Hip-hop act quietly plotting world domination

250 years ago Thomas Jefferson and the American Declaration of Independence

In the 16th and 17th centuries, countries and territories such as the Netherlands and Portugal boldly declared their independence from Spain. But 250 years ago, on July 4, 1776, the American Declaration of Independence — marked in the U.S. by the semiquincentennial celebrations — was the first time an overseas colony (the 13 colonies, in this case) had set out in an official document its reasons for breaking away from its mother country.

Because the Declaration ultimately gave birth to the United States, it is considered one of the greatest of historical treatises. Thomas Jefferson, its primary author, later explained that his main aim was “not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of … but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject; in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent.”

He did so brilliantly, creating, in theory at least, an enlightened argument for American independence based on the political, economic, social and philosophical thinking of the era.

Influenced by such philosophers as John Locke and Montesquieu, Jefferson, then 33 years old, a lawyer, landowner, Virginia politician and a delegate to the Second Continental Congress which met in Philadelphia, passionately believed in natural law — that all human beings were born free and equal and that no king or ruler could abolish these rights. It was a key point he made in the Declaration’s well-known preamble.

Forever 21, Bluenotes exit CF Polo Park; Thrifty’s steps in

Toronto-based retail conglomerate YM Inc. is closing its Forever 21 and Bluenotes stores in CF Polo Park to make way for Thriftys.

Zebra mussels found in Lake of the Prairies

Lake lovers in Manitoba are worried the detection of zebra mussels in Lake of the Prairies could result in restrictions that give the local economy a rough ride.

Environmental officials have found samples of zebra mussels in the larval stage in Lake of the Prairies, a manmade reservoir on the Assiniboine River that straddles the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border.

Multiple zebra mussel veligers were detected in the lake as part of Manitoba’s routine monitoring program, and corroborated by followup sampling, said the provincial environment department on Friday.

All boats and any water-related equipment of any kind used on the Lake of the Prairies, also known as the Shellmouth Reservoir, must be decontaminated before being used on another body of water, officials said.

With or without us, nature will move on

I don’t know what I expected.

I mean, I expected nature to win. That, to me, is a given.

But I didn’t expect it to win like this, easily rolling with the punches. Rolling on the tide.

Some things are the same as they have always been.

Manitoba asks Ottawa for military help in ‘gargantuan’ cleanup to come in flooded Parkland region

Evacuee Sevanna Delaronde was in disbelief after she and her partner returned to their flooded neighbourhood in Swan River to check on their home Thursday morning.

She estimated their basement was under more than a metre of water from the Swan River, which overflowed following heavy rains and forced the mandatory evacuation of several streets Wednesday afternoon.

“The water breached the windows in the night and the river is still surrounding our place,” an emotional Delaronde said.

“There’s just lots of devastation. I know a lot of people have lost more than me. They had no time to get out because it came too fast.”