Russian Duma gives LGBTQ 'propaganda' bill final approval

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Thursday gave their final approval to a bill that significantly expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting gay rights in the country, another step in a years-long crackdown on the country's embattled LGBTQ community.


Russian Duma gives LGBTQ 'propaganda' bill final approval© Provided by The Canadian Press

The new bill expands a ban on what authorities call “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors, established by legislation dubbed the “gay propaganda” law. It was adopted by the Kremlin in 2013 in an effort to promote “traditional values” in Russia.

This year, the lawmakers moved to ban spreading such information to people aged 18 and older.

The bill was approved in the third and final reading on Thursday by the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. It will go next to the upper house, the Federation Council, and then to President Vladimir Putin, whose signature will give it legal force.



Related video: Russian lawmakers advance expansion of anti-LGBTQ law
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Russian lawmakers give final approval to bill banning 'LGBT+ propaganda'

The new bill outlaws all advertising, media and online resources books, films and theater productions deemed to contain such “propaganda,” a concept loosely defined in the bill. The 2013 ban was often enacted against any depictions of same-sex unions and used as a tool to crack down on LGBTQ rights groups and activists.

Violations are punishable by fines. If committed by non-residents, they can lead to their expulsion from Russia. The fines range from 100,000 to 2 million rubles ($1,660-$33,000). For some violations, foreigners could face 15 days’ detention prior to expulsion.

The bill does not make violations a criminal offense. Russian law stipulates that the criminal code can be amended only through an independent bill. Some lawmakers have suggested they favor such a measure.

Russia explicitly outlawed same-sex marriages in 2020 by adopting amendments to the country's Constitution that, among other things, stipulated that the “institution of marriage is a union between a man and a woman.”

The Associated Press

NDP Vows to Fight Against ‘War on Workers’

“When envisioned, the whole idea of the notwithstanding clause was to bring provinces on board. It was never meant to be used preemptively to undermine fundamental rights of workers,” Singh said.

BUILD THE MASS STRIKE

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wants provincial governments to be prevented from using the Constitutions’s notwithstanding clause to deny unions’ right to strike after Ontario Premier Doug Ford invoked it in an attempt to head off job action by education workers.

Singh told delegates at the BC Federation of Labour convention this week that Ontario’s abandoned attempt to use the clause to impose a collective agreement on education workers could set a dangerous precedent.

“There has got to be a limitation. It should not be used that way,” Singh told delegates. “We’re working at the federal level to find ways to limit its use.”

Singh’s comments came a week after Ontario repealed Bill 28, which imposed a contract on 55,000 education workers represented by CUPE and banned them from going on strike.

The law relied on Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — the notwithstanding clause — which allows the federal and provincial parliaments to pass legislation overriding guaranteed human rights.

The bill sparked condemnation from labour and human rights groups and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Singh told the convention it was part of an ongoing “war on workers.” Premier Doug Ford backed down from the bill and the government reached a tentative deal with CUPE workers earlier this week.

The affair sparked concerns from labour groups who worry other provincial governments may bypass collective bargaining with unions. Employees’ right to bargain collectively was recognized in the B.C. Hospital Employees’ Union’s landmark Supreme Court victory in 2007.

Newly minted B.C. Premier David Eby made a point of telling federation delegates that his government would not invoke the clause in that way. He received a standing ovation.

“Can you imagine that I have to make that commitment to you? That that is an issue?” Eby said.

Related video: NDP leader weighs in on Ontario's use of notwithstanding clause
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And Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske dedicated part of her speech to excoriating the Ford government, backed by yells of “shame” from the crowd.

Singh, whose party is supporting the federal Liberals in Parliament, argued the clause should be limited to “very specific or unique situations.” He and others worry Bill 28 could create a new precedent for how the clause is invoked.

“It can’t have been what was envisioned when we signed on to having a Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Singh said in an interview after he spoke at the convention.

A spokeswoman for federal Attorney General David Lametti said the clause should not be used pre-emptively and that government is “looking at our options,” though she did not say what those were.

