This is a profound continental divide. Canadians overwhelmingly view other Canadians, even those unlike them, as being good people. Americans, more than any other country, view their neighbours and fellow citizens as bad people. Anti-Americanism flourishes in the United States

"The United States is the only place we surveyed where more adults (ages 18 and older) describe the morality and ethics of others living in the country as bad (53%) than as good (47%)."

UNICEF is deeply concerned about the deadly impact the ongoing military escalation in Iran is having on children. Approximately 180 children have reportedly been killed and many more injured. www.unicef.org/press-releas...

I was already deeply disheartened, but seeing this outlined in such incredible detail has me even more despairing and outraged. An excellent commentary by @joanbaxter.bsky.social

This man is a danger to the world.

The next time politicians say there is no money for health or humanitarian aid, I will remember this: $1 billion per day on war

I think masks must be mandatory in the ER department of my local hospital right now because when I passed through the ER earlier today, everyone was wearing one. (It was a different story in the rest of the hospital. But at least people were minimizing the spread of viruses in the ER.)

Too often, activists are more focused on sorting people into categories of good and bad than on how people actually change their minds, beliefs, politics, and actions. Personally, I think this comes from a defeatist mindset. But people can and do change. So, how does that happen? Audio + transcript:

"The findings reveal that media coverage prioritizes establishing a positive public image for the accused athlete by (re)showcasing their sporting achievements, rather than focusing on survivors. Media discourse also emphasizes the impact of SV accusations on athletes and their teams."

Centrism has never defeated fascism. And, no, not losing elections doesn't count as defeating fascism.

Some books for #WorldBookDay. Along with some giraffes & some flowers. What I love about books is that only are they good to read (& enjoy the pictures in them) they make excellent subjects to draw too. #Drawing #sketchbook #ArtYear

Morning pep talk

Appreciate the handful of public figures that continue to say true things. Diminishing crew but holding my sanity down so bless

Passion, commitment, grief, rage, and love: all in one place today. There were hundreds and hundreds of us in Halifax, and hundreds and hundreds more across the province, all rallying to support arts, culture, and heritage. Arts, culture, heritage = the heart of us.

The best time of day to send out reminder emails in an attempt to collect on past due invoices is…. (a) the start of the working day? (b) the middle of the working day? (c) the end of the working day? (Trying to get paid for work I did back in December and January. Ugh.)

“There’s a realistic opportunity that we’ll be able to present….a viable alternative, reconciling planetary boundaries with social justice and the fight against poverty and inequalities. That’s the challenge. If we don’t manage, well, the far-right populists will have their way.”

A leader worthy of respect. Other global leaders should have this much courage and morality. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

“School boards are trying to manage quality delivery of public education in each of their jurisdictions with not enough money to do it,” Mastin said. “And so they’re being forced to make decisions that are untenable.” #OntEd #OnPoli

It's acceptable, admirable even, for elected officials to evolve their views as they learn more. More admirable still are leaders whose views are driven by a true moral compass, pointed not where polls lead but rather where decency dictates.

Harm reduction, including supervised consumption approaches make economic sense and also human, moral, sense. Harm reduction is to see people as complicated and still love them and help reduce their harm.

I managed to knock a major item off my to do list today -- filing my Anthropic Copyright Settlement Claim. ✅ The filing process was fairly straightforward but it took me about an hour to answer all the questions and upload all the supporting documentation. ➕

There are five deer wandering in the forest beside my house. 🦌💗

The same way you don't want people bombing you and your loved ones is the same exact thing that other people feel where they live.

