Hospitalization rates for illnesses like COVID, flu have doubled since pre-pandemic, report finds | CBC News Striking new data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows hospitalization rates for vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases more than doubled in 2024, compared to pre-pandemic...

“People assume that COVID-19 is done…but what our data is showing is that it’s still having a big impact on our hospitals.”

www.cbc.ca/news/health/...

Must be Market Manipulation Monday again!

RCMP Seeks to Quash Discrimination Ruling by Human Rights Tribunal | The Tyee The force is arguing the tribunal shouldn’t provide police oversight. But an expert says the appeal reflects resistance to reform.

The RCMP is disputing a finding that it discriminated, saying police investigations aren’t “services” under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

My latest for @thetyee.ca. thetyee.ca/News/2026/04...

The chilling role of ChatGPT in mass shootings and other violence Several attacks involving OpenAI's chatbot—including Tumbler Ridge and FSU—raise urgent questions about the technology.

NEW: The mass shootings at Tumbler Ridge and FSU raise urgent questions about people using ChatGPT and other chatbots to plan deadly violence—which is happening far beyond those cases, my new investigation shows www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0... 🧵

Analysis Finds That Google's AI Overviews Are Providing Misinformation at a Scale Possibly Unprecedented in the History of Human Civilization A new analysis commissioned by The New York Times suggests that Google's AI Overviews are wrong an astonishing percentage of the time.

Google’s AI Overviews are providing “tens of millions of wrong answers … every hour — and hundreds of thousands every minute.”

wow, i love the AI future!

I know Carney is conservative. But accepting this floor crossing shows an absolutely astonishing deficit in values and judgement

I have read a statement
that “a whole civilization
will die tonight,
never to be brought back again,”
and as I read that statement
and as I reread that statement
I cannot shake the feeling
that the civilization
from which that statement comes
is one that is already dead.

Trump’s Genocidal Threats on Iran Are Enabled by a Vast Apparatus of Destruction “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump threatened.

"We also need to address the dehumanization that persists in every single aspect of American life... that has sent us down the path in which Trump can threaten to annihilate a civilization & we find ourselves with few answers about how to stop it."
@neginowl.bsky.social
truthout.org/articles/tru...

New Images of The Moon From Artemis II

NASA has released the first batch of images taken by the crew of the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, showcasing our Moon in a whole new light and a whole new perspective. (1/3)

The cover of a picture book called, "Field Trip to the Moon," by author/illustrator John Hare shows a spaceship painted to look like a school bus. A row of children dressed in space suits are boarding the bus/rocket. Here's a blurb: It's field trip day, and students are excited to travel on their yellow spaceship bus from their space station to the moon in this wordless picture book. Climb aboard the spaceship bus for a fantastic field trip adventure to the moon! Once their bright yellow ship lands, students debark and set out with their teacher to explore. They jump over trenches and see craters and mountains on the moon's surface and even Earth in the faraway distance. But when one student takes a break to draw some pictures and falls asleep, they wake up to discover that the rest of the class and the spaceship are gone. How the student passes the time waiting to be rescued makes for a funny and unexpected adventure that will enchant children all over the galaxy. With rich atmospheric art, John Hare's wordless picture book invites children to imagine themselves in the story--a story full of surprises including some friendly space creatures. A perfect complement to discussions and lessons on the moon landing.

The cover of a picture book called, "The Darkest Dark," by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and Canadian illustrators Eric Fan and Terry Fan. It shows a young boy standing on a lakefront dock beside his dog. Both are looking up at the bright full moon. The trees in the background are spooky monsters. Here's a blurb: The internationally bestselling picture book, now with a glow-in-the-dark cover! Inspired by the childhood of real-life astronaut Chris Hadfield and brought to life by New York Times bestselling creators Terry and Eric Fan's lush, evocative illustrations, The Darkest Dark will encourage readers to dream the impossible. Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he's a brave astronaut, exploring the universe. Only one problem--at night, Chris doesn't feel so brave. He's afraid of the dark. But when he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest dark there is--and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.