“We believe that the notwithstanding clause should be used as a last resort, and that governments must explain the exceptional circumstances that justify the suspension of legal protections,” Chantalle Aubertin said in a statement.

The federal government does not have the power to change that on its own. Amending Canada’s Constitution would require the backing of two-thirds of Canadian provinces who collectively represent at least half the total population.

Ottawa law professor Carissima Mathen says the federal Parliament could adopt a bill limiting its own powers to invoke the notwithstanding clause. But that wouldn’t affect provinces’ powers — though it would send a strong political message.

Singh said the federal government could instead submit a case to the Supreme Court of Canada, essentially asking the judiciary to rule on how broadly the notwithstanding clause can be applied.

Mathen said that court has considered similar cases in the past but that nothing prevents them from examining it again.

“The court isn’t bound by its own decisions. It’s able to reconsider them. The court has done that on a couple of occasions in very important ways,” Mathen said.

Asked why provinces would voluntarily give up the power to make their own laws, Singh said the vast majority of Canadians were uncomfortable with the prospect of their Charter rights being overturned.

“When envisioned, the whole idea of the notwithstanding clause was to bring provinces on board. It was never meant to be used preemptively to undermine fundamental rights of workers,” Singh said.

Zak Vescera, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Tyee

U.S. will likely challenge Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition: report

Story by MobileSyrup • Yesterday 





Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard could face a major roadblock from the U.S.’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Politico, citing “three people with knowledge of the matter,” reports that the FTC will likely file an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft in an effort to block the tech giant’s takeover of the Call of Duty maker. While the publication notes that the FTC hasn’t yet made a formal decision, the agency is nonetheless skeptical of Microsoft’s case for purchasing Activision Blizzard.

As the deal has faced regulatory approval across the globe, a key point of contention has been Call of Duty. Rival Sony has argued that Microsoft owning the massively popular first-person shooter franchise would provide an unfair advantage.

“Call of Duty is not replicable. Call of Duty is too entrenched for any rival, no matter how well equipped, to catch up. It has been the top-selling game for almost every year in the last decade and, in the first-person shooter (‘FPS’) genre, it is overwhelmingly the top-selling game,” wrote Sony in a filing to the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). As an example, Sony mentioned that EA’s Battlefield, which is a direct Call of Duty competitor, “cannot keep up” with Activision’s series.

Related video: UK Regulator Concerned About Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Purchase
Duration 1:32   View on Watch




Microsoft, in turn, has said it’s willing to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for many years while arguing that it would still be third in the gaming market after Sony and Tencent even upon acquiring Activision Blizzard.

“The suggestion that the incumbent market leader, Sony, with clear and enduring market power, could be foreclosed by the smallest of the three console competitors, Xbox, as a result of losing access to one title, is not credible. Sony’s PlayStation has been the largest console platform for over 20 years, with an installed base of consoles and market share more than double the size of Xbox,” said Microsoft in a November 23rd statement to the CMA.

However, Politico reports that FTC investigators are also concerned about Microsoft’s plans beyond Call of Duty. The outlet notes that there’s uncertainty surrounding how Microsoft could use future unannounced Activision Blizzard titles to boost its business. So far, Microsoft has only said it intends to make these titles available on its Xbox Game Pass service. Microsoft has also outlined plans to leverage Activision Blizzard to create an app marketplace independent of Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, which it claims will offer consumers more choice. Naturally, such a move would also face significant regulatory scrutiny.

Interestingly, Politico adds that Google is also opposing Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard bid. While the search engine giant’s gaming efforts will be limited to Android games following the January 2023 closure of its Stadia streaming service, Google’s issues with Microsoft reportedly concern other matters. Specifically, Politico reports that Google is alleging that Microsoft purposefully degrades the quality of its Game Pass service on Google Chrome in an effort to steer consumers towards Microsoft products and services. Google claims that Microsoft owning Activision Blizzard would only bolster Microsoft’s efforts in this regard.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen what action the FTC will take. Politico reports that investigators may move ahead with an antitrust case as early as December, although it could opt to do so later down the line, given that Microsoft is currently subject to in-depth probes in both Europe and the U.K. As it stands, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard aim to close the deal by June 2023.

