And what, exactly, is wrong with that?

The New World Order. It’s not just about creating a trading bloc of 1.5 billion people. it is about creating a trading bloc of 1.5 billion people who are at the same standard of living as the average American. (And that does not even include the Indian or Chinese market). It is that last bit - the fact that the standard of living of ‘the rest of the world’ is now equivalent to the average American standard of living, PPP. America just has not got the memo - Americans are no longer the ONLY middle-income consumers, there are now billions of people in the world that are at the same level as the average American, in spending power PPP. In the last three decades or so, America has shifted from ‘the ONLY market’ to ‘just a part of the global market’.

An interesting historical note is that Nestle has survived and prospered despite American sanctions against it. Nestle products were widely available in Cuba when I visited - about the only ice cream novelties that were available. That’s why you will not see Smarties in an American store.

However, this may soon be a moot discussion, based on what China does next.

“China will support Cuba “in the best way possible” as the island grapples with an energy crisis following tougher measures imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday.”

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343242/china-vows-do-what-it-can-us-blockade-leaves-cuba-just-weeks-oil

Apparently, China is very eager to replace the Russian influence in Cuba with a Chinese influence.

It would be ironic, and perhaps even strategic, if Canada were to team up with China in a humanitarian effort to divert oil to Cuba. Canadian oil shipped to Cuba under a Chinese navy escort? Wouldn’t that shake up the 'New World Order"!!!

The Law of Unintended Consequences - the more America tries to push its weight around in Latin American countries, the more he pushes them towards China.

And while these two hegemons battle it out, Canada, as a middle power, skates right down the middle and scores. The opportunities and openings for Canada have never been greater.

Afghanistan also shares a border with China. Do you consider that a ‘colony borders made by racist white people in history’?

Quantum computers and communication is probabilistic, not digital calculations. Even though the particles are entangled, one still does not know what state they are in until they are read. They may both be in the same state, but you do not know which state. It is all random probabilities.

“Air Transat said it made the choice in order to make full use of its resources.”

In other words, Air Transat needed the planes to fulfill stronger demand on other routes.

And in other news - Hong Kong and mainland Chinese diaspora groups are terrorizing Chinese Canadians in extortion rings.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10333849/extortion-scams-chinese-community-york-region/

I actually got a message involving a Chinese immigration scam, in Chinese, even though I have never had any connection to China nor do I speak Chinese. It was allegedly from the Chinese embassy in Canada. How they got my text number, or expected me to speak Chinese, I will never know.

But, apparently, some posters here want the RCMP to reveal in detail the methods they intend to use to clamp down on these rings. Exactly the type of information these rings need to avoid prosecution.

In Canada? Of course we will still have elections and by-elections. Wait - you mean the Americans? They still have a few years before they cancel their elections. I think Vance wants to be formally elected. Looks good in the history books.

We are also going an ‘any country but America’ in our trade deals, and Europe is looking really. really good aa an alternative to America. Europe is finally getting their manufacturing mojo back again from the devastation of the Wars and their reliance on American manufacturing…

If the mid-terms drastically go against Trump, this ‘no confidence’ could be easily reformulated as a means for impeachment.

So we go from MAGA (Make America Great Again) to LELA (Let Europe Lead Again).

Mid-term elections in nine months. This was a ‘non-confidence’ vote against Trump, American style. Seems there are Republicans that are afraid their constituents do not like the tariffs. If Canadians double down on the boycotts, this could swing the House. But if Trump goes, Vance will be ten times worse.

From the 1950’s to a decade ago, Europe felt obligated to America for ‘liberating’ them from the Nazis. Today, there are few Europeans alive that remember the 1940’s and 50’s, and are far less prone to being in gratitude to the US. It’s no longer MAGA, Make America Great Again, it is LELA - Let Europe Lead Again.

Interac Debit is a purely Canadian operation, I think. They have Interac Direct, which Canadian financial institutions and merchants are familiar with. So if they make a move towards a credit card, the timing might be right.

https://www.interac.ca/en/payments/personal/interac-direct/

A lot of Credit Unions use them. Now if we could get a few Canadian banks to follow in their footsteps - but it will only happenn if Canadians push for it.

And then there is Europe.

A rght-wing Canadian source arguing AGAINST PP? What has Conservativism gotten to?

It’s called The Hew World Order, where the old rules no longer apply. Europe needs to get over its inferiority complex, and start living in the present. Europe needs to take care of ALL Europe, including Ukraine. It should now be blatantly clear that Ukraine will never be part of Russia again, and European investments in Ukraine will not fall into Russian hands. Russia will not be able to retaliate, especially when Europe no longer needs Russian fossil fuels.

When the ESA gets around to launching humans into space, hopefully it will include Canadians. If Europe ever gets its act together and decides to become an informal republic of autonomous states, it would certainly hurry things up. There is no reason why a unified Europe could not leap over the US in space. They have the money, and they could certainly create a company to rival SpaceX. Over the last 8 decades, they became lax and put too much dependence on America. They put all their investment money into American ventures, not their own. That seems to be changing recently. CERN really did boost their confidence, and now China has decided to invest in the European next generation collider instead of building their own in China.

Maybe Canadians will see the light, and divert our investment dollars into Europe instead of America.

https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/no-canada-didnt-give-the-u-s-a-trillion-dollar-gift-but-theres-still-reason-to-worry-trevor-tombe-in-the-hub/

It would really have to be a flexible accordion bridge. The two planets rotate around the sun at different speeds.

Arguably the customers who paid full price were certainly overcharged.