Robin Cantin
@rcantin.bsky.social
Personal account. If an opinion strays in here, it's simply mine. In Montréal, mostly. 🇨🇦
Experience Reason Compassion
Experience Reason Compassion
BREAKING: Good newspaper gets better by hiring excellent journalist.
A little bit of 🌈💫🦣personal news🦣💫🌈
After years in the freelance game, I'm joining The Toronto Star as a full-time columnist. I'll be covering my usual beats: Security, politics, global affairs, policy, misinfo, etc, but with a new accent on Big Tech.
After years in the freelance game, I'm joining The Toronto Star as a full-time columnist. I'll be covering my usual beats: Security, politics, global affairs, policy, misinfo, etc, but with a new accent on Big Tech.
November 17, 2025 at 9:45 PM
BREAKING: Good newspaper gets better by hiring excellent journalist.
"Since Gallup began measuring this question globally in 2007, few countries have shown gender gaps this wide in the desire to migrate. Before the U.S. in 2025, no country had recorded a gap of 20 points or more between younger men and women."
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups."
Record Numbers of Younger Women Want to Leave the U.S.
The percentage of younger women in the U.S. who express a desire to migrate permanently has surged in the past decade.
news.gallup.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:31 PM
"Since Gallup began measuring this question globally in 2007, few countries have shown gender gaps this wide in the desire to migrate. Before the U.S. in 2025, no country had recorded a gap of 20 points or more between younger men and women."
A good wallop to get winter started in Montréal.
November 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
A good wallop to get winter started in Montréal.
It's going be a neo-classical monument to Trump, straight out of Albert Speer's sketchbook.
‘It’s your house. And he’s destroying it’: Trump demolishes White House East Wing
President Donald Trump is tearing down the East Wing to build a $250 million ballroom. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
President Donald Trump is tearing down the East Wing to build a $250 million ballroom. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
‘It’s your house. And he’s destroying it’: Trump demolishes White House East Wing
President Donald Trump is tearing down the East Wing to build a $250 million ballroom.
www.politico.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:28 PM
It's going be a neo-classical monument to Trump, straight out of Albert Speer's sketchbook.
Episode 3 of the new season of #TheDiplomat features the Treaty of the Law of the Sea. So of course I had to look that up on #wikipedia.
Turns out 15,000 people viewed that article since the episode came out 5 days ago, when its usual daily traffic is 500!
Turns out 15,000 people viewed that article since the episode came out 5 days ago, when its usual daily traffic is 500!
October 22, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Episode 3 of the new season of #TheDiplomat features the Treaty of the Law of the Sea. So of course I had to look that up on #wikipedia.
Turns out 15,000 people viewed that article since the episode came out 5 days ago, when its usual daily traffic is 500!
Turns out 15,000 people viewed that article since the episode came out 5 days ago, when its usual daily traffic is 500!
The head of American public health expressing the fertility rate in %. He knows nothing and isn't interested to learn.
RFK Jr: "When my uncle was president, the fertility rate in this country was 3.5%. Today it is 1.6%. The replacement rate -- in other words the amount of fertility you need to keep your population even -- is 2.1%. We are below replacement. That is a national security threat to our country."
October 16, 2025 at 10:23 PM
The head of American public health expressing the fertility rate in %. He knows nothing and isn't interested to learn.
Reposted by Robin Cantin
Immigrant families in Quebec say they were shunted into English Protestant classrooms, but francophones say these families freely chose English in the pursuit of economic advantage. “The stories clash,” writes @mtltoula.bsky.social. “They also feed each other.” thewalrus.ca/were-immigrant-k...
September 27, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Immigrant families in Quebec say they were shunted into English Protestant classrooms, but francophones say these families freely chose English in the pursuit of economic advantage. “The stories clash,” writes @mtltoula.bsky.social. “They also feed each other.” thewalrus.ca/were-immigrant-k...
Reposted by Robin Cantin
From May to September 1967, 100 men on 10 provincial/territorial teams took part in the Voyageur Centennial Canoe Pageant.
The longest canoe race in history, it went from Rocky Mountain House, AB to Montreal.
