Lee surrenders, Trump sword dance and the circus is over

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Lee statue has stood since 1884
Hoisted off pedestal in New Orleans
Considered offensive



Robert E. Lee has gone down to defeat again, this time at  Lee Circle, a downtown corner in New Orleans, named for him 130 years ago. City Council voted to kick the Confederate general off his pedestal in the face of complaints that his presence was racist. In video, Donald Trump performs a sword dance, traditional symbol of friendship. And to the right, the circus is over. Literally. Today will see the last performance ever of the Barnum and Baily Ringling Brothers extravaganza.

Bulldog reader notices presence of good-natured honey bees

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Hives on high at Canadian Opera Company

Reader Monica Mueller says she’s noticed a plenitude of honey bees around her Millwood Rd. and Bayview Ave. home in recent days. She notes they are calm and easy to handle. Mueller is a member of the Citizen Science honey bee group, people keeping track of bees and doing what they can to perpetuate nature’s essential creatures of pollination. She wonders if others have similar observations and whether the bees are from local urban hives such as those at Casa Loma or downtown atop the Canadian Opera Company building. Do other readers have honey bee observations?

Girl dragged off wharf by sea lion a scary moment in nature

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An unidentified girl was pulled off the dock at Steveston in Richmond, B.C. by a large male sea lion who naturalists say probably mistook the girl’s white dress as fish. Her shocked family members quickly pulled the child, perhaps aged 9 or 10, from the water and she is okay. The incident was recorded by Michael Fujiwara, a student at Simon Fraser University who happened to be nearby and began to take video of the family feeding the sea lion. Needless to say, part of the aftermath is a warning not to feed wildlife. Fujiwara says the family began feeding the seat lion bread crumbs. The video is charming in the  beginning. Then the young girl gets closer to the edge of the dock, leaning over the edge and finally sitting on the edge. The alarming snatching of the girl occurs at about 1.35 of the video above. She sits on a protective ledge of the wharf within easy reach of the sea lion’s leap. He comes out of the water and  grabs her dress with his mouth and take her into the water. Fujiwara said the child was shaken up but all right. So was her family.. “They were pretty shaken up,” he said. “Her family were just in shock.” Family slammed for ‘reckless behaviour’ after sea lion drags girl into water in Richmond, B.C.

Canadians face 10 years in Chinese jail for customs offense

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Chinese immigrant of the year
Welcome to Shanghai

The Chinese government accuses Canadian vintners John Chang and Allison Lu of intentionally under-valuing their shipment of ice wine to Shanghai customs. It may or may not be true, although the Changs deny it. But if they’re guilty, it is said they face ten years in prison. Chang has already been in jail for more than a year. Be careful what you do in China. CBC

 

Pedestrian bridge disconnected from supporting buildings

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As we knew it
Said to be work on new bridge on nearby James St.
Heavy support as old bridge comes down Saturday morning
New bridge is a dazzling
Map if you’re down there
Remarkable shot by Jason MacLellan of bridge being cut down/City News

Work goes on Saturday morning on the removal and replacement of the pedestrian footbridge between Eaton Centre and the The Bay/Saks. Work will finish Sunday with Queen Street expected to re-open early Monday.

Pippa Middleton is wed in country church near her home

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Married at last
Duchess straightens sister’s dress
Kiss is good
Children steal show
Do they ever

Pippa Middleton, younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, has been married in a countryside church about 60 kilometres west of London.  Pippa, 33, married financier James Matthews at a ceremony attended by her sister and brother in law. Prince William, and by Prince Harry and his girlfriend, Meghan Markle. But if she was there, Markle kept well out of sight for  fear of upstaging the newlyweds. The bride wore an elegant white lace gown with a cut-out in the back and a full long skirt. She arrived in a open-top car accompanied by her father, smiling broadly and waving to crowds gathered near St. Mark’s church in Englefield near her parents estate. Matthews, 41, sported a three-piece morning suit with a pale waistcoat and tails. Twitter trove of photos  Below, guys will dig the car.