Source: Politico

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for BLIZZARD 

Foxconn apologizes for pay dispute at China factory

BEIJING (AP) — The company that assembles Apple Inc.’s iPhones apologized Thursday for a pay dispute that triggered employee protests at a factory where anti-virus controls have slowed production.


Foxconn apologizes for pay dispute at China factory© Provided by The Canadian Press

Employees complained Foxconn Technology Group changed the terms of wages offered to attract them to the factory in the central city of Zhengzhou. Foxconn is trying to rebuild the workforce after employees walked out last month over complaints about unsafe conditions.

Videos on social media showed police in white protective suits kicking and clubbing workers during the protest that erupted Tuesday and lasted into the next day.

Foxconn, the biggest contract assembler of smartphones and other electronics for Apple and other global brands, blamed a “technical error” in the process of adding new employees and said they would be paid what they were promised.

"We apologize for an input error in the computer system and guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed and the official recruitment posters," said a company statement. It promised to “try its best to actively solve the concerns and reasonable demands of employees.”

Late Wednesday, Apple said it had people on the ground at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility.

“We are reviewing the situation and working closely with Foxconn to ensure their employees’ concerns are addressed,” the company based in Cupertino, California, said.

Unrest builds among Foxconn Apple factory workers in China
Duration 1:57
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The dispute comes as the ruling Communist Party tries to contain a surge in coronavirus cases without shutting down factories, as it did in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Its tactics include “closed-loop management,” or having employees live at their workplaces without outside contact.

Authorities promised last month to reduce economic disruption by cutting quarantine times and making other changes to China's “zero-COVID” strategy, which aims to isolate every case. Despite that, the infection surge has prompted authorities to suspend access to neighborhoods and factories and to close office buildings, shops and restaurants in parts of many cities.

On Thursday, people in eight districts of Zhengzhou with a total of 6.6 million residents were told to stay home for five days. Daily mass testing was ordered for a “war of annihilation” against the virus.

Apple earlier warned iPhone 14 deliveries would be delayed after employees walked out of the Zhengzhou factory and access to the industrial zone around the facility was suspended following outbreaks.

To attract new workers, Foxconn offered 25,000 yuan ($3,500) for two months of work, according to employees, or almost 50% more than news reports say its highest wages usually are.

Employees complained that after they arrived, they were told they had to work an additional two months at lower pay to received the higher wage, according to an employee, Li Sanshan.

Foxconn offered up to 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to new hires who choose to leave, the finance news outlet Cailianshe reported, citing unidentified recruiting agents.

Foxconn's statement Thursday said employees who leave will receive unspecified “care subsidies” but gave no details. It promised “comprehensive support” for those who stay.

The protests in Zhengzhou come amid public frustration over restrictions that have confined millions of people to their homes. Videos on social media show residents in some areas tearing down barricades set up to enforce neighborhood closures.

Foxconn, headquartered in New Taipei City, Taiwan, earlier denied what it said were comments online that employees with the virus lived in factory dormitories.

Joe Mcdonald, The Associated Press

Offensive names against Native Americans officially changed in U.S. West

Story by PeterMertz • Yesterday 

The screenshot taken from the website of the New York Post on Nov. 24, 2022 shows the title and picture of its latest report about the renaming of Indian Gardens, a location along the Grand Canyon National Park's popular Bright Angel Trail. (Xinhua)

Offensive names against Native Americans officially changed in U.S. West© Provided by XINHUA

Efforts are already underway to update signage, website and other materials with the new name. A rededication ceremony is planned for the spring.

DENVER, the United States, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A prominent national landmark in U.S. Southwest is getting a name change finally this week, as indignant human rights groups and wrongfully-treated Native American tribes are getting action from the federal government to help rectify century-old slights.

The most recent case applauded by local media involves U.S. most famous and internationally popular national park, the Grand Canyon National Park in Northern Arizona.