The cover of a picture book called, "Mae Among the Stars," by Roda Ahmed (author) and Stasia Burrington (illustrator) shows a young girl dressed as an astronaut looking at a starry purple sky. Here's a blurb: A beautiful picture book for sharing and marking special occasions such as graduation, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. A great classroom and bedtime read-aloud, Mae Among the Stars is the perfect book for young readers who have big dreams and even bigger hearts. When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering. She wanted to be an astronaut. Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.” Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space. This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination.

The cover of a picture book called, "A Moon of My Own," by Jennifer Rustgi (author) and Ashley White (illustrator) shows a silhouette of a small child beside a giant full moon. Here's a blurb: A little girl travels around the world in her dreams, with the moon as her only companion. No matter where she goes or how far away from home she wanders, the moon is her guide and friend. Her nighttime journeys take her to fantastic places all over the globe. She visits the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Taj Mahal in Agra, and a penguin colony in Antarctica. As her travels continue, readers can see the celestial orb transform through its continuous cycle of phases.

Some wonderful picture books to share with your students if you're feeling inspired by the #Artemis mission. Many of these are available as YouTube read alouds if you don't have a copy of your own or can't find one at your local library.

Just another Market Manipulation Monday.

Donald Trump speaks behind a podium during a broadcast of Survivor 50.

Worst special guest on Survivor 50.

The planet Jupiter with its cloud bands seen in shades of pink, rusty red, blue, and purple. The Great Red Spot is a deep navy blue, surrounded by bands and swirls of pink, and light blue.

Hubble's ultraviolet view of Jupiter shows the planet in hues of pink and blue.

jupiter wishes you a very happy trans day of visibility 🏳️‍⚧️

This image shows gauges with the Mar 28 - Apr 10, 2026 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. From left to right: Canada: HIGH - 6.7 Alberta: HIGH - 6.3 British Columbia: MODERATE - 4.0 Manitoba: HIGH - 6.2 New Brunswick: HIGH - 6.6 Newfoundland & Labrador: MODERATE - 4.7 North: HIGH - 6.2 Nova Scotia: HIGH - 6.6 Ontario: HIGH - 6.9 Prince Edward Island: VERY HIGH - 10.9 Quebec: HIGH - 8.2 Saskatchewan: HIGH - 7.3 A text box reads: 'The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15 red).'

Canadian COVID Forecast: Mar 28 - Apr 10, 2026

SEVERE: none
VERY HIGH: PEI
HIGH: CAN, AB, MB, NB, North, NS, ON, QC, SK
MODERATE: BC, NL

About 1 in 84 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.

I just got an email from Fido with the subject "Leah, we’re standing with Canadians against scams" - the only scam I see is my phone bill every month (especially when the price mysteriously goes up $5 for "tariffs.")

‘I was tearing up,’ Blue Jays’ 50th season opener sparks nostalgia, mixed reactions - NOW Toronto From nostalgia to deja vu, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Friday night game against the Athletics was an emotional one for the team and their fans.

From nostalgia to deja vu, the Toronto #BlueJays Friday night game against the Athletics was an emotional one for the team and their fans. ⚾️

nowtoronto.com/news/i-was-t...

The TSA is broken — is privatization next? Trump allies sense an opportunity to privatize the TSA.

Like much of Trump’s second-term agenda, his position on the shutdown makes little sense on its face.

But the strategy becomes clear when examined through the lens of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which calls for the complete dismantling of the TSA.

Air Canada flight collides with a Port Authority vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport Authorities in New York say an Air Canada flight collided with a Port Authority vehicle after landing at LaGuardia Airport.

BREAKING: New York's LaGuardia Airport closes after an Air Canada flight collides with a Port Authority vehicle on the runway, according to an FAA website.

