Bat wielding Canadian attacks family from Colombia while yelling that they are ISIS.

@CTVLondon We were victims of a hate crime in St Thomas Ontario. A guy got mad, because we were talking in Spanish . He was about to hit my son who is 13th years old, but my Hubby jumped while the aggressor swings the baseball bat. pic.twitter.com/4tuqSPAH8K

— Mari UX (@Mari__ux) December 8, 2017

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

On Thursday, a man armed with a baseball bat attacked a family in the parking lot of the Elgin Mall in St. Thomas, Ontario, accusing them of being Islamic terrorists. 

However, according to the Toronto City News, the family was from Colombia and were speaking Spanish as they made their way through the parking lot. 

“We got terrorists here!” shouted the man — who was later arrested at his home in London, ON. “ISIS!” He swung the bat at the family several times, striking an adult male and cracking his ribs. 

He then fled the parking lot in a white BMW. 

Police charged the 36-year-old attacker with aggravated assault and three counts of assault with a weapon. Officials said the attack “appears to have been racially motivated.”

Ah, so they do have Trump supporters in Canada.

Interesting to note that they are just as unhinged there as they are in America.

Just for the record, how many Spanish speaking members of ISIS have we identified thus far? 

The effects of global warming.

Courtesy of National Geographic: 

When photographer Paul Nicklen and filmmakers from conservation group Sea Legacy arrived in the Baffin Islands in late summer, they came across a heartbreaking sight: a starving polar bear on its deathbed. 

Nicklen is no stranger to bears. From the time he was a child growing up in Canada's far north the biologist turned wildlife photographer has seen over 3,000 bears in the wild. But the emaciated polar bear, featured in videos Nicklen published to social media on December 5, was one of the most gut-wrenching sights he's ever seen. 

"We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks," he said.

Not so very long ago we had an administration that understood what has happening and was willing to do the hard work to make a change for the better.

Now this poor animal will undoubtedly be joined by scores of other animals who will die needlessly because humans are either too arrogant or too selfish to do anything to save them. 

Former Canadian skinhead says that Donald Trump has "normalized" white supremacy.

Courtesy of The Star: 

“I don’t know if you’re a Trump fan,” Galloway says, as I nearly fall out of my chair. “But the guy down south there is enabling this stuff, I believe, by allowing it to be normalized.” 

Galloway believes many prejudiced eyes see Trump as both a modern day prophet and a warrior who is fighting for the white side. Trump has more dog whistles than you’d find inside the Westminster Kennel Club. 

In rhetoric and by tweet, Galloway thinks Trump is making hate great again. “The movement is growing because of the normalized message coming from the United States,” he says. “It’s so often that people are latching on to this.” 

This is from a new documentary called "Skinhead" which will be broadcast tomorrow on Canadian television.

And Canada is not the only place where the number of white supremacists have started to rise.

Courtesy of CNN:

Millions of Americans are shocked by the recent displays of white supremacy on US soil. But it's not just America that is seeing these types of demonstrations. 

This Saturday, an estimated 60,000 people marched through Warsaw on Poland's independence day, with some of the marchers burning flares and carrying banners that read "White Europe" and "Clean Blood." Far-right symbols from the darkest corners of European white supremacy were proudly worn. One marcher said in a television interview that his goal was to "remove Jewry from power." To be clear, Polish leaders afterward said they condemned the hateful messages and stressed many thousands were there to celebrate the country's holiday. 

Images from Warsaw immediately bring to mind this summer's deadly rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, and for good reason: A thread of anguish and hatred connects white supremacists across the Atlantic with the ones in America. Indeed, one of the most underreported stories of Charlottesville is that Richard Spencer, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach -- three prominent rally organizers -- have all been involved with European white nationalist individuals or organizations.

I don't think any of us are even remotely surprised that Donald Trump is helping the spread of white supremacy here in America, but to find that the same is happening not just in Canada, but around the world as well, is more than a little unsettling.

