WTF?

wtf

Italian province orders all dogs to be DNA tested in poo crackdown

Dog owners in Bolzano must submit their pets for DNA tests as the authorities in the northern Italian province crack down on the scourge of dog poo in the streets.

The swab test results will be inserted into a database, which police can then refer to in their search for the culprits and their owners. The evidence will be used to fine owners between €292 and €1,048 (£250 and £900).

The law required the estimated 45,000 dogs in the province, located in the mountainous Trentino-Alto Adige region, to undergo a DNA test at a veterinary clinic by the end of December 2023 before the initiative is introduced this month. But only 5,000 have complied, according to reports in the Italian press.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

Cost of Canadian Coast Guard patrol ships jumps by $500 million in less than a year, MPs told

The cost of a project to build two patrol ships for the Canadian Coast Guard has jumped by $500 million in less than a year, this newspaper has confirmed.

The project budget for the two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships is now $2.1 billion, up from a previous estimate of $1.6 billion.

Craig Macartney, communications advisor for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, noted in an email that construction of the first of two new coast guard Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships, or AOPS, started in August at Irving shipbuilding in Halifax, N.S.

How is that possible?

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, WTF?

WTF?

H/T Sweetpea

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

Electric Vehicles: ‘Dead Robots’ in the Chicago Cold

… Darryl Johnson, an Uber driver, said he waited hours just to get to a charger, only to wait even longer while it charged. But the frustrations continued even after he left after he found his battery draining faster than normal.

“It’s horrible it takes two hours the wait an hour it takes two hours to charge, then the charge leaves really quickly, so now you’re back at the charger twice a day,” Johnson said.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

Trump victory poses ‘fundamental’ challenge to Europe, warns Blackrock chief

Donald Trump’s re-election poses a “fundamental” challenge to Europe, according to the leader of the world’s largest asset manager.

Philipp Hildebrand, vice chairman at Blackrock, said the re-election of the former US President “would challenge Europe fundamentally” following a decades-long dependence on America for leadership on the world stage.

Mr Hildebrand, who has served in the position since 2012, was responding to comments last week from Christine Lagarde, the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), who said Mr Trump posed a “clear threat” to Europe because of his divergent views on climate change and trade policy.

That is the sound of Elite panic.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inTrump Derangement Syndrome, WTF?

Argentina’s Feisty President, Javier Milei, Stuns Davos With Attack on Secret ‘Socialist’ Agenda of Moneyed Western Elites

Just when you thought it was safe to write off Davos as irremediably dull — think Antony Blinken with a side order of Tom Friedman — along comes the self-described “anarcho-capitalist” president of Argentina, Javier Milei, to shake up the Swiss town with a one-two punch to what he perceives to be the “socialist agenda” of various elites.

The tirade came in the form of a half-hour long speech to a full house of policy wonks and boldfaced names in the business world who were advised by Mr. Milei to choose freedom over socialist-style state control, “dammit.”

Wish it were true …

h/t XC

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWEF, WTF?

Griselda: Colombian drug lord ‘Cocaine Godmother’ gets Hollywood makeover

Sofia Vergara will play Griselda Blanco

“The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.” This is what infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar allegedly once said about the person who created one of the most profitable cartels in history.

A woman who had people murdered because “she didn’t like the way they looked at her”, Blanco was a ruthless criminal mastermind whose name was one of the most feared in 1970s and 80s Miami.

Now the notorious drug lord has had a Hollywood makeover as Modern Family’s Sofía Vergara joins forces with the team behind crime drama Narcos to play the leader of the criminal underworld.

I watched a documentary on Griselda she was an ugly psycopath. Much as I like Sofia I don’t think she is right for the role.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inHollywood, WTF?

The Old “A Junior Staffer sent that deleted Tweet” Trick

Just a reminder to readers: The Falafel King is very litigious. You’ll find lots of words to accurately and safely describe him after listening to this frankly incredible interview without risking a libel suit.

h/t SweetPea

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", "Oct 7 2023", Canada, WTF?

Finnish Prosecutor Takes MP to Supreme Court for Tweeting Bible Verses

Despite having been acquitted of hate speech twice, Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen may still have to face another day in court on the same charges.

The Finnish public prosecutor has appealed the case to the country’s supreme court.

Räsänen, who has been a member of parliament since 1995 and also served as minister of the interior from 2011 to 2015, was formally charged with “agitation against a minority group” in 2021 under a section of the Finnish criminal code titled “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted infreedom of religious expression, Freedom of speech, WTF?

Ukrainian officials say year-long delay in delivery of air defence promised by Canada has come with a high price

Too many Ukrainians have died in the year since Canada announced the “high-priority donation” of an advanced air-defence system to Ukraine that has yet to be delivered, the secretary of country’s National Security and Defence Council said Tuesday.

Oleksiy Danilov told The Globe and Mail that his own nephew, killed near the front line on Jan. 8, was among those who had died in the 53 weeks since Canada promised to purchase a US$406-million National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, on Ukraine’s behalf. While the reasons for the delay may make sense in Ottawa, the wait for the U.S.-made equipment is harder to understand for those facing daily Russian missile attacks.

Share
by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Ukraine - Russia", Canada, WTF?