🧚‍♀️ TREEHOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATOR & COMMENTS

May the Great Spirit bless you 🙏

Good morning! I seem to be feeling OK, but I never know when something will act up. I pray not; I just pray for a National Physically Feel Nothing Day. When I do get a holiday from nausea, it does wonders for me mentally, especially my mood. Otherwise, can you imagine what it would be like going around 7 days a week,12 months of the year, with hangovers, and you don't even drink any alcohol? This morning, not bad, the only discomfort is a bloated stomach, as if I ate too much.

Well, there isn't much else to report from the Newsroom this morning, except that I pray 🙏 the Great Spirit 👼 be with you all on this day. Thank you for reading the Tree House News.

👩‍🦰👩‍🦱💁🙇‍♀️🙅‍♀️🤷‍♀️🙍‍♂️🙎‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶👶👩‍🌾🧑‍⚕️👩‍🍳👩‍⚖️🤴

Ya know, the guy who invented old age, I changed my mind about an ordinary steel-toe work boot 🥾 to put where the Sun don't shine (‿ˠ‿). I want the right boot with spikes sticking out from the steel toe. Actually, I need two more pairs of steel-toe boots with spikes for Adam and Eve, too. I can learn to kick with both feet at the same time if I have to 😜 Bugs Bunny can do it 🐰 As for the weather here, so far it's just been chilly, cloudy, and gloomy 😝

TODAY'S DISCUSSION:

Brain and Cosmos

Looking at an image of a section of our Milky Way Galaxy, you can easily pick out the blue stars from all the gazillion other stars and galaxies. A blue star is so dense and gravitationally sufficiently strong that it can bend time and space. Much like black holes and white dwarves, the blue stars are massive stars, just not as massive and dense as black holes and white dwarves, supernovae, gravitational waves, etc. Which means we can bet there's been a lot of warping of time and space since the Big Bang, for lack of a better term, for the beginning of this temporal universe.

The question is, can the old and the new coexist in the same sequence of time and space? Can you imagine the implications of that possibility? It's already strange enough here, due to a single act of orange madness. Can one runaway subatomic particle get loose in the temporal universe, like a cancerous cell, and cause havoc, as my proverbial voracious flesh-eating can of worms of insanity, like those growing inside the Orange Madman's head, or like a runaway nuclear reaction in the universe? Some call it the Big Crunch, if we deflate, or the Big Rip if we expand outward, spreading out like a vast supersonic dust storm, outward to the outer edges of the universe's neocortex web of life... POOF!

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

Question: Universe's Neocortex Web of Life.

Recent scientific research indicates surprising structural and functional similarities between the network of neurons in the human brain and the cosmic web of galaxies. Despite vast differences in scale, both systems are characterized as complex, interconnected networks with similar scaling laws for organizing matter, suggesting a potential, albeit controversial, connection in which the universe's structure mimics a "neocortex" or, more accurately, a massive, self-organizing neural network.

Structural Similarities: Brain and Cosmos:

• Similar Scaling: Studies comparing simulations of the universe with slices of the cerebellum and cerebral cortex found that both systems have about 70–80% of their mass/energy composed of similar components (water/neurons vs. dark energy/galaxies) and that they organize their connections similarly.
• Complexity:

The "Web of Life" and Cosmic Connection:

Read More:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCBQCpImqno

It almost seems as though the entire history, or cycle, of the universe is stored on an intergalactic supercomputer of sorts, with all the potential ways it can develop, and will develop, forming a never-ending story.

How we conclude this cycle is up to us; how we wish to see it end is all up to us, those of us who are still sane and have dreams and aspirations in life, and to continue to strive to accomplish those dreams and aspirations. It's up to us to decide which way we want to go. I choose to follow the Freedom of Choice. To follow and obey the Constitution of the land I live in, in accordance with its laws and regulations, for without them we may as well prepare to go back to living in the trees and relearn how to pick the fleas out of each other's fur coats, and fight with sticks and stones. At least we wouldn't be hurting the rest of nature.

AMERICA WILL BECOME THE HOMELAND OF PIRATES.

UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S THE ONLY OUTCOME I CAN SEE COMING IN THE FUTURE UNLESS SOMEONE WITH A BACKBONE BREAKS THE MOMENTUM OF INSANITY!

BREAKING NEWS:

How immigration agents are using a once-obscure law to detain U.S. citizens

A pair of federal immigration agents clad in camouflage and masks approached Ryan Ecklund's car on a snowy Minnesota street last month with a stark warning. "You will not be following us anymore," one agent told him, "or you will be arrested."

When Ecklund continued tailing the agents' beige SUV and recording them, he quickly found his status as a U.S. citizen didn't protect him from being pulled from his car and handcuffed. The agents drove him to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Minneapolis and checked him into detention at a table labeled with a handwritten sign: "USC 111."...

CHART | Prosecutions of assaulting and impeding federal officers

• 'It is a federal crime for you to be interfering':

VIDEO | Border Patrol Agent tries to explain Federal Statute:

Read More:

PUBLISHED February 19, 2026, 6:00 AM ET - 3 hr ago

- CNN -

The immigration crackdown is impacting health care across the nation, doctors warn

As the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown across the U.S., health care providers warn that the impact of federal agents in health care settings – and the looming threat of immigration enforcement they've instilled nationwide – is presenting a barrier to care that could have a lasting impact on the health of communities.

With many people unable or afraid to access care, some providers say they are seeing a decline in patient numbers they haven't seen since the Covid-19 pandemic – this time, while potentially dealing with federal agents in tactical gear. Doctors are already seeing the impact on appointments, vaccination numbers, and even basic nutrition, and they're worried the long-term health consequences could be serious.

• Armed ICE agents lining hospital hallways:

Minnesota doctors said the presence of ICE agents in health care facilities has been distracting and intimidating at times

• Too afraid to access care:
• Bringing care to patients:
• Declining vaccination rates:
• 'We would never do that':

Read More:

PUBLISHED February 19, 2026, 5:00 AM ET - 5 hr ago

- CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS:

Former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested by U.K. police

Charles says law must take its course as police assess claims King's brother sent trade reports to Epstein

The Latest:

• The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
• Police are searching his property and have him in custody at an undisclosed location.
• King Charles, Andrew's brother, says authorities have 'our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.'
• Andrew's arrest follows scrutiny over his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein after the release of millions of pages of documents connected to U.S. investigation of the late convicted sex offender.
• Mountbatten-Windsor ​had already been cast out of the royal inner circle over his ties to Epstein.
• He has not been charged and has previously denied all wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Read More:

Updated February 19, 2026 - 21 minutes ago

24 minutes ago

Time as trade envoy long criticized

More To Read:

Updated February 19, 2026 - 7 minutes ago

- CBC -

Canada faces challenge as it navigates growing calls to help Cuba amid U.S. aggression

Cuban crisis will put Carney's Davos speech to the test, says one expert

The Canadian government is in a bind as it faces growing calls to help Cuba while the U.S. government attempts to choke off the island nation's fuel supplies.

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet have both called on the Liberal government to send immediate aid to Cuba, where people are facing blackouts and shortages of food, fuel and medicine.

The U.S. has cut off oil supplies from Venezuela, Cuba's main supplier, and U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to hit countries with heavy tariffs if they send fuel, while saying the Cuban government appears "ready to fall."

In Cuba, people go without food and power as U.S. chokes oil supply and tourists flee

• 'Test case' for Carney's Davos speech:

WATCH | A look at Trump's strategy on Cuba:

• Canada not 'obliged' to step in: prof
• Decline 'palpable and immediate':

Read More:

Posted: February 19, 2026 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

- CBC -

For more than six decades, the United States has tried to topple the regime in Cuba. After ousting President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, who was one of Cuba's closest allies, the Trump administration is closer than ever to forcing radical change on the island.

