Rue Merlot
@ruemerlot.bsky.social
For building things, against decline. Posts about healthcare, institutions, and public safety. https://twitter.com/EtRueMerlot
The headline is obviously true, but the piece itself is a terrible take. It is BAD when judges let murderers walk free, no matter how bad prison conditions are. And the fault for releasing them lies on the judges; not on Ford or the prison system
www.thestar.com/politics/pol...
www.thestar.com/politics/pol...
Martin Regg Cohn: Doug Ford says he’s tough on crime. The facts say otherwise
Accused murderers are going free on the premier's watch, Martin Regg Cohn writes.
www.thestar.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:16 AM
The headline is obviously true, but the piece itself is a terrible take. It is BAD when judges let murderers walk free, no matter how bad prison conditions are. And the fault for releasing them lies on the judges; not on Ford or the prison system
www.thestar.com/politics/pol...
www.thestar.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Tfw you're reading about Maurice Hilleman, who developed 40 vaccines in his lifetime, and his work ethic
![“I ever caught anybody delaying a set of tests because [results] might come out on a weekend, it would be grounds for dismissal. You can imagine how that went over. They all had wives and that sort of thing. Now Merck tells [employees] that they don’t need to put in any extra time and that you have to balance your life. And that you have to have enjoyment with your job; [that way] you can do a better job and have fun. It’s all just a pile of shit. What the company should be doing is kicking ass. But that’s from the old school. I was told that I had a very unusual management style.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:73aicoale2mqwrap63rdzwep/bafkreihgtvwhkkkznw3qtlbbaproublfryobx6f2ic5fwy7ptj6ufmryc4@jpeg)
November 22, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Tfw you're reading about Maurice Hilleman, who developed 40 vaccines in his lifetime, and his work ethic
Reposted by Rue Merlot
This is a really good overview of asteroid-impact risk (and what we as humans have been doing to mitigate it).
OK, so. Below a certain size, the atmosphere takes care of the problem--objects below 10 meters in size, say, are going to give a great showy fireball but not do any damage on the ground unless you're really personally unlucky, like the teenager who owned this car.
meteoritecar.com
meteoritecar.com
The Peekskill Meteorite Car Official Website
The official website of the Peekskill Meteorite Car, the most famous object to ever be struck by a meteorite.
meteoritecar.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:23 PM
This is a really good overview of asteroid-impact risk (and what we as humans have been doing to mitigate it).
Reposted by Rue Merlot
No. Arguably the real problem is that most cities don't have enough public garbage cans. But their absence doesn't mean the nearest private can becomes a public receptacle. Also, it's just weird to imply that the alternatives to dumping are littering or not picking up
www.thestar.com/life/can-you...
www.thestar.com/life/can-you...
Can you throw dog doo-doo in someone else’s garbage bin? The debate over the ‘politics of poop’
City bylaws. Vigilante justice. It’s an age-old debate that gets neighbours up in arms. “The politics of poop,” one dog owner said, “are intense.”
www.thestar.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:25 PM
No. Arguably the real problem is that most cities don't have enough public garbage cans. But their absence doesn't mean the nearest private can becomes a public receptacle. Also, it's just weird to imply that the alternatives to dumping are littering or not picking up
www.thestar.com/life/can-you...
www.thestar.com/life/can-you...
Reposted by Rue Merlot
November 18, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Ahead of the upcoming ACIP meeting on the child immunization schedule, it’s important to remember immunizations are about more than individual decisions — immunizations affect communities, including babies too young to be vaccinated
Utah health officials discovered a person infected with measles visited a Logan medical clinic, where 11 vulnerable babies were exposed, launching a race to get the infants preventative treatment.
Nearly a dozen Utah infants were exposed to measles, triggering a race for preventative treatment
Utah health officials discovered a person infected with measles visited a Logan medical clinic, where 11 vulnerable babies were exposed, launching a race to get the infants preventative treatment.
www.sltrib.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Ahead of the upcoming ACIP meeting on the child immunization schedule, it’s important to remember immunizations are about more than individual decisions — immunizations affect communities, including babies too young to be vaccinated
While I'm not optimistic for change, its good to see both Eby and Kinew pushing the NDP in the direction of supporting incarceration for criminals
Crime disproportionately hurts marginalized groups, and public safety SHOULD be a progressive issue
globalnews.ca/news/1152553...
