Alec Austen 🍁🇨🇦🍁

Trump's war on Iran hasn't altered Canada's cost of making gas — at all. So why are we being hosed at the pumps? Policy choices, not market forces of a war halfway around the world, explain the spike in prices, writes Jim Stanford, leading to unnecessary economy-wide inflation and higher interest rates.

As you fill up with gas that's now up 20c/litre in a week, remember who profits. Cdn oil companies made $150b after-tax profit after the last oil spike (2022). An excess profit tax redistributed to consumers would ease the pain. My take in @thestar.com: www.thestar.com/business/opi...

Ukraine Develops Low-Cost Interceptor Drones to Stop Russian Shaheds Ukraine has developed low-cost interceptor drones to destroy Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia frequently uses in attacks. These interceptors cost only $1,000–$2,000, far cheaper than expensi...

Bigger isn’t always better. Perhaps the US might try refraining from insulting allies when it realizes its million dollar missiles can’t do the job that a cheap Ukrainian drone can do.

UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns: Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable The British government should be stockpiling food, according to a leading expert on food policy, ...

UK must stockpile food in readiness for climate shocks or war, expert warns: Prof Tim Lang says country produces far less food than it needs to feed population and is particularly vulnerable The British government should be stockpiling food, according to a leading expert on food policy, ...

Sweden seizes false-flagged ship with suspected stolen Ukrainian grain | Euractiv Collective action against the Russian shadow fleet is gaining momentum, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiga said.

"Sweden seizes false-flagged ship with suspected stolen Ukrainian grain" www.euractiv.com/news/sweden-...

There are a lot of posts out there with the close-up visual of Markwayne Mullin on January 6, but this is a better perspective.

He’s not protecting others; he’s protecting himself and hiding. You can see plenty of people at the entry door, ready to take on the insurrectionists, but not Markwayne.

EU-Can sounds affirming, Can-EU raises doubts.

New York is investigating the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam AG Letitia James will head an "independent assessment" of what happened to the Blind Rohingya refugee who Border Patrol dumped in Buffalo.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Blind Rohingya refugee who died in the cold streets of Buffalo days after Border Patrol dumped him without coordinating with his family or lawyers.

Charred pot residues reveal prehistoric Europeans' surprisingly complex cuisines Thousands of years ago, European communities used a variety of plant and animal products to create elaborate meals, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Lara González ...

"Each culture had their own complex culinary traditions."

Let's say it again: they were just as smart, as innovative and creative as we are.

#Unlearn ideas of "primitive life"
phys.org/news/2026-03...

If you remember reading these, it’s probably time to visit the grand kids.

With or without 🍷
my Amazon habits are similar to my BlueSky replying habits. I can spend 20 minutes or more looking at items and their reviews, Google more information, and then at the end of it all decide “Yeah, I don’t really need to order/post that.” The process usually prevents future regrets.

In fall 2024, school-related transit use was reported to have increased from 11.8% (pre-pass) to 33.4%. In winter 2025, 52.4% of students reported using Halifax Transit as one of their primary methods to get to and from school. With respect to school-related travel, 65.3% of students reported using Halifax Transit at least once a week; this is supported by 66.4% of parents who reported their child's travel patterns. Qualitative parent feedback from winter 2025 supported student-reported trends, with many parents noting increased transit use, flexibility, and a greater sense of independence In fall 2024, 45.5% of students reported using Halifax Transit for non-school-related activities, such as part-time jobs, extracurricular programs, and social outings, up from 18.2% pre-pass. In winter 2025, 71.1% of students reported using Transit as one of their methods to get to non-school-related activities, confirming that students are using the pass beyond the classroom. In winter 2025, 75.8% of students reported using Halifax Transit at least once per week for non-school travel. Parents supported this as 77.1% indicated their child uses transit at least once per week. In fall 2024, 23% of students reported limited route coverage and low service frequency in their area as a barrier to using their transit pass. Additionally, 10.9% of students indicated that they rely on a car ride or taxi/Uber to reach a bus stop, reflecting challenges with first-mile/last-mile connectivity. In winter 2025, students echoed these concerns; 12.9% still relied on a car ride to reach transit stops and terminals, a potential consequence of colder temperatures. Parents and guardians reported that prior to the pass program, their child was discouraged from using transit due to one or more factors, including cost of transit fare (21.2%), safety concerns (20.8%), lack of available routes (13.7%), child has family and friends that drive them (11.8%), and the distance to the nearest bus stop (11.5%).

