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Cara Smusiak (she/her)

@carasmusiak.bsky.social
616 followers 228 following 225 posts

Copywriter & strategist . Former magazine editor. Opinions are my own. Interests: Art, Covid/Long Covid, human rights, women's issues, BIPOC & 2SLGBTQIA+ support, ADHD, disability, climate change, GBV

PostsRepliesMedia
Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
If Vladdy isn’t going to attempt to run hard on ground balls, he should be benched. If nagging injuries prevent it, he belongs on the IL. This is just unacceptable. #bluejays
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I used to rate pain this way. The Wong-Baker faces scale is far less subjective. I think part of the issue is many girls and women experience terrible pain with periods and migraines — and our pain is often downplayed. We're conditioned to imagine worse pain.
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Chantzy @chantzy.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Learn from the locals who know the Andes Hantavirus best. In Chile, they serially test exposed contacts at 7, 14, 21 & 28 days. In her update for the WHO, Dr. Claudia Campillo from Chile's Ministry of Health, flagged a case became PCR+ while asymptomatic, then developed symptoms 4 days later
Timeline table of hantavirus clusters in Chile (2021–2025) showing delayed positive PCR tests & symptom onset among household contacts
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
I've never really noticed a flavour difference. But I do add a little oil/butter as well as water, so it fries at the end once the water has evaporated.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
I make fried eggs this way, adding a lid for a wee bit. It cooks eggs perfectly, avoiding the bottom being slightly over-cooked and the top being under-cooked (cannot stand even a hint of egg white slime).
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
biometlab @biometlab.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Revealed: the world’s worst mega-leaks of methane driving global heating
Exclusive: Fixing a leak can be simple and equivalent to closing a coal power station, making lack of action maddening, say analysts
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Canadian Covid Society @covidsociety.ca · 14/03/2026
Do you need help navigating a disability benefits application? We’re hosting a live webinar on Wednesday, March 18, to offer tips and advice for Long Covid patients and their caregivers. Dr. Ric Arseneau and Disability Alliance BC will share their expertise in applying for benefits. #LongCovid 1/3
Graphic featuring a man in an olive-green t-shirt, sitting at a counter with a laptop open in front of him. He is reading a piece of paper held in his right hand. His left hand is on his forehead and he appears stressed by what he is reading.

Text over on the graphic reads:
Live Webinar, March 18
Disability Benefits Application Advice
For Long Covid Patients & Caregivers

The background of the graphic is a navy and teal gradient.
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Canadian Covid Society @covidsociety.ca · 09/03/2026
Renowned researcher @zalaly.bsky.social joins B.C. family physician Dr. Susan Kuo for a conversation about Long Covid, covering what we know, research into mechanisms and treatments, and much more. Watch the full interview: covidsociety.ca/priorities/l... #LongCovid #ILCAD2026 #LongCovidAwareness
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 07/03/2026
In case you missed it: “Even though the supervisors are tasked with restoring financial stability to their assigned boards, they’d be hard pressed to actually make any headway without a long-overdue overhaul of the province’s education funding formula.” thelocal.to/ontario-scho...
thelocal.to
The Province Took Over Ontario’s Biggest School Boards to Fix Their Finances. The Numbers Tell a Different Story | The Local
Analysis by The Local shows Ontario’s largest boards receive some of the lowest per-pupil funding in the province—raising questions about whether the real problem is mismanagement or the funding formu...
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Canadian Covid Society @covidsociety.ca · 06/03/2026
There is strong research evidence that Covid-19 and Long Covid increase the risk of many cardiovascular conditions, including heart attacks, clotting events, POTS, vascular ageing and more. #LongCovidHeartbeats #LongCovid #ILCAD2026 #LongCovidAwareness #hearthealth 1/3
Graphic featuring a quote in the centre, which reads: 
“Covid-19 has a profound and lasting impact on cardiovascular health, with complications emerging during acute illness, recovery, and even after reinfections or vaccination.” 
Dr. Vassilios Vassiliou, lead author of “Cardiovascular disease prevention and management in Covid-19,” a clinical consensus statement

