Laplander reindeer in middle of border dispute!

Look, kids, with all the crazy stuff going on around us in this world, it's nice to know that some problems are still more of a local... or even insignificant nature than the hyped-up disasters the media keeps throwing at us!

AS A MATTER OF FACT... HAVE A LOOK AT JUST WHO NATO MEMBER NORWAY IS ABOUT TO HAVE A BEEF WITH... WHY IT'S THEIR OLD ARCH-NEMISIS RUSSIA!

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norway is rebuilding a dilapidated reindeer fence along its border with Russia in the Arctic to stop the animals from wandering into the neighbouring country — costly strolls for which Oslo has to compensate Moscow over loss of grassland.

Norwegian officials said Thursday that so far this year, 42 reindeer have crossed into Russia seeking better pastures and grazing land.

The reindeer barrier along the Norway-Russia border spans 150 kilometres (93 miles) and dates back to 1954. The Norwegian Agriculture Agency said a stretch of about 7 kilometres (4 miles) between the Norwegian towns of Hamborgvatnet and Storskog would be replaced.

The construction, with a price tag of 3.7 million kroner ($348,000), is to be completed by Oct. 1, the agency said.

The work is a challenge, however, as the workers have to stay on the Norwegian side of the border “at all times" during construction, "which makes the work extra demanding,” said Magnar Evertsen of the agency. If a worker crossed into Russian territory, without a Russian visa, that would amount to illegal entry.

The reindeer crossings bring on a lot of additional bureaucracy. Russia has sent two compensation claims, the agency said.

One claim is for nearly 50,000 kroner ($4,700) per reindeer that crossed into Russia to graze in the sprawling Pasvik Zapovednik natural reserve in the Russian Murmansk region. The other claim is asking for a lump sum of nearly 47 million kroner ($4.4 million) in total for the days the animals grazed in the park, which consists mostly of lakes, rivers, forests and marshland.

The agency said that of the 42 animals that entered Russia this year, 40 have been brought back to Norway, and the remaining two are expected to come back soon.

The returned animals have since been slaughtered out of fear that they may wander back to Russia, Evertsen said. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority may demand the carcasses be destroyed for safety reasons, the government body said in a statement.

The reindeer are herded by the Indigenous Sami people in central and Arctic Norway. Formerly known as the Lapps, the Sami are believed to have originated in Central Asia and settled with their reindeer herds in Arctic Europe around 9,000 years ago.

They traditionally live in Lapland, which stretches from northern parts of Norway through Sweden and Finland to Russia. 

Across the Arctic region, the majority live on the Norwegian side of the border.

(P.S. Norway says it expects Russia to pay for the wall!)

What if the USA and Canadian border opened up!

 Allan:

What if the USA and Canada border opened just like the Schengen area. (European free travel areas)

Daniel Fraser

Millions of poor Americans would flood into Canada to get what they feel is free medical care and this would destroy what is a finely balanced system. One that maintains just enough capacity to serve Canadian needs.

Before such a thing can happen the USA has to bring its healthcare payment system up to modern first-world standards, provide universal health care, modernization its gun laws, pay a decent wage to low-income people and a number of other things.

You may not realize it but to join the Schengen area a country has to meet certain standards which the USA does not meet.

Basically, from the Canadian viewpoint, the USA is not good enough in the way it treats its people. But our government does not say this out loud as it is none of our business to point this out or to suggest that the USA changes its ways. Such change has to come from within.

Daniel Fraser

***

Allan:

What are Canadian's thoughts about the events that happened in the USA on January 6th?

Gareth Jones

Honestly, I have a mixture of thoughts.

First, the US is an uncomfortable neighbour to have at the best of times. It ignores its neighbour’s best interests, insists on its own, and has certain demands when it gets riled up. But a US that’s off the rails is too big for any force in the world to put right except for the American people themselves. Can they do it? Can they force themselves to make the hard decisions—for example, going after a former president and, if warranted, put him in jail? Or will they let him off the way those rich people who caused the last two worldwide recessions were let off? What message would this send?

Second, the events of today weren’t as bad as they could have been. If Trump had ordered in the National Guard instead of Pence, he could have set them around the Capitol, leaving the mob inside, maybe for days, speaking of the need to understand their anger. And leaving the Senate and House unable to sit to confirm the Electoral Votes. Maybe guard a few key figures for their own good, keeping them in their homes. That should put off matters till the 20th, and who knows how many more supporters he could attract into the streets by then.

Third, Trump has till the 20th. He could be removed tomorrow if the will were there, and the US would be safer. As Mary Trump warned months ago (and she’s been right in her other predictions), if Trump realizes that he’s going down, he’s going to take the rest of us down with him. You’ve got a wrecker in the Oval Office.

Fourth, Trump was put into office by a basket of deplorables constituting maybe half of the Republican voters. That’s the figure Hillary Clinton fixed, half. My estimate varies, but it’s often higher. These people are not going away, and they’re going to be mollycoddled, and they’re going to remain a danger to the US and, through it, to Canada.

To borrow a phrase that originated in another continent: cry, the beloved country. I’m anxious both for you and about you.

Gareth Jones

***

Allan:

How do Canadians view the U.S. gun culture?

Brett Williams

I grew up on a ranch, in an area with a decent number of black bears and coyotes, a few cougars and grizzly bears, and a lot of varmint creatures like skunks, raccoons, and gophers.

I was taught how to use both pistols and rifles by my dad, and I have a huge amount of respect for responsible gun handling.