February 17, 2026, The Daily

After Venezuela, Is Cuba Next?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTwIz5XFgUU

 

🧚‍♀️ TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATOR & COMMENTS

May Great Spirit bless 🙏

It appears to be a damp, cloudy, and chilly day, with rain in the forecast, possibly changing to snow in the late afternoon. It's not very nice to be out. I'm glad I got my going-out stuff done yesterday. I'll stay home today, thank you. To add to that, my dumdum stomach is giving me a hard time; that just sucks the energy out of me when it does, I feel like I want to crawl into a hole and pull the hole in after me when it does that. So I pause and pray for the wrongs I've done, and I'm beginning to run out of those to pray for, so I pray for others who are in need.

What else can I do? I wish I could step out of my body and take a rest from this nausea. I would if I could, but it's like an effing busted record player, drives me nuts after a while. I wish they made some kind of pill for GERD that would make it stop; it just persists until I'm nearly doubled over with nausea. There's only one way I know of to get rid of it. If everything else fails, do the finger-in-the-throat treatment. I feel much more human now, not a sick cockroach anymore 🪳 Thank you again for reading the Tree House News.

BREAKING NEWS:

Well, boys and girls, it would seem that our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has held true to his promise regarding the CANADIAN MILITARY 🍁 I am grateful that I am retired, it gives me a lot of time to spend on: - Google Search - 🔹AI Overview and SNOPES. The three most reliable major newspapers are CNN, MS-Now, and CBC.

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

Question: CBC Connors: Funding for armed forces

• Based on recent reports from CBC News

The Canadian government under Prime Minister Mark Carney has initiated a significant, "generational" increase in funding for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to accelerate military modernization and meet NATO targets.

• Key 2025-2026 Funding Details:

Based on recent reports and 2025 budgetary announcements, Canada is undertaking a major, accelerated restructuring of its military funding to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and reach NATO spending targets.

• Key 2025 Defence Funding Highlights:
• Generational Investment: Budget 2025 proposes to provide $81.8 billion over five years on a cash basis to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the CAF.
• Reaching NATO Targets: The plan includes an extra $8.7 billion to reach NATO's target of 2% of GDP on defence spending within the 2025-26 fiscal year.
• Long-Term Goal: Canada has committed to aiming for 5% of GDP spent on defense by 2035 in a new pact with NATO leaders.
• Operational Spending: The total federal government defence spending is set to rise from an estimated $53.4 billion to $62.7 billion.

Key Investment Areas:

• Arctic Sovereignty: $2.67 billion is committed to increasing northern military presence, including new hubs in Iqaluit, Yellowknife, and Inuvik.
• Equipment and Modernization: $17.9 billion over five years is allocated for new logistics, light utility, and armoured vehicles, along with counter-drone capabilities and domestic ammunition production.
• Personnel Pay Raise: A 20% pay increase for Regular Force members (and 13% for Reserves) in lower ranks was announced, effective retroactively to April 1, 2025.
• Recruitment Bonuses: A $10,000 bonus for recruits upon completion of basic training, with additional $20,000 bonuses for completing training and after six years of service.
• Defence Industrial Strategy: $6.6 billion over five years is dedicated to strengthening the Canadian defence industry.

• Context and Challenges:
• Urgency: The rapid increase in funding follows pressure from allies and concerns regarding geopolitical shifts.
• Procurement Concerns: Despite the funding, experts have highlighted a long-standing culture of risk aversion, deferred decisions, and potential for $150 million to $260 million shortfalls in maintaining current equipment serviceability.
• Internal Restructuring: The government is focusing on creating a Defence Investment Agency to streamline procurement.

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

As of mid-February 2026, there is actually significant, fast-moving action regarding U.S. and Canadian fighter jets, largely centered on major deployments, the modernization of existing fleets, and intense geopolitical negotiations over future purchases.

Here is what is happening with fighter jets right now:

1. Major U.S. Middle East Deployment (Feb 2026)

• Show of Force: In a rapid deployment occurring around Feb 17-18, 2026, the U.S. moved over 50 fighter jets—including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s—to the Middle East.

Context: This buildup is occurring amid high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran and rising regional tensions.

• Operations: Several U.S. units already in the region have had their deployments extended to maintain this increased readiness.