Here's a wild idea: countries should only have bases within their own borders. Or, if everyone could agree to stop doing wars, bases wouldn't even be needed at all. (I know that last one isn't realistic, but wouldn't it be nice!)

3 handmade mugs with trans flag colours.

A cat and a bear porcelain pottery sculpture glazed in the trans pride colours

A hope pendant and a butterfly pendant (with chain) glazed in the trans flag colours. The chain is placed in a heart shape.

A set of 2 cat magnets glazed in the trans pride colours.

Human rights of trans people are under attack by governments and cruel people.

It's a cause too often forgotten, but needs more attention.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these pieces will go to our local gender affirming closet (approximately 30% of price).

Please share to help!

Photo of Michael B. Jordan accepting his Oscar. Text: Oscars: Best actor, Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners"

Michael B. Jordan won best actor at the #Oscars for his double-duty performance as the twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.” bit.ly/4bsACN0

Sinners' Autumn Durald is officially the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography.

‘Exploit every vulnerability’: rogue AI agents published passwords and overrode anti-virus software Exclusive: Lab tests discover ‘new form of insider risk’ with artificial intelligence agents engaging in autonomous, even ‘aggressive’ behaviours

‘Exploit every vulnerability’: rogue AI agents published passwords and overrode anti-virus software

AI cameras are everywhere — and people are paying the price for their mistakes Flock Safety's license plate readers are used by police in thousands of communities. When the cameras make mistakes, the consequences can be severe.

“In a dozen instances, misreads by Flock's automated license plate readers, or a lack of verification by officers, resulted in people who hadn't committed crimes being stopped at gunpoint, sent to jail, or mauled by a police dog, among other outcomes.”

Return-to-Office Mandates: The Cost of Commuting Again From commuting and lunches to lost time, the math shows why many workers feel poorer at the office

RTO scam

".. the total cost of simply showing up at the office climbs to about $25,730–$26,230 each year.

To maintain the same disposable income that working mostly from home allows, a worker would need a net salary increase of [..]$8,000–$10,000 per year after taxes.."

money.ca/managing-mon...

24 hours? Not this year. 🤷‍♀️ 

International Women’s Day comes up one hour short this year. Today, PWHL players who wear 24 are wearing 23 — a reminder that when women get less, the answer is to give women’s sports more.

This image shows gauges with the Feb 28 - Mar 13, 2026 COVID Forecast scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. From left to right: Canada: HIGH - 6.7 Alberta: HIGH - 6.5 British Columbia: MODERATE - 4.4 Manitoba: VERY HIGH - 10.0 New Brunswick: HIGH - 7.1 Newfoundland & Labrador: MODERATE - 4.7 North: HIGH - 6.7 Nova Scotia: HIGH - 6.0 Ontario: HIGH - 7.7 Prince Edward Island: MODERATE - 4.9 Quebec: HIGH - 6.6 Saskatchewan: HIGH - 8.1 A text box reads: 'The COVID Forecast is calculated from 3 equally weighted categories: 1) Current infections and spread; 2) Healthcare system impact; 3) Mortality. Within each category there is one sub-category for trends over the most recent week (Trends) and one sub-category for current parameter values relative to a specified baseline (Current values). Trends and current values are weighted equally when determining the final score for a category. All Forecast input data and sources are available here (https://datastudio.google.com/embed/u/0/reporting/42b886cf-d661-488e-b7d8-5c5836b55ab6/page/p_2yqs028mwc). Past Forecast scores are available in the table below. Forecast scores are grouped into 4 ranges: MODERATE (1 to <5, white), HIGH (6 to <10, yellow), VERY HIGH (10 to <15, orange), SEVERE (>15 red).'

Canadian COVID Forecast: Feb 28 - Mar 13, 2026

SEVERE: none
VERY HIGH: MB
HIGH: CAN, AB, NB, North, NS, ON, QC, SK
MODERATE: BC, NL, PEI

About 1 in 99 people in Canada are CURRENTLY infected.