A popular hiking spot in the massive Grand Canyon changed its racially "offensive" name after an agreement was reached with a local Native American tribe which had been forced out of the area almost a century ago.

Indian Gardens, a location along the Grand Canyon National Park's popular Bright Angel Trail, is now called Havasupai Gardens, the National Park Service (NPS) said in a statement released Monday. It was previously known as Ha'a Gyoh in the Havasupai language.

The move reflects the fact that the NPS instituted policies that forced the Havasupai people, who had lived in the Grand Canyon for at least 800 years, from Ha'a Gyoh and in 1928, the last Havasupai resident, Captain Burro, was forcibly removed.

The screenshot taken from the website of USA Today on Nov. 24, 2022 shows the title and picture of its latest report about the renaming of Indian Gardens, a location along the Grand Canyon National Park's popular Bright Angel Trail. (Xinhua)

Related video: Native Americans reclaim stewardship of US bison

Duration 3:30

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Today, Havasupai is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in northwestern Arizona with only 730 members.

"The eviction of Havasupai residents from Ha'a Gyoh coupled with the offensive name, Indian Garden, has had detrimental and lasting impacts on the Havasupai families that lived there and their descendants," the NPS statement said. "Every year, approximately 100,000 people visit the area while hiking the Bright Angel Trail, largely unaware of this history. The renaming of this sacred place to Havasupai Gardens will finally right that wrong."

Efforts are already underway to update signage, website and other materials with the new name, the NPS added. A rededication ceremony is planned for the spring.

"The Havasupai people have actively occupied this area since time immemorial, before the land's designation as a National Park and until the park forcibly removed them in 1926. This renaming is long overdue. It is a measure of respect for the undue hardship imposed by the park on the Havasupai people," Grand Canyon park superintendent Ed Keable said.

The name change followed the initiative led by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary in U.S. history, to rename nearly 650 geographical locations that bear a racist slur for a Native American woman and name changes advanced by local governments in U.S. West based on extensive tribal engagement.

In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a state bill into California law that would remove the word "squaw" from places in California by 2025 and create a process to review petitions to change offensive or derogatory place names against Native Americans.

The screenshot taken from the website of The Guardian on Nov. 24, 2022 shows the title and picture of its latest report about the renaming of Indian Gardens, a location along the Grand Canyon National Park's popular Bright Angel Trail. (Xinhua)

Last week, about 700 km northeast of the Grand Canyon, in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado's Geographic Naming Advisory Board voted unanimously to recommend renaming Mount Evans to Mount Blue Sky.

The vote came after months of discussions, presentations and public comment. Colorado Governor Jared Polis and the U.S. Board of Geographic Names are expected to approve the change.

One of Colorado's 58 internationally recognized "Fourteeners," 14,265-foot Mount Evans was named for former Colorado Territorial Governor John Evans, in office during the Sand Creek Massacre, a surprise attack where U.S. Army troops killed 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people on Nov. 29, 1864, mostly women, children and older adults.

Native people have called for Evans' name to be removed from the mountain and that may finally occur before the new year.

Fred Mosqueda, a Southern Arapaho who has been fighting to erase the Evans name from Colorado's highest peak, was quoted by the Colorado Politics news website Wednesday the move signified the indigenous connections.

The Arapaho are known as the Blue Sky People.

Dead Whale Discovered With Strange Cut Mark Leaves Scientists Baffled

Story by Robyn White • 

A dead sperm whale has been found with a strange cut to its right flank that has left scientists baffled.


A picture shows the whale when it was last seen alive in May 2022.

© Lisa Steiner/Whale Watch Azores

The whale, known to marine biologists as 2470, was found dead by Jorge Fontes and Bruno Macena from the Institute of Marine Sciences on November 18.

The mammal had been regularly sighted by teams from Whale Watch Azores, a group that tracks whales around the Portuguese islands in the North Atlantic.

The exact cause of death remains a mystery, Whale Watch Azores said in a Facebook post. All marine biologists have to go off is the large cut and some possible bruising around its head, the group said on Facebook.