Crime disproportionately hurts marginalized groups, and public safety SHOULD be a progressive issue
globalnews.ca/news/1152553...
Kinew weighs in on killer’s release from prison, reaches out to prime minister | Globalnews.ca
Manitoba's premier and First Nations organizations want a review of the justice system after learning a man who killed two Indigenous women is being released from prison.
globalnews.ca
November 18, 2025 at 5:53 PM
While I'm not optimistic for change, its good to see both Eby and Kinew pushing the NDP in the direction of supporting incarceration for criminals
Crime disproportionately hurts marginalized groups, and public safety SHOULD be a progressive issue
globalnews.ca/news/1152553...
Crime disproportionately hurts marginalized groups, and public safety SHOULD be a progressive issue
globalnews.ca/news/1152553...
I get that the government is quite limited in being able to incarcerate even repeat sex offenders; by both SCOTUS and prison capacity. But inadequate consequences from the criminal-justice system isn't something you should rely on the general public to "fix"
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...
‘They’re a bunch of diddlers:’ Doug Ford says Ontario will work to make parts of sex offender registry public
The Ontario government is eyeing changes that would make public some information from the province’s sex offender registry, CTV News Toronto has learned.
www.ctvnews.ca
November 17, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I get that the government is quite limited in being able to incarcerate even repeat sex offenders; by both SCOTUS and prison capacity. But inadequate consequences from the criminal-justice system isn't something you should rely on the general public to "fix"
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...
I was one of the few people who registered as as a LPC supporter in 2013 to vote Martha Hall Findlay over Trudeau. She obviously wasn't going to win; but it would have been very interesting to see how things could have gone differently if she had become leader and(/or) PM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6YM...
and this is shorter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoO-...
Really... interesting questions from Martha Hall Findlay starting around 59mins, which Keller handles well. Surprised a head of a public policy school would ask them.
and this is shorter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoO-...
Really... interesting questions from Martha Hall Findlay starting around 59mins, which Keller handles well. Surprised a head of a public policy school would ask them.
How Canada Got Immigration Right, and Then Wrong • Tony Keller
YouTube video by Max Bell School of Public Policy
www.youtube.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:27 PM
I was one of the few people who registered as as a LPC supporter in 2013 to vote Martha Hall Findlay over Trudeau. She obviously wasn't going to win; but it would have been very interesting to see how things could have gone differently if she had become leader and(/or) PM
I did not know that the Sacklers still had another pharma company they're using to push the opioid crisis to other countries :(
Like many criminals; lack of consequences proportional to the harm they've done incentivizes them to keep harming others
Like many criminals; lack of consequences proportional to the harm they've done incentivizes them to keep harming others
November 15, 2025 at 12:22 AM
I did not know that the Sacklers still had another pharma company they're using to push the opioid crisis to other countries :(
Like many criminals; lack of consequences proportional to the harm they've done incentivizes them to keep harming others
Like many criminals; lack of consequences proportional to the harm they've done incentivizes them to keep harming others
Whatever else you can say about the Ford government's handling of healthcare, he has launched a lot of extremely ambitious projects. Often without proper funding, planning, or oversight- and results have been mixed at best- but definitely ambitious
www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...
www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...
Ontario launching new home care program in effort to relieve hospital overcrowding
Ontario is quietly introducing a new intensive home care initiative aimed at helping patients transition out of hospitals more quickly — a move designed to relieve mounting hospital overcrowding acros...
www.ctvnews.ca
November 14, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Whatever else you can say about the Ford government's handling of healthcare, he has launched a lot of extremely ambitious projects. Often without proper funding, planning, or oversight- and results have been mixed at best- but definitely ambitious
www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...
www.ctvnews.ca/health/artic...
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Generic drug manufacturing is going to be difficult to (re)establish in the US:
Making Pills. But Not Making Them Here.
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Generic drug manufacturing is going to be difficult to (re)establish in the US:
There is no political issue more important than child welfare and protection.
