Mass refusal IS the way. Or, at least, a key part of it.

From the We Won't Stop Singing rally today.

The NS gov's 100% cut to funding for NS publishers is culturally ignorant and economically stupid. How unfortunate that Tim Houston can't read - either the room or a book - but we, the people of this province, will continue fighting back regardless.

omg I feel more prosperous already ✨️🙏🏻

💀💀💀

Just met my new fav BlueSky account

My lips?

Flaming.

#mutualaid #halifaxns

Oh, the schadenfreude of seeing developers get pushback when they break the law. Sweet, if all too rare.

Cuts proposed by Houston are more than just numbers on a budget sheet – they represent real impacts for everyday Nova Scotians.

When we cut these programs, we cut opportunities for youth engagement, community connection & sustainable transportation growth.

nslegislature.ca/members/prof...

This is precisely what our dear Premier has been telling us - with his actions, and with his smug little face.

And Montreal

This is important info! The bridge tolls are not necessarily (and **should not** be) gone forever. #HaliSky

The wild lands and waters we love throughout this province, and the DNR workers who work to protect them, are worth so, sooooooooo much more than Timmy Huge-Stain's joke of an excuse for leadership.

The irony of everyone fawning over how Mark Carney is 'standing up' for Canada is that he is simultaneously eroding the few institutions that actually distinguish the Canadian state from the US, and those which theoretically could be used to shield Canadians from the disaster area to the south.

Since so many people are fangirling over Carney's supposed "historic" speech in Davos, I want to offer an alternative reading.

This is not left cynicism, but a sober reading of imperial positioning in this moment.

1) Carney squarely positioned Canada as a middle power.

What a great headline

In the genocide in Sudan, Canada has a hand in the violence ⋆ The Breach The massacres of civilians in Sudan are being fuelled by Canadian weapons, mining interests, and refugee restrictions. It’s time for Canada to end its complicity

Robyn Maynard, Ismail Adam (VP of the Darfur Diaspora Association) and I wrote this op-ed about Canada's complicity in Sudan, calling among other things for the loophole to be closed that allows Can. weapons to get to the RSF through the US + UAE.

breachmedia.ca/in-the-genoc...

Ultimately, a lot of these products make me think of a concept called luxury surveillance coined by Chris Gilliard and the late David Golumbia a few years ago. They were arguing that there’s a line where forms of surveillance can feel oppressive to some — particularly poorer and marginalized groups in society — but that more privileged groups can feel are actually benefiting from them by making their lives easier or more convenient. Yet, Gilliard and Golumbia argue that line can easily shift, and while the surveillance may once have felt it was worth the trade off, it can quickly become an oppressive force for a much wider swath of people. “We need to develop a much deeper way of talking about surveillance technology and a much richer set of measures with which to regulate their use,” they wrote. “Just as much, we need to recognize that voluntarily adopting surveillance isn’t an isolated choice we make only for ourselves but one that impacts others in a variety of ways we may not recognize.” That’s something to consider in our everyday lives as much as when we’re choosing what to gift to others.

There are many more bad tech products to avoid. But I keep coming back to @hypervisible.blacksky.app and David Golumbia’s concept of luxury surveillance.

We need to really think about the surveillance tech we’re adopting — and certainly that we’re pushing on others.

disconnect.blog/a-tech-criti...

Green and white text overlaid on an image of a hand holding a pine branch. Text reads, "Protecting the Nova Scotia We Deserve. Healthy, thriving ecosystems are the foundation of life in Nova Scotia. From the forests that filter our air and water to the coastal habitats that support and protect our communities. Keep reading to see what’s possible. Beyond the bull💩."

Green and white text overlaid on an image of people canoeing in a lake in the HRM. Text reads, "Why Protected areas matter. Protected areas safeguard nature’s most essential services. 🍃 Clean air and drinking water. Habitats for plants and wildlife. Natural defences against floods and erosion. Carbon storage that helps fight climate change. They also offer space for connection, recreation and reflection for all. They’re a piece of who we are."

Green and white text overlaid on an image of a forested lake in the fall in Nova Scotia. Text reads, "What’s at stake. Nova Scotia’s biodiversity is globally significant, but under pressure. Only about 13% of our lands and inland waters are currently protected. More than 70 sites identified in Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan, still await legal designation. Without timely protection, rare species and ecosystems are left vulnerable to development, logging and fragmentation."

Green and white text overlaid on an aerial image of a Nova Scotia forest. Text reads, "The commitment. Nova Scotia’s Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, legally commits the province to protecting at least 20% of our lands and waters by 2030. This is not just a target - it’s the law. But progress has slowed, and many promised sites remain in limbo."

Protected areas equal healthy ecosystems, wildlife habitat and vibrant communities. Nova Scotia could protect more land and water while boosting recreation and tourism.

This is the future NS could have.

Learn more: ecologyaction.ca/our-work/wilderness/protected-areas

#BeyondTheBS #NoMoreBS

The End of Israel The United Nations just confirmed what every person of conscience has known since the beginning or at least for nearly two years.

kennorphan.substack.com/p/the-end-of...

Grandparents for Vaccines launches to share stories of life before immunizations New volunteer group aims to educate parents about vaccine importance by sharing personal experiences with preventable diseases.

"The group brings together hundreds of grandparents nationwide who lived through diseases such as polio, tuberculosis and measles — illnesses once thought eliminated in the United States..."

www.kgw.com/article/news...

I feel this 100% (graduated high school in 2009). More and more demands from work, more and more precarity -- and none of it is accidental or unavoidable.

📌

I also think of AI as the next iteration of settler colonialism - built on massive theft and consent violations. It's such a clear example of means and ends, bc nothing built on and for violence can be sustained to a creative, life-centered end.

📌

There isn’t a single thing anyone can say that would justify what Israel is doing in Gaza. It’s mass extermination, plain and simple.

Anyone who tries to excuse Israel’s actions - Zionists, politicians, or media pundits - supports killing and starving innocents.

Biked downtown to partner's workplace (approx 15 min. each way lol) to bring him a thing he forgot and **didn't die!** Baby cyclist survives to pedal another day! #citycycling #halifaxcyclist

Palestinians crowd around charity kitchens in Gaza, desperately trying to secure even the tiniest share of aid.

Question for the Sky-mind: For those who've navigated ongoing overwhelm at work, how honest were you about that with your coworkers? Is there ever a professional way to say "I'm sorry, but I'm so overworked and still catching up to do [X thing I promised you]"?

Thanks for any advice!