Dan Furst

this counting error is massive! and indicitive of huge problems with the hand count. Should be a front page story as this threatens our democracy

Seriously? We only have until Dec. 15 this year to order flu and COVID vaccines for next year?  - Alberta Politics Is Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government seriously proposing to make anyone who wants an influenza or COVID-19 vaccination next year order it during an unannounced 78-day window that is alrea...

Seriously? We only have until Dec. 15 this year to order flu and COVID vaccines for next year? albertapolitics.ca/2025/10/seri... #ableg #abpoli #abhealth #COVID19

Leong: Alberta teachers' strike underscores incalculable benefits of public schools Alberta needs well-funded public education accessible to all and adaptable to a diverse community, argues columnist Ricky Leong.

Leong: Alberta teachers' strike underscores incalculable benefits of public schools

An amazing rally for public education. 20,000+ Albertans with one united message for Danielle Smith:

Pay the teachers.
Fund the schools.
Remind your discriminatory policies.

It is time to put the PUBLIC back in public education.

Jen Gerson: Maybe this angry panel will fix it! Alberta tries for Round 3 of the Fair Deal panel.

Jen Gerson: Maybe this angry panel will fix it!
www.readtheline.ca/p/jen-gerson...

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

Braid: Student speaks out at Alberta Next session, gets referred for a spanking Braid: A top Alberta government official said a student who tried to ask a question about the teacher strike should get a parental spanking.

High school student gets referred for a spanking by moderator, has mic cut off at Alberta Next meeting. Huge social media action on this. Kid painted as a crazed activist. What about the arrogant moderator? Column.
calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu... #ableg #abpoli #abed #cdnpoli #yyc #yeg

When autocratization is reversed: episodes of U-Turns since 1900 The world is in a “wave of autocratization.” Yet, recent events in Brazil, the Maldives, and Zambia demonstrate that autocratization can be halted and reversed. This article introduces “U-Turn” as ...

“52% of all autocratization episodes become U-Turns, which increases to 73% when focusing on the last 30 years. The vast majority of U-Turns (90%) lead to restored or even improved levels of democracy”

V-Dem data

Stripping Away Rights Using the Notwithstanding Clause. - Alberta Views After a week of rancorous debate, Klein announced he would not invoke the notwithstanding clause on the landmark gay rights decision...

The first time an Alberta government invoked the notwithstanding clause, public outrage forced a reversal in less than 24 hours. I wish to God Albertans would show the same moral fury now, when school children are outed & bullied by the government that is supposed to protect them. #ableg #abpoli

Seven Big Concerns about Premier Smith’s New Citizenship Markers | The Tyee Plans to alter what Alberta driver’s licences and ID cards tell authorities need a rethink.

Premier Smith touts new citizenship markers on driver’s licenses and provincial IDs as means of preserving “election integrity” and “streamlining services.”

Those justifications aren't borne out by evidence, leading critics to conclude there's an ulterior motive. @jaredwesley.ca writes. #abpoli

Invisible and ignored: Why indoor air quality deserves our attention Polluted indoor air is a hidden threat, linked to illness, lost productivity, and preventable deaths. Aotearoa New Zealand needs a coordinated national strategy to make clean, safe indoor air the norm...

"Invisible and ignored: why indoor air quality deserves our attention. We think a lot about the food we eat and the water we drink, but rarely do we consider the air we breathe, especially when we are indoors where we spend around 90% of our lives."
www.phcc.org.nz/briefing/inv...

🚨 Real footage showing AI companies trying to remove personal data from the AI training dataset to avoid GDPR compliance. Watch:

AI and the Rise of Techno-Fascism in the United States Will powerful new tools be used to promote democracy or undermine it?

When tech is built to replace and not empower people, the future of work & democracy is at risk.

@garymarcus.bsky.social sounds the alarm about unchecked AI and discusses how we can reclaim tech for the public good. #GoodLife https://bit.ly/4nBRcPh

🧵1/ This thread (17 posts) may not be for you: be warned.

That said, few have commented on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s use of the word ‘pornography’.👇

Take this screenshot as an example.
bsky.app/profile/theb...

BTW, she also proclaimed 50 Shades of Grey to be pornographic. #abed #ableg

Alberta rewriting order banning school library books to protect classics: Danielle Smith | Globalnews.ca The Alberta government's move came after a draft list from Edmonton Public Schools of books to be removed from libraries was leaked online last week.

Is this the "oh crap, we angered Margaret Atwood and we don't need that kind of attention, so we'll rewrite the censorship bill to be a little less censory" Act?

Instead it is sweeping. It includes text as well as images, explicit and non-explicit sexual content, and grades K-12. And lays out a huge administrative burden by requiring the cataloguing of ALL books in a school (library and classroom).

Moral panic! UCP book ban explodes as government on brink of major labour dispute with Alberta's teachers It’s been 23 years since the last province-wide teachers strike in Alberta

😱 Moral panic! UCP book ban explodes as government on brink of major labour dispute with Alberta's teachers.

Read all about it: daveberta.substack.com/p/moral-pani...

I can

I can

Margaret Atwood is 🔥 #abpoli #Alberta

2012 Danielle Smith must be so conflicted.

On one hand, she's days away from realizing her dream of locking out all public school teachers in the province.

On the other, she's having to fight to keep Atlas Shrugged on high school library shelves after people took her book ban literally.

'Vicious compliance': Alberta premier decries Edmonton Public Schools' banned book list | CBC News Alberta Premier Danielle Smith slammed the Edmonton Public School Board Friday morning for its banned book list, which features more than 200 titles.

"If they need us to hold their hand through the process to identify what kind of materials are appropriate … so we can be super clear about what it is we're trying to do," Smith said.

Ok, but only if it stops at hand holding, and the pair are opposite sex.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

CORRECTION.

The UCP has not banned just over 100 books from Edmonton Schools.

If this list is accurate, they have banned over 200.

Here is the list we have been provided.

1/2

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

The political right is obsessed with "woke politics" dictating what can or can't be said. Meanwhile, they're implementing Orwellian and costly bullshit like this.

Alberta could’ve doubled the capacity of its grid inside 5 years with solar and wind projects that have been cancelled since the UCP made it nearly impossible to build renewables in the province. In a wildly optimistic best case, you might see nuclear on Alberta’s grid by 2035 or so

For the Pritzker fans (like me), this is a great speech he made:

Why should I write better when a machine can do it for me? Because actually no one can do it for you, because your voice is unique among all the people on earth. Siri never petted a horse's neck. Alexa has never been ghosted by the captain of the football team. But you have lived, your heart is beating, you have suffered, and you have something important to say. It's a human's job, to use words, and whatever job you give to a machine, that part of your brain goes dark. Maybe it's worth it when it comes to remembering phone numbers and directions, but when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul. Don't let some internet platform convince you that what you have to say and create isn't worthwhile. Words are the echo of your soul. Honing that echo matters.

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

Okay. Now let's get them to buy enough for everyone, and pay for public health care.

If you want a COVID-19 vaccine in Alberta this is what you now need to do:

1. "Pre-order" by Sept. 30: bookvaccine.alberta.ca/vaccine/s/pr...

2. In the fall, remember to book a public health clinic appointment. (No more pharmacy shots.)

3. Pay. (Prices not yet announced.)

4. Attend appointment.

The government's new policy will limit the freedom of Albertans to choose vaccination by intentionally limiting supply and penalizing those who cannot afford the vaccine despite the risk they may face, which the government has hinted could cost as much as $110 per dose.