@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

DavidM_yeg

@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca

Edmonton musician, studio teacher, arranger, composer.
Husband and dad of 3. Interests include city council, transportation, art, government, society; former science nerd.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

meganL, to random
@meganL@mas.to avatar

I see stuff I'd boost except for the fact that it uses ableist framings like "insane" for capitalism, greed, etc.

Learn to call it what it is. The reason insanity is a legal defense is because it is a mental disability one does not choose that affects one's ability to judge.

That is not the case with what many "progressives" are labeling "insane". Find non-ableist and more accurate ways of labeling what billionaires are doing.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@meganL @SallyStrange @passenger

I refuse to call a person evil and I wish others would stop doing it too.
Dividing the world into good and evil people, declaring (even just implicitly) that some people are irredeemable leads to awful places.
There are evil acts and evil systems and evil beliefs, yet even people who have done awful things can choose differently.

DavidM_yeg, to random
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

Reality check:
To be legitimately worried about the impact of an added 3¢ carbon price on you gas, it seems to me it would need to add at least half a percent of your income.

Alberta median household income >$100,000
0.5% of $100,000 = $500
$500 at 3¢/litre = $16,000 worth of fuel
At an inflated average price of $1.50/l
… you bought 11,000 litres of fuel.
You drive enough to use up the tank on an F-150 at least twice a week.

That means you are the problem.

#ABPoli #CarbonTax

TheBreadmonkey, to random
@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar

I am on a group WhatsApp for our street. I usually have it muted but it's obviously expired. One of them is asking for 2ps because their daughter is laying a 'penny floor'. I can't work out how I feel about it but my initial reaction was that I don't like it but don't know why. I suppose because.... poverty and homelessness? But I suppose it's quite artistic. What do you think?

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@TheBreadmonkey @mentallyalex

It sits very uncomfortably at the intersection of ‘these are so valueless but ubiquitous that I will decorate with them’ and ‘money means nothing to me’ and a ‘look, I can afford to walk on money’ conspicuous consumption statement.

Of course in Canada pennies are literally not money any more since 2012, so I guess just a source of copper, but it’s hard to erase the symbolism of a coin.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

I'm trying to come up with something witty to say about this sign in a Bible Book Store window, but I think it speaks for itself.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@MarkRDavid @RickiTarr

OK, now I have to find out where to get “bourbon-filled baby-Jesus-shaped chocolates for Xmas”

seachanger, to random
@seachanger@alaskan.social avatar

a great question to ask is what’s our vision for 2025? I continue to think that most people will choose the healthier and more fun-filled future, but lack the space for imagining it themselves https://mastodon.social/

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@seachanger

That is indeed the important question, and not just 2025… what does the future look like in 10, 20, 40 years? What world do we want to build for our children and grandchildren? What does a world where we’ve decarbonized, degrowthed, defunded, decolonized, debillionaired look like? What are we running toward rather than what are we running away from?

mpjgregoire, (edited ) to random
@mpjgregoire@cosocial.ca avatar

Why I think the carbon tax is the right policy for Canada
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/steven-guilbeault-why-i-think-the-carbon-tax-is-the-right-policy-for-canada

1/3



DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@mpjgregoire

Who wrote this?
The National Post publishes a partisan opinion piece without attribution and I’m supposed to take it seriously? Even basic reporting includes a byline.
An explicitly anti-Liberal, Anti-Trudeau pro-O&G piece, signed “National Post”. From this I take the reasonable conclusion that the National Post as an organization is now a political actor and not a journalistic source.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@mpjgregoire

I know that and you know that because we have decent context and critical reading skills, but this is not explicitly identified as an editorial or opinion piece… I know because I looked.

Editorials are customarily published with a byline… that byline is ‘the editorial board’.

In the example from the WP below, not only is that explicit, but there is a link to see who the editorial board is.

