Robson Fletcher
@robsonfletcher.com
Data journalist with CBC Calgary. Views my own and subject to change, especially in light of new evidence. 📧 robson.fletcher@cbc.ca
General bookings for COVID-19 vaccines opened — in theory — three weeks ago in Alberta.
I still haven't been able to book any for my children.
Just tried again this morning and got hung up on again by Alberta's 811 HealthLink, with an automated message blaming "higher than expected call volume."
I still haven't been able to book any for my children.
Just tried again this morning and got hung up on again by Alberta's 811 HealthLink, with an automated message blaming "higher than expected call volume."
The only way to book COVID vaccines for young children in Alberta is by calling 811 / HealthLink.
Bookings opened Monday.
It’s now Friday and the system is still saying call volumes are too high and auto-hanging-up on callers. 🙃
(They also cost $100 a pop, if you can ever get through.)
Bookings opened Monday.
It’s now Friday and the system is still saying call volumes are too high and auto-hanging-up on callers. 🙃
(They also cost $100 a pop, if you can ever get through.)
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
General bookings for COVID-19 vaccines opened — in theory — three weeks ago in Alberta.
I still haven't been able to book any for my children.
Just tried again this morning and got hung up on again by Alberta's 811 HealthLink, with an automated message blaming "higher than expected call volume."
I still haven't been able to book any for my children.
Just tried again this morning and got hung up on again by Alberta's 811 HealthLink, with an automated message blaming "higher than expected call volume."
“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) notified PHAC that Canada no longer holds its status.
Canada can re-establish its measles elimination status once the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months.”
Canada can re-establish its measles elimination status once the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months.”
Canada loses measles elimination status | CBC
www.cbc.ca
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
“The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) notified PHAC that Canada no longer holds its status.
Canada can re-establish its measles elimination status once the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months.”
Canada can re-establish its measles elimination status once the current outbreak is interrupted for at least 12 months.”
Reposted by Robson Fletcher
Working thesis: tech bros are socially maladjusted weirdos who create products assuming the rest of us are also
www.businessinsider.com/meta-cto-and...
www.businessinsider.com/meta-cto-and...
Meta's CTO explains why you should treat your relationships like investments
Andrew Bosworth, the CTO of Meta, said you should manage your "emotional economy" like you manage your portfolio.
www.businessinsider.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Working thesis: tech bros are socially maladjusted weirdos who create products assuming the rest of us are also
www.businessinsider.com/meta-cto-and...
www.businessinsider.com/meta-cto-and...
"Conservative Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced Thursday he is resigning from the House of Commons, according to statement shared with CBC News, a decision that comes after rumours swirled this week that he was considering crossing the floor to the Liberals."
Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux announces resignation from Parliament | CBC News
Conservative Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced Thursday he is resigning from the House of Commons, according to statement shared with CBC News, a decision that comes after rumours swirled this week t...
www.cbc.ca
November 6, 2025 at 10:55 PM
"Conservative Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced Thursday he is resigning from the House of Commons, according to statement shared with CBC News, a decision that comes after rumours swirled this week that he was considering crossing the floor to the Liberals."
Before-and-after Fox News headlines on a story based entirely on AI-generated videos they found online.
The new version of the article comes with an all-time “Editor's note” at bottom:
“This article previously reported on some videos that appear to have been generated by AI without noting that.”
The new version of the article comes with an all-time “Editor's note” at bottom:
“This article previously reported on some videos that appear to have been generated by AI without noting that.”
November 3, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Before-and-after Fox News headlines on a story based entirely on AI-generated videos they found online.
The new version of the article comes with an all-time “Editor's note” at bottom:
“This article previously reported on some videos that appear to have been generated by AI without noting that.”
The new version of the article comes with an all-time “Editor's note” at bottom:
“This article previously reported on some videos that appear to have been generated by AI without noting that.”
"CBC News reached out to both Premier Smith's press secretary and Service Alberta, the department that oversees motor vehicle registrations, but did not receive any response from either."
N.B. business in trademark tangle with Alberta government over licence plates | CBC News
Part of the Canadian national anthem is turning out to be a possible legal headache for the Alberta government.
www.cbc.ca
October 28, 2025 at 3:28 PM
"CBC News reached out to both Premier Smith's press secretary and Service Alberta, the department that oversees motor vehicle registrations, but did not receive any response from either."
Reposted by Robson Fletcher
At 2 a.m., the Alberta legislature passed a bill that will force 51,000 teachers back to work, impose a four-year contract and use the notwithstanding clause to stave off a legal challenge and suspend teacher bargaining at the local level. It includes fines for Ts and the ATA if they defy it. #AbLeg
Striking Alberta teachers forced back to work by fast-tracked legislation, notwithstanding clause | CBC News
Bill 2 passed early Tuesday morning after a long night for lawmakers in the provincial legislature. Premier Danielle Smith’s government introduced the legislation the day before.
www.cbc.ca
October 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
At 2 a.m., the Alberta legislature passed a bill that will force 51,000 teachers back to work, impose a four-year contract and use the notwithstanding clause to stave off a legal challenge and suspend teacher bargaining at the local level. It includes fines for Ts and the ATA if they defy it. #AbLeg
Baseball BlueSky has the juice
October 28, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Baseball BlueSky has the juice
While we’re all watching baseball Janet is watching the Alberta legislature as the suspension of teachers’ Charter rights is pushed through in the wee hours of the morning
October 28, 2025 at 6:07 AM
While we’re all watching baseball Janet is watching the Alberta legislature as the suspension of teachers’ Charter rights is pushed through in the wee hours of the morning
Reposted by Robson Fletcher
Also getting a first look at the bill (we get advanced info under embargo but not the actual text):
The notwithstanding clause would allow the govt to override the Charter, the Alberta Bill of Rights and the Alberta Human Rights Act.
