The story of the remarkable forgotten seamstress turned scientist who solved the ancient mystery of the argonaut, pioneered the aquarium, and laid the groundwork for the study of octopus intelligence www.themarginalian.org/2022/12/26/j...

IMPORTANT: Paris has more than “vision.” They have clear plans. Including a 5-Year Pedestrian Plan: - 300 million € invested by 2026 - 100 new hectares of ped space - 100 more “streets for kids” - Focus on 0 pedestrian deaths #VisionZero - Longer ped cross times Does your city follow smart plans?

I was amused a while ago to learn that some of the audience of CBC radio "Because News" actually counts the points awarded and expects an actual winner, unlike the absurdist point awards of the British news panel comedy shows that inspired it.

The future is here. And it does not desperately need Venezuelan oil.

Oh god this took me forever and then it was so obvious. Does make one realize how weird a common word can be. (Friday January 9) Wordle 1,665 5/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

So Biden or Obama could have just cut off all federal funding to red states and the press would have just been stenographers about it?

Alright its time for another #RavineRamble. This 1 will be a short 1. Mud & ice are everywhere & that makes it hard to get down into the valley. Today's goal is to explore a cutoff section of Curity Creek, a small tributary to Taylor Creek. #LoveTheRavines #DonRover #RavineRambler #EastCoastKin

Within 150meters, we reach a rather rare find in Toronto, a waterfall. Curity Fall is probably the only in Don Valley I know of. @rudydotca.bsky.social @bobgeorgiouto.bsky.social @metroscapes.ca @notsmoothsteve.bsky.social Anyone know others? #LoveTheRavines #DonRover #RavineRambler #EastCoastKin

The Alberta separatism movement is making serious efforts to align with Donald Trump’s administration - They’ve sent 3 delegations to Washington, D.C. - want a $500B loan from the US government - seek connections with Wall Street + the US Treasury www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Dow never misses. ⛽️

Totally

Bell Canada email has this charming habit where it sends email to junk even from people marked as "safe sender". And then, when you tell it the email isn't junk and the sender is safe, it gives you an error message "[email protected] is already marked as safe sender."

Hello Tim Cook I worked at Tumblr when you gave us 48 hours to get rid of all the consenting, adult boobs. Up all night at your whim, out of the blue. But you're still cool with Twitter and its CSAM and revenge porn and whatever the fuck this is? Why do you even HAVE guidelines?

BBC Verify and BBC Persian have verified over 100 videos in more than 50 towns and cities during 10 days of nationwide protests in Iran, showing that the demonstrations have now spread to the majority of Iran's provinces. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Quick recovery today (Thursday January 8) Wordle 1,664 4/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Editorial in the National Catholic Reporter: "The vice president's comments justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel."

In a rebuke to the GOP party line, the House of Representatives voted to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies. 17 Republicans defected to join all Democrats in voting for the legislation, after the end of the subsidies sparked the longest-ever federal government shutdown.

Have to say Saoirse Ronan looked a lot like this portrait when playing Mary Queen of Scots.

The technology to make Toronto’s LRTs and streetcars faster already exists. It’s the political will that’s lacking.

CN tower, mist, Ontario Line construction, late afternoon sun

NEW INVESTIGATION: What Is A Life Worth In NYC? In Fatal Crashes, Sometimes Just $50. Drivers who kill pedestrians often face minimal punishment, including just a $50 fine in one case, a Streetsblog investigation found. -- nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/01/08/w...

Large protests are erupting across Iran tonight. In Tehran, gunfire can be heard as crowds gather in massive numbers. Despite nationwide internet disruptions by the Iranian government, aimed at silencing the movement, footage continues to emerge.

The budget presentation has a new (I think) visual attempt to illustrate that most of the city's major revenue sources do not grow with the economy/inflation.

Got to appreciate a Star Trek reference (also remembering that City Hall was featured in a Star Trek episode)

"The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that Mississauga’s tall-grass by-law violates the Charter right to freedom of expression, setting an important precedent for environmental stewardship and municipal accountability" wolfruck.com/ontario-cour...

Applications are now open for funding from Toronto’s Outside Mural & Street Art Program tinyurl.com/yc3czdat

It's interesting that the gender gap seems to be smaller than it used to be. More men supporting Liberals and NDP than before, more women supporting Conservatives.

Today once again proved that everyday citizens protesting their government are braver than the titans who own the largest media corporations, run the biggest law firms and lead the most powerful technology companies.

I give her credit for trying to do something modest about wealth inequality by reducing the capital gains tax exemption to what it once was, even if that later got nixed by Carney.

On a similar point, it is irresponsible for academics to schedule international academic conferences in the U.S. during the Trump regime. It is not safe for visitors. All conferences should be moved aboard until further notice. We can host them in Canada.

Just got the Stratford Festival program for this year, and they are really not pushing boundaries this time around. Lots of old favourites.

"Secret police" is often misunderstood to mean a force that operates covertly, with all their operations secret. But a secret police force's actions are often public. The secret part is hiding their identities, because they're breaking laws to hurt politically disfavored people, and fear reprisals.

Back to Tory-like increases as the election approaches. But perhaps made possible by the courageous serious increases of her first two years.

Like @pkrugman.bsky.social , I have had Enya's "Orinoco" going through my head the last few days. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-empero...

Lexus had a Christmas ad this year showing a daughter growing up alongside various Lexuses in the driveway. I was struck by the difference between the car her parents brought her home in ~30 years ago vs. the car that she brought her own daughter home in in modern times.

"The above was inspired by the Washington Post Editorial Board’s apology for Trump’s kidnapping of Maduro, to the point that I could lift entire paragraphs and just change a few words." www.halifaxexaminer.ca/morning-file...

Useful graphic comparing cost of extraction of Canadian vs Venezuelan oil. Even though it's also heavy, Canadian is significantly cheaper.

The history of hard right populism is basically seeing the world as if through a tabloid lense, getting really angry about complex problems and imagining a simple, serious, manly solution. Social media just energised that. So these are are charging windmills of their own design, hurting people.

Bracing clarity from Andrew Coyne here. Say hello to Occam's kazoo, in which the stupidest explanation is the most likely one. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

"One obvious solution is Norway’s sliding pollution fee levied on all new car sales. The more CO2 +other pollutants a car will spew over its lifespan, the higher the upfront fee" Sliding fees should also apply to greater danger, as from pickups #roadsafety www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/06/a...

The Road Safety Strategy is an opportunity to address the dangers pedestrians face every day, but the vision should be for zero people to lose their lives. We should not accept that a certain number of people will die on our roads. livingstreets.org.uk/RSScomment

The president of Colombia was democratically elected ...

Toronto's new Line 6 though? I'd heard it was bad but I really wasn't prepared for just how miserable it was. at every single intersection, every turn movement goes before the tram, losing at least a minute every single time. I'm in disbelief this was approved to open in this condition

Great, detailed review of "Messy Cities", citing many of the authors, putting it in broader context - a and a great table of words used for neat and messy urbanism. urbanspringtime.blogspot.com/2026/01/mess...

Oh god, even with all that testing it's turning out like Ottawa...

Average P3 moment

It feels like a reversal of the natural order of things that an older generation person like me thinks the young people's music is dreary, lifeless, and enervated. We're supposed to find it too much, not not enough. www.thestar.com/entertainmen...

The Americans.

A reader asks: "I know walking is good for my body. But can it be my only form of exercise?"

This is like that bit in Dave. Only real. And realistic in terms of scope. But real. It's choosing what's important, and then "what would it look like if we acted like this was important?"