This is the story of one epic competition.
🧵 1/12
The longest canoe race in history, it went from Rocky Mountain House, AB to Montreal.
This is the story of one epic competition.
🧵 1/12
September 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
From May to September 1967, 100 men on 10 provincial/territorial teams took part in the Voyageur Centennial Canoe Pageant.
The longest canoe race in history, it went from Rocky Mountain House, AB to Montreal.
This is the story of one epic competition.
🧵 1/12
The longest canoe race in history, it went from Rocky Mountain House, AB to Montreal.
This is the story of one epic competition.
🧵 1/12
"The Catholic Church, which the counter-protesters claim to “protect,” neither asked for their protection, nor supports a prayer ban. Quebecers’ Catholic heritage is being instrumentalized here."
Read more at: www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
Read more at: www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
September 5, 2025 at 11:31 AM
"The Catholic Church, which the counter-protesters claim to “protect,” neither asked for their protection, nor supports a prayer ban. Quebecers’ Catholic heritage is being instrumentalized here."
Read more at: www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
Read more at: www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...
They attested the whole gang. Lets see what happens now. www.ctvnews.ca/regina/artic...
Sask. RCMP arrest 16 people, including self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada’
Saskatchewan RCMP have arrested 16 people in connection to an ongoing investigation in Richmound, the community where the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada’ has taken residence since 2023.
www.ctvnews.ca
September 3, 2025 at 11:46 PM
They attested the whole gang. Lets see what happens now. www.ctvnews.ca/regina/artic...
I tried GPT 5.0, the chatbot that's supposedly at PhD level. I asked it a question similar to the one I use for staffing in my unit.
The beginning of the response is fine but it got lost, mixing in a concept that ceased existing in the 1970s. I would have to fail GPT as candidate.
The beginning of the response is fine but it got lost, mixing in a concept that ceased existing in the 1970s. I would have to fail GPT as candidate.
August 17, 2025 at 1:30 AM
I tried GPT 5.0, the chatbot that's supposedly at PhD level. I asked it a question similar to the one I use for staffing in my unit.
The beginning of the response is fine but it got lost, mixing in a concept that ceased existing in the 1970s. I would have to fail GPT as candidate.
The beginning of the response is fine but it got lost, mixing in a concept that ceased existing in the 1970s. I would have to fail GPT as candidate.
The regime will probably announce subscribing the the Annals of Internal Medicine is grounds for deportation.
A large-scale, government-funded study tracking 1.2M children over two decades found something Kennedy doesn't like, so he wants it retracted.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Exclusive: Medical journal rejects Kennedy's call for retraction of vaccine study
An influential U.S. medical journal is rejecting a call from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to retract a large Danish study that found that aluminum ingredients in vaccines do not increase health risks for children, the journal's editor told Reuters.
www.reuters.com
August 11, 2025 at 9:37 PM
The regime will probably announce subscribing the the Annals of Internal Medicine is grounds for deportation.
New piece by @kathryn-may.bsky.social in Policy Options. Public Service leaders speak to her because she spent decades getting things right and earning their trust. She's worth your time.
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/au...
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/au...
Carney’s 15-per-cent public-service challenge
Departments grapple with conflicting data as they race to finish the pivotal expenditure review the prime minister will use to reallocate resources.
policyoptions.irpp.org
August 11, 2025 at 7:54 PM
New piece by @kathryn-may.bsky.social in Policy Options. Public Service leaders speak to her because she spent decades getting things right and earning their trust. She's worth your time.
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/au...
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/au...
Trump was never a nice guy. Or a good guy, or an ok guy. He was never all right. He was never "tough but fair".
He was always cruel, mean, uninterested in people.
He was always cruel, mean, uninterested in people.
Donald Trump demanded that unhoused Washington, D.C., residents “have to move out [of the city] IMMEDIATELY.”
Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
August 10, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Trump was never a nice guy. Or a good guy, or an ok guy. He was never all right. He was never "tough but fair".
He was always cruel, mean, uninterested in people.
He was always cruel, mean, uninterested in people.
