Beginning of the end for Castro Communist Cuba?

Agent 10 is excited this morning by the latest news from the People's Democratic Republic of Cuba. Minions of the Cuban government today warned airlines that there isn't enough fuel on the island for airplanes to refuel. Seems that POTUS, by cutting Cuba off from its Venezuelan and Mexican fuel sources, has driven another nail into the coffin of Castro Communism.

NOTAMs (notices to airlines and pilots) were published on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel won’t be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11th... at least. After President Trump signed the executive order imposing a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, the country now faces an unprecedented energy crisis.

The desperate rationing of jet fuel may not disrupt shorter regional flights, but presents a significant challenge for long-haul routes from countries like Russia and Canada which have been mainstay's of Cuba's tourism economy. The fuel shortage deals another blow to a country that relies heavily on tourism, an industry that once generated $3 billion in annual revenue and served as a vital economic lifeline. 

But it's not only jet fuel that is in short supply... or no supply. Agent 10 reports that in her hometown, in the centre of the island (not Havana), there is no electricity for 20 hours per day. And no electricity means no water. This picture, of people cooking over an open fire in the streets of Havana, shows what things have come to for the ordinary people of Cuba -- victims of 73 years of Communist misrule.

Minions of the Cuban government announced yesterday that bank hours have been reduced and cultural events suspended. In Havana. The public bus system has effectively ground to a halt, leaving residents stranded as endemic power outages and grueling fuel lines reach a breaking point. 

The energy crisis has forced the suspension of major events like the Havana International Book Fair this past weekend and a restructuring of the national baseball season for greater efficiency. Some banks have cut operating hours and fuel distribution companies said they would no longer sell gas in Cuban pesos. Sales will be made in real money -- Yanqui dollars -- and limited to 20 litres per user. 

The latest measures add to others announced Friday, including cuts to bus transportation and limited train departures. Last Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a two-hour televised address, acknowledging the impact and warning that measures would be taken in the coming days. 

American sanctions against Cuba have been in place for more than six decades and have long stunted Cuba’s economy. But they reached new extremes after a US military operation deposed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and POTUS began to take an even more confrontational tone toward Latin America. 

For the ordinary people of Cuba, the crisis has translated into power outages lasting up to 10 hours, fuel shortages for vehicles, and a lack of food or medicine that many compare to the severe economic depression in the 1990s known as the "Special Period" that followed cuts in aid from what was then the Soviet Union.

This means things are going to get worse... much worse... before the Communist regime can be overthrown. But the ordinary Cuban people, such as Agent 10's family, say, "We are willing to pay the price. Bring it on!"

VIDEO: DEI pilot song... nothing to do with Delta Airlines, of course

As we write, Air Canada is shutting down all flights in preparation for a strike by its stewardesses flight attendants, or a lockout of its stewardesses flight attendants, which could begin tomorrow (Saturday) unless there is a last-minute intervention by the government of Canuckistan. 

Oddly overlooked in the boiler-plate list of demands by CUPE, the union representing the FAs, is any mention of more DEI. Perhaps AC is already "woke" enough. And of course it's not an American airline, most of which are suffering from too much DEI.

If you're about to fly with Delta (see "Further viewing", below) or any other US airline which has wokeness built into its mission statement and hiring practices, consider this little ditty.

 

Walt suggests you take seriously the problems posed by too much DEI. United Airlines has vowed that 50% of its future pilot hires will be women and people (of other genders?) of colour by 2030. American and Southwest have pledged similar DEI commitments, and Delta is already regretting theirs. 

The point of the song is not about hate or toxic masculinity or white supremacy, but about how the woke goals affect airline standards, pilot competency, and aviation safety. Will qualified candidates be passed over in the name of diversity? Can DEI hiring and meritocracy coexist at 30,000 feet? Give this some thought before booking your next flight. 

And if you decide (or are forced) to fly anyway, Walt hopes you won't hear the pilot say, "Hello dere! Dis is Captain Latisha!"

Further viewing: "Last moments of Delta 4819 - Who was flying?", WWW 28/2/25, and "Delta 4819 crash: all signs point to DEI pilot error", WWW 21/3/25.

