada's inability to shoot a massive weather balloon down, only for the Royal Air Force to also miss the target. (CBC archive )

 

"The top guns who couldn't pop a balloon," read one newspaper headline at the time, taking aim at the Canadian pilots. 

 

But the snark was premature.

 

"It's a bit of a case of the pot calling kettle black," shot back Canadian Maj. Bernard Degagne on television. "In that the [Royal Air Force] also tried to bring the balloon down and were also unsuccessful." 

 

Even the muscle of the U.S. Air Force couldn't bring the balloon to Earth, according to a BBC report. 

 

The rogue balloon was spotted in Norweigian and Russian airspace before eventually crashing in Finland, more than a week after its chaotic journey began. 

 

The balloon, and its more than half a million dollars worth of equipment, was later returned to the Canadian government.

 

While the balloon withstood a fighter jet hit, a spokesperson for the Canadian space agency said the shots fired at the balloon likely caused the craft to gradually lose altitude.

 

U.S. shot suspected spy balloon down Saturday 

U.S. authorities had better luck shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floated off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday.

 

U.S. defence officials said the balloon first entered a U.S. identification zone on Jan. 28, entered Canadian airspace three days later and then re-entered U.S. airspace on Jan. 31.

 

Beijing said the downing of the balloon violates international norms and it reserves the right to take further action in response.

 

"The U.S. in insisting on the use of force is an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice," according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sunday morning.

 

Previously, China expressed regret that an "airship" used for civilian meteorological and other scientific purposes had strayed into U.S. airspace.

 

WATCH | Suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down by U.S.

 

 

Suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down by U.S.

2 days ago

 

Video filmed from the ground captured the moment a U.S. military fighter aircraft shot down a suspected Chinese

spy balloon as it floated off the coast of South Carolina.

 

 

IMO as a country we should be embarrassed that our PM called the Americans to shoot this down. It is Canadian aircraft who should have done this in Canadian airspace. What message is Trudeau sending to the Chinese, the Russians and the Americans? It is a great thing that we are in Norad but cementing our junior position by this action should be unacceptable. 

[I.Am.Ironman]

2 hours ago, Boudrias said:

IMO as a country we should be embarrassed that our PM called the Americans to shoot this down. It is Canadian aircraft who should have done this in Canadian airspace. What message is Trudeau sending to the Chinese, the Russians and the Americans? It is a great thing that we are in Norad but cementing our junior position by this action should be unacceptable. 

NORAD worked as it was designed to. Both F22s and CF18s were scrambled. The F22s got there first so they were given the go ahead to shoot them down. The CF18s had to get there from Cold Lake so they had farther to go.

[Boudrias]

34 minutes ago, I.Am.Ironman said:

NORAD worked as it was designed to. Both F22s and CF18s were scrambled. The F22s got there first so they were given the go ahead to shoot them down. The CF18s had to get there from Cold Lake so they had farther to go.

Sounds good but Canada should have shot it down. No question about that. There are bigger issues here than operational ones. 

[-DLC-]

1 hour ago, Boudrias said:

Sounds good but Canada should have shot it down. No question about that. There are bigger issues here than operational ones. 

Quote

President Joe Biden, who himself ordered the downing of an unidentified object over remote Alaska on Friday.

What are the "bigger issues" here?

[Jaimito]

4th one

 

 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-military-shot-unidentified-object-lake-huron-rcna70289

 

 

 

 

 

Aliens are coming!! lol

Edited February 12, 2023 by Jaimito

[Jaimito]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Jaimito

[thedestroyerofworlds]

 

https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-evacuations-ohio-health-climate-and-environment-3f84663f0b97837cc74a8ce9a50ef6c7

 

Toxic gases connected to Ohio train derailment cause concern

[DeNiro]

29 minutes ago, thedestroyerofworlds said:

 

https://apnews.com/article/rail-accidents-evacuations-ohio-health-climate-and-environment-3f84663f0b97837cc74a8ce9a50ef6c7

 

Toxic gases connected to Ohio train derailment cause concern

That’s Millers home town.

 

Wonder if he still has family there. It’s a very small town (population under 5,000).

 

Just watched a movie called White Noise where this exact same thing happens…

[Boudrias]

18 hours ago, -DLC- said:

What are the "bigger issues" here?

The bigger issues involved with Canada differing to the Americans to shoot down this balloon/ spy device are geopolitical. Canada and the USA are long term allies in NORAD and NAFTA. They have been good allies and trading partners. 

 

That said IMHO Canadians rely to heavily on goodwill that does not necessarily support Canadian independent thought or independent nationalist priorities. Canadians should never assume that Americans have Canadian interests as being in their national interest. For example NAFTA was renegotiated under Trump. Trump cut a deal with Mexico and then proceeded with an ultimatum to Canada to sign on or be left out. It was a slap in the face to Canada and was fluffed over by media. A new administration under Biden is doubling down on this position with their "Buy America" legislation. The USA ambassador has the gonads to come on Canadian TV and, with a straight face, say this has existed since the '30's. Absolute BS! But it is not the American responsibility to take pro-Canadian positions. It is Canada's responsibility to do so.