Screenshot from the editorials page that shows who the board is. Text reads: ABOUT THE POST'S VIEW Editorials represent the views of The Washington Post as an institution, as determined through discussion among members of the Editorial Board: Opinion Editor David Shipley, Deputy Opinion Editor Charles Lane and Deputy Opinion Editor Stephen Stromberg, as well as writers Mary Duenwald, Shadi Hamid, David E. Hoffman, James Hohmann, Heather Long, Mili Mitra, Eduardo Porter, Keith B. Richburg and Molly Roberts. The board highlights issues it thinks are important and responds to news events, mindful of stands it has taken in previous editorials and principles that have animated Post Editorial Boards over time. Articles in the news pages sometimes prompt ideas for editorials, but every editorial is based on original reporting. News reporters and editors never contribute to Editorial Board discussions, and Editorial Board members don't have any role in news coverage.

mekkaokereke, (edited ) to random
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io avatar

As we hear reports that it will take 10 years (🤯) to replace the 1.6 mile Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, remember that China built the Danyang-Kunshan bridge and Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in 4 years each.

Danyang-Kunshan Bridge is 102 miles long, and 100 ft above the water.

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is 16 miles and 623 ft tall, earthquake and typhoon proof, and can withstand a direct strike from a 300,000 ton cargo ship. That last point is unfortunately topical.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U7iQqogVmr8

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@mekkaokereke @bynkii @bgrinter @lisamelton

I always wonder why people think old things like bridges are a problem, it’s not as if the physics that held them up before has suddenly changed: if you maintain them thoroughly enough they should last almost indefinitely… unless you stupidly designed them to be disposable (ie impractical to repair)

DavidM_yeg, to random
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

Premier Marlaina Smith says the carbon tax increase is “immoral and inhumane” while pilling a larger increase of his own on top of it.

This is the Marlaina Smith who is targeting trans youth, removing supports from drug addicts, pushes for the clearing of encampments, and is
sneaking policies (Alberta police force and pension plan), in through the back door that Albertans have clearly said they don’t want. That’s the list I find immoral and inhumane.

#UCPHypocrisy #ABPoli

Teri_Kanefield, to random
@Teri_Kanefield@mastodon.social avatar

Offering this free through my subscription:

"McDaniel was offered a more lucrative contributor contract after she agreed to appear on MSNBC and not just NBC News"

https://wapo.st/3TyPTDi

I may write about the irony of all of this for my weekend blog post.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@zakalwe @Teri_Kanefield

The idea that your ‘facts’ are just the opinions you believe are true is very widespread and poisoning our society… and ironically is an idea most firmly held by those who decry the slippery slope of ‘relativism’.

DavidM_yeg, to random
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

Today I learned…

that there is a Prime Number bot on Mastodon that has already tooted almost 50,000 primes. This makes me very happy.

@primes

Brad, to random
@Brad@zeroes.ca avatar

March 26, 2024- Weird that there’s a massive teacher shortage, I thought it was ‘just a coincidence’ 🤷‍♂️ /s🤦‍♂️ but yeah, obviously: “Teachers are the most vulnerable occupation to getting Long Covid, which can still affect people four years after catching the virus, a new study shows.” - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/512698/long-covid-teachers-healthcare-workers-most-vulnerable-occupations-report-finds

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@hannu_ikonen @dendari @KatM @Brad

There’s a survivorship bias here… after the first year or two you have brutally weeded out all the people who weren’t able to handle the continual exposure, often with life-long compromised health, not to mention the impact on children in this environment. Surely there’s a better way.

pluralistic, to DaftPunk
@pluralistic@mamot.fr avatar

"Enshittification" isn't just a way of describing the symptoms of platform decay: it's also a theory of the mechanism of decay - the means by which platforms get shittier and shittier until they are a giant pile of shit.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/26/glitchbread/#electronic-shelf-tags

1/

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@pluralistic

I have long been an advocate (within my own small circles) of aggressive pricing stability regulation. I got thinking about this a few decades ago in response to gasoline pricing, an industry prone to dramatic price swings, price wars, and accusations of collusion and gouging.

1/

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@pluralistic

The concept goes something like this: once you set your price, you need to stick with it for a defined period of time (for gas, something like 7-10 days) Allow ‘sale’ prices, but limit the proportions of sales to regular pricing (1-2%) with exceptions for perishable products.

2/

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@pluralistic

Some people may say we already have some of these, but they are weak, very poorly enforced, and lead to insignificant slap-on-the-wrist / cost-of-doing-business type penalties. So the next part of addressing things meaningfully are penalties scaled to affect the bottom line.

3/

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@pluralistic

A business that engages in price fixing or profiteering or manipulative pricing strategies should face penalties of gross revenue for that product line or category for at least the period they engaged in the practice, possibly more as a punitive measure.