Innocent question from Ed.: When pilots were almost all men, they called the place where they worked "cockpit"? What's it called now?

"Project 24K" proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city

Today, 17 April 2024, is the first anniversary of the Great YYZ Gold Heist. (Regular readers will know that YYZ is the airport code for Toronto's Pearson airport.) This was the largest theft of gold in Canadian history, and possibly the sixth-largest in the history of the world. Here's a CCTV image of (police say) the robbery in progress.

According to the Peel Regional Police, the take was 6,600 gold bars, valued at over C$20 million ($14.5 million in real money) and roughlyC$2.5 million in folding money. The gold and currency was ordered from a refinery in Zurich, Switzerland, then transported in a container through an Air Canada flight that landed at YYZ at 1556.EDT.

The cargo was then offloaded to an Air Canada cargo facility, where, a couple of hours later, a suspect arrived at the facility with a "fraudulent airway bill...for a legitimate shipment of seafood that was picked up the day before." A police spokesthingy told the meeja today, "This duplicate airway bill was printed off from a printer within an Air Canada cargo facility." 

Shortly thereafter, a forklift arrived with a container of gold and foreign currency and was loaded into the rear of the suspect’s truck. He then hauled ass with the haul. [You're not quoting the copper, right? Ed.] Almost six hours after the plane landed, Brink’s Canada employees arrived at the Air Canada cargo site to collect up the shipment of gold and currency, only to be told it had already been picked up. Everyone had a good think overnight, and called the cops the next morning.

An investigation dubbed "Project 24K" was launched right away... kind of... and has now identified nine suspects, who have been arrested, charged or had Canada-wide warrants issued against them. Let's see who they are.

Durante King-Mclean, a 25-year-old resident of Brampton ON, has been identified as the driver who allegedly stole the cargo from the airport. It was his bad luck to be stopped last September by a Pennsylvania state trooper, who found dozens of illegal firearms inside his rented car. 

Police say the driver ran away but was arrested shortly after. He appeared to be illegally in the United States, and when they checked him on the police database, it flagged him as wanted by Peel police. 

When troopers opened the Nissan’s trunk, they didn’t find gold bars, but 65 guns instead, that were destined to be smuggled into Canada, according to an indictment filed in the US of A. Besides the guns, American investigators found messages between King-Mclean and Prasath Paramalingam, 35, another Bramptonian. Paramalingam sent King-Mclean a photograph of large amounts of Canadian currency wrapped in stacks with rubber bands. 

Paramalingam and another unnamed person from Toronto flew from Toronto to New York City to deliver money to King-Mclean. Five days later, Paramalingam flew back to Toronto via Miami. King-Mclean stayed in Fort Lauderdale, where he allegedly took several photos of guns and large amounts of real money. He left Florida in August 2023 in a rental vehicle and drove north. That's when he was stopped just outside Washington DC by Pennsylvania state troopers. 

In today's presser, Peel police named nine people identified and/or charged as a result of  Project 24K. Arrested in Canada were: 

Parmpal Sidhu, 54, of Brampton [Again? Ed.] who was named as an Air Canada employee. He is charged with theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence; 

Amit Jalota, 40, from Oakville, charged with possession of property obtained by crime, theft over $5,000, and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence; 

Ammad Chaudhary, 43, from Georgetown, charged with accessory after the fact; 

Ali Raza, a 37-year-old jewelry store owner from Toronto, charged with possession of property obtained by crime; and 

Prasath Paramalingam, charged with accessory after the fact.

Durante King-Mclean, the alleged getaway driver, is formally listed as wanted by Peel police, although he is in custody in the United States.

Peel police are also searching for:

Simran Preet Panesar, a 31-year-old Brampton man who was an Air Canada employee at the time of the theft but resigned after the heist. He is wanted for theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Archit Grover, 36, from Brampton, pictured at right [Sorry, Walt, this is the only photo I could find. Ed.] is considered a fugitive in Canada and the United States. In Canada. He is wanted for theft over $5,000 and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. In the US. he is accused of helping King-Mclean after his roadside arrest and hindering the investigation, including removing possible evidence from the Floridea Airbnb where King-Mclean stayed, and arranging a $1000 payment to the car rental agency for an amended rental agreement. 

