Prairie Post

5 things you absolutely must know today

Violence erupts following Pinochet march in Chile

Violence broke out between protesters and police in Santiago, Chile Sunday following what was a peaceful march to remember those who disappeared under Augusto Pinochet’s military rule from ’73 – ’90. The annual march happens a few days prior to the September 11 anniversary of the coup Pinochet led to depose Salvador Allende. A few were reported injured after hooded protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs at police after the march finished its course at the cemetery where the memorial is located. Under the dictatorship, 40,000 people suffered human rights abuses, and more than 3,000 were reported killed or missing. [Source: BBC]

Russia’s Channel One gets it wrong

A documentary created by Russia’s state-run Channel one featured a poster they claimed was U.S., anti-German propaganda from WWI. It wasn’t. The poster depicts an angry looking, monster-ish, strong-jawed soldier about to masticate a baby. “Soldiers eat babies. That’s a fact,” reads the poster. “Think of the children. Join Demoman today, and make these monsters pay.” Though such propaganda posters did exist, this one was created by Finnish artist TankTour for the video game Team Fortress 2. [Source: Death and Taxes]

Meteorite hits Nicaragua 

A rock or a piece of ice from space crashed into our planet Saturday night, leaving a crater a volcanologist says was 12-metres across by five metres deep. The meteorite hit reportedly hit a wooded are near the airport in Nicaragua’s capital Managua. Residents in the area heard a loud boom. Rosario Murillo, a spokeswoman for the Nicaraguan government, told news sources the meteorite appears to have broken off an asteroid passing close to Earth. Scientists will be studying to the crater to determine its makeup as either ice or rock. And answer the question you must be asking yourself right now: Is it buried, or did it disintegrate on impact? No one was hurt in the collision. And the country’s delicious rum remains safe and flowing. [Source: Globe and Mail]

B.C. rejects offer, schools remain closed 

British Columbia rejected an offer that would have ended, or paused, the strike that has forced all of the province’s public schools to close. About 500,000 schools remain locked, as the second week of school year begins.  Government representative Peter Cameron advised education minister Peter Fassbender to reject the deal for binding arbitration, saying it wasn’t serious and failed to guarantee an end to the strike.Cameron told news sources the next phase in this conflict is to bring in labour advisor Vince Ready, who claims the sides are too far apart for meditation to properly take. [Source: CTV News]

Snow predicted for Alberta

Spectator Tribune boldly claims to celebrate all that make the Prairies extraordinary. Snowfall on September 8 is extraordinary. And it’s predicted to happen over a handful of regions in southwestern Alberta. “Current analysis suggests over five centimetres of snow is possible for [many] regions, however, there is still some uncertainty as to just how much will accumulate,” said Environment Canada on its website.  [Source: CBC News]

Note from the farm: The wheat harvest is coming to an end. Yields were good. But quality could have been better. Many wheat seeds began sprouting during what has been a warm, humid fall. Sprouted wheat seeds are not used for milling. And, depending on how many are detected in a sample, such a crop is often sold as feed, for less money.

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Toban Dyck is a farmer. He sometimes writes, convincing himself he can do so. Follow him @tobandyck. 

For more, follow @spectatortrib.