4/

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@pluralistic

‘But this will bankrupt businesses!’

Good.

That will provide businesses with incentive to stay well clear of infractions, and clear a bunch of scummy exploitative businesses and business practices out of our economic lives.

Corporations may be fictional ‘people’ but in my books there is no inherent right to ‘life’ for them.

5/f

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@dalias @axx @pluralistic @CrimethInc

Most ‘capitalists’ are only free market advocates when profits are up, and find very different values when times are tough.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@dalias @pluralistic

Interesting how so many supposed free marketers talk as if stockholders are somehow entitled to safety in their investments, when instead an incorporation was dreamed up to insulate them because what they were doing was inherently risky and we wanted people to able to only risk their investment, and not have to risk also losing their home and the shirt off their back.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Gold ring with quartz intaglio depicting an ant. Roman, 1st-2nd century AD

I wonder who wore this ring. Why did they choose an ant as their symbol? It's interesting to me that the depiction is specific enough that it can't be written off as a general "bug" the mandibles, and body plan make this explicitly an ant.

The ant motif appears on garnets in other rings.

This is up in New Haven at the Yale University Art Collection and I am not contemplating becoming a cat burglar.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@futurebird

In hindsight, it’s not surprising… we know from Aesop that ants were associated with industriousness centuries before that: why wouldn’t a Roman industry magnate or agribusiness tycoon use an ant as their symbol? There are so many things to admire about them!

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

Today's post from @pluralistic is one of his best, and a must--must-read (as opposed to the normal must-read) essay.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/25/black-boxes/

It's about trust and institutions, rationalizations and rationale, and living as best we can in a world where we have to find our way through dense thickets of corporate/government deceit to -- we hope -- make sound decisions.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@pluralistic @dangillmor

Excellent article…

But by blaming […] the credulity of believers […] we adopt the logic of the right: "conspiratorialism is a problem of individuals believing wrong things,"

LightFIAR, to random
@LightFIAR@med-mastodon.com avatar

Health care (not) in America. Living with periodontal disease makes me acutely aware. The pain is from the bill mostly. And far too often from shitty dentists trying to mine your mouth for gold.

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/health-disease/2024/why-isnt-dental-health-considered-primary-medical-care

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@LightFIAR

Here in Canada, dental care has not ever been part of our universal public insurance plan… until this year. The federal government is incrementally rolling out dental coverage, because (as you point out) dental care is health care. Currently kids, seniors and with income thresholds, but with the goal of universal in the end. Yay!

senanthic, to random
@senanthic@mstdn.ca avatar

is there a way to nicely ask someone why? like

"ooh, XYZ makes me so angry!"
"why?"
"doesn't it make YOU angry?!?"

yeah, but I wanted to know your perspective, I wasn't challenging your opinion.

DavidM_yeg,
@DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

@senanthic It depends on context, but could be something like “what about xyz bothers you the most?” or. “What would you have done about / instead of xyz?”

rooster, to random
@rooster@chaosfem.tw avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    DavidM_yeg,
    @DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

    @rooster

    If they didn’t specify, would you serve it cold? 🤷‍♂️

    DavidM_yeg, to random
    @DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

    This from Duane Bratt this week 👇 The hokey campaign to recall #yyc mayor Gondek has been taken over by a well-run, well-funded campaign.

    Striking is the money to fund a staff of ten - 7 full time!

    They will use the same tactics used to target and remove prominent Palestinians in Israel (https://kolektiva.social/@oatmeal/112127878347503544) and progressives in the US (cf Havard/Gay https://abcnews.go.com/US/forces-harvard-president-claudine-gays-resignation/story?id=106071191)

    1/

    https://x.com/DuaneBratt/status/1770156409621029226?s=20
    #ABPoli #YYCcc #TBA #UCPIsTBA

    DavidM_yeg,
    @DavidM_yeg@mstdn.ca avatar

    Text of the document follows:

    -provided upon request with understanding of strict non-disclosure-

    PROJECT YYC
    Leadership and Recall Campaign Team

    Project YYC is in process of being incorporated as a Part 9, not-for-profit (Alberta Incorporation Act), with a goal of supporting the creation of a 'big tent coalition' to elect for Calgary a 'common-sense conservative' Mayor and Counsel in 2025.

    2/

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