The Sunday Guardian

2. The Canadian F-35/Gripen Drama

• Ongoing Review:

• Payments Continue: Despite this review, Canada has continued to make payments for 14 additional F-35s to secure their spot in the delivery queue, with the first 16 jets still expected to arrive starting this year.

In My Opinion:

DROP THEM LIKE THEY WERE A HOT POTATO NO IFS OR BUTS, TAKE THE LOSS, DROP THEM NO GOOD FOR NOTHING NAZIS!

expressing my sentiment only, thank you.

• Alternatives Considered: The NDP is urging the government to switch to the Swedish-made Saab Gripen, aiming for domestic manufacturing, while the U.S. has warned that walking away from the F-35 could alter NORAD and force the U.S. to cover Canadian airspace.

3. F-35 Readiness and Maintenance Issues

• Watchdog Report:
• Support Issues:

- vetromebel-com -

4. Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD/F-47)

F-22 Replacement: The U.S. Air Force is moving forward with the next-generation stealth fighter, designated the F-47, which is planned to replace the F-22 Raptor. "F THEM!"

• Development:
• Upgrading the F-22:
• 5. Air Force One and VIP Upgrade:

C'MON, Mark, you're brighter than that to waste time and money on the enemy than to let them build your pitchforks and torches for you.

Liberal government pledges over $6 billion in defence budget

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrGywFaOWo

ALSO BREAKING IN CANADA:

She wanted a safer social-media platform for her kids — so she made her own

Launch of Tribela comes amid growing global push for Aussie-style social ban for kids

Natalie Boll was well-versed in social media due to her career in film and television, yet the Vancouver parent was still shocked at what kids face when her teen daughter experienced cyberbullying after getting her first phone.

"My first reaction was just 'Let's go offline... And I deleted everything for me and my daughter at the time," recalled the mom of three. Boll vowed to find a middle ground, however, after she discovered the decision isolating for herself — losing contacts she'd built over 15 years, she noted — and for her eldest child, who felt unable to connect with friends the way she wanted to...

• Prioritizing user safety, well-being:
• Age restrictions still necessary: advocate:

WATCH | Meta calls for age-verification by app stores:

• Designing a different space:
• Current platforms 'not a healthy environment':

Posted: Feb 18, 2026 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

- CBC -

BREAKING CNN NEWS:

I’ve covered Venezuela for a decade. But this US visit was like nothing I’ve seen before

Caracas, Venezuela:

—

It is less than two months since US special forces captured Venezuela’s longtime authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, during a nighttime raid in Caracas, yet it is hard to overstate how different the South American country now feels. There’s a new buzz, an optimism that, to be frank, I have never seen before.

I moved to Caracas in 2016.

In the decade that followed, Venezuela saw it all: a quarter of the population fled a catastrophic economic collapse; crime rates exploded before gradually yielding in the aftermath of COVID-19; anti-Maduro demonstrators took to the streets year after year only to be overpowered by tear gas and rubber bullets...

• Hugs and shakes at the oil rig:
• Daring the government one step at a time:
• Did Trump get this right?:

Read More:

Updated Feb 17, 2026, 4:32 PM ET - 16 hr ago

- CNN -

FDA reverses course and will review Moderna’s mRNA flu shot, company says

The US Food and Drug Administration has reversed course and will review a new mRNA flu vaccine from Moderna, the pharmaceutical company said Wednesday. About two weeks ago, the FDA sent Moderna a letter in which it refused to accept the application to review its first mRNA seasonal flu vaccine — a rare move by the federal agency that raised concern about another setback for the technology that’s been a target of some Trump administration health officials.

The FDA told Moderna that its application didn’t contain an “adequate and well-controlled” trial because the control arm didn’t reflect the “best-available standard of care in the United States at the time of the study,” according to the letter, that Moderna posted online. It didn’t identify any safety or efficacy concerns, the company said. But Moderna has since met with the FDA and “proposed a revised regulatory approach” with different pathways by age, according to a news release from the company...