Arsalan Chaudhary, 42, from Mississauga, wanted for theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime and conspiracy to commit and indictable offence.

Reading through that list of names, Walt is struck by the apparent ethnicity of the suspects. Not an Irishman among them! With the exception of "Jimmy" Durante King-Mclean, they all appear to be... errr... south Asian. Paramalingam is a Lankan name. The rest are probably Indians, some of them Sikhs. By their turbans ye shall know them, and large numbers of them work in and around Pearson Airport.

I mention this because I'm reminded of Project Kraken, about which I wrote in "'Project Kraken' proves Greater Toronto a really multicultural city", WWW 29/6/19 -- one of our most-read articles. Project Kraken had to do with drugs and guns. I've asked Ed. to find out if any of the same names appear in the list of those charged in that case, but he hasn't got back to me yet. [Don't hold your breath. Our readers got the point already. Ed.]

"Because his name is Mohammed?" Another Air Canada story

While navigating the minefield of wokeness, Air Canada seems incapable of avoiding the meadow muffins. It seems like just yesterday [It was just yesterday! Ed.] that we posted an account of how The People's Airline (the epithet used when it was government-owned), lost the wheelchair of its own "Chief Accessibility Officer" (WWW 24/10/23). 

Today the BBC reports that Clive Betts, a British Member of Parliament, has accused Air Canada of delaying another MP at Heathrow "for a considerable period...because his name is Mohammad."

Mr Betts, standing on a point of order in the House of Commons this week, said fellow Labour MP Mohammad Yasin was pulled aside for questioning at London Heathrow (LHR) while other lawmakers he was travelling with were allowed through.

According to Mr Betts, Mr Yasin was asked "by “officials from Air Canada and, we believe, the Canadian government", where he was born and whether he was carrying a knife -- this despite Mr Yasin's having a visa to enter Canada.

Mr Betts said Yasin was eventually allowed to get on the flight, but he was "challenged" again at the Montréal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ) airports -- both named after Liberal prime ministers, not that it matters. Hey, it's Canada.

Mr Yasin has received apologies from Air Canada as well as the parliament secretary to Canada’s Minister for Refugees and Immigration. In a statement, AC told the Beeb "Unfortunately Mr Yasin was designated for additional screening prior to his flight after a security check, but he was still able to travel as planned as he was quickly cleared." The airline went on to say that it regrets any inconvenience or upset caused.

So what's the problem? Mr Betts said it was important to put Mr Yasin's experiences on the parliamentary record due to their "racist and Islamophobic nature." Of course.

Yet another Air Canada story, with a special twist

For a long time after the government of Canuckistan privatised the former TCA (Trans-Canada Airlines, aka Tin Can Airlines) and renamed in Air Canada, it enjoyed a pretty good reputation for on-timne performance, customer service, safety etc. Within living memory it was voted the best North American airline. But not lately.

AC has been struggling since it got "woke", because the push for DEI (Diversity, Equity and Includsion) has forced the airline to hire staff based on how many boxes they check on the woke list, instead of merit. And there's a whole slew of employees now whose job is to ensure compliance with the wokeness mandate.

One of those employees is Stephanie Cadieux (woman, French-Canadian, disabled), whose lofty position is that of Chief Accessibility Officer -- the first of her kind in Canada. Recently, Mlle/Mme/Ms Cadieux (Walt isn't sure which honorifc applies) complained on X-formerly-known-as-Twitter that the airline had forgotten her wheelchair. Here's the photo she posted of Herself waiting in front of an AC service desk in a replacement wheelchair. 

Ms Cadieux left YYZ (Toronto) on Friday, October 20th, and arrived at the Vancouver airport (YVR) without her wheelchair. In her post, she wrote "I'm now without my essential equipment. Independence taken away. I’m furious. Unacceptable." ["Unacceptable" is the liberals' go-to expletive for anything they don't like. Ed.]