The text is placed on a background showing an ECG chart with a subtle navy and teal gradient overlay.
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Clare Blackwood @clareblackwood.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
In a world of US Men's Olympic hockey teams, be a Mariner's Josh Naylor talking about the first female umpire in the MLB.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
It’s so disappointing that Canadian broadcasts haven’t just ignored WG. He’s not a coach or advisor; they don’t have to mention him. He’s a former player who was excellent in his time. But…who cares? He’s MAGA and chummy with Trump. As far as I’m concerned, he’s on the boycott list.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Every extra unit should be required to be an affordable unit, and the developer should have to pay a hefty fine as well. That makes the developer hurt and is a deterrent for future developers going rogue.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
The way I cackled at this.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Just want to note that the CBC in Canada highlighted her engagement during one of the intermissions. I can't recall what was said, but it was a really celebratory little segment. The rivalry is fierce, but we love love.
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Canadian Covid Society @covidsociety.ca · 19/02/2026
We’ve already received many stories highlighting how #LongCovid is heartbreaking. We’ll be sharing these experiences publicly at our Long Covid Awareness Day events on March 15. You can participate by submitting your experience here, by March 1: covidsociety.ca/priorities/l... 1/2
covidsociety.ca
Share Your Long Covid Experience - Canadian Covid Society
We Want People to See the Heartbreaking Impact of Long Covid Long Covid has changed so many people’s lives. Relationships have been affected. Many people have had to leave their careers, or had their…
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Canadian Covid Society @covidsociety.ca · 13/02/2026
This year for Long Covid Awareness Month, we’re highlighting the impact of Covid on the heart and cardiac system. But we know #LongCovid impacts people in so many different ways, so we want to highlight all sorts of patient experiences with an instantly recognizable graphic: a broken heart.
Red broken heart graphic on a navy blue background. The text overlay on the heart reads: "Having Long Covid is heartbreaking because...an hour-long bike ride wrecks me for days." Above the heart, highlighted text reads: "Tell us what it's like to live with Long Covid." In the bottom right of the graphic is a teal bubble; inside, the text reads "your experience here" with an arrow pointing to the heart.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
CBC running commercials beside the Olympics opening ceremonies — cutting the audio feed as they do so — is really disrespectful to the performers and athletes. It’s a replay. Just put in commercial breaks and run it longer.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Canadians would be happy to have you join us.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Watching team figure skating on CBC Gem, and the sound from the arena is practically inaudible. You can barely hear the music. Turning up the volume means the commentators are extremely loud (awful and bordering on harmful to hearing). It's unwatchable.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
In a rather odd twist of fate, I heard of Catherine O'Hara's passing while watching the "RIP Moira Rose" episode of Schitt's Creek. RIP to one of the great legends of comedy. www.cbc.ca/news/enterta...
cbc.ca
Legendary Canadian actress Catherine O'Hara dead at 71 | CBC
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
IDK who at CBC thought this was a schedule — but it's not it. Viewers should be able to find and watch specific events. We should be able to stream events on demand in full. What are viewers supposed to do with "Olympic Daytime: Milano Cortina 2026 - DAY 1"?
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
I’m so sorry for you loss, Julia.
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Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
It should be bigger news that the world’s first soon to be trillionaire has created a chatbot that is undressing women without consent. Grok is even undressing children. Musk created it. He’s aware it’s happening and he’s doing nothing to stop it. Every media outlet needs to scream about this.
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Raywat Deonandan 🍁🇨🇦 @deonandan.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
The flu continues to wreak havoc across the northern hemisphere. In Canada, we've had at least two dozen deaths so far, including among small children, over a handful of days. Here are some things you need to know: Thread [1/12]
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Ray Pride @raypride.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Three children dead in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario region after flu-related complications. Medical officers of health warn of rapid rise in influenza-A, urge vaccination ahead of holidays, by @kkirkup.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com
theglobeandmail.com
Three children dead in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario region after flu-related complications
Medical officers of health warn of rapid rise in influenza-A, urge vaccination ahead of holidays
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Money. Papers are starving for ad dollars. And it’s also a Postmedia paper, and Postmedia is owned by a U.S. hedge fund.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
My point was it should be clearly stated in the Bluesky post. People don’t always click through to the content — many skim headlines on their feed. This skeet appears no different than editorial content, and that undermines journalistic integrity.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