I still remember when America was considered a beacon for hope around the world.

And now suddenly the man that occupies our highest office is considered an inspiration for hatred, racism, and religious intolerance.

Justin Trudeau fights back tears as he apologizes to the indigenous people of Canada for their horrendous treatment they suffered at the hands of the government.

Justin Trudeau fought back tears as he apologized for Canada's role in mistreatment of Indigenous children in residential schools. pic.twitter.com/zEjGH2AOQP

— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) November 24, 2017

I was really touched by this video as it brings up our shame as Alaskans for how we treated our own indigenous people.

The white man's government, often using religion as a bludgeon, tore families apart and demanded that native children only call each other by the Biblical names given to them by Christian missionaries/educators and were punished for speaking their own language, or for being slow to adapt to western culture.

The destruction of the native people's sense of identity and connection to their culture was horrific, and is often cited as one of the main causes for suicide and alcoholism even among today's population. 

This shame that Prime Minister Trudeau speaks of is shame that should be shared among the people of Alaska, as well as the people living in the Lower 48.

Our ancestors all participated in the destruction of the history and culture of the people that were here when we arrived, and we have yet to really make amends for what we did.

Since my last post was about the leader we should have had, this one will be about the one we sadly had to let slip away.

Barack Obama at the Invictus Games with Prince Harry. 

Greeting the players

Being awesome

He brought his buddy Biden along as well

But don't think that all Obama is doing is showing up for photo ops, nothing could be further from the truth.

He is also still blowing people away with his words.

Courtesy of Thompson Citizen: 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that closing borders won't create future jobs because what's changing industries like manufacturing are automation and artificial intelligence. 

Obama told a Toronto luncheon on Friday that the transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy happened over the course of 150 years, but that the technological revolution is happening in 20 years. He said it's hard for governments to catch up to the pace of disruption. 

Obama said over the next 25 years, advanced economies will have to confront the fact that there is not going to be enough high-paying full-time work as we traditionally conceive it. 

"You'll still see auto companies doing pretty well and you'll see us manufacturing the goods that we use in the United States or Canada, but you'll walk through those factories and they'll be empty because they'll be run by robots and AI," Obama said. 

"The biggest challenge that we face in terms of maintaining good manufacturing jobs in our countries come from automation, and that is going to accelerate."

After the speech at the $1,000 a plate gathering attendees were asked their impression of the former American President:

"He still has this incredible optimism about Canada, the U.S., the world, in spite of how challenging our times are right now. It's very good for us to hear that," Glenda Rissman said. 

Sharing a similar sentiment, Cynthia Dale said her "first takeaway is how inspiring it was and how ludicrously humble he is. He's so humble about what he did and what he continues to do."

One group of Canadian high school kids even skipped school to see him:

A group of high school students skipped class to see the former president. 

It was "an experience you can't get in school," Abby Mcclellan said. 

Ava De Pagter said she loves just "what he stands for; everyone should be equal. No matter the race or gender."

Yes, he is in fact one of a kind. 

And we were blessed that we had him for as long as we did.

Canadian woman verbally attacks Sikh politician believing him to be a Muslim.

I don't know how many of you have already had the pleasure of watching this video of Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh demonstrating extreme patience and kindness when confronted with the kind of hatred that might have inspired Mahatma Gandhi to drop a bitch, but I thought it was just too good not to share here.

Courtesy of Global News:

Singh was speaking to supporters at one of his “JagMeet and Greet” outreach events on Wednesday, when he was accosted by a heckler.

“When is your Sharia going to end?” the woman shouted, referring to traditional Islamic law. “We know you’re in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood!” 

As she continued ranting, Singh told the audience, “We don’t want to be intimidated by hate, we don’t want hatred to ruin a positive event… so let’s show people how to treat someone with love. 

“We welcome you. We love you, we support you,” he told the woman, who eventually stormed off.