The idea's out there today that the job of an op-ed page is to publish pieces making the case for (as well as against) every topic or proposal that's in the news, "even if the policy is bad." This may seem reasonable and it's a thing I struggled with when I was an op-ed editor, so I have thoughts. +

Whole lot of responding to crisis from the same worldview that created it today. Though your power to interrupt that pattern may be small, even insignificant it is still bigger than zero. Can you tend even a tiny sliver of this broken world within and without?

in 2023, Renfrew County had one of highest rates of overdose deaths Canada. Since then, opioid deaths have dropped by half, thanks to a community care model led by paramedics. Here's how it works. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-... via @cbcnews.ca @rebeccazandbergen.bsky.social

I love this so much. It's so brilliant. Too often, we think of retirement as a goal but without ever imagining what our retirement will look like day-to-do. And that is a recipe for depression or an existential crisis. Vickie has found meaning, purpose and creativity in her day-to-day.

Saw someone on here use the term “unrealistic left” and I am proudly embracing that as my new political identity. 😂

From the comrade card archives.

We know that international law, the U.S. constitution, and just human decency are supposed to mean something, are supposed to matter. But the powerful just push that away, and then the sycophants try to tell us why it doesn't matter, actually. It does matter. We should fight for that.

The world is awful and beautiful all at the same time. Spent the afternoon at a community art event where we created works of art using random objects and talked about what it means to truly show up for one another. You’ve got to celebrate the good stuff. ✨

It’s not a distraction it’s a fractal

We condemn Mark Carney's unequivocal support for illegal US-Israeli strikes on Iran, sabotaging negotiations in favour of regime change. A "pre-emptive" strike without an imminent threat is an act of aggression, a violation of the UN Charter, and a major threat to security.

This is such a cool way to get people together to talk about science…. 💡

Toronto street, sunny morning, dirty piles of snow melting everywhere. A person walks by in a one-piece snowsuit and slides (slippers with bare feet in them), around their hips a belt with two leashes holding two pugs in sweaters. It’s late winter in the city. You might see anything on such a day.

“How many of these gentle people have I helped to kill just by paying my taxes?" June Jordan, 1984

In answer to some queries: this is not a joke, Melania Trump actually is presiding over a UN Security Council meeting Monday, and apparently they scheduled that knowing they were going to launch an illegal war on Saturday morning

This is the least important thing about today but, I've been watching America and its allies make war on middle eastern countries most of my life, it feels like. When the war on Iraq and Afghanistan took place, I was a young adult in my first job. I finally had some idea of what was going on.

Peace is a climate solution. Energy efficiency, renewables & walkability are peace building in that they weaken one excuse for war.

Tangerine blots on the road.

Would add that this is also terrifying if you don’t particularly believe in free enterprise

It's a good thing it's Friday because I have long since run through this week's patience and energy budget. I was able to partially recharge my batteries by scheduling Zoom visits with friends yesterday and today. I'm hoping tomorrow's in-person art event will be similarly rejuvenating.

#Ontario #wastewater graph updated with February 15 data - London, Peel, Toronto updated: wwater.ca/Ontario - Also updated: AB, BC, MB, NB, PEI, QC, SK, YT wwater.ca Source: health-infobase.canada.ca/wastewater/

Peterborough! Join me on March 6 for an evening of conversation and community-building! Join our movement as we rebuild the NDP into a winning party — with bold, popular ideas that make life better for all Canadians. Reserve your ticket now: https://avilewis.link/peterborough

Please, please, please pay attention Canada. We can and must have a proper left option to counter the right/lesser evil and far right/greater evil parties that are often framed as the only two viable options.

An old comrade card for this Friday.

To that end...here's a picture of an absolute unit of a Swainson's Hawk I saw last September near Writing-on-Stone PP in Alberta. 🪶 I hadn't even looked at the pics I took that day, or any since, until today.

Me, too, Tom. Me, too....

Canadian publishers are deeply disappointed by Nova Scotia's cancellation of the Publishers Assistance program. Support for local publishers has been reduced from $700,000 to $0, making NS the only province that does not invest in its own publishers. @nsgov.bsky.social publishers.ca/nova-scotia-...

“The arts are a counterpoint to autocracy because they can’t be defined or controlled by dictate. Producing art, or just experiencing art, is therefore an act of dissent.”