Michael Higgins: How bad are things when the Liberals refuse to have a budget?

When the federal government spends your money — and it is most definitely your money — one of the ways it is held accountable is by presenting an annual budget.

The budget, among other things, details how the government spent your money, how much more of your money it will need in the future, the profligate and useful ways in which your money was spent, and — especially in the Liberals’ case — how much debt the government needs to rack up to pay for its excessive spending.

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‘Teachers are having scissors thrown at them – we’ve had enough’

Can’t they just get Lulu to sing a song?

When Sophie Walker graduated and became a teacher 10 years ago, she felt excited for the future.

But this week the science teacher walked out on strike with 50 colleagues at her Ipswich school in protest at pupil behaviour.

Teachers at Westbourne Academy are having chairs and scissors thrown at them, and many are struggling with their mental health, Ms Walker says.

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My week at the Diddy trial, where laughter gave way to disturbed silence

At 6.30am on Monday a pavement in lower Manhattan is thick with young people, dressed as if for a party. The lady in front of me is in a black frock and matching hat. It might be a line for a nightclub, or the queue for Shakespeare in the Park.

But it’s another show altogether that has gripped New York and indeed most of the country. It is the trial of Sean Combs, the rapper, music and television mogul known variously as Diddy, P Diddy and Puff Daddy.

At about 8am the great snaking line of podcasters, YouTubers and assorted gawkers, mixed in with newspaper and TV reporters, is fed into a glass lobby of the courthouse, where it winds back and forth like the queue at airport security.

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Feral teen girl who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in fatal swarming sentenced to probation

TORONTO — A teen girl who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a deadly group attack on a homeless man in Toronto has been sentenced to 15 months of probation, with the judge taking into account time she has already spent in custody and the “unlawful” strip searches she underwent.

The girl entered a surprise plea in February as she and another teen were being tried for second-degree murder in the death of 59-year-old Kenneth Lee.

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DEPORT!

h/t patthedog

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The new age of shamanism – Westerners pray for riches and renewal

I’m lying on my back in a dark room, eyes closed, the scent of a joss stick in the air, while a voice summons my spirit guides to heal me. I’m here for an appointment with Louise, a qualified “shamanic healer” in Hackney. Louise places her hands first on my temples, then on my shoulders, belly and knees, breathing deeply and occasionally breaking out into a rhythmic hum. Today, Louise is just channeling healing energy to clear away any blockages, but she often works with people who are seriously ill, struggling with money worries, or searching for love. After nearly an hour, she thanks the spirits and informs me that she managed to unblock a lot of trapped energy. She also tells me that I have a deep psychic connection to ancient Egypt, and that my spirit animal is a gorilla.

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Trans activist arrested for threatening to KILL pro-Trump crusader Nancy Mace and her kids

A teenage trans activist has been accused of threatening to assassinate Nancy Mace, the most outspoken lawmaker in Congress on transgender issues.

Samuel Theodore Cain, 19, of Greenville, South Carolina, was arrested and charged with threatening the life of a public official on Thursday, the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced.

Cain, who goes by ‘Roxie Wolfe’ online, posted in April: ‘I’m going to assassinate (redacted) with a gun and I’m being 100% dead a**,’ according to a copy of the arrest warrant.

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Vancouver streets are full of so much human waste they need ‘poop fairies’ to clean it up

Vancouver, renowned for its natural beauty and laid back lifestyle, has a human waste problem so bad that businesses have hired “poop fairies” to speed the cleanup on city sidewalks.

Dodging human and dog waste has become a real problem for pedestrians navigating the city’s sidewalks, and it’s not just a problem plaguing the Downtown Eastside. The city’s own feces removal response program can’t seem to keep up so business improvement districts have hired the “poop fairies.”

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WTF?

Coincidentally I tossed my only Springsteen CD in the garbage just yesterday after finding it buried amidst the usual flotsam and jetsam of unexamined boxes.

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‘I didn’t come here for fun’ – Afrikaner defends refugee status in US

Last week, 46-year-old Charl Kleinhaus was living on his family farm in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. With its scenic beauty, wildlife and deep canyons, it’s known as “the place where the sun rises”.

His new home – for now – is a budget hotel near an American highway.

He and dozens of other white South Africans were moved to the US under President Donald Trump’s controversial policy to protect them from the discrimination he alleges they are facing – an accusation that South Africa rejects.


A harmless ditty, a sort of Negro Spiritual we’re told.

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Justin Bieber proclaims he’s ‘not among’ Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ victims as rap mogul faces sex-trafficking trial

Justin Bieber said he was never a victim of accused sex abuser Sean “Diddy” Combs, who helped the young singer break into the music industry when he was just 15 years old — ending his silence on the rumor amid the disgraced mogul’s bombshell sex trafficking trial.

“Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve,” reps for Bieber, 31, told TMZ in a statement Thursday night.

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Amy Hamm: B.C. blows unknown tax dollars trying to lure anti-Trump nurses

B.C.’s New Democratic premier and minister of health think that they can solve the province’s nursing shortage by enticing U.S. nurses to cross the border. The idea is laughable.

This week, Premier David Eby and his minister, Josie Osborne, announced that they had streamlined licensing applications for U.S. nurses, and approved a whopping — wait for it — 113 nurses to practice in B.C. This was following an online campaign with unknown costs, as per a statement Osborne provided to media.

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