Julia M. Wright
LightNews LightNews
banner
juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright
@juliamwright.bsky.social
1.9K followers 2K following 990 posts

FRSC Professor in Halifax🍁. Member of @dalfaculty.bsky.social . Locked out for 30 days in 2025. Views here mine only. Rebleats≠agreement.

"it is not Air / That from a thousand Lungs reeks back to thine" (Armstrong 1744). Silence=Spread🦠 #COVIDisAirborne .. more

Videos

Julia Margaret Wright is a professor in the Department of English and University Research Professor at Dalhousie University. Wright is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. .. more

History 22%
Political science 18%
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ Apr 12
As #cdnpse institutions compete for domestic students after decades of funding cuts and new limits on int'l enrolment, I'm curious to see if we get recruitment campaigns based on pandemic safety: e.g., "Breathe Easier: We Know Your Health Matters to Your Success." theconversation.com/we-can-and-m...
We can, and must, do more to protect students in higher education from the risks of post-COVID condition
Postsecondary students are particularly vulnerable to repeated COVID-19 infections, putting them at risk for post-COVID condition, or long COVID. Campuses can take action to protect them.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

sameo416.bsky.social
Matt Oliver @sameo416.bsky.social ¡ 1d
Another actuarial report from June 2025 concerning excess mortality.

"The analysis of excess mortality offers valuable insights into the Covid pandemic. Excess mortality was originally attributed to the Covid pandemic; however, it has persisted beyond the height of the Covid pandemic,

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

canadahealthwatch.ca
Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · 1d
Gift Link: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/1c12514...
Schools must improve air quality to slow spread of respiratory illness, advocates say
Proper air filtration could help mitigate the rapid spread of flu and other illnesses, say experts and parents
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

mark-ungrin.bsky.social
Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social ¡ 2d
Policy on health is clearly broken - politicized, out of touch, reactive and slow. My recent keynote at the Canadian Biosafety Symposium took a big-picture look at how and why that's happening, and how we can turn things around.

Here's a general-audience version, recorded at the Deep River library.
Inquiring Minds 03: Mark Ungrin - Science, Pseudoscience and Public Policy
YouTube video by Deep River Public Library
www.youtube.com

Reposted by FabiĂĄn Muniesa, Alan Richardson, Julia M. Wright , and 2 more

mjmbca.bsky.social
Matt Blair @mjmbca.bsky.social ¡ 3d
I kind of like this whole “We won’t buy your liquor but we will air your state-suppressed news stories” niche that Canada’s apparently carved out.

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

elisaperego78.bsky.social
Dr Elisa Perego @elisaperego78.bsky.social ¡ 3d
NVC test shows significant microvascular damage in #LongCovid patients vs matched healthy controls. Dilated capillaries, microhaemorrhages, abnormal shapes and reduced capillary density are still detectable in LC 12 months after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection

rmdopen.bmj.com/content/11/2...
Multicentre retrospective detection of nailfold videocapillaroscopy abnormalities in long covid patients
Background SARS-CoV-2 induces acute non-specific endothelial/microvascular alterations that have been identified by nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC). Details on NVC abnormalities in long covid (LC) ...
rmdopen.bmj.com

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

jasonhaslam.ca
Jason Haslam @jasonhaslam.ca ¡ 4d
One of the things about my anthology that I am both excited and extremely humbled by is the fact that Samuel Delany sent @broadviewpress.bsky.social a newly edited version of his story “Among the Blobs” for me to use, complete with some relevant images, new notes, and a new introduction! #SFF
Me holding a copy of the anthology for the first time! A photo of part of the first page of Delany’s story. You can see the end of his intro, which reads. “But that's the tale behind the tale. —Philadelphia November 2022”

Reposted by Devon Greyson, Michael D. McDonald, Julia M. Wright

fvehafric.bsky.social
Frank Vehafric @fvehafric.bsky.social ¡ 4d
Google Gemini Pro: please generate a map of the western united states showing cities of over 250K population
an AI generated map of the US showing cities in bizarre locations

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

mjnabuurs.bsky.social
MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social ¡ 4d
After the devastating loss of the 3 children in Ottawa, it was urgent to get info out re the additional ways avail to protect one’s loved ones from serious illness as we enter the holidays…

and to remind young fams this amt of sickness ISN’T normal.

#VaccinePlus

ottawa.citynews.ca/2025/12/21/s...
Schools have become cesspools for cold and flu, but they don't have to be: Ontario School Safety
The volunteer organization Ontario School Safety is calling on the provincial government to improve air quality in schools as flu spreads.
ottawa.citynews.ca

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Julia M. Wright

ukhadds.bsky.social
Al Haddrell @ukhadds.bsky.social ¡ 5d
One of the reasons why I go so hard on science misinformation/disinformation, is that as a working scientist it is frustrating to see your research misreported to push an agenda.

