The American people are almost unfathomably stupid.

If I'm being honest, the collapse of the post-Cold War international order and the violent occupation of an American city are making it difficult for me to concentrate on housing policy.

There is no enemy like a friend betrayed. From last March in Alberta/Photo by Gavin Young

The vibe shift in the EU and Canada over the weekend is unlike anything I've ever seen. US hegemony in military and economic alliances is effectively dead. History will look back and wonder how the elites in power not only did nothing to stop it but cheered it on willingly.

oh hey small life update. RIP larch lab. we're going to build a better world.

This. Greenland defense is a tripwire—putting various European countries’ personnel in harms way in an attempt to deter attack—not an effort to win a war with the US. A real Europe-US war would destroy the world. The goal is to not have one. Which was more than accomplished by a robust NATO. Alas.

Palisades now delayed to late March www.enr.com/articles/623...

The speech Mark Carney gave at #Davos was nothing short of historical. It will be replayed around the world. Now we watch who stands with him, or who capitulates to autocracy, or blind ideology hardened by mass propaganda. #WEF #MarkCarney @mark-carney.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/uStuQ-T...

"Street Scene from Købmagergade in Copenhagen" (1893) by Danish painter Otto Bache (1839-1927) Oil on canvas. 78 x 54 cm, private collection #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt

A Spell to transform a human into a horned snake. The Papyrus of Ani, The Egyptian Book of the Dead. 1275 BCE.

Charley Harper, "Darwin's Finches", from "The Giant Golden Book of Biology", 1961

Danish Parliament Deputy Speaker Lars-Christian Brask: "If I could come with some advice, it would be for the Senate & House to start to take control of political power in America because with this erratic & mad behaviour, you have to ask the question, is the President capable of running the US?"

January 20, 1930: Born on this day, astronaut Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., better known as Buzz Aldrin. On September 9, 2002 - Buzz punches a moon landing conspiracy theorist in the face. contactlight.de

Peter Mansbridge posts on substack that the Mark Carney speech at Davos was the best political speech he has heard in his lifetime.

everyone should read Carney's speech

“Canada is a pluralistic society that works. Our public square is loud, diverse, and free. Canadians remain committed to sustainability.”

Holy smokes - he opened with a reference to Vaclav Havel's "The Power of the Powerless," among the all-time greats of underground revolutionary literature (Havel spent years in jail for it, then became Czech's president after his release). Momentous speech. Read the whole thing.

An excellent & informative analysis of the fiscal bind #NewWest #SD40 & other districts face in providing inclusive #educationforall. I agree: @davidebybc.bsky.social & @lisabeare.bsky.social need to step up. Good argumentation, @jplett.bsky.social!

Cory Doctorow has some thoughts on this matter. pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/3...

AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage | Cory Doctorow

Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "

Thread of the day.

Globe & Mail reporting on Canadian military's modelling of how an extended insurgency against a US invasion would play out: In short, we'd take cues from the mujahideen. "The aim of such tactics would be to impose mass casualties on U.S. occupying forces..."

I’m pretty proud of this piece. It’s the story of how the province fails to fund inclusive education adequately and the lengths school boards like #SD40 go to to make sure every student gets the education they deserve. @davidebybc.bsky.social @lisabeare.bsky.social #newwest #bcpoli

A routine regime change isn’t going to restore any global trust in the USA. Our weaknesses and faults have been laid out for all to see. Only a Nuremberg will move us toward a re-entrance to global leadership.

This is amazing and there could be no better place to host this. www.vancouverisawesome.com/events-and-e...

“The old order is not coming back…” —Mark Carney in #Davos > www.cbc.ca/news/politic... #cdnpoli #eupoli

0.98 in 2025. Fewest Chinese children born in 250 years. At this rate China’s population stabilizes below 500m. And gets hella old before that.

More children are born in Nigeria each year than all other countries except India & China. That's because their total fertility rate is around 4.5 vs just over 2.0 in India and around in 1.0 in China. Compared to Europe: brilliantmaps.com/europe-vs...

Wildfires in Chile rage for third day, entire towns wiped out u.afp.com/SB5w

can we just 3D print him a Nobel Peace Prize so he’ll shut the fuck up

I genuinely think one thing that trips up folks on the left is that they can't imagine not sharing certain core values. Lemme explain. Here's an intuition pump: Say you're in negotiations with counterparty X. And there are two possible deals on the table ...

Unusual for mid-January, it's a sunny & bright day in #NewWest (above the fog), but this season is still a blue one for many folks. Shake off those blues at the Anvil Centre! Bring a neighbour, meet new neighbours! Make a connection in the "Downtown living room" that will brighten your season!

A high school student was left with life-altering injuries crossing the street outside her school. Is the city doing enough to keep kids safe around schools? (Spoiler, no.) But it's fantastic seeing these high schoolers taking advocacy into their own hands! A great story, please read:

How about, no.

Stephen Hawking parade in Spain https://www.reddit.com/r/Weird/comments/1qfuj9p/stephen_hawking_parade_in_spain/

Sam Szafran (French, 1934–2019) "Escalier, 54 Rue de Seine", 1990 Watercolor on Silk, 205 × 107 cm. William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, Museum Mount Kisco, New York, US. #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt

Loving the fog

Big idea late in the show: data center developers buy goodwill by making cities into renewable micro grids. “Hello please can we install all the kit to give you cheap power and EVs, which will also get us what we need.” More finicky but definitely cheaper and quicker than a nuke.

Ceiling of mosque in Erbil, Iraq

January spring skiing on Mount Seymour, above the Vancouver fog

In Dubai today the Canadian mens rugby 7s team won the SVNS3 tournament by beating Belgium. They now move into SVNS2 for a shot to get back to play against the big boys

I like Alabama’s state constitution amendment 8 (2012) which passed with 70% voter support. “the basic compensation of the Legislature [set at] the median household income in the state” ballotpedia.org/Alabama_Legi... I don’t like absolute numbers in legislation. I like ratios (1:1 here).

I wonder whether the White House would be interested in a swap for a signed first edition Handmaid’s Tale. #newwest