When asked why he did not simply identify himself as a Sikh, Singh had this to say:  

“Many people have commented that I could have just said I’m not Muslim. In fact many have clarified that I’m actually Sikh. While I’m proud of who I am, I purposely didn’t go down that road because it suggests their hate would be ok if I was Muslim,” he said. 

“We all know it’s not. I didn’t answer the question because my response to Islamophobia has never been ‘I’m not Muslim.’ It has always been and will be that ‘hate is wrong.”

I pride myself on having gained control of my once legendary temper, and of course I would never strike a woman, but damn this lady would have pushed me right to my limits. 

I only hope that by now she has seen this video multiple times and can see just what a hateful, ignorant, despicable human being she really is.

And if she doesn't see it I hope that those around her remind of this incident everyday until she does.

If there is any wish that unifies us all, this might be it.

The new cover of @RollingStone. pic.twitter.com/1aWLpBe3Rt

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 26, 2017

Just imagine.

The guy is almost as cool as Barack Obama, without having that extra pigment which seemed to drive the racists nuts.

Young, liberal, good looking, and smart.

And what do we get?

Life's not fair.

Russia to Alaska, "We just can't quit you." Well there must be some reason they keep sending military planes close to our airspace.

Courtesy of ABC News: 

American and Canadian fighters jets intercepted two Russian military aircraft that flew north of Alaska and Canada on Thursday night, U.S. Air Force officials said today. 

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) also confirmed there was another incident on Wednesday night with another pair of Russian aircraft that did not require an intercept, bringing the total number of sightings to four in as many days. 

"Alaskan-based NORAD F-22 Raptors and Royal Canadian CF-18 Hornets intercepted and visually identified two Russian TU-95 bomber aircraft" flying around the north coast of Alaska and Canada, said Mary Ann Clemons a NORAD spokesperson. 

The Russian bombers did not enter American sovereign or Canadian airspace, Clemons said.

Okay I was going to ignore this since it does happen.

But I do not remember it ever happening with this frequency.

We know they are not preparing an invasion or attack, because they already own the guy in the White House. There is simply no need to use anything as crude as military might.

Besides they'd lose.

So maybe they are simply doing it in order to pretend there is still friction between Washington and the Kremlin in order to provide cover for their puppet.

Quite possibly.

Or, and this one seems more likely every day, maybe Trump is planning to simply allow Russians the opportunity to annex part of the state for for their own needs and they are scouting out potential locations with a nice view of the Bering Straight.

Who knows? All I know for sure is that they are definitely up to something.

More than half of Canadians think that religion does more harm than good.

Courtesy of Global News:  

Just over half of Canadian respondents say they believe religion does more harm than good in the world, according to a new survey. 

The Ipsos poll, conducted for Global News, showed that 51 per cent of respondents agreed with the above statement.

“There’s a lot that’s happening in the world right now in the name of religion,” Sean Simpson, vice-president of Ipsos Affairs, said. “Of course, ISIL being the primary example that’s using religion to justify what they’re doing.” 

Simpson explained that the number is rising; when Ipsos asked the same question in 2011, 44 per cent of respondents agreed.

First they elect a handsome, super liberal Prime Minister, and now this? 

Is Canada trying to seduce me into moving there?

Because you know what, it might be working.

First the Canadian girl scouts refuse to come to America due to Trump, and now it's the schoolchildren.

Courtesy of the Toronto Star:  

Canada’s largest school board will not approve any new student trips to the United States in the wake of controversial travel restrictions proposed by President Donald Trump. 

However, 25 trips involving about 900 Toronto District School Board students that are already scheduled for this spring will go ahead as planned unless circumstances change, TDSB education director John Malloy wrote in a letter to principals Thursday. 

Given the uncertainty over the proposed travel restrictions, “we strongly believe that our students should not be placed into these situations of potentially being turned away at the border,” Malloy said. 

The board’s plan — approved unanimously by trustees at a board meeting late Wednesday night — was to strike a balance between ensuring safety and inclusion for students, without causing financial loss and disappointment by cancelling the spring trips kids had planned and fundraised for over many months.