Since this is specifically about the US gun culture, I think that there is far too much ignoring of responsibilities. Your politicians appear in ads where they are carelessly pointing weapons at people. It’s socially acceptable to appear in public brandishing the variants of the .223/5.56 mm AR 15 in quick response slings. It’s socially acceptable to conceal-carry hair-trigger semi-auto handguns loose in a purse.

I think American gun laws would be acceptable if Americans had a gun culture that emphasized responsibility and shunned those who were irresponsible and careless.

The most recent example is Brian Kemp in Georgia

This idiot shouldn't be elected dogcatcher but has an NRA A+ rating as a candidate for Governor of Georgia. That right there is American gun culture in a nutshell.

I went over this to point out the major and minor safety violations.

1. 5 Alarm Kaxon (IE get your ass kicked off the gun range and banned)
1. AR15 style with short magazines leaning against the wall.
2. single barrel shotgun leaning against the chair
3. two people handling guns facing each other
4. Kemp has his finger near the trigger
5. Kemp pointing the double-barrelled shotgun at the boy
6. Kemp closes the chamber on the shotgun while pointing it at the boy
2. Really bad practice
1. Three Single-shot or internal magazine rifles with closed bolts laid on the table
2. No trigger locks on a variety of loose guns stored improperly.

Brett Williams

Why doesn't Canada fear any other country?

Allan: 

Look at Canada’s borders: Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the United States. 

The three oceans can’t be crossed with an invading force of sufficient size and logistics train to occupy any part of Canada. 

As for the US, the government of Canada invests a lot of effort to make sure that they get enough trade and moral support to leave us alone. (Sort of like humouring your cousin!)

Gareth Jones

No longer the 'world's longest undefended border!'

 The federal government is preparing for the weeks of uncertainty that might follow a U.S. presidential election day with no clear winner — by drawing up contingency plans for the border and other issues that might erupt between the Nov. 3 vote and inauguration day in January.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signalled already that his government has been monitoring the election more closely in the final weeks of the campaign because of its potential impact on the Canadian economy.

"I think we're certainly all hoping for a smooth transition or a clear result from the election like many people around the world," Trudeau told a news conference earlier this month. "If it is less clear, there may be some disruptions and we need to be ready."

The cabinet committee on global affairs and public security has been preparing for various scenarios: President Donald Trump's re-election, a victory by Democrat Joe Biden, or a lengthy period of uncertainty coupled with multiple court challenges to decide the outcome.

A government official (who asked not to be identified because the person is not authorized to speak publicly on the plans) said the cabinet committee is worried about security at the border, the prospect of even higher COVID infection rates in the U.S. and the possibility of Trump taking harder lines on international issues that could affect Canada.

Trump has refused on a number of occasions to say he will guarantee a smooth transition of power if he loses and has been pushing unsubstantiated claims about massive voter fraud during the pandemic as an unprecedented number of Americans mail in their ballots.

Sen. Peter Boehm is an experienced former Canadian diplomat who was posted to Washington during the disputed 2000 election result in Florida between George W. Bush and Al Gore. He said the Canadian government has worked hard since Trump's election to develop contacts at all levels of the government in the United States.

Boehm said those contacts, honed during the prolonged negotiations to renew NAFTA, should help Canada navigate any challenges that emerge after Nov. 3.

"What we've seen over the last four years is greater utilization of the tools we have. What that means is not just discussions at the head-of-government level but with Congress, on Capitol Hill and with state and local government," he said.

"And what that tells us is that we have had to become more sophisticated in our approach, that there has to be consistent contact and a network, because we can't rely on the good-neighbour, best-friend status anymore. And that remains regardless of a Trump or a Biden victory."

The Trump presidency has proven to be an unpredictable dance partner for Ottawa. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and imposed national security tariffs on Canadian exports of steel and aluminum.

Trump called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "very dishonest and weak" in tweets following the troubled G7 summit hosted by Canada in 2018.

To the Moon Alice, to the Moon!

 

This ain't the land of the free. It's gonna cost ya!

This article first appeared in Business Insider and was written by Kelly McLaughlin. 

I think it's interesting enough that you should read it too!

A man from Kentucky is facing a $750,000 fine after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said he violated COVID-19 travel rules in the country.

John Pennington, 40, of Walton, Kentucky, was arrested and charged in connection to a June trip he took to Banff in Alberta, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Tammy Keibel told NPR.

Pennington, who entered Canada from Alaska, was first fined $1,200 on June 25, when staff at the Rimrock Hotel in Banff called police, voicing concerns that he may have been breaching quarantine. (Americans can drive through a direct route if they're going to and from Alaska, but aren't allowed to stop at tourist locations or national parks along the way.) 

If they plan to stay at a hotel, they must undergo a quarantine.

Upon fining Pennington, staff and police ordered him to stay in his hotel room until he continued his journey from Alaska to the lower 48 states the next day, Keibel told NPR.

Banff Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Michael Buxton-Carr told CBC News that Pennington did not listen, however, and instead visited a local tourist attraction.

Officials found him at Sulphur Mountain after someone reported a car with an Ohio license plate in the area, which ended up being Pennington's vehicle.

"Investigators determined Mr. Pennington had not left town as required on the morning of June 26 but had chosen to visit a popular tourist site," Buxton-Carr told CBC News. "There are amenities available for essential needs, food and lodging, at the hotel. There was no legitimate reason to go up to Sulphur Mountain."

Pennington was arrested and charged with breaching the federal Quarantine Act in Canada... again. 

He's scheduled to appear in court in November. (He faces a $750,000 fine or six years in prison if he's convicted... but will probably just end up being deported!)

The way I see it anyway!