Read More:

Updated Feb 18, 2026, 9:10 AM ET - 7 min ago

- CNN -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrGywFaOWo

 

🧚‍♀️ TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATOR & COMMENTS

BREAKING:

Rep. James Talarico On Confronting Christian Nationalism, And Strange Days In The Texas Legislature

669,179 views Feb 17, 2026 #Colbert #Comedy #JamesTalarico

Stephen Colbert hosts Texas State Rep. James Talarico for an online-exclusive interview that touches on the issues raised in Talarico's campaign for the Democratic nomination for Senate including the separation of church and state, the dangers of consolidated corporate-owned media, and the fabricated culture wars pushed by Republicans in states like Texas.

If you're curious why this interview with James Talarico was an online-exclusive, click here to watch Stephen Colbert explain:

• Why CBS Didn't Broadcast Stephen Colbert's...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiTJ7Pz_59A

 

🧚‍♀️ TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATOR & COMMENTS

Great Spirit bless 🙏

Hi there, everyone. I need to go out and get a couple of things done tomorrow, preferably earlier in the day, so I thought I would start aggregating the news this evening and finish publishing it in the social networks in the morning. "I jest truly didn't feel like a' settin' aboot and a watchin' TV anyway!" So says Mrs. Ophelia Sorebutt. ✨(‿ˠ‿)⚡️<- "Ifn's I's had me sam paddin' the likes of dat, I wouldn't have ta worry aboot a sore butt fram a sittin' on it fer too long!" 👩‍🌾🐮☺️

Have you ever wondered just how much our federal government gets hit by corporate theft, tax avoidance, and other types of theft, like auto theft, and procurement fraud? Those are the real welfare bums, and then you have the drug cartels and other illegal groups of parasites; the whole lot of them are the blood suckers feeding off We, the People's tax money.

This is why we are short of doctors, hospital beds, and clinics. The bloodsuckers are sucking off the money faster than the government can pay it out to them. Below is what I have pieced together with the help of a little AI Googling.

TODAY'S DISCUSSION:

Corporate Federal Theft

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

Question: How much are the Corporate federal thieves costing the Government of Canada?

Estimates of the costs of corporate tax avoidance and evasion to the Government of Canada's revenue vary by source and methodology, ranging from several billion to over $40 billion annually. These figures often represent lost revenue potential rather than direct "theft" in a criminal sense, as they often involve the use of complex, albeit legal, loopholes and tax havens.

• Key estimates include:

Canadians for Tax Fairness reported that tax avoidance by 123 of Canada's largest corporations cost $30 billion in 2021. On average, that figure is closer to $10.5 billion.

The Canadian government loses over $40 billion every year to various tax loopholes.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that up to $25 billion per year is lost due to profit-shifting strategies.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) estimated that federal corporate income tax (CIT) for the 2018 tax year was between $3.3 billion and $5.3 billion lost to international tax evasion.

The Conference Board of Canada estimates that overall tax evasion and avoidance amount to between $8.9 billion and $47.8 billion every year.

Ontario auto theft claim costs surged past $1B last year

Newly released data shows Toronto saw over $351M in auto theft claims costs in 2023

• Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

Question: Drug cartels and associated organized crime networks are a multi-billion dollar burden on the Government of Canada

Drug cartels and associated organized crime networks impose a multi-billion-dollar economic, social, and security burden on the Government of Canada and its citizens. Organized crime in Canada is estimated to generate proceeds in the billions, significantly impacting public safety, undermining the rule of law, and eroding financial, legal, and social institutions.

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians

Key Aspects of the Burden:

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

Question: How much are illegal transactions online and personal costing the Government of Canada?

*Illegal online transactions and personal fraud*

Illegal online transactions and personal fraud are costing Canadians and the government hundreds of millions annually, while broader financial crimes (such as money laundering) are affecting the economy by tens of billions.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), fraud and cybercrime in Canada resulted in over $638 million in losses in 2024, up from $578 million in 2023

- Google Search -

Question: How much did Canada lose to tax evasion, fraud, car and home theft, and drug cartels?