Lisa Steiner, marine biologist at Whale Watch Azores, told Newsweek: "The origin of the cut is still unknown and unfortunately a necropsy to check for internal damage isn't possible, since the whale was 45 miles offshore. There was also bruising on the head, which could have been from a collision, but not definitive."

The whale had been spotted eight times between 2001 and this year. It belonged to a pod that was last seen together on September 16, 2022.

Related video: Whale Gets Too Close for Comfort
Duration 3:28
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Whales off the California coast consume up to 10 million microplastics every day, study finds

Whale on the move

cbc.ca

Sperm whales, which can grow up to 50 feet long and weight up to 45 tons, are some of the most commonly sighted species in the Azores. They can be seen all year round but are particularly easy to spot from April to October.

They can live for up to 60 years but the species is still vulnerable after nearly being hunted to extinction by the commercial whaling industry from 1800 to 1987.

Although this whale's cause of death has not been determined, it is not the first one to be found with strange injuries.

Being hit by a ship is one of the biggest threats the species faces today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says. Although these circumstances are not often recorded, boat traffic is increasing in the world's oceans, and collisions with vessels including cruise ships, container ships and oil tankers can cause severe injury.

Sperm whales can also become injured by getting entangled by or consuming fishing gear. It is estimated that approximately 300,000 whales and other marine animals die every year after becoming wrapped up in fishing gear.

The death of this Azores sperm whale has not been the only incident to occur recently.

An emaciated sperm whale recently washed up in Canada. A necropsy found it had 330 pounds of fishing gear in its stomach when it died from starvation.

A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale named Snow Cone became well-known after being spotted entangled in huge amounts of fishing line. Scientists last saw her in September and determined her death was all but certain.

Horror unfolding on the far side of Sun, apocalyptic solar storm coming towards Earth?

Story by HT Tech • Yesterday

For months, scientists have warned that the frequency and intensity of solar disturbances will be increasing significantly as the Sun reaches close to the peak of its solar cycle. And it appears that the first sign of the Sun's wrath is already upon us. Using its technology through a method called Helioseismology, researchers have observed a sunspot on the farside of the Sun. And while sunspots are regular occurrences, this one is one of the largest sunspots seen in the last five years. If it explodes, it will definitely cause an extreme solar storm event which can damage both satellites in space and electronics on ground. From internet connection to mobile networks, all can be destroyed in an instant. So, read on to know if a solar storm to Earth is expected.

The development was reported by SpaceWeather.com which reported, ?The black blob is a sunspot group--a big one. In fact, only a handful of sunspot groups in the past 5 years have created a helioseismic echo this large. Don't be surprised if SOHO coronagraphs record a farside CME in the days ahead?.

Will an extreme solar storm the Earth

There is no doubt that if this solar storm is fully capable of ejecting coronal mass ejections (CME) powerful enough to cause a G5-class solar storm on Earth that would start a series of disasters for us including damage to satellites, disruption and destruction of wireless technology like GPS, mobile networks and internet connectivity, electronic devices getting corrupt including pacemakers in heart, power grid failures and even forest fires.



However, it is not likely that this sunspot will face the Earth anytime soon and it will likely explode while not in the direction of the Earth. However, it is difficult to predict just when a solar storm may explode and that's why the tech marvel NASA has deployed, named the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, is constantly monitoring this sunspot.

How is a sunspot on the farside of the Sun spotted?

It is a valid question given that we cannot really see what's on the farside of the Sun. However, technology developed by NASA and other space agencies dedicated towards observing the Sun is capable of using different signals to find out about it. The process is called helioseismology. Special instruments have been put in place to measure the Doppler-velocity (apparent change in the frequency of the light) continuously on the near-side of the Sun. Apart from that, 14 other factors around the Sun are also measured to build a crude image of the farside of the Sun.

Jerry Jones defends newly-unearthed photo capturing him at Little Rock school civil rights clash

Story by Bevan Hurley • Yesterday 

A newly-unearthed photo shows a 14-year-old Jerry Jones among a group of white teenagers blocking six African-American students from entering a school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.