Vraiment surpris de voir qu'ils oubrent encore des Kentucky Fried Chicken.
La dernière fois (voilà 10 ans+) ma conjointe et moi avons été malades. Juste trop gras.
La dernière fois (voilà 10 ans+) ma conjointe et moi avons été malades. Juste trop gras.
August 10, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Vraiment surpris de voir qu'ils oubrent encore des Kentucky Fried Chicken.
La dernière fois (voilà 10 ans+) ma conjointe et moi avons été malades. Juste trop gras.
La dernière fois (voilà 10 ans+) ma conjointe et moi avons été malades. Juste trop gras.
Reposted by Robin Cantin
📅 8 Aug 1914: Unity Mitford was born — fascist fangirl, Hitler devotee & Nazi sympathiser. Historian @guywalters.bsky.social rages it’s time we stop glamourising the Mitfords once and for all.
Listen now 🎧 pod.fo/e/2a19c6
#onthisday #otd #onthisdate #history #podcast #WW2 #Nazis
Listen now 🎧 pod.fo/e/2a19c6
#onthisday #otd #onthisdate #history #podcast #WW2 #Nazis
August 8, 2025 at 9:30 AM
📅 8 Aug 1914: Unity Mitford was born — fascist fangirl, Hitler devotee & Nazi sympathiser. Historian @guywalters.bsky.social rages it’s time we stop glamourising the Mitfords once and for all.
Listen now 🎧 pod.fo/e/2a19c6
#onthisday #otd #onthisdate #history #podcast #WW2 #Nazis
Listen now 🎧 pod.fo/e/2a19c6
#onthisday #otd #onthisdate #history #podcast #WW2 #Nazis
We need a wellness check at 1600 Pensylvania Avenue, please.
August 5, 2025 at 4:10 PM
We need a wellness check at 1600 Pensylvania Avenue, please.
Reposted by Robin Cantin
On this day in 1874, J.S. Woodworth was born in Etobicoke, Ontario. A leader during the Winnipeg General Strike, he founded the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (which became the NDP in 1961). As an MP, he pushed the government to develop social programs for Canadians.
July 29, 2025 at 11:15 AM
On this day in 1874, J.S. Woodworth was born in Etobicoke, Ontario. A leader during the Winnipeg General Strike, he founded the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (which became the NDP in 1961). As an MP, he pushed the government to develop social programs for Canadians.
Reposted by Robin Cantin
Astonishing colourizing by @marinamaral.bsky.sociall: Jewish boy surrenders in Warsaw during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising while SS-Rottenführer Josef Blösche points a submachine gun in his direction, 1943.
Luckily, the boy survived. Blosche was executed in Leipzig #OTD 29 July 1969.
Luckily, the boy survived. Blosche was executed in Leipzig #OTD 29 July 1969.
July 29, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Astonishing colourizing by @marinamaral.bsky.sociall: Jewish boy surrenders in Warsaw during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising while SS-Rottenführer Josef Blösche points a submachine gun in his direction, 1943.
Luckily, the boy survived. Blosche was executed in Leipzig #OTD 29 July 1969.
Luckily, the boy survived. Blosche was executed in Leipzig #OTD 29 July 1969.
Reposted by Robin Cantin
"In politics shared hatreds are almost always the basis of friendships."
-- Alexis de Tocqueville, born #OTD 1805
MAGA movement | Meaning, Beliefs, Origins, Donald Trump, & Facts | Britannica share.google/99huiFOvfzZj...
-- Alexis de Tocqueville, born #OTD 1805
MAGA movement | Meaning, Beliefs, Origins, Donald Trump, & Facts | Britannica share.google/99huiFOvfzZj...
MAGA movement | Meaning, Beliefs, Origins, Donald Trump, & Facts | Britannica
The MAGA movement is a nativist political movement that emerged in the United States during the 2016 presidential campaign of its putative leader, Donald Trump. Its name is derived from Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” which became a rallying cry for many Trump supporters.
share.google
July 29, 2025 at 11:06 AM
"In politics shared hatreds are almost always the basis of friendships."