🔹AI Overview

Canada faces substantial annual economic losses and security threats from organized crime, with estimates for money laundering alone ranging from $45 billion to over $100 billion CAD annually. While specific, combined, or total annual losses for all categories are difficult to pinpoint due to high levels of unreported crime, recent data shows the following:

Simple answer, we gots ta gits rid of the tiefs. Good time to deport someone? How about some investigations, charges laid, and trials held? They would be a good investment toward building a nation as the PM envisions it. Even the opposition parties agree. We can do better to build better.

Why do you think our groceries are costing so much? T.H.E.F.T.! GREED IS WHAT KILLED AMERICA. Do you want the same thing to happen here in CANADA? Mr. PREMIER CARNEY, it's time to wean de tiefs off de Federal Tities, I Would Say.

BREAKING NEWS:

US increases military pressure on Iran ahead of high-stakes talks

The US military is continuing a significant buildup of air and naval assets in the Middle East ahead of planned talks with Iran in Geneva on Tuesday. The pieces are being moved into place both to intimidate Tehran and to have options to strike inside the country should negotiations over its nuclear program fail, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

US Air Force assets based in the United Kingdom, including refueling tankers and fighter jets, are being repositioned closer to the Middle East, according to sources familiar with the movements.

The US is also continuing to flow air defense systems to the region, according to a US official, and several US military units deployed in the region that were expected to rotate out in the coming weeks have had their orders extended, said one source familiar with the matter. Dozens of US military cargo planes have transported equipment from the US to Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, according to flight-tracking data...

• US military build-up in the Middle East - MAP:
• ‘No one knows’ who would take over:
• ‘It’s hard to do a deal with Iran’:

Read More:

Updated Feb 16, 2026, 7:42 PM ET

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, pioneering civil rights activist and racial ‘pathfinder,’ dies at 84

The Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson, the towering civil rights leader whose moral vision and fiery oratory reshaped the Democratic Party and America, has died, a Rainbow PUSH Coalition spokesperson and his son confirmed to CNN. He was 84.

Jackson, a protégé of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., had been hospitalized in recent months and was under observation for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition has said. Jackson died Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family, Rainbow PUSH said in a statement.

“His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless – from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilizing millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history,” the statement read...

Read More:

Updated Feb 17, 2026, 5:11 AM ET - 1 hr 18 min ago

- CNN -

Hillary Clinton accuses Trump administration of a ‘cover-up’ over its handling of Epstein documents

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump administration of a “continuing cover-up” in the way it has handled the release of millions of documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

“They are slow walking it, they are redacting the names of men who are in it, they are stonewalling legitimate requests from members of Congress,” Clinton told the BBC at the Munich Security Conference in Berlin. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has repeatedly defended the US Department of Justice’s handling of the files, saying the department is “committed to transparency” and “is hiding nothing.”

The latest batch of documents released by the DOJ contained several references to Bill Clinton, offering fresh insights into the sometimes-lewd ways the former president’s staff communicated with Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell...

Read More:

PUBLISHED Feb 17, 2026, 5:55 AM ET - 38 min ago

- CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS:

Paid out of pocket for a fender-bender? Fine, but the law says you have to tell your insurer

4 out of 10 people who got in a crash paid for repairs themselves, poll found

You’re backing into a parking space when you hear it — that dreaded crunch, the sound of your fender clawing its way across concrete. With cars now akin to computers on wheels, that scraped fender might actually eat into the thousands, thanks to repairs for a back-up camera and sensors (which apparently you didn't use in this instance).

But even if the cost is more than your deductible, the first instinct is not always to put a claim through your insurer. In fact, a recent poll of 1,000 people commissioned by Cost of Living found that 43 per cent of those who had a crash in the last five years chose to pay for repairs out of pocket — and of those, 57 per cent said they wanted to avoid a bump in their premiums. (The margin of error in the poll was 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.) ...

• Failing to report:
• Fixing your vehicle yourself:

Posted: Feb 17, 2026 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

- CBC -

China showcases humanoid robots at Spring Festival gala

China ⁠accounted for 90% of the roughly 13,000 humanoid robots shipped globally last year

China's most-watched TV show, the annual CCTV Spring Festival gala, on Monday showcased the country's cutting-edge industrial policy ‌and Beijing's push to dominate humanoid robots and the future of manufacturing. Four rising humanoid robot startups — Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab —demonstrated their products at the gala, a televised event and touchstone for China comparable to the Super Bowl for the United States.