You may remember that earlier this month the Girl Guides of Canada, essentially their version of the Girl Scouts, issued a statement saying that THEY would no longer be planning trips across the Southern border either.

I guess that is what happens when you suddenly become isolationists. People start to isolate you.

Donald Trump has screwed things up so badly in America that Canada will not even send their version of the Girl Scouts here.

And staying the fuck away from America.

Courtesy of CBC: 

Girl Guides of Canada has announced it will not be taking any trips to the United States in the near future, citing concerns about inclusivity. 

"While the United States is a frequent destination for Guiding trips, the ability of all our members to equally enter this country is currently uncertain," international commissioner Sharron Callahan and director of provincial operations Holly Thompson wrote in a joint advisory issued Monday afternoon. 

"This includes both trips that are over or under 72 hours and any travel that includes a connecting flight through an American airport," the advisory says. 

The statement does not directly mention — but appears to be a reaction to — the executive orders U. S. President Donald Trump has signed restricting travel to the United States.

Great, now we are a third world country where people are afraid to send their children. 

Aren't you proud?

New survey finds that United States is no longer one of the top five best countries in the world.

Courtesy of US News:  

Switzerland is viewed as the No. 1 overall country, according to a survey of more than 21,000 people from 36 countries in all regions of the world. People regard the European country highly for its citizenship, being open for business, an environment that encourages entrepreneurship, the quality of life it provides its citizens and for its cultural influence. 

Switzerland is one of 20 new countries evaluated this year, as the total number of nations assessed in the survey grew to 80. 

Canada finished No. 2 overall and the United Kingdom No. 3, as both did last year. Germany fell from its top spot in 2016 to No. 4 this year, while Japan moved up two positions to No. 5 overall.

The United States fell as many positions as Germany in the rankings, dropping to No. 7 overall, behind Sweden. The U.S. is still seen as the world's most powerful country, but the gap between it and second-place Russia, which American intelligence officials say interfered with the presidential election in an effort to help Trump, has narrowed to a near-negligible difference in that area.

"Narrowed to a near-negligible difference." Oh that's just dandy.

Other findings from the survey were the following:  

• Nearly 75 percent of respondents said they had lost respect for the U.S. in some degree because of the toxic tone of the 2016 presidential campaign. 
• Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, would have won the global popular election, but Trump would have won in Russia (83 percent of survey respondents viewed him favorably) and China (54 percent). He also polled fairly well in Israel (46 percent), Nigeria (42 percent) and Turkey (37 percent).

Is this what Trump means by MAGA?

Because I really don't see it.

Canada's Prime Minister under pressure as more and more immigrants from America stream across border seeking asylum.

Courtesy of The Guardian:  

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, is facing growing political pressure to address the steady stream of asylum seekers who have been braving freezing temperatures, fields of waist-deep snow and icy ditches to cross into Canada from the US by foot. 

Recent months have seen a growing number of people entering Canada at remote, unguarded locations along the US border. Doing so allows the migrants – many of whom are desperate to flee Trump’s crackdown on immigration – to skirt a longstanding pact that bars most refugee claimants in the US from applying for asylum in Canada. 

Advocates in Manitoba say they know of some 139 refugees – including children – who have made the perilous crossing since the start of the year, while groups in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario also report a rise in irregular crossings. 

Some haul suitcases for hours across frozen fields that straddle the border, while others are dropped by taxis metres away from the Quebec border. The asylum seekers – many of whom are from Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti – say their actions are driven by fears of what a Donald Trump presidency could mean for refugees in the US.

Amazing. In just four short weeks Donald Trump has changed America from a place that immigrants will travel vast distances to enter, to a place they will travel vast distances to escape. 

Why do I get the feeling that this story will make him exceedingly pleased with himself?

Now confirmed that Sarah Palin will definitely NOT be the ambassador to Canada.

Courtesy of the Globe and Mail: 

The White House has assured Canada that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will not be appointed as U.S. ambassador to Canada. 