-- Alexis de Tocqueville, born #OTD 1805
MAGA movement | Meaning, Beliefs, Origins, Donald Trump, & Facts | Britannica share.google/99huiFOvfzZj...
-- Alexis de Tocqueville, born #OTD 1805
MAGA movement | Meaning, Beliefs, Origins, Donald Trump, & Facts | Britannica share.google/99huiFOvfzZj...
This !!
Neurotic personalities are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities have recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.
People like extroverted robots — but they relate to the neurotic ones
Neurotic personalities are a staple of science fiction. Researchers who study how people react to robot personalities have recently found that neurotic traits in a robot can make them seem more relatable.
n.pr
July 25, 2025 at 4:53 PM
This !!
Reposted by Robin Cantin
#TodayInQueerHistory
July 25 1865
#OTD Dr James Barry died. Born in Cork, educated in Edinburgh Dr Barry was a military doctor & a pioneer in Caesarian procedures.
Dr Barry lived as a man, and upon his death it was discovered he was assigned female at birth, causing shock and confusion.
July 25 1865
#OTD Dr James Barry died. Born in Cork, educated in Edinburgh Dr Barry was a military doctor & a pioneer in Caesarian procedures.
Dr Barry lived as a man, and upon his death it was discovered he was assigned female at birth, causing shock and confusion.
July 25, 2025 at 8:51 AM
#TodayInQueerHistory
July 25 1865
#OTD Dr James Barry died. Born in Cork, educated in Edinburgh Dr Barry was a military doctor & a pioneer in Caesarian procedures.
Dr Barry lived as a man, and upon his death it was discovered he was assigned female at birth, causing shock and confusion.
July 25 1865
#OTD Dr James Barry died. Born in Cork, educated in Edinburgh Dr Barry was a military doctor & a pioneer in Caesarian procedures.
Dr Barry lived as a man, and upon his death it was discovered he was assigned female at birth, causing shock and confusion.
Re: Conspiracy theorists & Pharma money
I’m named in this blog post from Natural News, a truly wretched conspiracy blog, because I once wrote an article critical of Sayer Ji’s website.
And there’s a wild allegation in here.
www.naturalnews.com/2025-07-22-h...
I’m named in this blog post from Natural News, a truly wretched conspiracy blog, because I once wrote an article critical of Sayer Ji’s website.
And there’s a wild allegation in here.
www.naturalnews.com/2025-07-22-h...
Wikipedia censorship of Sayer Ji: How the “Encyclopedia of Truth” became a global tool for suppression – NaturalNews.com
Wikipedia editors weaponized Sayer Ji’s page to advance pro-pharma agendas and suppress alternative health narratives, per platform archives. A disputed CCDH report, hosted on a spam-blacklisted site,...
www.naturalnews.com
July 23, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Playing around with this Canada-based fact-checking AI tool from @getfact.bsky.social. Interesting.
It totally validates stuff I've written on the Internet, so of course I declare the tool excellent and a great benefit to humanity!
www.getfact.ca
It totally validates stuff I've written on the Internet, so of course I declare the tool excellent and a great benefit to humanity!
www.getfact.ca
GET FACT
www.getfact.ca
July 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Playing around with this Canada-based fact-checking AI tool from @getfact.bsky.social. Interesting.
It totally validates stuff I've written on the Internet, so of course I declare the tool excellent and a great benefit to humanity!
www.getfact.ca
It totally validates stuff I've written on the Internet, so of course I declare the tool excellent and a great benefit to humanity!
www.getfact.ca
I really miss Rick Mercer's photo challenge, where he posted a photo of a public personality for people to #photoshop. A small, silly pleasure.
Totally unrelated, but here's a photo of U.S. Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Totally unrelated, but here's a photo of U.S. Secretary Howard Lutnick.
July 22, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I really miss Rick Mercer's photo challenge, where he posted a photo of a public personality for people to #photoshop. A small, silly pleasure.
Totally unrelated, but here's a photo of U.S. Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Totally unrelated, but here's a photo of U.S. Secretary Howard Lutnick.