You may recall UCP members pushed hard to bolster the BoR.
The notwithstanding clause would allow the govt to override the Charter, the Alberta Bill of Rights and the Alberta Human Rights Act.
You may recall UCP members pushed hard to bolster the BoR.
October 28, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Also getting a first look at the bill (we get advanced info under embargo but not the actual text):
The notwithstanding clause would allow the govt to override the Charter, the Alberta Bill of Rights and the Alberta Human Rights Act.
You may recall UCP members pushed hard to bolster the BoR.
The notwithstanding clause would allow the govt to override the Charter, the Alberta Bill of Rights and the Alberta Human Rights Act.
You may recall UCP members pushed hard to bolster the BoR.
Reposted by Robson Fletcher
I’m watching debate live for a while. There are about 27 people watching from the public gallery of the legislative chamber. Many are wearing bright red sweaters or scarves.
The govt has time allocation motions on the order paper, which allows them to vote to limit debate at each stage to 1 hour.
The govt has time allocation motions on the order paper, which allows them to vote to limit debate at each stage to 1 hour.
October 28, 2025 at 2:52 AM
I’m watching debate live for a while. There are about 27 people watching from the public gallery of the legislative chamber. Many are wearing bright red sweaters or scarves.
The govt has time allocation motions on the order paper, which allows them to vote to limit debate at each stage to 1 hour.
The govt has time allocation motions on the order paper, which allows them to vote to limit debate at each stage to 1 hour.
Reposted by Robson Fletcher
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
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The official home of the Python Programming Language
www.python.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
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“Totalitarianism today begins not with the suppression of speech but with the systematic degradation of meaning…
Its goal isn’t to convince anyone of one story over another; it is to make people stop believing that any story could really be true.”
Its goal isn’t to convince anyone of one story over another; it is to make people stop believing that any story could really be true.”
Destroy the Metrics, Destroy the Truth
Trump’s decimation of public health systems isn’t about efficiency, cost-saving, or even ideology. It’s about building a world without truth or the possibility of accountability.
www.thenation.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM
“Totalitarianism today begins not with the suppression of speech but with the systematic degradation of meaning…
Its goal isn’t to convince anyone of one story over another; it is to make people stop believing that any story could really be true.”
Its goal isn’t to convince anyone of one story over another; it is to make people stop believing that any story could really be true.”
Doug Ford: "My champion Wab Kinew, he's 100% behind it. Another champion, Premier Eby, as well ... total different political stripes than I am but we're all sticking together."
Reporter:"Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads, though..."
Ford: "Of course Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads..."
Reporter:"Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads, though..."
Ford: "Of course Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads..."
October 27, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Doug Ford: "My champion Wab Kinew, he's 100% behind it. Another champion, Premier Eby, as well ... total different political stripes than I am but we're all sticking together."
Reporter:"Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads, though..."
Ford: "Of course Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads..."
Reporter:"Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads, though..."
Ford: "Of course Danielle Smith doesn't like the ads..."
Fun story on the "theory known as Roko’s basilisk, which holds that a future AI super intelligence would torture any human who didn’t help it come into existence."
"Now, in a twist that should please any writer, the guy who’s spearheading Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses is named Rocco Basilico."
"Now, in a twist that should please any writer, the guy who’s spearheading Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses is named Rocco Basilico."
Zuckerberg's AI Glasses Guy Is Named Rocco Basilico
The guy who's spearheading Meta's AI-powered smart glasses is named Rocco Basilico — which matches a internet theory called Roko's basilisk.
futurism.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Fun story on the "theory known as Roko’s basilisk, which holds that a future AI super intelligence would torture any human who didn’t help it come into existence."
"Now, in a twist that should please any writer, the guy who’s spearheading Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses is named Rocco Basilico."
"Now, in a twist that should please any writer, the guy who’s spearheading Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses is named Rocco Basilico."
Trump called the border
An 'artificially drawn line'
But check out those polls
It's minus ten / forty-nine
An 'artificially drawn line'
But check out those polls
It's minus ten / forty-nine
October 27, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Trump called the border
An 'artificially drawn line'
But check out those polls
It's minus ten / forty-nine
An 'artificially drawn line'
But check out those polls
It's minus ten / forty-nine
Are people OK?
I saw this Reddit post and thought it was at least half joking.
But in the replies, many folks are 100% serious, offering quite practical and creative suggestions for places to go to scream.
I saw this Reddit post and thought it was at least half joking.
