And here's me over in the corner thinking that maybe those with a monopoly on state-sanctioned violence should be held to a higher standard than the general public, not a lower one.

If that had been a gang of thugs (🤔), you can bet that everything would be done to pursue the case. And not just two people, but the whole gang as participants in a criminal activity.

...the misguided pairing of ham and cheese with the fruit.

Long before I had even heard of pizza (raised in the middle of nowhere in southern Saskatchewan), one of our special occasion dishes was ham roasted with pineapple slices.

Leftovers were made into ham and cheese, ham and pineapple, and even ham and cheese and pineapple sandwiches. Sometimes Dad added a slice of tomato and grilled them open face in the oven under the broiler until the cheese browned. Heaven on Earth, and I didn't even like either tomato or pineapple on their own. I still don't like pineapple unless it's paired with ham.

One of the standard condiments when setting out a cold cut, make your own sandwich buffet was homemade pineapple-mustard.

Now I'm hungry, and I just finished lunch!

[The industry association] wants a more competitive fiscal framework for B.C. mines and smelters in line with what exists in Ontario and Quebec, saying the B.C. industry pays too much in carbon tax despite having lower emissions in comparison to other mining operations globally.

Translation: Nobody else is paying their share, so why should they?

It also wants faster permitting processes; more funding to help First Nations involvement in land-use decisions; investments to help electrify and power mines; and improvements around how to train and retain more workers.

Translation: They want to cut corners. They want help convincing First Nations that they have no choice anyway, so they might as well play along. The mines won't be as profitable or maybe not even viable if they have to pay for basic infrastructure or to develop their own stable workforce.

How about building your own carbon-free power plants and we'll consider building transmission lines to take excess production?

Maybe set up your own training centres to meet existing standards for transferrable certification. Not like the railroads that have their own welding schools, but the training and certification is not recognized on the free market. Then pay new employees to get the necessary training.

Put 50% (or whatever, recalculated annually) of revenue (not profit) into an escrow account for clean-up and remediation. Payments monthly. Missed payments come with a fine equal to double the payment. Missed payment on the fine means closure and forfeiture of the escrow. All in clear, simple, and direct language that means going to court over the issue is basically pointless. If there is money left over afterwards, we'll split it 50/50, assuming that the business is still operational, not merely shuttered and sold in a way that is designed to retain assets and eliminate liabilities.

If all that works for you, then maybe it's worth talking about how to deal with the rest in actually sensible ways. But there is no point going further if you can't make even the simplest business case without public funding.

Alternatively, if this is such a social good, then maybe it should be a social project. We can hire the relevant expertise as easily as you.

🤞

A not so minor correction. The heat pumps are not free. The maximum payout is $5000. That has to cover the equipment, installation by a certified professional, and any necessary electrical upgrades. A ballpark estimate for my place comes in at over $6000. If I hold the total cost to $5k, the system will not be fit for purpose under the requirements of the program, making me ineligible for anything.

In addition, your dwelling must be eligible. That sounds easy until you realize that mobile homes must have the axles removed. Hitches, too, but axle removal is the big one. For me, that's another couple of grand to remove skirting, shift blocking, pull the axles out, and replace skirting.

The fact that those axles are useless because of other modifications and additions doesn't change the official designation as a mobile home. I suppose it might be possible to appeal that designation, but I'm not sure that would be less expensive.

For the heat pumps to be truly free, they'd have to nearly double the current subsidy and allow for non-electrical expenses like axle removal.

So the McCarthyism playbook?

The biggest difference I see is that this time it's running as a mostly decentralized and possibly grassroots initiative. But people are still losing their jobs and possibly their entire careers for opinions and activities that have literally nothing to do with their employment or education or even legitimate constraints on their freedom of expression.

Let's face it, Hamas wouldn't even exist if the Israeli government wasn't being a big dick about sharing or at least caring.

As long as there also appropriate laws and regulations on the use of biometric recognition and retention of recordings in which there is no complaint.

I'm not sure how this is going to shake out, but if I were to bet, I'd say it'll fracture on haves/have-nots and powerful/disenfranchised.

So situation normal?

If people are cancerned about fatal disease, why does nobody proactively prevent catching the flu, given the stats of yealy deaths from influenza?

Some people do, about 20% in Saskatchewan.

I've been getting the annual flu vaccine since it became available.

I don't particularly worry about disease and accidents and definitely don't live in fear, but I take standard precautions: vaccinations, diet, fitness, PPE in my shop, etc. It's all relatively simple and mostly low effort.

My understanding is that she was raised in a non-indingenous household in a non-indingenous community from birth through high school and was claiming Indigenous heritage before she was ever adopted into the community of which is now a member.

To me, her marriage certificate says it all. It is a clear and direct refutation of her public claims to ignorance or confusion. Not because she was telling a different story for a different purpose, but because she was acknowledging the reality of her upbringing.

I'm reluctant to suggest that DNA testing is required. Many of the indigenous peoples of at least North America have a long and well documented practice of adopting even adults and former enemies into their families and communities as full fledged members with all the associated privileges, rights, and responsibilities.

I would guess that it was for the same reason that you "wasted" your excellent points regarding mental illness. To participate in the discussion, to raise issues that are perhaps not properly considered or analyzed, and to get the ideas out there for use by others. Isn't that why we're all here, to learn, teach, discuss, share?

That sounds like an outlandish claim. Have you got certified designs and budget documents that show us how to do that? Wait, better hang onto that stuff as a trade secret so you can be the next billionaire and hero to those who struggle to afford shelter.