The program's first three sketches prominently featured humanoid robots, including a lengthy martial arts demonstration where over ​a dozen Unitree humanoids performed sophisticated fight sequences waving swords, poles and nunchucks ​in close proximity to human children performers...

Posted: Feb 17, 2026 4:48 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

- CBC -

Prince Albert urges 2026 census participation after missing out on funds

The City of Prince Albert says it’s lost out on millions of dollars in federal and provincial funding because of low participation in the 2021 population census.

VIDEO | Included:

February 17, 2026 - 49 minutes ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf6_cMa9hHs

 

🧚‍♀️ TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

NEWS AGGREGATOR & COMMENTS

May Great Spirit bless 🙏

Before I begin my morning entry, the main topic today is:

FABRIC of Time and Space.

It's a spring-like sunrise out there, so nice in the early morning. So peaceful, like the entire world was at rest. No matter how worn out, Nature must be from our constant raging insanity that is spreading like a cancer, slowly poisoning her like a plague, she stubbornly remains in places like those I view from my balcony Green Space. Sitting here in my Green Space, with the splendid shimmering orange orb rising over the trees, the mild temperatures, and the melting snow, I feel like I am in a mother's arms. It feels like a rebirth, a new life, rather than the death throes of a tortured soul.

I believe that Mother Gaia is a self-healer; no matter what we do to her, eventually, she will return to her original state. I recommend you watch the History Channel series *Life After People*, which I believe gives a reasonably good idea of what would happen to Nature after humans. A Living, Striving, Bold New World is born.

I am out here in my Green Space, wearing only my nightgown and a light jacket, in the warm light of the Sun rising above the trees. I feel more like I am in the arms of a mother, a oneness, not something trying to snuff me out.

Something To Think About:

Fabric Of Time And Space

The fabric of time and space could be imagined as a cosmic grid or network that creates the Temporal World we see, feel, touch, hear, and taste. The cosmic web of galaxies and the neural network in the human brain possess striking, quantitative similarities in complexity and structure.

If we humans were to learn to live in interconnectedness with one another and Nature, we could be the next intergalactic visitors to another green planet, to teach its species how to do the same. I can only pray that we find that Oneness at some point in our evolution.

That's one curriculum in the school of life we can't afford to miss: The Interconnectedness of ALL LIVING THINGS WITH CONSCIOUSNESS, NO MATTER WHERE IN INFINITY. Infinity is simply being nowhere and everywhere at the same time, like a state of complete absence of motion, at 0 degrees Kelvin, where not even matter and energy molecules, atoms, or even subatomic particles or energy waves stop vibrating.

Total absence of time and space? Naw, that would only mean there is no consciousness there to witness what's there. But what if everything is there, but there's no one there to witness it? Without consciousness, there is no life, and without life, what's left is meaningless, chaos, eh! Like the school yard bullies used to say, the stars are just a bunch of rocks. IS THAT WHAT WE WANT TO DO TO THIS PLANET? A barren third rock from Sol?

Interesting what - Google Search - have to say:

🔹AI Overview

My Question: 0 kelvin time stops?

Thermal Motion vs. Time

Temperature is a statistical measure of the internal kinetic energy of particles.

While O K represents the point where classical vibration ceases, Quantum Mechanics dictates that particles still possess zero-point energy. Because particles fluctuate and maintain nonzero energy states due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, physical processes and interactions persist, meaning time continues to flow.

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

My Question: How can one have time and space if the void is a complete vacuum, 0, zilch?