For example, consider this piece of right-wing propaganda from The Telegraph that was just published

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

craigmccormick.bsky.social
Craig McCormick @craigmccormick.bsky.social ¡ 7d
Lucid commentary by Drs. Ashley and Mackay.
"A resilient Nova Scotia needs both universities and community colleges. But collapsing their missions into a single, labour market-driven framework risks weakening them both."

www.halifaxexaminer.ca/commentary/w...
Why we still need ivory towers - Halifax Examiner
When universities are pushed to align themselves too closely with political priorities or labour market needs, their ability to nurture democratic capacities is weakened.
www.halifaxexaminer.ca

juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ 7d
So, they have to pay $1.5bn for using authors’ work without permission to train their AI, and their AI can’t even order snacks?
bencollins.bsky.social Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social ¡ 7d
Sincerely one of the funniest things the WSJ has ever written or done.

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
In mid-November, I agreed to an experiment. Anthropic had tested a vending machine powered by its Claude AI model in its own offices and asked whether we’d like to be the first outsiders to try a newer, supposedly smarter version. Claudius, the customized version of the model, would run the machine: ordering inventory, setting prices and responding to customers—aka my fellow newsroom journalists—via workplace chat app Slack. “Sure!” I said. It sounded fun. If nothing else, snacks! Then came the chaos. Within days, Claudius had given away nearly all its inventory for free—including a PlayStation 5 it had been talked into buying for “marketing purposes.” It ordered a live fish. It offered to buy stun guns, pepper spray, cigarettes and underwear. Profits collapsed. Newsroom morale soared. This was supposed to be the year of the AI agent, when autonomous software would go out into the world and do things for us. But two agents—Claudius and its overseeing “CEO” bot, Seymour Cash—became a case study in how inadequate and easily distracted this software can be. Leave it to business journalists to successfully stage a boardroom coup against an AI chief executive.

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Lesley A. Hall, Jonathan Hopkin , and 1 more

bencollins.bsky.social
Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social ¡ 7d
Sincerely one of the funniest things the WSJ has ever written or done.

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
In mid-November, I agreed to an experiment. Anthropic had tested a vending machine powered by its Claude AI model in its own offices and asked whether we’d like to be the first outsiders to try a newer, supposedly smarter version. Claudius, the customized version of the model, would run the machine: ordering inventory, setting prices and responding to customers—aka my fellow newsroom journalists—via workplace chat app Slack. “Sure!” I said. It sounded fun. If nothing else, snacks! Then came the chaos. Within days, Claudius had given away nearly all its inventory for free—including a PlayStation 5 it had been talked into buying for “marketing purposes.” It ordered a live fish. It offered to buy stun guns, pepper spray, cigarettes and underwear. Profits collapsed. Newsroom morale soared. This was supposed to be the year of the AI agent, when autonomous software would go out into the world and do things for us. But two agents—Claudius and its overseeing “CEO” bot, Seymour Cash—became a case study in how inadequate and easily distracted this software can be. Leave it to business journalists to successfully stage a boardroom coup against an AI chief executive.

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

brownecfm.bsky.social
Conor Browne @brownecfm.bsky.social ¡ 8d
'John Muir, co-founder of the Corsi-Rosenthal Foundation, a UK charity campaigning for the improvement of clean indoor air, said any investment in the devices was well worth the money'.

There's a poll in this article - please vote.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/educati...
Education bosses ‘missing a trick’ by failing to roll out air cleaners in schools
Northern Ireland is “missing a trick” by not rolling out air cleaners across its school estate, an industry expert has said.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

jvipondmd.bsky.social
🇨🇦Joe Vipond🇨🇦 @jvipondmd.bsky.social · 8d
A tale in two parts:
1/2
Beyond Local: Alberta quietly ends public reporting of COVID outbreaks in acute care
Alberta's government said the province is under no legal obligation to continue publishing the data in a “post-pandemic context.”
www.stalbertgazette.com

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

popns.bsky.social
PoP Nova Scotia @popns.bsky.social ¡ 9d
Effective December 18, Nova Scotia Health is requiring everyone to wear a mask in their facilities. 👏👏👏

Please protect yourselves and others during this season of illness by wearing a mask, staying home when sick, getting vaccinated, and increasing ventilation & filtration.
An image from the Nova Scotia Health instagram account. It reads: "Change to masking guidelines Effective Dec. 18, everyone is required to wear a maskin Nova Scotia Health facilities. Let's all do our part to spreadjoy, notrespiratory illnesses, this holiday season."

