WTF-Beta

I had no plans of voting Liberal in the upcoming election (I was going to vote NDP, which is left of Liberal). My son and his girlfriend were also going to vote NDP. We all feel that the party was going to move a bit to the right after Trudeau’s departure. But given the current circumstances, all three of us will now vote Liberal. We feel that Carney - a person who none of us would have previously aligned with - is the right person for this moment. So the Liberals are getting voters from both the right and the left.

Carney was smart to call the election. He’s following Doug Ford’s playbook, taking advantage of the Elbows Up sentiment, rather than waiting until the fall (which is when the election was going to happen).

https://apple.news/AsVhaNzqYSquVod0HtrKtYA

@Bernard I don’t know if you are on Instagram but I love this account about restoring Knockderry Castle in Scotland! https://www.instagram.com/knockderrycastle?igsh=Mms0ZHRyaHV6cTVv

@Steve-Miller said in What are you watching?:

Couldn’t engage with Severence.

Again, terrible writing.

I vehemently disagree! I think the writing, acting, directing, and cinematography are all brilliant. However it’s definitely not a show for everyone. I wholeheartedly recommended it to my mom but told her to watch it when my dad wasn’t home.

Our order of operations for what we will buy:
Canadian made by a Canada owned company
Wholly Canadian made by a company owned elsewhere
Some parts made in Canada by a Canadian company
Some parts made in Canada by a company that is headquartered somewhere else in the world, but not the US
Products made in another country, but not the US. We favour Europe and Mexico.
Some parts made in Canada by a company that is headquartered in the US
US products, only if there is no alternative

It will take a long time before I cross the border. We used to go very frequently, popping over for dinner or a show or to visit a specific store. I have no intention of resuming that until I feel like we can trust the US again, and unfortunately that will take more than a change in the president.

We really like Paradise! I think the first episode was actually the best one though.

Severance. I am so into it that I’m also listening to the podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott and that’s also excellent.

Mythic Quest’s new season isn’t as great as the first couple, but still loving it.

@Nina said in Canada’s new PM:

I like Carney. He's showing more spine than the US Congress. Check out his interview with Jon Stewart.

I’m not sure whether I like him or not but he’s probably the right PM for the moment.

Tangentially related… I have been fascinated by the words for various animals in Ojibwe. Some are related to the sounds the animals make.

Baakaakwenh is chicken. (aa is a broad a sound, the “enh” syllable is kind of a nasal short e sound.) When I have heard it spoken, the second syllable is stressed and held for an extra moment. In fact, in some dialects they spell it Baaka’aakwenh.

Owl is Kookookoo (oo is somewhere between oo and long o) It is sometimes spelled Gookooko’oo, depending on dialect.

Chickadee is Gijigijigaaneshiinh (ii spells the long e sound, e says long a).

I am not an Ojibwe speaker but a friend taught me some words several years back and my students and I learn some through the year. But any errors in spelling or pronunciation descriptions are on me.

We have Apple News because we use enough of their services it made sense to have Apple One, which comes with it. I like it, for the most part, but occasionally we still do run up against paywalls.

Just finished this. It was absolutely fantastic. Her use of language is top notch.

Thanks for the additional information about your process! I love mixed media work!

Mamie’s Wall Is absolutely wonderful!!!

Square foot shows are becoming quite popular! An artist friend of mine has done them annually for a few years as well. I know that, in his case, it started because larger pieces weren’t selling as easily so he was trying to make his work more approachable for folks who wanted original art but couldn’t afford thousands of dollars.

@RealPlayer said in Canada is not the United States:

Here is a NY Times article from this morning. Should be a gift link. Trump’s Canada fixation is about more than tariffs. Apparently well publicized in Canadian media, but not here.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/world/canada/trump-trudeau-canada-51st-state.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2E4.Wl1s.HkMjJ0CPOYAR&smid=url-share

I didn’t realize it wasn’t being publicized in the US. It definitely is well known here. That’s why we are so mad.

I love the one with the B&W hand so much Jodi!! Can you tell us more about it?

@Steve-Miller Our Premier, Doug Ford, said the same. I loathe the man with every fibre of my being but his response to this has been fantastic. He saw Trump as an ally because they share the same “money before everything else” idea. Now he feels betrayed and nothing makes a person fight harder than a perceived knife in the back. It might be the first time in the history of ever that my slightly right of middle father, socialist leaning me, and my “eat the rich” Gen Z kiddo have agreed with a politician”s actions at the same time.

@wtg said in The tariff clown car rolls on:

@dolmansaxlil said in The tariff clown car rolls on:

But I also hope that all the left leaning American folks understand that Canada’s defence against a world leader who is threatening our sovereignty isn’t going to be able to target only the MAGA folks.

Just to clarify, I posted the info about the political contributions because I think we all want to be informed consumers; it's helpful to know whose pockets the money is going into. it may be the case that some Americans might want to support Jack Daniel's. It might also be tthat some folks want to support Canada and buy Canadian whiskey, even if the cost is higher because of tariffs. These are all individual decisions.

In the past, people have tried to minimize or laugh off Trump's crazy ideas, but given what's happened since he took office on January 20, it's clear there's a plan being executed and it is chaotic and far-reaching. I believe a lot of things are going to change, and not for the better, as a result of his actions.

It is really, really sad that so many people are going to suffer needlessly because of his decisions. The world has to stand up to him and try to stop him as much as possible. I personally agree with what Canada is doing in this whole tariff mess. You have to do what you have to do in order to protect yourselves. So does the rest of the world. I can only speak for myself, but you have my wholehearted support.

I appreciate the clarification. I definitely took it differently than you intended! I think I have just (already!) had it with American business owners trying to place any blame on Canada for this mess!

I was listening to an episode of This American Life this morning. The theme was lies. One of the stories interviewed an author who talked about the specific type of lies the stupid carrot tells. He called them “bully lies” and said they are used by people in positions of power. Everyone knows they aren’t true, but they say them with the ultimatum of “believe this or you are the enemy”. It was really interesting - I may seek out his book.

@wtg said in The tariff clown car rolls on:

Interesting. Found this pre-election article about tariffs that go back a ways and how they have affected the liquor industry.

https://robbreport.com/food-drink/spirits/whiskey-tariffs-explained-1235962246/

Thanks for sticking with us, @dolmansaxlil , despite our crazy president. We love Canada!

I have nothing against the American people on the whole. I married one, after all! But I also hope that all the left leaning American folks understand that Canada’s defence against a world leader who is threatening our sovereignty isn’t going to be able to target only the MAGA folks.

Also, there has been some interesting talk here about how this might actually help smaller Canadian brands to get onto the big grocery store shelves. We are already seeing some changes in what is available. We aren’t missing any products, but some of the brand names have changed. New, smaller companies are suddenly appearing in the major stores. A small glimmer of good out of this nonsense.

It’s not just Jack Daniel’s. There is ZERO American product on LCBO shelves. In fact, they don’t even have empty spaces for them anymore. The store looks completely normal. Completely full of product. Just some of the specific brands have disappeared. We produce wine, whiskey, beer, and every other spirit here. And my guess is that the shelf space taken up by US products will not go back to what it was before the tariffs.

I love the idea of planning your travels based on trying one particular food! It’s such a great way to see different parts of a city! I try to take a food tour in cities I visit because they often take you to smaller places on side streets that you wouldn’t see otherwise! But this is such a fun self guided option!

Thanks for posting this! A few great gems in that list and I signed up for the sub stack!