 

Trade relations aside my biggest upset with our trade relationship over the past 20 years is the American funding of the anti hydrocarbon industry in Canada. American interests sent $100's of millions north to fund anti oil groups. They effectively land locked Canadian oil from export, not just to the USA, but also to the world. Environmental groups but also the Koch brothers who wanted to benefit their own refiners.They virtually shut down LNG development. Shell is currently finishing the largest private capital investment in Canada's history at LNG Canada plant in Rupert. Sounds good. However Canada had 21 such applications, only two have proceeded. In the mean time the Americans now have 7 world class LNG plants in Texas with another 3 coming on stream next year. Much of the gas they are processing is Canadian. No environmental protests? On the oil side Canada appears to be grateful when TransMountain will ship 800k boe/day. Canada has consistently had to sell our heavy oil at less than world price to American processors. 

 

Canada has to have national priorities that transcend politics. That is a difficult challenge. Norway has a $1.4 trillion national wealth fund. Yes the same Norway that protested 'dirty' Canadian oil production. The same Norway that has increased drilling acreages on their off shore. Norway has clear national interests. All of this boils down to a Canadian resource, hydrocarbons, that have been sabotaged by national and international interests. This resource could have funded Canadian social programs, funded a serious transition to higher tech industries and most important funded a more independent foreign policy and defense of Canadian interests. 

 

Canada let American F-22's shoot down the balloon/spy device over the Yukon. IMHO Canada had to insist that our air force carry out that mission. It might appear to be an inconsequential point. My question might then be who do we call when a Russian submarine intrudes into our Artic waters? The same waters that not just the Russians contest but also the Americans. The Americans ignored our Artic claim to the Northwest Passage when they sent their ships thru years ago. Quite simply there can be no minimalization of Canadian sovereignty. Canada is a G7 country and consistently punches below our capability.      

[-DLC-]

6 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

The bigger issues involved with Canada differing to the Americans to shoot down this balloon/ spy device are geopolitical. Canada and the USA are long term allies in NORAD and NAFTA. They have been good allies and trading partners. 

 

That said IMHO Canadians rely to heavily on goodwill that does not necessarily support Canadian independent thought or independent nationalist priorities. Canadians should never assume that Americans have Canadian interests as being in their national interest. For example NAFTA was renegotiated under Trump. Trump cut a deal with Mexico and then proceeded with an ultimatum to Canada to sign on or be left out. It was a slap in the face to Canada and was fluffed over by media. A new administration under Biden is doubling down on this position with their "Buy America" legislation. The USA ambassador has the gonads to come on Canadian TV and, with a straight face, say this has existed since the '30's. Absolute BS! But it is not the American responsibility to take pro-Canadian positions. It is Canada's responsibility to do so.

 

Trade relations aside my biggest upset with our trade relationship over the past 20 years is the American funding of the anti hydrocarbon industry in Canada. American interests sent $100's of millions north to fund anti oil groups. They effectively land locked Canadian oil from export, not just to the USA, but also to the world. Environmental groups but also the Koch brothers who wanted to benefit their own refiners.They virtually shut down LNG development. Shell is currently finishing the largest private capital investment in Canada's history at LNG Canada plant in Rupert. Sounds good. However Canada had 21 such applications, only two have proceeded. In the mean time the Americans now have 7 world class LNG plants in Texas with another 3 coming on stream next year. Much of the gas they are processing is Canadian. No environmental protests? On the oil side Canada appears to be grateful when TransMountain will ship 800k boe/day. Canada has consistently had to sell our heavy oil at less than world price to American processors. 

 

Canada has to have national priorities that transcend politics. That is a difficult challenge. Norway has a $1.4 trillion national wealth fund. Yes the same Norway that protested 'dirty' Canadian oil production. The same Norway that has increased drilling acreages on their off shore. Norway has clear national interests. All of this boils down to a Canadian resource, hydrocarbons, that have been sabotaged by national and international interests. This resource could have funded Canadian social programs, funded a serious transition to higher tech industries and most important funded a more independent foreign policy and defense of Canadian interests. 

 

Canada let American F-22's shoot down the balloon/spy device over the Yukon. IMHO Canada had to insist that our air force carry out that mission. It might appear to be an inconsequential point. My question might then be who do we call when a Russian submarine intrudes into our Artic waters? The same waters that not just the Russians contest but also the Americans. The Americans ignored our Artic claim to the Northwest Passage when they sent their ships thru years ago. Quite simply there can be no minimalization of Canadian sovereignty. Canada is a G7 country and consistently punches below our capability.      

Quote

U.S. fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, monitored the object as it crossed over into Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation.

I feel like your concerns are displaced. It crossed over Alaska into the Yukon and was monitored then shot down.

 

I don't really see an issue here.