Author: Blazingcatfur

Ukraine war: Questions over France’s weapons supply to Kyiv

If France wants to lead Europe to a new era of military self-reliance, how come its contribution to the war effort in Ukraine is so small?

That is the awkward question being posed by some of the country’s top strategic thinkers, who are pushing President Emmanuel Macron to make an urgent decision on more arms to Kyiv.

Recent analysis conducted on the ground in Poland and Ukraine shows that the French share of foreign arms deliveries is less than 2%, way behind the US on 49%, but also behind Poland (22%) and Germany (9%).

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Ukraine - Russia", France

Torstar publisher vows to protect paper, addresses debt default

As the legal battle for control of the company which publishes the Toronto Star heads to court Monday, Star publisher Jordan Bitove sent a memo to staff vowing to protect the paper and addressing the allegation that NordStar is in default on a credit agreement.

“I have taken steps to defend against any adverse consequences that could arise from any steps taken by our lender, as a consequence of Mr. Rivett’s actions,” wrote Bitove, who’s battling Paul Rivett’s attempt to dissolve NordStar Capital, the company the pair created two years ago to buy Torstar.

Rivett didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inThe F$CKING Toronto Star

Bill Maher Suggests Dumping Kamala Harris from 2024 Democrat Ticket: ‘She’s Not Very Popular Anywhere‘

Bill Maher has floated the idea of dumping Vice President Kamala Harris from the 2024 Democrat presidential ticket, noting that she remains deeply unpopular across party lines and is a “bad politician,” to boot.

On Friday’s episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the comedian praised President Joe Biden, saying he will likely be the party’s nominee in 2024. But he suggested the president’s running mate remains up in the air.

Pity it’s such a rare event.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inUSA

LA restricts water flow to wasteful celebrity mansions: ‘No matter how rich, we’ll treat you the same’

Los Angeles is living through a historic drought, but that hasn’t stopped some of its most famous residents from keeping their mega mansion lawns and ornate gardens well watered. In response, local authorities have turned to a surprisingly simple trick for keeping the wealthiest in check.

That solution is a tiny metal disc known as a “flow restrictor”. The restrictor can be installed in minutes over the pipes of chronic wasters, dramatically slowing down a home’s water flow.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inHollywood

Hockey Canada used player fees to build a second fund for sexual assault claims

Several years after Hockey Canada began using player registration fees to build a large financial reserve known as the National Equity Fund to cover sexual assault claims and other lawsuits, it channelled a significant portion of that money into a second multimillion-dollar fund for similar purposes.

Known as the Participants Legacy Trust Fund, the reserve was created by the organization and its members with more than $7.1-million from the National Equity Fund. The money was earmarked “for matters including but not limited to sexual abuse,” according to Hockey Canada documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.

They needed a 2nd fund???

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, WTF?

Unofficial Chinese Police Stations in Canada Likely Number More Than 3, Says Report Co-Author

The Chinese regime has likely established more unofficial overseas police stations in Canada than the three in Toronto identified in a report by a human rights NGO, a co-author of the report says.

Spain-based Safeguard Defenders published a report in September warning of the regime’s “long-arm policing” around the world through what’s been dubbed the “110 overseas police stations”—an operation named after the police emergency phone number, 110, in China.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada's China Class", "China - Communist Slave State", Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Why Torontonians are facing a ‘staggering’ spike in auto thefts — and what police are doing about it

Patricia Li’s year began with the theft of a Lexus NX 300 from her Toronto home — but that was just the beginning of her troubles.

Five months later, thieves returned in the middle of the night for her other vehicle, a Lexus RX 450, but this time they weren’t as lucky.

After the first theft in February, Li installed a video camera that captured footage of three people attempting to break into the car.

I wonder if the Ferguson effect plays a role?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Toronto - Canada's version of a Democrat run city"

Ottawa Police Constable Kristina Neilson to take Plea Deal for $50 Convoy Donation – A hollow victory for the prosecution

(Ottawa) Informed observers of the recent September 29, 2022 online video-hearing for Ottawa Police Constable Kristina Neilson were astonished to see that the officer appeared without a lawyer.

Neilson’s representative, police union Sergeant Patrick Laflamme, asked the Trials Officer to set a date for a 2-hour joint defense-prosecution submission on the facts of the case and an appropriate sentence. Constable Neilson will plead guilty to the charge of discreditable conduct for donating $50 to a Christian website to purchase food and gas for the ‘Freedom Convoy’.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Criminalizing Dissent", Canada

Hackers claim to reveal identities of cops who arrested Mahsa Amini

A hacker group known as 3ackd0or published the photos and personal information on Sunday of Iranians they claim were the morality police officers who arrested and beat Mahsa Amini, leading to her death.

The officers involved in Amini’s death were named as morality police patrol officers Fatameh Gurban Hosseini and Parastu Safari, Ali Khushnamond and Enayatullah Rafiei. The information shared by 3ackd0or included addresses, birth certificate numbers, birthdays, parents’ names and city of origin.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", Iran

Halloween could be haunted by supply chain issues amid trick or treating rebound

The Halloween mood on Baruch Labunski’s Toronto street has been eerie the last two years – and not in a witches-and-goblins way.

“Throughout the pandemic nobody really put up decorations and there were hardly any kids,” he said.

The Candy Kiss is self replicating. No shortage is possible.

I am curious to see if Halloween rebounds over the next few years. I suspect the pandemic has killed movie going so why not Halloween?

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inHalloween

Accused Waukesha Christmas parade killer Darrell Brooks to represent himself at trial

The man who allegedly plowed through a suburban Wisconsin Christmas parade, killing six people and injuring 62 others, has decided to be his own lawyer when his trial starts Monday.

Darrell Brooks is facing 77 charges for the Nov. 21, 2021, Waukesha Christmas parade rampage, including six counts of first-degree murder and 61 counts of felony reckless endangerment. He’s pleaded not guilty.

Each murder count comes with a mandatory life sentence. He’d originally been hit with 83 counts.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inTerrorism - Domestic, USA

Legal battle between Torstar owners heads to court Monday

A legal battle between the owners of media properties including the Toronto Star is heading to court.

A hearing is scheduled for Monday morning in Ontario Superior Court over a dispute between Paul Rivett and Jordan Bitove, who purchased Torstar Corp. in 2020 for $60-million. Nordstar Capital Inc., in which Mr. Rivett and Mr. Bitove are equal partners, and which controls all of Torstar’s assets, is in breach of a credit facility, according to court documents. The two partners are at odds over how to address the debt.

Interesting fight ahead. The Star’s finances are not healthy.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inThe F$CKING Toronto Star

Facing foreign conflicts, domestic disasters, Canada’s top soldier worries about readiness

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre says he’s worried about the Canadian Armed Forces’ readiness as it faces pressure both from the conflict in Ukraine and the need to respond to natural disasters at home.

In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday, Eyre said the two issues represented “strong demands on both sides” and, given issues with equipment and personnel shortages, he was “concerned about our overall readiness.”

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, Militaria