There is no political scandal as bad as our disastrous dismantling and defunding of the systems and institutions meant to protect children
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
There is no political scandal as bad as our disastrous dismantling and defunding of the systems and institutions meant to protect children
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
‘Terrified’ teacher called Children’s Aid over family at centre of horrific Ontario murder trial. She was told ‘it’s too political’
Teacher says she called Children’s Aid after her Grade 2 student tried to strangle himself.
www.thestar.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:56 PM
There is no political issue more important than child welfare and protection.
There is no political scandal as bad as our disastrous dismantling and defunding of the systems and institutions meant to protect children
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
There is no political scandal as bad as our disastrous dismantling and defunding of the systems and institutions meant to protect children
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Debates about crime (whether its rising or falling, and what is the appropriate way to measure this) often miss that there are vastly different experiences of witnessing or being victimized by crime (largely driven by socio-economic status)
Rates aside, distribution changes can shape perceptions
Rates aside, distribution changes can shape perceptions
November 2, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Debates about crime (whether its rising or falling, and what is the appropriate way to measure this) often miss that there are vastly different experiences of witnessing or being victimized by crime (largely driven by socio-economic status)
Rates aside, distribution changes can shape perceptions
Rates aside, distribution changes can shape perceptions
Reposted by Rue Merlot
“Some former employees speak of the company like refugees of a once-great city, grief-stricken and a little bewildered by how it all came undone. They point to moments — a clinical trial result, an election outcome, the selection of a presidential Cabinet member — that could have changed everything”
How Moderna, the company that helped save the world, unraveled
Exclusive: The inside story of why Moderna now faces a crisis unlike any in its 15-year-history.
www.statnews.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:10 PM
“Some former employees speak of the company like refugees of a once-great city, grief-stricken and a little bewildered by how it all came undone. They point to moments — a clinical trial result, an election outcome, the selection of a presidential Cabinet member — that could have changed everything”
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Spoiler for an upcoming piece. The GTA is increasingly a place Ontarians move from, rather than to, and that's not just a pre-pandemic-era thing. Yet Ontario municipal planning is based on the idea that the future will be like the present.
October 29, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Spoiler for an upcoming piece. The GTA is increasingly a place Ontarians move from, rather than to, and that's not just a pre-pandemic-era thing. Yet Ontario municipal planning is based on the idea that the future will be like the present.
I've never been to a Wawa; but very interesting that they are 40% employee owned
I'd guess part of the story here is declining value of fast food (lower quality, higher price) opened up some space for Wawa to enter the market
I'd guess part of the story here is declining value of fast food (lower quality, higher price) opened up some space for Wawa to enter the market
How Wawa Is Beating Fast Food Companies At Their Own Game
YouTube video by CNBC
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:43 AM
I've never been to a Wawa; but very interesting that they are 40% employee owned
I'd guess part of the story here is declining value of fast food (lower quality, higher price) opened up some space for Wawa to enter the market
I'd guess part of the story here is declining value of fast food (lower quality, higher price) opened up some space for Wawa to enter the market
Reposted by Rue Merlot
It's not just the newspapers.
"While declines to print readership are almost a foregone conclusion, 'digital traffic to local news sites is experiencing a cratering similar to that of print,' State of Local News Project director Zach Metzger writes in the report. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-m...
"While declines to print readership are almost a foregone conclusion, 'digital traffic to local news sites is experiencing a cratering similar to that of print,' State of Local News Project director Zach Metzger writes in the report. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-m...
October 24, 2025 at 5:28 PM
It's not just the newspapers.
"While declines to print readership are almost a foregone conclusion, 'digital traffic to local news sites is experiencing a cratering similar to that of print,' State of Local News Project director Zach Metzger writes in the report. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-m...
"While declines to print readership are almost a foregone conclusion, 'digital traffic to local news sites is experiencing a cratering similar to that of print,' State of Local News Project director Zach Metzger writes in the report. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-m...
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Have heard from two people in last 24 hours that Mark Carney has banned cabinet ministers from wearing brown shoes at work. Black only.
Surprised more outlets aren't on this one.
Surprised more outlets aren't on this one.
October 25, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Have heard from two people in last 24 hours that Mark Carney has banned cabinet ministers from wearing brown shoes at work. Black only.