Unlike most helpless Canadian travellers, Ms Cadieus is in a position (maybe) to do something about the "unacceptable" service. After all, she's entitled, having been appointed Chief Accessibility Officer in May 2022. Before that, she was a member of B.C.’s legislature from 2009 to 2022 and has held several ministerial positions. 

In response to her post on X, Air Canada said that what happened is “certainly not the level of service we strive to provide” and said they would certainly do something about it, if she would just provide more information to the customer service department by filling in this form yada yada yada. Rotsa ruck, Stephanie.

VIDEO: Hilarious Southwest Airlines pre-flight demo (with subtitles)

Airlines have been trying for decades to find ways to get passengers to pay attention to the pre-flight safety announcements. Studies have shown that videos -- introduced some years ago as an "efficiency" measure -- get even less attention than live demos. And, as this video shot on Southwest Airlines shows -- a really creative demo can get not just attention, but laughs and applause.

Thanks to Agent 17 for sending us the link to this captioned version of a very funny but whip-speedy monologue by the Southwest flight attendant who appeared with Ellen Degeneres in April of 2014. You might want to listen to the video twice because she speaks very quickly. It helps to read the captions as you listen.



Agent 3 tells us he remembers that, back in the 1980s, Air Canada experimented with letting the flight attendants make up their own stuff. He recalls hearing these witty lines:
- "There are 50 ways to leave your lover, but only 7 ways to leave this plane..." (pointing out emergency exits)
- "If the air pressure drops, what would you do? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!..." (oxygen mask demo)
- "We have just landed at (airport). Tonight Operation Ivory Liquid is in effect. This means that if you get out of your seat before the aircraft has arrived at the terminal, not only will everyone laugh at you, but you will have to stay behind and do the dishes."

The experiment lasted only a few weeks (Agent 3 adds) after which it was discontinued because it not sober and serious enough for the People's Airline, besides which it was making pax nervous. How Canadian is that!

6 solid Canadian stocks for nervous US investors

The S&P was up 2.22% yesterday. Wall Street seems to think Hellery is going to win. It wants her to win, as it would, considering her plans (disclosesd only in private audiences with business tycoons) to make the rich richer with open markets and open borders. But suppose she loses? What happens to US stocks and bonds then?

Here's another great idea from Walt. Just in case... I recommend putting some money into reputable Canadian stocks. If the US market goes south [to Mexico? Ed.], you'll be protected. If not, you can get your money out with no fuss and (probably) no loss and put it back into homegrown equities. [Smith & Wesson should be a good buy. Ed.]

Trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is in Canadian dollars. As of yesterday, you could buy one beaverbuck (C$1) for just under US$0.75. So to figure out how much my recommended shares are going to cost you in real money, just multiply the price by .75. You can buy through most American brokers. FYI, some US brokers are actually owned, or will be owned soon, by Canadian banks. Just this fall, TD Ameritrade (owned by Toronto Dominion Bank, my pick in the financial sector) announced plans to acquire boutique brokerage Alfried Fried & Co. and discount broker Scottrade.

So, without further ado, here are half a dozen good Canadian stocks to add to your portfolio. (Stock symbols are in brackets.)

Toronto Dominion Bank (TD) - The Canadian banking system is far superior to that of the US. Canadian banks emerged virtually unscathed from the meltdown of 2008-9. TD is now the sixth-biggest bank in the USA. Closed at C$60.37 yesterday, pays a dividend of 3.64%. Good as gold.

Algonquin Power & Utilities (AQN) - Sells electricity and gas to customers in (mostly) the Canadian west. Prices for hydro and gas are going up. A hard winter is coming. Canucks will pay to keep warm. C$11.48, with a dividend of 4.83%.

Air Canada (AC) - Canada's biggest airline was a dog for many years after privatization but has recently started making money, although it doesn't yet pay a dividend. The big news is that the government has just raised the ceiling on foreign ownership from 25% to 49%, which means that foreign airlines [like Emirates? Ed.] are likely to come piling in. I expect the share price, C$12.83, to take off. (Geddit?)

Crescent Point Energy Corp. (CPG) - This is an oil play that got hammered by the crash of crude prices, then by the great Alberta wildfire. But CPG's properties are in Saskatchewan, and business will come back strong if the Keystone XL pipeline goes ahead (under Trump!) and/or the Canadian government finally approves an east-west pipeline. C$15.46 and still pays a dividend of 2.33%.

