Rick Harp

Two books: Storm in a Teacup and Blue Machine

*cough* If you're gift shopping for anyone interested in how the world works, do consider these. Storm in a Teacup is all about the physics of everyday life and Blue Machine is all about how the ocean works - the water itself, which is the biggest story on Earth. Share the joy of nature & science!

"the Montgomery movement began much earlier and took much longer than we imagine and entailed tremendous sacrifice... hard choice after hard choice without evidence these actions would matter... considered too disruptive by many at the time... important lessons for how to challenge injustice today."

Had a great conversation w/ @uh.edu scholar #DavidMcNally about his new book, “#Slavery & #Capitalism” @octopusbooks.ca event in Ottawa. Echoing CLR James, W.E.B. DuBois & Sylvia Wynter, McNally argues that the enslaved who worked the plantations of the Americas constituted a modern working class.

Central Division baseball style standings (games behind leader) Dec 6

I don't think this year is the Jets year.

“Imperial Blowback”: Suspect in D.C. Shooting Was Part of CIA Death Squad in Afghanistan Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man who authorities say shot two National Guardsmen outside the White House, had previously worked in a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” in Afghanistan, often called “death squads” by ...

“The United States made this person into a child soldier, and now is experiencing what I think is one of the most horrifically bright-line cases of imperial blowback that we’ve seen throughout the 'war on terror.'"

With Massive Legal Shakeup, Alberta’s Government Paves the Way for a Separatist Referendum 'It’s the most draconian, totalitarian piece of legislation I’ve ever seen,' says former deputy premier

With a massive legal shakeup, Alberta’s government is paving the way for a separatist referendum.

"It’s the most draconian, totalitarian piece of legislation I’ve ever seen," says a former deputy premier.

pressprogress.ca/alberta-pave...

"All is lost" narratives are popular because people generally do not want to take action. Taking action is tiring so if all is lost, you are off the hook. Nothing is more seductive than not having to do anything.

#OtD 6 Dec 1961 Frantz Fanon, the Martinique-born psychiatrist, anti-colonialist philosopher, revolutionary and writer, died. Works include 'Black Skin, White Masks' and 'The Wretched of the Earth'. Learn more about his life in this biography: shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/...

Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway A New York subway rider has accused a woman of breaking his Meta smart glasses. She was later hailed as a hero.

In terms of what’s understood to be socially acceptable behavior, normalizing the filming/taking pictures of people in public who are minding their own business (and putting it online) is one of the worst developments of the past 15 years.

I’ve lived in the wake of the Montreal massacre for more than three decades, and it still catches me short when 6 December comes around. I wish these women were still here, and I’m grateful for the work that is done to honour them and call out the violence & misogyny that took their lives.

Spirit Animal Sticker You've read the article, now you can own the sticker. These 'How about your spirit animal is shut the f*** up?' stickers ship ready to be stuckered, and are handy for when someone claims they have a s...

'How about your spirit animal is shut the fuck up' stickers added to our liquidation store (limited quantities):
walking-eagle-trading-post.myshopify.com/products/spi...

Children’s hospitals face flood of flu visits as physicians urge Canadian families to get vaccinated | CBC News An early start to Canada’s flu season is hitting children hard, sending a flood of young patients into multiple pediatric hospitals as medical teams warn that emergency visits and admissions could kee...

If you haven't yet, consider a flu shot everyone, including your kids. We managed to get COVID shots but not flu for the kids. Pretty sure we just had the flu in our house for 2-3 weeks, it was rough for the kids. Days and days of fever, nausea, sleeping all day.

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

Is D.C. ready for ranked-choice voting? Educating voters will be a big task ahead of the 2026 local elections.

“I asked, ‘What’s your favorite go-go band?’ Everyone started naming them. I said, ‘OK, so what’s your top three? Your top five?’ They gave them to me, and I said, ‘That’s ranked-choice voting.’”

My org @fightforthefuture.org has been “de-googling” for the last year.

We’re totally off Google suite, Google docs, Drive, Calendar.

We’re using Signal and Element for chat, Nextcloud for docs, etc

Planning to publish a “how to” guide for other nonprofits and activist groups soonish.

Israeli drone chases and kills elderly woman in Gaza as attacks continue At least seven Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks as military pushes deeper beyond truce demarcation line.