Surprised more outlets aren't on this one.
Surprised more outlets aren't on this one.
Every provision in this bill is a reasonable first step. However it seems unlikely that any of this survives contact with the supreme court; and it doesn't address any of the issues with lack of court and prison capacity
Carney government gets tougher on crime with proposed bail regime changes | CBC News
The federal Liberal government announced Thursday changes to the justice system that are intended to keep some offenders locked up for longer as Ottawa tries and drive down crime rates.
www.cbc.ca
October 24, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Every provision in this bill is a reasonable first step. However it seems unlikely that any of this survives contact with the supreme court; and it doesn't address any of the issues with lack of court and prison capacity
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Folks, it is the year 2025 and Word's grammar checker is suggesting that I should change "fewer" to "less few".
October 22, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Folks, it is the year 2025 and Word's grammar checker is suggesting that I should change "fewer" to "less few".
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Ontario’s Ministry of Health has tasked hospitals struggling with deficits to come up with a three-year plan to balance their budgets, and service cuts and bed closures do not appear to be off the table for extreme cases. #Onpoli
globalnews.ca/news/1148537...
globalnews.ca/news/1148537...
Ontario hospitals told to find savings; ministry doesn’t rule out service cuts | Globalnews.ca
The Ontario Hospital Association has said that hospitals ended last year $360 million in the red and need an additional funding to keep pace with population growth and inflation.
globalnews.ca
October 20, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Ontario’s Ministry of Health has tasked hospitals struggling with deficits to come up with a three-year plan to balance their budgets, and service cuts and bed closures do not appear to be off the table for extreme cases. #Onpoli
globalnews.ca/news/1148537...
globalnews.ca/news/1148537...
Reposted by Rue Merlot
I have an inert FB account (deleted my personal info, just keep it alive so I find people/event pages for work), but when I check, Reels is trying to get me back with videos of deformities and gore. The OutBrain-ization of everything - just get those eyeballs to focus!
October 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
I have an inert FB account (deleted my personal info, just keep it alive so I find people/event pages for work), but when I check, Reels is trying to get me back with videos of deformities and gore. The OutBrain-ization of everything - just get those eyeballs to focus!
Reposted by Rue Merlot
More than 20% of chemists have deliberately added information they believe to be incorrect into their manuscripts during peer review, a new study has found.
My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social:
cen.acs.org/policy/publi...
@nanoporous.net, @freddie2310.bsky.social
#ChemSky
My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social:
cen.acs.org/policy/publi...
@nanoporous.net, @freddie2310.bsky.social
#ChemSky
One in five chemists have deliberately added errors into their papers during peer review, study finds
Conclusion is one of many in a report about how chemists handle errors in manuscripts
cen.acs.org
October 20, 2025 at 4:50 PM
More than 20% of chemists have deliberately added information they believe to be incorrect into their manuscripts during peer review, a new study has found.
My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social:
cen.acs.org/policy/publi...
@nanoporous.net, @freddie2310.bsky.social
#ChemSky
My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social:
cen.acs.org/policy/publi...
@nanoporous.net, @freddie2310.bsky.social
#ChemSky
Reposted by Rue Merlot
Anonymous accounts asking if you have security. Tweeting that your life is in danger. Warnings you could end up with a similar fate to a murdered journalist.
Inside the shocking campaign to silence critics of Medical Properties Trust, the landlord gutting America’s hospitals. bit.ly/3WMeCG1
Inside the shocking campaign to silence critics of Medical Properties Trust, the landlord gutting America’s hospitals. bit.ly/3WMeCG1
The secret campaign to silence critics of a hospital real estate empire
When skeptics called out Medical Properties Trust, they found themselves harassed—and surveilled.
bit.ly
October 20, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Anonymous accounts asking if you have security. Tweeting that your life is in danger. Warnings you could end up with a similar fate to a murdered journalist.
Inside the shocking campaign to silence critics of Medical Properties Trust, the landlord gutting America’s hospitals. bit.ly/3WMeCG1
Inside the shocking campaign to silence critics of Medical Properties Trust, the landlord gutting America’s hospitals. bit.ly/3WMeCG1