In modern physics, the concept of a "complete vacuum"—a region with absolute zero matter, energy, or structure—is considered impossible. While a vacuum is defined as a space devoid of matter, it is never truly "nothing" due to quantum fields, which fill all of space and time

- Google Search -

🔹AI Overview

• My Question: The Fabric of Space:

"The fabric of space" (or spacetime) is a theoretical, four-dimensional continuum ( space + time) that Einstein's general relativity describes as a dynamic, flexible, and continuous entity capable of bending, stretching, and twisting. It is not a literal fabric but a geometric representation of gravity in which massive objects curve the field, causing other objects to follow curved paths.

What Lies Under the Fabric of Space-Time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmSU03WBrIU

OK, that's my two cents on this topic for today, From the Newsroom.

In my opinion, what I would really like to do is:

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing - New Seekers - Coca-Cola

😂🤣🥰😘🫲😢🫱🫣☺️❤️💞💕💝

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR_7Swtv0XM

BREAKING NEWS:

Even Republican election officials are balking at Trump Justice Department’s voter roll crusade

As the Trump administration has sued 25 mostly Democratic state election chiefs for their voter rolls, it has also encountered quieter resistance from Republican officials who have balked at the Justice Department’s demands for confidential voter registration information.

At least a half-dozen Republican-led state election offices have declined the Justice Department’s request for non-public voter data, which can include a voter’s Social Security number, driver license ID number or current residence, according to interviews, local media reporting and records obtained by CNN and by the Brennan Center, a left-leaning think tank that researches election issues.

“They can have the voter rolls. They’re gonna pay for it like everybody else,” West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner told CNN last month, referring to the public list that can be purchased in his state for $500. “They’re not going to get our personal information.” ...

• Doubts about DOJ’s intentions for the data:
• Behind the scenes arm-twisting:

Read More:

PUBLISHED Feb 16, 2026, 5:30 AM ET - 5 hr ago

- CNN -

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie grapple with fallout from parents’ Epstein scandals

London:

—

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been swept into the maelstrom that has engulfed their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, forcing them to grapple with renewed scrutiny swirling around the British monarchy. The sisters, now 37 and 35 respectively, are named hundreds of times in the latest tranche of the so-called “Epstein files” recently published by the US Department of Justice. At least one of the references is highly embarrassing, referring to a young Eugenie’s private life.

Beatrice and Eugenie are among the few members of the Windsor clan to hold “HRH” titles, meaning “His” or “Her Royal Highness,” but they do not represent the monarch as working members of “The Firm.” Much of the criticism of the York family, as they were known in Britain, has centered on Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein...

• The Miami lunch:
• A low profile:
• Lives outside of royal duties:
• King’s unprecedented moves:

Read More:

PUBLISHED Feb 16, 2026, 3:14 AM ET - 7 hr ago

- CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS:

PM Carney taps former head of public service to spearhead CUSMA negotiations

Janice Charette to serve as Canada's chief trade negotiator to the U.S., PMO says

Prime Minister Mark Carney has chosen former clerk of the Privy Council Janice Charette to head Canada's trade negotiations as it prepares for a review of the North American trade pact this year.

Charette's title is chief trade negotiator to the United States, according to a Monday news release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). She'll be a senior adviser to Carney and Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

The announcement comes as the federal government prepares for a scheduled review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) this year...

Read More:

Posted: Feb 16, 2026 10:44 AM EST | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

- CBC -

Canada bets on ‘Build at Home’ defence strategy to reclaim sovereignty — and revive readiness

Plan aims to award 70% of federal defence contracts to Canadian firms within a decade

Canada’s new defence industrial strategy sets out a series of important, extraordinarily high benchmarks for the country to achieve over the next decade, including buying and maintaining most of the military’s equipment domestically. The long-awaited plan, which was developed more as a response to NATO’s call for industrial clarity among allies than to annexation threats by the Trump administration, sets a goal of awarding 70 per cent of federal defence contracts to Canadian firms within a decade.

It also proposes to raise the servicability rates of Canadian military equipment to 75 per cent of the navy’s ships, 80 per cent of the army’s vehicles and 85 per cent of the air force’s planes...

• Cutting down on foreign suppliers:
• Partnerships with Canadian companies:

Posted: Feb 15, 2026 4:29 PM EST | Last Updated: February 15

- CBC -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmSU03WBrIU