A Trudeau government official says that assurance was provided to Canadian officials during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to the White House on Monday. 

“It isn’t Sarah Palin,” the official said. 

American officials have not yet made a decision on an ambassador but were leaning to appointing someone who raised money for the Trump campaign.

I swear that it must be Sarah Palin who floats these rumors as an attempt to stay relevant since her Cheeto stained boyfriend unceremoniously dumped her in a gutter.

And then time after time when they don't pan out she just looks more and more pathetic.

Certainly had some of the Canadians a little worried though.

#sarahpalin potential ambassador to Canada?! pic.twitter.com/PdZiqmsldK

— Naomi Elizabeth (@Naomi_Beth2) February 9, 2017

Sarah Palin as possible US ambassador to Canada?

FUCK.

THAT.

FUCKING.

BULLSHIT.

RIGHT.

FUCKING.

NOW.

— gio heart dio (@heyitsgordo) February 9, 2017

As one of the few people who actually had to suffer under Sarah Palin's leadership I cannot say that I blame our neighbors to the East.

However I have every confidence that WHOEVER Donald Trump inflicts upon Canada they will be able to handle just fine.

Just get a load of how easily their Prime Minister dealt with Trump's attempt to dominate their handshake.

Pres. Trump greets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House https://t.co/DYel2taCiV pic.twitter.com/F8OVvXDyEm

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 13, 2017

Damn! Trudeau was not playing.

He looked like he was ready to body slam Trump if he tried any of his pussy grabbing tactics on him.

Here is how Trump typically uses handshakes to dominate others.

But fucking Trudeau was having none of it.

Smart man. Way too smart to ever allow Sarah Palin to take up residence in his country.

So are the rumors about Sarah Palin becoming the ambassador to Canada true? Who knows, anything is possible these days.

Courtesy of The Guardian: 

Much of her life has played out like a Canadian stereotype: from her favourite food of moose stew to extolling the virtues of hockey moms and her love of snowmobiling. 

But after a White House spokesman refused to rule out the possibility that Sarah Palin could be the next US ambassador to Ottawa, few in Canada seemed to be embracing the prospect of the former Alaska governor taking up the role.

“Sarah Palin as ambassador?” New Democrat MP Charlie Angus asked on Twitter. “Well that would show how little Steve Bannon and his pal @realDonaldTrump think of Canada.” 

Others dismissed the idea as simply fake news or alternative facts, while some wondered if this was an early April Fools joke from the White House. 

“Appointing Sarah Palin as the US ambassador to Canada is, like, ultimate trolling,” noted one. “If he makes Sarah Palin the US Ambassador to Canada. I say we keep our oil and hockey players. BTW … does she speak Canadian?” Asked another.

Oh good Canadians have a sense of humor.

Well if Sarah Palin actually becomes the ambassador to their country they are going to need it.

So do I think this might be an actual possibility?

Sure. After all Donald Trump clearly has not let ignorance, racism, or mental illness disqualify any of his administration picks so far.

And would Sarah Palin be willing to take the job?

What other choices does she have right now?

But there is really nothing to worry about even if she does.

Ambassadors have virtually NO power, and as for embarrassing the United States, what more could she really do in that area that Donald Trump is not already doing?

So let Trump appoint her if that is what he wants.  It would just once again put her in a position to be mocked by the worldwide media and who does not enjoy that?

Trump supporting shooter kills six in Quebec mosque. Fox News assumes it was a Muslim.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

A shooting at a mosque in Quebec, Canada on Sunday night left six people dead and eight others injured. Following the shooting, many politicians and media outlets were quick to link the incident to Islam, noting falsely that the gunman was of Moroccan origin. 

However, on Monday, the suspect in the shooting was identified as Alexandre Bissonnette, a 27-year-old white French Canadian nationalist, who was described in a local outlet as “an anti-immigrant far-right ‘troll.'”

"A 27 year-old white French Canadian."