 LITTLE ROCK ARK 1957 THE BOY IN FRONT IS NOT JERRY JONES

Mr Jones, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys, acknowledged in an interview with the Washington Post he was in the photo, which was taken amid protests over efforts to integrate Black students into local high schools during the civil rights movement.

Mr Jones told the Post that his football coach had warned players to avoid the arrival of the six African-American students for their first day at North Little Rock High.

He disobeyed but said it was out of a sense of curiosity rather than any racist intent, adding he looked “a little like a burrhead” standing towards the back of the gathered crowd.

“I don't know that I or anybody anticipated or had a background of knowing … what was involved,” he told the Post.

Richard Lindsey, one of the Black students trying to gain entry to the school, would later recount how a white student put his hand on the back of his shoulder, and said: “I want to see how a n***** feels.”

The students, who became known as the Little Rock 6, ultimately decided against enrolling in the school.


Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is worth an estimated $15bn (AP)© Provided by The Independent

Events at North Little Rock High School occurred a few weeks before a separate event that became a flashpoint for the civil rights movement.

On 9 September 1957, nine African-American students trying to enter Little Rock Central High School were pushed and shoved by white students as they attempted to enter the school.

 LITTLE ROCK ARK 1957

The racist protests became so inflamed that then-President Dwight Eisenhower sent in federal troops to try to enforce desegregation.

The Post article goes on to point out that Mr Jones, as one of the most powerful executives in the NFL, has done little to advance issues of racial equity in the league.

He objected to protests during the 2017 season when many players took a knee during the playing of the national anthem, a movement spurred by Colin Kaepernick to push back against the killing of African-Americans by police.

He has also been dismissive of the NFL’s Rooney rule, which requires teams to consider at least one minority candidate when hiring a head coach.

Mr Jones has never hired a Black head coach or top executive during his 33-year ownership of the Dallas Cowboys.

Around 20 Ostriches Were Running Loose In An Alberta Town & It Was A Wild Time (VIDEO)

Story by Charlie Hart • Yesterday 
Provided by Narcity Québec

Police in Taber, Alberta spent their morning dealing with a pretty wild incident, when 20 ostriches started running loose in the street and causing mayhem.

In a statement, Taber-Vauxhall RCMP said just before 8 a.m., they'd received reports of approximately 20 ostriches running loose in the road around Highway 39 area on Thursday, November 24.

Police said the huge birds had gotten loose, escaping from their enclosure within Taber town limits.

"The group made their way out of town where they created traffic hazards," Taber Police said in a Facebook post.

One of the ostriches was hit and killed on the road.

A local from Taber captured a video of the moment where someone is seen leaning out of the passenger window of an RCMP vehicle to try and grab one of the large birds.

However, the ostrich manages to escape and continues running down the street, seemingly pretty unbothered by the whole attempted capture.

According to police, the person seen in the video is the owner of the ostriches. Safe to say, they're probably having a rough day.

Since the initial reports of the ostriches breaking loose, police have been working with the owner to recapture the birds.

By 12:30 p.m., police said most of the ostriches had been secured and officers would be on the scene to help the owner capture the remaining birds.

So if you're driving around the Taber area today, be sure to watch out for any loose ostriches on the way and drive safely.

'Not a prank call': RCMP chase down escaped ostriches running amok in Taber, Alta.

Story by Tyler Dawson • Yesterday 

Mounties in the Alberta town of Taber were hit with an unusual task Thursday: Rounding up a herd of ostriches that escaped from a farm.


RCMP officers had to round up some escaped ostriches in Taber, Alta.© Provided by National Post

And, like the mounted police of old, they got their man.

“We received multiple calls,” said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff with the southern Alberta RCMP district. “A lot of the calls we received were immediately with the caveat ‘This is not a prank call.'”

The clarity, doubtless, was important. The herd ran amok through Taber — perhaps best known for its bylaw against swearing, screaming or yelling in public — after they got out of an enclosure shortly before 8 a.m. One ostrich, sadly, was killed on the highway nearby where they escaped.

It took more than five hours to catch them all.