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

dalfaculty.bsky.social
Dalhousie Faculty Association @dalfaculty.bsky.social ¡ 10d
Congrats to Julia M. Wright, DFA Member! She received the CAUT Dedicated Service Award in 2023. Last night, DFA held its first in-person social event in more than 2 years, and finally presented Julia with her award. Thanks, Julia, for your continued dedication to DFA and our members. #KeepDalStrong

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

dalfaculty.bsky.social
Dalhousie Faculty Association @dalfaculty.bsky.social ¡ 10d
Congrats to DFA Members Jason Haslam, Kiran Banerjee and Kassandra Luciuk for receiving the 2025 CAUT Dedicated Service Award! Their commitment, focus and energy during DFA's recent month-long lockout was outstanding. Awards presented at the DFA Solidarity Party held last night. #keepdalstrong

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

martinmckee.bsky.social
Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social ¡ 10d
4/ Ventilation saves lives. Clean indoor air, through ventilation or filtration, dramatically cuts the spread of respiratory infections. It’s time to treat air quality like food hygiene: a basic public health requirement.

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

drreznicek.bsky.social
Matthew L Reznicek @drreznicek.bsky.social ¡ 11d
If you are advising a graduate student in Irish Studies at a North American institution, please encourage them to apply for the Larkin Interdisciplinary Fellowship for research support from the American Conference for Irish Studies acisweb.org/larkin-inter...
Larkin Interdisciplinary Fellowship | American Conference for Irish Studies – An Chomhdháil Mheiriceánach do Léann na hÉireann
Recognizing increased interdisciplinary connections in Irish Studies, we are pleased to fund graduate research that may not fit easily into the pre-existing categories of other ACIS fellowships.
acisweb.org

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

microlabdoc.bsky.social
Dr Christine Peters @microlabdoc.bsky.social ¡ 12d
One of those useful bits of science that we have unaccountably somehow managed to spurn.

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review | Clinical Microbiology Reviews
SUMMARY This narrative review and meta-analysis summarizes a broad evidence base on the benefits—and also the practicalities, disbenefits, harms and personal, sociocultural and environmental impacts—o...
journals.asm.org

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Julia M. Wright, Lisa Diedrich , and 3 more

zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ¡ 12d
Statement on the Brown University shooting.

juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ 12d
"Along with improving indoor air quality and avoiding crowded, underventilated places, [masks, e.g. N95s] provide the best way to avoid catching a respiratory infection." www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
a man and a woman wearing face masks with the man 's mask having a letter o on it
Alt: a man and a woman wearing N95 respirators
media.tenor.com

juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ 13d
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which an admin can reverse.

For I have known the MF Authentications:
Have known the lockouts, resets, sign-ins...

juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ 14d
Great to see this volume published last week! Fabulous work by the editors, Paul Foley and Jennifer J. Silver. www.routledge.com/Routledge-Ha...
Routledge Handbook of Critical Ocean Studies
This handbook provides a path-breaking overview of the rapidly developing field of critical ocean studies. It is the first cross-disciplinary and in-depth account of critical ocean studies. While the ...
www.routledge.com

Reposted by Mark D. White, Julia M. Wright, Brian Keegan

izzos.us
Dan Izzo @izzos.us ¡ 14d
We all know Clarke's "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

Well we have corollary:
Image of Shax from Star Trek Lower Decks with the words "Sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice"

juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ 15d
I am increasingly worried not only about AI shortcuts undermining evidence-based policy and action but also about the growing contamination of the infosphere. Reports such as this get used for other reports etc., as well as mined by AI for other prompts, letting errors spread widely.

Reposted by Julia M. Wright

apoorvanyt.bsky.social
Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social ¡ 15d
Covid vaccines released last fall sharply decreased the risk of ER and urgent care visits in children, according to new data released by the CDC — providing a striking counterpoint to Trump administration rhetoric about the shots

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/h...
Covid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits, the C.D.C. Reported
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Julia M. Wright, Adele Perry

rollwithheather.bsky.social
🤶Heather J. "Ho Ho Ho" Wood @rollwithheather.bsky.social · 15d
NDP says Ontario report on intimate partner violence partly AI-generated, includes non-existent sources
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
NDP says Ontario report on intimate partner violence partly AI-generated, includes non-existent sources
The 877-page study was introduced into the legislature on Tuesday
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Amir Attaran, Alan Richardson , and 3 more

sarahemclaugh.bsky.social
Sarah McLaughlin @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social ¡ 16d
Requiring temporary visitors to surrender five years of social media to the U.S. sends the message that the American commitment to free speech is pretense. This simply is not the behavior of a country confident in its freedoms.

It's a threat to free speech around the world and must be opposed.
Foreign tourists could be required to disclose 5 years of social media histories under Trump administration plan
The Customs and Border Protection proposal would apply even to countries that don't require visas to enter.
www.nbcnews.com

juliamwright.bsky.social
Julia M. Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social ¡ 16d
I use LibreOffice now—I’ve always used Thunderbird (before that, Eudora) for email. Teams is unavoidable at Dal but I only use it online, not least to avoid its cache choking my computer. LibreOffice for me has pretty much been seamless—even saving a presentation as a ppt and using it in class.