However this is how Fox News reported on the shooting initially. 

Suspect in Quebec mosque terror attack was of Moroccan origin, reports show https://t.co/oRzxGHEXDm pic.twitter.com/aEsEtccMvi

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 30, 2017

Now to be fair there is always a lot of initial confusion during shootings and often there are reports of multiple shooters when it usually turns out to be only one.

In this case there was a Moroccan man detained as well, but he turned out to be a witness, not a gunman.

However Fox jumped to the conclusion IMMEDIATELY that the Moroccan guy was the shooter and seemed to completely ignore the white guy in custody.

And they were not the only ones to assume the shooter was an immigrant with ties to Islam.

Courtesy of Mother Jones:

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Sean Spicer offered an eyebrow-raising take on the attack, seeming to cite it as further justification for President Trump's crackdown on refugees and immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries. Spicer first noted that in a call on Monday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump had agreed that the motive remained unclear, and had condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms." But then Spicer continued with this statement: "It's a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to our nation's safety and security." 

Oops.

As it turned out the actual shooter was exactly the kind of guy that Fox News and the White House hoped he would not be.

Courtesy of Heavy:

But another former classmate, Jean-Michel Allard-Prus, who studied politics with him, at Université Laval and has kept in touch with him, told Le Journal de Quebec that Bissonnette, “has right-wing political ideas, pro-Israel, anti-immigration. I had many debates with him about Trump. He was obviously pro-Trump.”

And a third university classmate, Vincent Boissoneault, who grew up with Bissonnette, was friends with him on Facebook, told the Globe and Mail, “I can tell you he was certainly no Muslim convert. I wrote him off as a xenophobe. I didn’t even think of him as totally racist, but he was enthralled by a borderline racist nationalist movement.” 

Acquaintances said he became interested in the far right movement when Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front in France, spoke in Quebec City in March 2016, the Globe and Mail reports. He began speaking out about politics on Facebook and became estranged from some friends, according to the newspaper.

Yeah you can certainly see why they were hoping it was the Moroccan dude.

Kind of hard to sell the idea that you are keeping your country safe by banning Muslims with some white guy up north shooting holes in them. 

And no wonder Donald Trump identifies Fox News as the only reliable media outlet. Their prejudices line up quite neatly.

The internet is planning to run for the Canadian border to hide itself from Donald Trump. I wonder if the internet has room in the van for one more?

Courtesy of The Verge:  

The Internet Archive, a digital library nonprofit that preserves billions of webpages for the historical record, is building a backup archive in Canada after the election of Donald Trump. Today, it began collecting donations for the Internet Archive of Canada, intended to create a copy of the archive outside the United States. 

“On November 9th in America, we woke up to a new administration promising radical change,” writes founder Brewster Kahle. “It was a firm reminder that institutions like ours, built for the long-term, need to design for change. For us, it means keeping our cultural materials safe, private and perpetually accessible. It means preparing for a web that may face greater restrictions. It means serving patrons in a world in which government surveillance is not going away; indeed it looks like it will increase.”

The San Francisco-based Internet Archive is comprised of several different preservation efforts, spanning nearly every medium. As of 2012, the entire archive held 10 petabytes of data; for reference, Facebook’s entire photo and video collection totaled 100 petabytes around the same time. Alongside films and books, the archive holds thousands of early software programs and video games that can be emulated on modern systems. It’s particularly known for the Wayback Machine, which continuously crawls the web to archive pages over the course of decades. 

The Internet Archive provides some of the most comprehensive preservation of our digital ephemera, for both intellectual study and practical use — including journalistic fact checking. Kahle estimates it will cost “millions” of dollars to host a copy of the Internet Archive in Canada, but it would shield its data from some American legal action.

Okay so it's not the WHOLE internet, but it is the archive and protecting that is very important.

And seriously does anybody feel that it's safe in the same country led by a Donald Trump?

By the way you can contribute to protecting the internet archive by donating here. 

