OT, but amusing:

https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/06/14/canada-and-denmark-will-split-an-arctic-island/

Hans Island, halfway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is half
a square mile of rock, with zero population or resources. Claimed by
both, there's been a good-natured border clash there for decades, with
the two countries putting up their own flag, tearing down the other's, and
leaving bottles of Canadian whiskey or Danish Schnapps.

Partially to demonstrate solidarity vs Russia, they are now settling the
matter, agreeing on a land border through the island.

pt

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:03:16 -0700 (PDT), "pete...@gmail.com"
<petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

>OT, but amusing:
>
>https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/06/14/canada-and-denmark-will-split-an-arctic-island/
>
>Hans Island, halfway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is half
>a square mile of rock, with zero population or resources. Claimed by
>both, there's been a good-natured border clash there for decades, with
>the two countries putting up their own flag, tearing down the other's, and
>leaving bottles of Canadian whiskey or Danish Schnapps.
>
>Partially to demonstrate solidarity vs Russia, they are now settling the
>matter, agreeing on a land border through the island.

Credit goes to Putin.

But the cost is appalling.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 10:23:22 -0700, Paul S Person
<psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:03:16 -0700 (PDT), "pete...@gmail.com"
><petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>OT, but amusing:
>>
>>https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/06/14/canada-and-denmark-will-split-an-arctic-island/
>>
>>Hans Island, halfway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is half
>>a square mile of rock, with zero population or resources. Claimed by
>>both, there's been a good-natured border clash there for decades, with
>>the two countries putting up their own flag, tearing down the other's, and
>>leaving bottles of Canadian whiskey or Danish Schnapps.
>>
>>Partially to demonstrate solidarity vs Russia, they are now settling the
>>matter, agreeing on a land border through the island.
>
>Credit goes to Putin.
>
>But the cost is appalling.

What part of the cost is appalling? Both sides send ships (usually one
at a time) up that way once or twice a year (sometimes every two
years), the main point for both is preventing any other country making
a claim - it's believed there may be offshore oil in the area though
too expensive to extract with current ice coverage.

Hans Island is almost dead center mid-channel so would probably have a
big effect on where the sea boundary is drawn were either Denmark or
Canada to get 100% of it. (Just as in the Gulf of Georgia between
Washington State and BC back in the 1840s when the boundary was
settled it made a big difference which side got the (BC) Gulf Islands
or the (WA) San Juan islands in terms of where the mid-channel line
was drawn just as 50 years later in the Alaska Panhandle boundary
dispute.)

Putin has his territorial claim in the Arctic Ocean (as does the US,
Canada, Denmark and Noway) but nobody is working hard to get that off
the 'back burner' as a priority. (China is mentioned as one country
whose presence is not desired in these waters particularly since
they're a LOT less amenable to negotiation than say Japan)

Obviously sailing their ships that far north is far more costly than a
large bottle of hooch in a cairn every year or two....

On 6/15/2022 4:35 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 10:23:22 -0700, Paul S Person
> <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:03:16 -0700 (PDT), "pete...@gmail.com"
>> <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> OT, but amusing:
>>>
>>> https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/06/14/canada-and-denmark-will-split-an-arctic-island/
>>>
>>> Hans Island, halfway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is half
>>> a square mile of rock, with zero population or resources. Claimed by
>>> both, there's been a good-natured border clash there for decades, with
>>> the two countries putting up their own flag, tearing down the other's, and
>>> leaving bottles of Canadian whiskey or Danish Schnapps.
>>>
>>> Partially to demonstrate solidarity vs Russia, they are now settling the
>>> matter, agreeing on a land border through the island.
>>
>> Credit goes to Putin.
>>
>> But the cost is appalling.
>
> What part of the cost is appalling?

Canada and Denmark are settling the "dispute" _because_ of the Russian
invasion of Ukraine....

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:03:16 -0700, pete...@gmail.com wrote:

> OT, but amusing:
>
> https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/06/14/canada-and-denmark-will-split-an-
arctic-island/
>
> Hans Island, halfway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is half a
> square mile of rock, with zero population or resources. Claimed by both,
> there's been a good-natured border clash there for decades, with the two
> countries putting up their own flag, tearing down the other's, and
> leaving bottles of Canadian whiskey or Danish Schnapps.
>
> Partially to demonstrate solidarity vs Russia, they are now settling the
> matter, agreeing on a land border through the island.
>
> pt

This news item could portend something more interesting coming out
of Canada or involving Canada. Of the what, I'm not sure, but the
when would likely be around July 1.

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 18:16:25 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>On 6/15/2022 4:35 PM, The Horny Goat wrote:
>> On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 10:23:22 -0700, Paul S Person
>> <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:03:16 -0700 (PDT), "pete...@gmail.com"
>>> <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> OT, but amusing:
>>>>
>>>> https://polarjournal.ch/en/2022/06/14/canada-and-denmark-will-split-an-arctic-island/
>>>>
>>>> Hans Island, halfway between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, is half
>>>> a square mile of rock, with zero population or resources. Claimed by
>>>> both, there's been a good-natured border clash there for decades, with
>>>> the two countries putting up their own flag, tearing down the other's, and
>>>> leaving bottles of Canadian whiskey or Danish Schnapps.
>>>>
>>>> Partially to demonstrate solidarity vs Russia, they are now settling the
>>>> matter, agreeing on a land border through the island.
>>>
>>> Credit goes to Putin.
>>>
>>> But the cost is appalling.
>>
>> What part of the cost is appalling?
>
>Canada and Denmark are settling the "dispute" _because_ of the Russian
>invasion of Ukraine....

Which given they've been formal allies since 1949 (both are charter
members of NATO) don't you think it's long past time?

So at least Putin has done SOME good in the world!

I'm currently reading former world chess champion Garry Kasparov's
book on Putin which was written in 2015 shortly after Putin's first
invasion of Ukraine and all I can say is "OMG OMG"

https://www.amazon.ca/Winter-Coming-Vladimir-Enemies-Stopped/dp/1610397193/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzLCVBhD3ARIsAPKYTcTlo3ibIjL3Y5L8pDI5ytZMOs2U5Yd-MhWv_9vMO-aupWrdjBWm1IYaAsFHEALw_wcB&hvadid=348286431003&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001574&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6723924085546787098&hvtargid=kwd-300501139168&hydadcr=23309_10308546&keywords=kasparov+winter+is+coming&qid=1655492284&sr=8-1