The States Power Down

Ambitious renewables mandates by local governments are eroding the electric grid’s reliability, with alarming consequences.

Vermont is one of the nation’s most environmentally friendly states. But two years ago, the backers of a local wind-energy farm shelved the project after intense public opposition. An initiative supporter noted how the controversy reflected rising hostility to wind power. Whereas a decade ago, ambitious developers had planned a dozen renewable-energy projects in Vermont, by 2020, most had either folded or failed to win regulatory approval. “This is truly a sad state of affairs for Vermont,” the CEO of a green-energy firm said, while pointing out that the state has mandated that 75 percent of its power should come from renewable energy within a decade.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Energy Matters"

Canadian province experiments with decriminalising hard drugs

Canada’s province of British Columbia is starting a first-in-the-nation trial decriminalising small amounts of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

From Tuesday, adults can possess up to 2.5g of such drugs, as well as methamphetamine, fentanyl and morphine.

Canada’s federal government granted the request by the west coast province to try out the three-year experiment.

It follows a similar policy in the nearby US state of Oregon, which decriminalised hard drugs in 2020.

And … 2,272 British Columbians died from toxic illicit drugs in 2022: coroner

h/t XC

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada, Drug Legalization

Russian-Iranian Axis: Biden Administration Missing in Action?

Iran is now selling surface-to-surface missiles to Russia for use in its war on Ukraine — on the cusp of a reported “major Ukrainian offensive” — in addition to the drones it has already been delivering, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters.

According to anonymous US and allied officials quoted by the Washington Post, Iran has secretly agreed to send “what some officials described as the first Iranian-made surface-to-surface missiles intended for use against Ukrainian cities and troop positions.”

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inIran, Russia

Covid Relief Funds May Have Propped Up Crypto Bubble of 2020-21: Study

Did American taxpayers, via a pandemic-era economic relief program, help prop up the great crypto gold rush of 2020-21?

A group of researchers at Washington University in Saint Louis make a compelling case that they did in a new study suggesting that a not-insignificant amount of the pandemic relief money doled out in 2020 as part of the Paycheck Protection Program was used by recipients to speculate on cryptocurrencies.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Digital Currency"

Ottawa contracts comprise up to 10 per cent of McKinsey Canadian revenue

Global management consulting giant McKinsey and Company says its contracts with the federal government make up as much as 10 per cent of its gross revenue in Canada.

The Canadian revenue figures for McKinsey’s Canadian operations, contained in a U.S. court filing, show how integral federal government contracts are to the New York-based firm, which has offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.

Ex-McKinsey Chief Dominic Barton has had an insidious influence on Canada’s immigration policy which now serves corporate greed exclusively.

Freeland lets us in on her and Junior’s cozy relationship with Barton.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Mass Immigration - Follow the money", Canada's Corporate Welfare Class, Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government, Canada's Corrupt Political Class

Trudeau’s Islamophobia generator Amira Elghawaby suggested Stephen Harper was ‘more hurtful’ than 9/11

A decade of Stephen Harper as Prime Minister was more “perhaps more hurtful” than 9/11, a federal inclusion advisor suggested in a 2015 newspaper column. Amira Elghawaby, in other commentaries, complained middle-class Canadians never experienced inequity and advocated for Muslim prayer in public schools since “parents of these children pay taxes.”

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", Canada, Islam's 5th Column, Islam's incompatibility with Western values, Islam's Useful Idiot Apologists, Islamic supremacism, WTF?

Gene editing company hopes to bring dodo ‘back to life’

The dodo, a Mauritian bird last seen in the 17th century, will be brought back to at least a semblance of life if attempts by a gene editing company are successful.

Gene editing techniques now exist that allow scientists to mine the dodo genome for key traits that they believe they can then effectively reassemble within the body of a living relative.

Dodos are most closely related to pigeons, according to sequencing of the proverbially dead bird’s genome.

Well the genie is out of that bottle.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inWTF?

LEVY: The 2021 arrest memo that speaks to the core of Toronto transit violence

At a press conference late last week, Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) CEO Rick Leary avoided justifying a memo sent to staff in January of 2021 ordering that arrest be the action of last resort with those displaying unlawful acts on the transit system.

His response, however, confirms the “hug-a-thug, anti-enforcement” attitude he demanded from his safety constables over the past few years.

h/t NeoCon

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

Iranian couple filmed dancing in Tehran are jailed for 10 years

An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of more than 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran’s main landmarks in a video seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime, activists have said.

Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, were arrested in early November after a video went viral showing them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower.

Haghighi was not wearing a headscarf, in defiance of Iran’s strict rules. Women are also not allowed to dance in public, let alone with a man.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inIran

Court ruling blocking Kitchener, Ont., encampment eviction could affect cases across Canada, say legal experts

An Ontario court’s decision that blocks the eviction of a Kitchener encampment could affect municipalities across Canada that are contending with tent cities of their own, according to legal experts.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision released Friday says the Region of Waterloo isn’t allowed to evict people living in tents on one if its vacant lots, at 100 Victoria St., because its shelter system didn’t have enough beds for people experiencing homelessness.

In his 51-page decision, Justice M.J. Valente said clearing encampments without sufficient shelter spaces would infringe on their constitutional rights.

Oh Great. Now the whole country can be just like San Francisco.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Homelessness & Affordability Crisis"

The COVID-19 Pandemic Was a ‘Catastrophe for Human Freedom’

The latest edition of the Human Freedom Index published by the libertarian Cato Institute shows what happens to individual liberty when we give the government the power to destroy it.

It’s not a conspiracy theory to state unequivocably that we have lost some of our personal freedom as a result of government actions during the pandemic. The evidence is all around us.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"China eats weird animals disease"

Carson Jerema: Trudeau Liberals embrace crony capitalism, but call it ‘innovation’ policy

As soon as the Americans passed the ludicrously named Inflation Reduction Act, the shameless begging in Canada for the the Liberals to bring in their own plan would make the most seasoned con artists wince. Everyone has their hand out, demanding their cut. Carmakers, universities, unions, oil and gas companies, renewable energy companies and anyone who believes lobbying Liberals is preferable to satisfying customers has dollar signs in their eyes.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corporate Welfare Class, Canada's Corrupt Liberal Government

Ukraine war: Western allies send Kyiv mixed messages on war planes … well they got a Death Ray

US President Joe Biden has ruled out providing F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite renewed calls from top Kyiv officials for urgent air support.

Asked on Monday if the US would be sending the planes, Mr Biden said “no”. The UK also said it was “not practical” for it to send its aircraft to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, France’s Emmanuel Macon said “by definition, nothing is excluded” ahead of meeting a Ukrainian minister.

‘Whoever comes to our land with a sword will die by the sword’: Ukrainian officer reveals footage of the moment their forces wipe out advancing Russian soldiers

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

Loblaw ends No Name price freeze, vows ‘flat’ pricing ‘wherever possible’

Loblaw will not be extending its price freeze on No Name brand products, but vows to keep the yellow label product-pricing flat “wherever possible.”

“The more than three-month price freeze ends January 31 — but we’re not done,” a Loblaw spokesperson said in an email to CTV News Monday. “Looking ahead, we’ll continue to hold those prices flat wherever possible, and switching to No Name will still save the average family thousands this year.”

And… Majority believes Canada is in a recession

The proportion of Canadians who believe Canada is in a recession (69%) has increased since last year at this time, when 51% believed Canada was in a recession.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCanada's Corporate Welfare Class, WTF?