Fortis Inc. (FTS) - See above regarding pipelines. C$43.47, 3.68% dividend.

Canadian Tire class A non-voting (CTC.A) - Going to "Crappy Tire" is a Saturday morning ritual for Canadian men. They've been selling automotive supplies since the 1920s, and now have big box stores all over the country selling hardware, D-I-Y stuff, sporting goods, you name it. And they own sporting goods and clothing stores to boot! (Geddit?) Rock solid at C$132.35, with a dividend of 1.74%.

Disclaimer: I hear you asking if Walt has any money invested in any of these stocks? Answer: You betcha! Go and do ye likewise. You're welcome.

Ban the burqa? Not on Air Canada

Canadian Transport Minister John Baird -- "Call me Steve" Harper's attack poodle -- said in a statement issued today that his department has procedures in place to verify the identity of anyone who has their face covered. He said this approach is "consistent with international standards, regardless of culture or religion".

Well, who am I to call John Baird a liar? A big girl's blouse disguising himself as the schoolyard bully, maybe, but not a liar.

On the other hand, there's this video which appeared recently on YouTube. Posted by a British man, the clip shows two women boarding an Air Canada flight in Montréal recently, without being asked to remove their burqas so their faces could be checked against their passports. The man seen in the video hands over passports for the group, and the women go through without showing their faces.

According to Canadian Press, Baird "called the situation 'deeply disturbing' and said such actions pose 'a serious threat to the security of the air travelling public.'"

So what is Joan doing about it? Errrr... looking into it, don'tcha know. So that's all right then.

The Oliphant in the Room

Agent 03 has been able to obtain a copy of the report of the Hon. J.J. Elephant relating to the business and financial dealings between Karlheinz Fiftyseven and the Right Honourable Brian Mullarkey, P.C. (Progressive Conservative):

Whereas Her Excellency the Governor General, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister who desperately desires to distance himself from any association with his Right Honourable P.C. predecessor, has directed the Commission to conduct an inquiry into certain allegations respecting business and financial dealings between Karlheinz Fiftyseven and the Right Honourable Brian Mullarkey, P.C., the Commission now begs to report:

1. It has assessed carefully all the relevant evidence and information relating to the above matters, excluding only that which would be embarrassing to Air Canada, the Conservative Party, the Right Honourable Mr. Mullarkey, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Farce or any other parties which might be shown to be corrupt or incompetent or both.

2. It has questioned (in private, if necessary) all those involved, excluding of course the Honourable Frank Magazine and Roger Doucet (no relation), who had unfortunately passed away in the twenty-odd years between the events and the time of this enquiry.

3. It believes without reservation the sworn testimony of the Right Honourable Mr. Mullarkey (whose regard for the truth has been well known for lo these many years), especially the part where he swears that he never in his life did anything wrong.

4. It concludes that, while certain mistakes and errors in judgment may have been made, no one was really to blame for anything, in any real way.

5. Further, the commission concludes that there is no compelling reason (other than the moral imperative) why Mr. Mullarkey ought to return to the taxpayers of Canada any of the millions of dollars he received in settlement of a previous court action, or to return to Mr. Fiftyseven any of the hundreds of thousands of dollars he received for services in promoting the sale of arms to hostile foreign governments;

6. Nor should Mr. Mullarkey's counsel, nor any of m'learned friends whose bank accounts have been fattened at public expense return any of the exorbitant fees they have received for sitting quietly and laughing politely at Mr. Mullarkey's little jokes.

7. The Commission recommends that the beatification of the Right Honourable Mr. Mullarkey proceed as quickly as possible, and expresses the hope that the Government of Canada will shortly allocate stimulus funds for the construction in his honour of a church at Meech Lake.

8. Er...that's all. (Steve, is this enough?)

Signed,
"J.J. Elephant"

Note: The Commission would like to express its thanks to Air Canada for courteously transporting him (first class) to Ottawa and back on board its lovely Airbus, at no cost except possibly to the public.