At least seven Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks as military pushes deeper beyond truce demarcation line.

💼 1 in 5 food bank clients in Canada are employed.
Work should mean stability – not hunger.

Time for change: foodbankscanada.ca/hunger-in-ca...

#HungerCount2025

DC Public Library No Library Wrapped from us — we don't track what you read. DCPL protects your privacy.

DC Public Library with a friendly reminder 📚

Homeowners Sue Oil Companies as Climate Damage Drives up Insurance Rates - Inside Climate News The class-action lawsuit is the first of its kind to target Big Oil over rising home insurance costs.

Kennedy v. Exxon et al. is a class-action lawsuit and the first of its kind to target fossil fuel companies over skyrocketing home insurance costs.
Homeowners Sue Oil Companies as Climate Damage Drives up Insurance Rates.
insideclimatenews.org/news/0512202...

COP30 entrenches the crisis of climate politics | Climate & Capitalism The Belem climate summit was yet another a ‘safety valve’ for capital, offerig illusions and no real action…

COP30 entrenches the crisis of climate politics
The Belem climate summit was yet another a 'safety valve' for capital, offerig illusions and no real action
climateandcapitalism.com/2025/12/06/c...

Federal net-zero body falling apart in wake of Alberta-Ottawa deal Two prominent members of the Net-Zero Advisory Body, including its chair, have resigned this week, citing a lack of influence over a government that’s increasingly pulling back on climate action.

Ignored since the federal election, an arms-length expert body set up to advise the federal government on the energy transition is collapsing.
The latest pipeline agreement between Canada and Alberta representing the final straw for two members. @woodsideful.bsky.social reports

Surely won’t be abused by moneyed interests, and later by political parties more interested in unilateral powers than they are actually governing.

bubs, i’ve only got two, maybe three Motown puns left in me. Four tops.

you know how i know im a 44yo dad? how much i laughed at this shit

Jets’ Gabriel Vilardi opens up about mental health struggles: ‘You just see the negatives’ This story is not about Gabriel Vilardi. He is sharing the details from his life in case he can help somebody else.

Gabriel Vilardi has shown real courage here, opening up about lifelong mental health struggles in case it might help someone.

He is not alone in the NHL or in life. I hope this story helps someone too ⤵️

www.nytimes.com/athletic/686...

Cuts at Natural Resources Canada ‘decimate’ wildfire and flood tracking capacity, unions warn Carney's cuts have hit Natural Resources Canada, causing uproar from public sector unions warning the layoffs will hurt Canada's ability to respond to cliamte change and protect Canadians from wildfir...

NEW: Hundreds of public servants are being let go at federal agencies that monitor climate risks, @natashabulowski.bsky.social reports

Polytechnique survivor ‘worried’ about social climate 36 years after antifeminist massacre While Nathalie Provost says much has changed since an antifeminist gunman entered her Polytechnique classroom and killed her classmates 36 years ago, she worries about worsening social tensions.

While Nathalie Provost says much has changed since an antifeminist gunman entered her Polytechnique classroom and killed her classmates 36 years ago, she worries about worsening social tensions.

Trump’s Draconian Border Policies Are Menacing the 2026 World Cup World Cup athletes, fans, and personnel fear Trump’s anti-immigration policies may disrupt the tournament’s operation.

My latest for Truthout -- today, FIFA unveiled the match-ups for World Cup 2026. And yet, it's far from certain that players, personnel and fans will be able to freely move between countries for matches. Here's what we know, and what we need.

truthout.org/articles/tru...

Vanity Fair, Olivia Nuzzi Agree to Part Ways Nuzzi and the magazine will let her contract expire at year-end, following new allegations and revelations about her conduct while she reported on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Calling it now that she'll eventually end up at CBS www.wsj.com/business/med...

Why Canada needs to recognize the crime of femicide — on Dec. 6 and beyond More than 1,100 Canadian women and girls have been killed by men since 2018. So why is the federal government dragging its heels in adding femicide to the Criminal Code?

"But to call the crime femicide — a sex- or gender-specific term — is in fact a radical rethink in a climate of neutrality that too often masks the disproportionate burden women and girls bear for some forms of male violence."

They've been approved to supply vehicles to Homeland Security and ICE for years now.