August 1, 2023

Special Counsel Jack Smith's speech

C-span link to video:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5080478/user-clip-jack-smith-trump-indictment-statement-08012023

Youtube link (USA Today):

July 10, 2023

A North American Train Odyssey: (Part 1 of 4) Toronto to Vancouver on VIA Rail's "Canadian" [Video]

From mountains, lakes & rivers ... to prairies, deserts & wildlife (including bears) - this trip has it all!

This video is first in a 4-part series documenting our journey across Canada & the U.S. by rail in the spring of 2023.

-Here in Part 1 we are departing Toronto & travelling west aboard VIA Rail's "Canadian" to Vancouver.

-In Part 2 we explore Vancouver Island by tourist train, rental car, & ferry.

-In Part 3 we journey south from Vancouver aboard Amtrak's "Cascades" to Seattle.

-And in Part 4 we travel east from Seattle aboard Amtrak's "Empire Builder" to Chicago & "Lakeshore Limited" to Buffalo.

For more videos, trip reports, & pics, see my website at: https://northamericabyrail.info/

June 11, 2023

No outrage over tanker truck fire that collapsed I95 & created massive plumes, environmental hazards

The tanker truck fire that collapsed I95 today not only created a chemical smoke plume that rose hundreds of feet in the air,

It is releasing vast amounts of currently unknown chemicals into the atmosphere & ground potentially endangering the health of everyone nearby.

That same plume is causing untold environmental damage.

The bridge collapse endangered the lives of every single motorist using I95 in the area at the time.

And yet - unlike the Palestine, OH derailment - we have:

No armchair analysts demanding a review & replacement of the air brake systems on all trucks nationwide -regardless of whether the brakes were at fault or not

No calls from armchair analysts for more oversight the trucking system

No tweets with claims of breathing difficulties from alleged victims in communities over 300 miles away

And the kicker: No outrage from local mayors, politicians, online sleuths & armchair analysts over this very real environmental & public health disaster

Funny, what we've been conditioned to accept.

https://twitter.com/MarkFusetti/status/1667842327077875714

May 4, 2023

In 2021 Canada designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity

From:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55923485

"Canada has designated the far-right group Proud Boys as a terrorist entity.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the decision was influenced by the group's "pivotal role" in the 6 January riots at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

The designation allows the Proud Boys' assets to be frozen, and members of the groups could be charged with terrorist offences if they commit violent acts."

April 19, 2023

For those interested: North America By Rail (my train travel photo website) has been totally rebuilt

For those interested, my train travel website:

"North America By Rail - A photographic land cruise across Canada & the United States"
( https://northamericabyrail.info/ )

has been totally rebuilt & revamped!

Much more user friendly - gone are the tiny little thumbnail pics, replaced by large images, so now it's simply a case of clicking the trip you'd like to see from the pulldown menus (Canada West, USA East, ect) and simply scrolling down to view the travelog, pics & videos.

Check it out if you'd like - hope you enjoy!

Cheers, Pete

(PS - stay tuned for the latest videos of our upcoming journey on VIA's Westbound Canadian & Amtrak's Eastbound Empire Builder)

April 15, 2023

New video coming soon! North American Train Odyssey -a Transcontinental Circle Tour on VIA & Amtrak

For those who enjoyed my prior amateur YouTube documentary on VIA Rail Canada's Eastbound 'Canadian', I will be doing a new video (or series of videos) documenting our journey from Toronto To Vancouver on VIA' Rail's Westbound 'Canadian', and then returning eastbound on Amtrak, including a trip on the 'Empire Builder'.

Watch this space (or check out our website - North America By Rail http://northamericabyrail.info/) in the coming weeks.

Hope you enjoy! Cheers, Pete

(For those interested who may not have seen my old video, link provided below - now at 150K views!)

April 1, 2023

Twitter meme: Justice Department confirms: Trump will be tried...

...as an adult.

https://twitter.com/IslandGirlPRV/status/1641980583138979841

March 25, 2023

"Dark Brandon just stole #PeePee's brain" -Biden FTW (Dean Blundell tweet)

In his address to Canadian Parliament yesterday President Biden stated:

"both of us have cabinets that are both 50 percent women for the first time in history,"

At that point some conservatives refused to stand and applaud, at which point Biden checkmated them by saying:

"even if you don't agree, guys, I'd stand up."

Dean Blundell Tweet:
(For reference,
Dean Blundell is a progressive former radio talk show host in Canada.
Pierre Polievere, or #PeePee, is the hard-right 'leader' of the Conservative Party of Canada)

https://twitter.com/ItsDeanBlundell/status/1639382489813614599

March 16, 2023

Ukraine gets its fighter jets: Polish MiG-29s to arrive within 'days'

Source: Breaking Defense

WARSAW — Polish President Andrzej Duda today announced plans to send a dozen old Mig-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, four of which are set to arrive in the coming days.

The announcement represents a major first for Kyiv, which has been calling for nations to send them fighter jets — Western-made or older Soviet-era kit — since the early days of Russia’s invasion. But nations have been reluctant, due to a combination of escalation concerns and fears over not having enough airpower for their own national defense.

“In the coming days we will pass four planes full ready to service,” Dude said while talking with Czech President Petr Pavel. “The others are being serviced, prepared and will probably be successively transmitted. Duda added that “we have a dozen or so these MiGs at the moment” that are functional and still used to protect Polish airspace, but “these are the last years” they will be able to operate.

According to Rzeczpospolita daily, Duda specifically said the jets being sent are part of the MiG-29 bought by Poland from Germany in 2002, for the symbolic price of a single Euro. These aircraft were originally in use by the East German air force.



Read more: https://breakingdefense.com/2023/03/ukraine-gets-its-fighter-jets-polish-mig-29s-to-arrive-within-days/

March 8, 2023

America: Home of the cruelest & most barbaric healthcare 'system' in the developed world

When you have a system that puts millions in bankruptcy for:

- the apparent 'sin' of accessing healthcare without insurance

- not being able to afford health insurance

- being denied by insurance

That, gentle people, is the very definition of cruel & barbaric.

And to think that conservatives in Canada, propped up by certain American special interests, are trying to bring that bullshit here -
Fuck. These. Assholes.

Reference:


Two-thirds of people who file for bankruptcy cite medical issues as a key contributor to their financial downfall
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most-americans-file-for-bankruptcy.html


Why a million Americans a year risk Mexico medical tourism
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64832308


Koch dark money lobbies such as the Fraser institute are trying to overturn Canada's universal healthcare system in favour of a private model
https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2023/01/25/follow-the-money-on-private-health-care-threat.html