In fall 2024, 85.3% of junior high and 86.6% of high school students reported that having the transit pass made them feel more independent in their daily travel. This trend remained consistent in winter 2025, with 84.8% of junior high and 91.5% of high school students agreeing that independence has been reinforced with the pass. For parents, 81.6% of junior high and 88.9% of high school students agreed that the pass contributed to greater independence; open-text comments reinforced this view. These findings show the impact the program has on student independence and mobility, particularly among high school-aged youth. In fall 2024, 59.1% of junior high and 60.2% of high school students reported feeling confident navigating Halifax Transit. In winter 2025, this number remained constant for junior high students and increased slightly to 64.4% for high school students, indicating that student confidence in using transit independently improved. From the parent perspective, 74.6% agreed or strongly agreed that their child could confidently navigate transit, while 13% remained neutral, and 12.3% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Open-text responses from both groups cited trip planning, understanding transfer points, and coping with service delays as barriers to independent navigation. Notably, 75% of students indicated they would find peer-led transit training helpful or were open to it, and 94% of parents expressed support for this approach. In fall 2024, 59.1% of junior high and 60.2% of high school students reported feeling safe and comfortable using Halifax Transit. In the winter 2025 survey, 59.7% of junior high and 64.4% of high school students reported they felt safe and confident on transit From the parent survey, 20.8% of parents identified safety concerns as a reason they had previously discouraged their child from using Halifax Transit. Open-ended comments highlighted crowding, inappropriate behaviour, and safety at transit terminals as areas for improvement.

That survey is so full of useful info!

My favourite political quote will always be Will Rogers’s “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”

Tumour microbes could influence treatment success Bacteria have emerged as an influential component of the tumour microenvironment, creating opportunities for antibiotic combination therapies.

You carry within you, and on you, tens of trillions of microbes. Many are beneficial and protect you from more pathogenic ones. Some, however, have been linked to numerous disease processes including cancer and the patient’s response to chemotherapy.

#ScienceSaturday 🧪

A close up shot of a small green tomato on a vine with yellow flowers against the background of a green plastic pot from which chives are growing

While my vegetable garden is buried under many feet of snow, in my basement an overwintering chive plant has brought along a volunteer friend.

And this is all he had to replace Noem.

Reverend Jesse Jackson called on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope; to step forward and say “Send me” wherever we have a chance to make an impact.

How fortunate we were that Jesse Jackson answered that call. What a great debt we owe to him.

Chart for Halifax as of 2026-02-15 showing the level of COVID-19 in wastewater as High.

COVID wastewater charts for the Halifax area as of 2026-02-15

Halifax: High

The US has eased oil sanctions on Russia to allow Indian refineries to buy millions of barrels of Russian crude to help cushion the market shock of Trump's war on Iran.
This gives Russia the financing it needs to keep attacking Ukraine.
Nothing says America First like funding Russia’s invasion.

Two pizzas atop a stove. Veggie on metal pizza pan, meat with black olives on a wooden peel

For Friday’s feast we have two pizzas, one just vegetable and one with chicken Italian sausage and black olives added. Will enjoy with an apple cider.

The gall of this fool, he’s blaming the NS NDP saying they organized the protests in Halifax. #NovaScotia

Hey Tim, they were grass roots protests against your cuts!

#SmugAsshole

Thank you, Sir, for speaking plain truth.

If we increase bus fares every time the bus is improved why don't we raise parking fees every time a road is improved?

It's horrifying to see US politicians and pundits evoke the 6 US soldiers killed in their unprovoked war of aggression, while ignoring the 1000s of Iranians killed. It assumes that Americans only care about American lives. Which is evil, obviously.

The reason we have “stupid rules of engagement” is to make sure we don’t bomb elementary schools.

Exclusive: US investigation points to likely US responsibility in Iran school strike, sources say Military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed scores of children on Saturday, two U.S. officials told Reu...

Reuters Exclusive

"U.S. military investigators believe it is likely that U.S. forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls' school."

"The strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of U.S. conflicts in the ​Middle East."

The Most Chilling Detail in the U.S. Attack on an Iranian Naval Ship The Iranian warship was taking part in an international exercise with many other countries—including the United States.

This is a chilling crime. A shame on our country. The Iranian ship was unarmed. The US knew this. The sailors were murdered by our navy, and the survivors were left to die at sea.
newrepublic.com/post/207429/...

Enormous blue whales spotted in "unusual occurrence" off Massachusetts coast Blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, have been spotted not far off the coast of Massachusetts.

🐋 #whale #bluewhale #Massachusetts

"Seeing blue whales outside of their Canadian feeding grounds is rare in the Atlantic," aquarium scientist Katherine McKenna

Enormous blue whales spotted in "unusual occurrence" off Massachusetts coast - CBS Boston share.google/HjqKSYa6vGaJ...

Stop callinge them "data centers" and starte callinge them "slop peripheries"