Floor-crossing is a byproduct of a system where a handful of seats can turn a disproportionate minority into a majority.
Proportional representation removes that shortcut. When power requires genuine cooperation, the focus shifts from poaching MPs to building consensus.
Do you need a catchy song to sing to her that has her name in it? Because if so, I present to you one of my favourite Tragically Hip songs: "Goodnight Josephine"
youtu.be/9aLpXi2B2aE
i don't know what the hell to do. Everything i could do seems entirely pointless now. How can I write, read, promote my shit, right now? I wish I could do more. I wish I could do anything.
Can't tell you how many members of Congress who *at best* had nothing to say when I asked about the Minab girls school attack. There is a profanely cold detachment inside Capitol Hill, a mode completely unrecognizable to common human decency I wish I could properly convey to you.
Kind of reminds me of this news story: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
If you don't want people to jump, say something like "stay still" or "stay here" instead of "don't jump".
The (defunct?) Canadian band Portico has an excellent song about the Battle of Duck Lake!
open.spotify.com/track/2QUTdp...
Happy Day The Ring Was Destroyed, everyone. Here's hoping all dark lords fall from their towers today to mark the occasion.
Where did you get the patch?
St Margaret's Loch at the base of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh
Haha, same. Last year I visited Edinburgh and climbed Arthur's Seat, and thought that calling the body of water at the base "St. Margaret's Loch" was quaint. That's a *pond* at best!
it’s incredibly blackpilling to me that it takes rising gas prices and rising gas prices alone to have people turn against the war in iran, and not the american government murdering thousands of children and civilians in iran. americans are incredibly selfish
It's Pi Day, so I made pie. And I ate it. And I wrote about it. If you like pie (and pi), please celebrate with me.
booksandtea.ca/2026/03/impo...
I got it at Bakka Phoenix last weekend! I'm kind of in a reading slump, but that first paragraph. Wow. And the cheeky deconstruction of how the narrator deals with switching between multiple languages in dialogue!
It wasn't "cancel culture" when women and people of color got used up, silenced, and dismissed before their careers even began. It only became "cancel culture" when powerful abusers started having established careers momentarily inconvenienced by revelations of what they'd done.
Today in unexpected covers, I urge you, reader, to check out the a capella version of "Teardrop" by O'Hooley and Tidow. Some really lovely dissonance in there.
If you ever get the chance, I also highly recommend "Newfie poutine". It's poutine with turkey/chicken stuffing added. It's so salty, but so good.
I am 41, and I have already had shingles TWICE. The first time was when I was only 12 years old. I really wish Ontario would make the vaccine available to people under 50.
Completely by happenstance, I attended the book launch for The Iron Garden Sutra by @thesuiway.bsky.social at Bakka Phoenix books today, and it was lovely. So I posted about it!
You should give this book a shot if you get the chance.
booksandtea.ca/2026/02/book...
the jump from “trans people can’t have a driver’s license,” to “unmarried women can’t have a driver’s license,” is a secret nighttime vote away
fight with us now, or fight with far less backup later
Have you read "The Course of Honour" by Lindsay Davis? Historical romance set in Ancient Rome, a retelling/exegesis of the relationship between Vespasian (who becomes emperor) and a freedwoman. The romance is important, but it's also about her life in general.
Thousands of institutions abandoned programs, ended or rewrote scholarships, closed down clubs and publications, all in pre-emptive compliance.
And you know why?
Mostly because they wanted to do it if they thought they could blame someone else for it.
Not just the opposition party, but the NDP too. I'm not sure how things will change once the NDP leadership race finishes, but it would be so much healthier for everyone if all 3 major parties had stronger voices.
"Moderna's CEO announced the company will no longer invest in new Phase 3 vaccine trials for infectious diseases: 'You cannot make a return on investment if you don't have access to the U.S. market. Vaccines for Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, and shingles have been shelved.” 9:12 AM Feb 12, 2026 604.8K Views
In terms of what cures are being lost:
- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease
Have you ever seen the Game Changer episode he was in, where it was all about crowd work in standup? It's excellent.
My favourite is Ghost Dog's relationship with the ice cream vendor. They may not speak each others' language, but they still understand each other and are genuinely good friends. Especially that scene of the boat on the rooftop - what a strange, dreamlike image.
It’s 2026. There is a measles outbreak in the prison for babies
Screenshot of an X post by Omar Jimenez (@OmarJim…, 7h) stating that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he doesn’t have the names of the agents who shot Alex Pretti, adding: “I’ve been a lawyer for 36 years. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Below is a CNN video thumbnail showing a split screen: on the left, an older man in a black cap and glasses labeled “Brown | Business Owner,” and on the right, Keith Ellison in a suit. A CNN “LIVE” bug appears in the corner.
This is a cover up of a murder, led by our own federal government.
"Design is only as humane as the business model allows and affords." - Erika Hall
This is something I've been thinking a lot about in my own work - whether what I'm doing is actually a net positive to the world. Sure, I'm not making bombs, but I'm still part of an extractive machine.
AKA: What's right for the user and what's right for the business are often at odds with each other. The relationship between the product/service experience is an interactive feedback loop with unintended consequences.
(Yay capitalism!)
#Throughline
Erika Hall's three myths of good design.
Myth 1: A "good" experience doesn't necessarily mean good for the USER. Technology is often like junk food - these systems are designed to be as appealing and delightful as possible, but hides the messy entanglements under the surface.
#Throughline
I'm attending the Throughlines design conference, and it's lovely to hear the organizers open by talking about how the struggles of dealing with fascism and our current political climate.
I'll be posting about Throughlines periodically through the day, so feel free to mute if it's not your bag.