But in the replies, many folks are 100% serious, offering quite practical and creative suggestions for places to go to scream.
From the Calgary community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the Calgary community
www.reddit.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Are people OK?
I saw this Reddit post and thought it was at least half joking.
But in the replies, many folks are 100% serious, offering quite practical and creative suggestions for places to go to scream.
I saw this Reddit post and thought it was at least half joking.
But in the replies, many folks are 100% serious, offering quite practical and creative suggestions for places to go to scream.
“So far this season, two per cent of Albertans have received a COVID vaccine.”
Albertans are struggling to book COVID shots; doctors worry some might give up | CBC News
Parents and doctors continue to push back against the Alberta government’s controversial COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Determining who is eligible for free vaccines has not been straightforward, and the b...
www.cbc.ca
October 24, 2025 at 7:19 PM
“So far this season, two per cent of Albertans have received a COVID vaccine.”
This thread will catalog the people in the United States who have been detained or arrested after playing songs in the vicinity of ICE / DHS / CPB / National Guard / other authorities.
Please let me know if I have missed any.
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Please let me know if I have missed any.
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October 24, 2025 at 6:43 PM
This thread will catalog the people in the United States who have been detained or arrested after playing songs in the vicinity of ICE / DHS / CPB / National Guard / other authorities.
Please let me know if I have missed any.
🧵
Please let me know if I have missed any.
🧵
Official voter turnout in Calgary's 2025 election is 39%.
But "official" can mean different things in different places in different years.
In 2018 I wrote about why turnout figures, especially municipally, "should really be considered as more of a 'general indicator' than a precise measurement:"
But "official" can mean different things in different places in different years.
In 2018 I wrote about why turnout figures, especially municipally, "should really be considered as more of a 'general indicator' than a precise measurement:"
Eligible voter count in Calgary's Olympic plebiscite 100,000 higher than 2017 civic election | CBC News
The count of eligible voters in Calgary's Olympic plebiscite was more than 100,000 higher than in the municipal election just one year earlier — and it's not clear why.
www.cbc.ca
October 24, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Official voter turnout in Calgary's 2025 election is 39%.
But "official" can mean different things in different places in different years.
In 2018 I wrote about why turnout figures, especially municipally, "should really be considered as more of a 'general indicator' than a precise measurement:"
But "official" can mean different things in different places in different years.
In 2018 I wrote about why turnout figures, especially municipally, "should really be considered as more of a 'general indicator' than a precise measurement:"
The only way to book COVID vaccines for young children in Alberta is by calling 811 / HealthLink.
Bookings opened Monday.
It’s now Friday and the system is still saying call volumes are too high and auto-hanging-up on callers. 🙃
(They also cost $100 a pop, if you can ever get through.)
Bookings opened Monday.
It’s now Friday and the system is still saying call volumes are too high and auto-hanging-up on callers. 🙃
(They also cost $100 a pop, if you can ever get through.)
October 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
The only way to book COVID vaccines for young children in Alberta is by calling 811 / HealthLink.
Bookings opened Monday.
It’s now Friday and the system is still saying call volumes are too high and auto-hanging-up on callers. 🙃
(They also cost $100 a pop, if you can ever get through.)
Bookings opened Monday.
It’s now Friday and the system is still saying call volumes are too high and auto-hanging-up on callers. 🙃
(They also cost $100 a pop, if you can ever get through.)
How it started / how it's going etc.
October 24, 2025 at 4:09 PM
How it started / how it's going etc.
"Speculation has pointed to Hunter Biden"
I kid you not, this is currently what the White House's "Major Events Timeline" shows for the East Wing expansion.
www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-wh...
www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-wh...
October 24, 2025 at 4:02 PM
"Speculation has pointed to Hunter Biden"
I haven't attempted it yet but I know people who have tried for days without success to get COVID vaccines for their kids since bookings opened Monday.
(You can't book online for kids under 12 and have to call, but operators were overwhelmed.)
As for booking in B.C.? Can't do that until Nov. 24:
(You can't book online for kids under 12 and have to call, but operators were overwhelmed.)
As for booking in B.C.? Can't do that until Nov. 24:
October 24, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I haven't attempted it yet but I know people who have tried for days without success to get COVID vaccines for their kids since bookings opened Monday.
(You can't book online for kids under 12 and have to call, but operators were overwhelmed.)
As for booking in B.C.? Can't do that until Nov. 24:
(You can't book online for kids under 12 and have to call, but operators were overwhelmed.)
As for booking in B.C.? Can't do that until Nov. 24:
Amazing that basic, verifiable aspects of officially archived history, within the living memory of many people, have to be introduced by news organizations as: "It wasn't fake."
It wasn't fake. It was edited. But Reagan really did spend a five-minute speech – an April 25, 1987, national radio address that the Reagan Library has published on YouTube – to rail against tariffs. It was a full-throated expression of support for free and fair trade.
https://cnn.it/4o5pBGv
https://cnn.it/4o5pBGv
October 24, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Amazing that basic, verifiable aspects of officially archived history, within the living memory of many people, have to be introduced by news organizations as: "It wasn't fake."