Leave it to the Canadians to show us how we should respect our President.

Watching all of Prime Minister Trudeau's remarks as he introduces the President is an inspiration, but I would advice that you have your tissues handy around the 7:18 mark.

"These are the kinds of stories that I will think of when I consider President Obama's time in office. History books will record the signature policies. But I will remember, what I hope we all will remember, are the lessons you taught us, not by executive order, but by example. That we are accountable....(Hold for extended applause) The lesson that we are accountable to each other. That we are stronger together than we are apart. That we are more alike than we are different. And that there is a place in this world for politics that is hopeful, hard working, ambitious, and kind. Mr. President in your last state of the union address you said of the American people that they are clear eyed, big hearted, undaunted by challenge, and optimistic. I can think of no better way to describe their leader." 

Hearing that made me incredibly proud. Incredibly proud.

And the Prime Minister was clearly not the only Canadian who had such a high opinion of our President, just get a load of the response in that chamber after the President finished up his remarks.

Gonna need more tissue here.

(P.S. For those who want to see the full event form start to finish, just click here.)

Canadian couple turn to prayer instead of medicine for their diabetic son, who then dies. But don't worry because according to the parents he was resurrected by God.

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

A 15-year-old Canadian boy suffering from severe effects of insulin-dependent diabetes died because his religious parents refused to seek proper medical care, the CBC reports. 

Emil and Rodica Radita are on trial for first-degree murder after their son, Alex, died in 2013 from what prosecutors say were the effects of his parents’ refusal to seek medical care and rely on prayer and home treatment instead. 

Alex was diagnosed with diabetes as a 3 year old. The condition can be controlled by monitoring blood glucose levels and giving insulin. But his parents believed that doctors caused the condition by treating him for it and left his diabetes untreated. 

The result was that by the time Alex was 15, he weighed no more than a 4-year-old.

The boy weighed only 37 pounds at the time of his death. Which is a fact so upsetting that I just had to take a break while typing this.

As if all of this were not troubling enough, the parents of the boy also believe that he was resurrected by their God.

Courtesy of the New York Daily News:

Alex Radita, a diabetic Calgary teenager, was lying dead in his family home for up to 36 hours before his parents called 911, investigators say. 

But his parents — who are now on trial for their son’s murder — allegedly told a very different story to friends: Their boy died and was resurrected by God one day before paramedics arrived at their house, and found his emaciated body in a bed. 

That bizarre claim surfaced last week, days into the trial of Rodica and Emil Radita, who are charged with first-degree murder in the death of their 15-year-old son.

I often get people here who are upset with the fact that I refer to religion as a "superstition" or that I do not differentiate between the one that they believe in and all of the ones that they themselves "know" are bullshit.

"Stop attacking my religion, it doesn't hurt for people to have faith."

But the fact is that yes quite often it actually DOES hurt somebody.

In fact I would argue that it causes far more harm than people would like to admit, in the form of dumbing down our school systems, forcing their morality onto the communities around them, and selectively choosing certain groups of people for abuse and denial of their basic human rights.

New app will help Americans fleeing Donald Trump's America meet Canadians willing to help them start a new life, and new relationship, north of the border.

Courtesy of the Guardian: 

Maple Match is a matchmaking service like none other. In the words of its website, it “makes it easy for Americans to find the ideal Canadian partner to save them from the unfathomable horror of a Trump presidency”. The app, in other words, wants to help Trump-averse singles find love – and perhaps a new country to call home. At the moment, eager singles can sign up for early access when the dating app launches properly. And when it does, many thousands of unhappy Americans and generous Canadians will be paired.

Okay let's see;

"Middle aged loner, with rapier like wit, middling typing skills, and a love for politics. Seeks relatively attractive woman for long boring conversations about religion, frequent trips to the cinema, and brief yet exhilarating fumbling between the sheets. No weirdos, smokers, or secret Stephen Harper supporters need apply."

Yeah, I'm probably stuck here.