A video posted to social media shows an RCMP truck chasing after one ostrich, while a man — apparently the owner — leans out the passenger window and grabs it around the neck. The ostrich is then hauled to the ground as the truck comes to a stop, but the farmer loses his grip.

“Oh my gosh, this is the first time I’ve ever seen this,” says a woman’s voice in the video.

The ostrich scrambles to its feet and takes off — hotly pursued by another police cruiser.

In the sanitized style of police communications, the Taber Police Service announced on Facebook that the birds “made their way out of town where they created traffic hazards.”

While unusual, police in rural Alberta are often involved in recovering livestock that have gone AWOL. They’re just usually cattle or horses, said Savinkoff. It was, he said, the first time any of the officers could recall having dealt with ostriches on the loose.

“Certainly I’ve never dealt with it,” said Savinkoff.

The incident led to a number of jokes among residents on the Taber police Facebook page.

“Missed that, must have had my head in the sand??” joked user Alf Rudd.

“The names of the ostriches were not released to the public because their family has connections to the police,” said Douglas Carle.

Ostrich escapes are not entirely unusual. Earlier this year, around 80 of the flightless birds absconded from a farm in Chongzuo, China; video of that incident shows the birds sashaying down the darkened streets.

'Witnesses to history': University makes 3D virtual replicas of residential schools


CALGARY — A new project from the University of Calgary is creating 3D digital records of some Alberta residential schools.

'Witnesses to history': University makes 3D virtual replicas of residential schools

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The Taylor Family Digital Library, in consultation with Indigenous communities in Alberta, has created accurate virtual and physical models of three former residential schools with plans for more in the future.

Prof. Peter Dawson, the project's leader, said it is important to preserve a dark part of Canada's history.

"Why preserve these buildings that are associated with so much tragedy and human trauma? It's for precisely that reason that we are working with (three groups) to preserve these schools. Because these schools really are witnesses to history and sites of conscience," said Dawson, head of the university's Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

"They're the physical manifestation of an education system, in name only, that caused great harm and suffering to generations of Indigenous children."

An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools in Canada over a century. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has detailed mistreatment at the schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children.

With the use of lidar technology and original building plans, three dimensional images of the Old Sun Indian Residential School at Siksika Nation, east of Calgary, Blue Quills school in St. Paul, Alta., and Poundmaker's Lodge Carriage House, which once formed part of the Edmonton Indian Residential School in St. Albert, Alta., have been created.

Stories from residential school survivors are to be embedded into each virtual replica.

"The sad reality is that many, many people don't know about this history. I thought it was important to preserve it digitally because the young people, as they heard more and more about the residential schools, were angry," said Vivian Ayoungman, 75, who spent nine years the at Old Sun school.

Related video: 'Brings to Light': exhibit on legacy of the residential school system opens in Winnipeg    Duration 3:25    View on Watch

"I thought we've really got to do some work. We can't be part of erasing our own history. We have to have the evidence. We want to preserve that building so that people know that it wasn't a figment of our imagination. That it really happened to us."

Ayoungman eventually became a teacher and now works at a community college located in the old residential school building where she attended as a child.

"We have really painful memories of those times when it was a residential school," she said.

"I got strapped for speaking my language at a very young age. I entered that school not speaking a word of English."

Ayoungman said those who survived residential schools are getting older, and having a digital record will ensure their history survives.

"There's no danger of it being forgotten. It's preserved how forever long digitization lasts," she said.

Her nephew Kent Ayoungman, 42, said both his parents and grandparents attended residential schools and he had no idea what they went through.

"Growing up, they never talked about their experiences, what they went through. So we didn't really know," he said.

"Who wants to hear about what they went through when they were in those places? It just changed the life of our people. We need to talk about it. Our people need to hear these stories of what they went through."

The project is entering a second phase, which is to digitally document the original grounds surrounding the three residential schools — a landscape that included hockey rinks, athletic grounds, gardens, and barns — to provide a more complete account of daily life at the schools.

The scans are eventually to be archived at each former school and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2022.

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press