Brad James
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jamesbrad.bsky.social
Brad James
@jamesbrad.bsky.social
Ontario, Canada
Reposted by Brad James
I know everyone passed around this Dylan quote about Willie Nelson, but I’m going to pass it around too. The perfect Bob chef’s kiss is the “I guess you can say all that.”
January 2, 2026 at 2:46 AM
A David Lowery song from last year that I like a lot, from a triple! album.
youtu.be/slRgG_bCNX4?...
Vending Machine
YouTube video by David Lowery - Topic
youtu.be
January 1, 2026 at 7:11 PM
A great part of Toronto in 2025 was music like this in a bar only a few short blocks from home
January 1, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Step up and vote for Police Are Scrambling, then rest easy for the remainder of this year.
🎆🎇🎆2025 HEADLINE OF THE YEAR🎆🎇🎆
🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆GRAND FINAL🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆

After a seeding round and three rounds of voting, we have our finalists: Top seed Pretty Obvious will be facing off against 3rd seed Police Are Scrambling.

A reminder of how we got here:
January 1, 2026 at 1:21 AM
A great song from our year 2025, by Liquid Mike
youtu.be/nv6aCH8CSJo?...
Crop Circles
YouTube video by Liquid Mike - Topic
youtu.be
January 1, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Here's the CLC's review of achievements to celebrate in 2025 "for workers across Canada". While the CLC's social media viewership is highlighted as a win, there's *nothing* listed about either of the main functions of unions for working people: collective bargaining and organizing.
2025 was a huge year for workers across Canada. Let’s look back at our wins and celebrate together.
December 31, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Brad James
Unless I’m mistaken, he’s the first human serviette named a member of the Order of Canada.
I am honoured to announce I’ve been appointed as a member to the Order of Canada. Thank you to everyone for the support! I dedicate this to my late Mom who taught me so much about history, local independent media & research. I know that she would be, like me, screaming with joy! #orderofcanada
December 31, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Brad James
Yo what the fuck short form videos are bad

Short-Form Videos Degrade Our Capacity to Retain Intentions

arxiv.org/pdf/2302.03714

Ht: HowTown
December 31, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by Brad James
Yo, it's a city! My column on some of the good that happened in Toronto in 2025.
Shawn Micallef: Blue Jays, Finch West LRT and bike lane battles: Why 2025’s heartbreakers are reasons to be positive about Toronto’s future
It wasn’t Toronto’s greatest year, but there were bright spots in 2025 to remember.
www.thestar.com
December 30, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Come on "Man Rescued Twice".
Welcome to the thrilling Quarterfinal round of the 2025 Headline of the Year contest! (🎆🎆)

Mostly proceeded according to seeds, but second seed Resolved and Unresolved had a close scare with the Drunk Raccoon.

Let's review the results so far:
December 29, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Notable that there's no mention in this critique of the Liberals' most recent income tax cut. It delivers its biggest benefits to high and high-middle income earners and reduces federal revenue by about $5.4 billion annually. It was unanimously supported by the NDP.
December 29, 2025 at 3:42 PM
A '2025 year in review' email from the CLC, Canada's national union federation, landed in my inbox a few days ago. Zero in it about collective bargaining or organizing, two fundamental activities for unions. That the CLC has other priorities is something that deserves discussion.
Billionaires don’t need holiday bonuses. Workers do.
December 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Al Green and band take you to church, just tremendous footage and sound from Soul Train in the mid-1970s.
youtu.be/Gpu0qzP9bXM?...
al green - jesus is waiting
YouTube video by traxrecords
youtu.be
December 25, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Brad James
New York City embarked on a controversial program to toll drivers entering some of Manhattan’s busiest streets. Nearly a year later, data shows congestion pricing is actually working. View the charts: bloom.bg/4jklVzm

📷: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
December 25, 2025 at 12:15 PM
The first NDP leadership candidate to highlight a plan to deal with this scourge could break from the pack, grab the lead, and ride that wave right into the PMO.
Driving Ontario back roads at night be like
December 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Brad James
Searched back through Blue Sky for this.
Which is one of the best things I saw all year in any medium.
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
December 24, 2025 at 6:21 PM
The timidity of Ontario's NDP and Liberals, both in thrall to Doug Ford's Conservatives on this issue, helps keep Toronto from finding out if congestion pricing would work here.
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…

* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M

So YES this has been a huge success.
December 24, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Great album, and this sharp essay puts it in its context. We saw Tommy Stinson + Chip Roberts play in a Toronto bar in Oct. 2022, one the first live shows we saw post-ish Covid and it was a blast. Toward the end of the show, he hopped off the stage and played while mingling with the crowd. Lovely.
Over at my Substack 'Please Take My Advice", I wrote about Tommy Stinson and Bash & Pop's deeply underrated Faces-and-Humble Pie-forward '92 classic 'Friday Night Is Killing Me'. LP. Plus: Some more of the best solo works after the Replacements' breakup. theparanoidstyle.substack.com/p/on-bash-an...
On Bash & Pop’s Friday Night Is Killing Me and Tommy Stinson’s Deep, Dark Truthful Mirror
"Your golden age/ I was born too late"
theparanoidstyle.substack.com
December 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I'm in a bar in my neighbourhood and the bartender has got King Crimson in the song mix. Absolute first in my experience.
December 23, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Plenty of absolute killers in this year's pageant. I'm going to need some time.
If you're new to the Headline of the Year contest, it's surprisingly elaborate -- for the next few days, I'll be keeping track of reposts & likes on here and elsewhere (mostly here it seems at this point) and that will seed the top 16 headlines.

Then-- a four-round knock-out battle for the title!
The 2025 Headline of the Year Nominees

🧵
December 23, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Reposted by Brad James
If you're new to the Headline of the Year contest, it's surprisingly elaborate -- for the next few days, I'll be keeping track of reposts & likes on here and elsewhere (mostly here it seems at this point) and that will seed the top 16 headlines.

Then-- a four-round knock-out battle for the title!
The 2025 Headline of the Year Nominees

🧵
December 23, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Back in the 80s, I worked for a contractor who would occasionally send me off with the truck to pick up veal sangwiches to bring back to the jobsite. With his eyes closed and a single bite, he could tell me if the beauties were from California's or from San Francesco's.
December 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Holiday tradition endures despite global uncertainty
Getting close! Now at the nice part where I have too many potential nominees.
Finalizing the Headline of the Year nominees throughout the day, will likely launch tomorrow.

Any submissions below will also be considered.
December 21, 2025 at 11:03 PM
"The walls are lined all yellow, grey and sinister
Hung with pictures of our parents' prime ministers
Wheat kings and pretty things
Wait and see what tomorrow brings"
Paul Langlois came out to play with the Skydiggers in Toronto last night and people in the crowd sang all these words.
December 21, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Slim chance of ever getting this kind of result for Toronto as long as the provincial NDP and Liberals keep lining up with the Conservatives to oppose congestion pricing.
I refuse to shut up about this: NYC started charging $9 to bring a car into our most transit-rich zone, the haters & trolls predicted doom, but traffic evaporated instantly and here’s Times Square tonite (even after the holiday tourists have left). For a better future, build transit & price driving!
December 21, 2025 at 5:30 AM