It’s sponsored content, and really should have been clearly labelled as such. (The link doesn’t count because most people aren’t paying attention to them.)
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
This should be clearly labelled as sponsored content in your post. I realize it’s in the URL, but people don’t pay much attention to links.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Tech companies need to truly prioritize accessibility. Vertigo, motion sickness, migraines, dysautonomia & other conditions are impacted by motion. People with these conditions need to be part of UX design. Accessibility needs to allow for completely turning off features, not just reducing them.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Update: If this is a problem for you, there's a good chance changing this setting (and others: support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/...) will only help somewhat. There's still plenty of bounciness, and it's truly awful. So really, really think twice about updating if you're at all sensitive to movement.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
The iOS 26 update should come with a TW for anyone with vestibular dysfunction (motion sickness). The new animations instantly made me dizzy and nauseated. To turn them off: Settings >> Accessibility >> Motion >> toggle on Reduce Motion
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
It seems to me that OP used an absolute in an effort to make a point. Nuanced language would have been better, sure. But I think it's a pretty massive leap to think she's implying women in toxic relationships have been "stupidly tricked into it."
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
This is also not entirely true. It's not a given that you'll choose a toxic/violent male partner just because your role model was one. Does that increase the risk? Yes, absolutely. But a lot of girls and women break these cycles with support and resources.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
I was just looking up an Ikea item on the U.S. site (checking for Prop 65 warning) and couldn't believe the impact of tariffs. In Canada, the item is CAD$14.99; in the U.S., it's US$19.99. With the exchange, Americans are paying nearly 2x what we are in Canada. I cannot overstate how wild this is.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Such a gorgeous and special thing to have. And the finished shortbreads are stunning!
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Made the switch to Tidal a while ago. The only thing I miss is the built-in sleep timer.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
I somehow missed the bit about “especially young men” in the original post. Totally my fault, and I see your point completely. Apologies for my misunderstanding.
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Matthew Hodson @matthewhodson.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
I was diagnosed with #HIV in 1998, when I was 30. Many of my friends had died of AIDS. I did not expect to live to 50. I’m 58 now. HIV treatment works. Treatment also makes it impossible for me to pass HIV on during sex. Ensure HIV treatment for all. End HIV stigma. #WorldAIDSDay
Me on a candlelit vigil for AIDS in 1987. Me last week. Looking pretty healthy for 58 (28 years living with HIV).
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
I was just rewatching a show from the ’00s and I full-body cringed every time a character said the R word. It’s just so appalling. And I’m disgusted that people in power today feel okay with using this slur (or any slurs, for that matter).
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Normand Meunier is a Canadian man with quadriplegia who accessed MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) after being left for 96 hours on a stretcher in the ER. His requests for a specialized mattress were denied. He wasn't turned regularly. He developed bed sores so bad, he opted to end his life.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
The @heartandstroke.bsky.social commercial where a researcher is surprised by a coffee shop full of people whose lives were saved by her work makes me cry every time. It’s so powerful.
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Cheryl in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦🍁🍁 @minibubbly.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
WTF NB Power - why are you allowing a US company to do this? 🤬 A proposed data centre in the Lorneville area of #SaintJohnNB would gobble up the equivalent of almost half the electricity N.B. Power will get from a controversial natural gas plant in the Tantramar area. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Proposed data centre would need almost half of Tantramar gas plant’s power | CBC News
A proposed data centre in the Lorneville area of Saint John would gobble up the equivalent of almost half the electricity N.B. Power will get from a controversial natural gas plant in the Tantramar ar...
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
It's the time of year when the berries on the tree out front ferment, and the birds get drunk, lose their shit, and inevitably bang into our front windows. They're usually moving a bit slow and don't end up unaliving themselves, thankfully. But the sound is more than a little unnerving.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
I remember getting the catch-up measles booster in school in 1996. Public health/provincial governments saw a problem and took action to fix it, and we had measles eliminated status 2 years later. None of the leaders in the measles hotspots stepped up this time—and they should be ashamed of that.
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Reposted by Cara Smusiak (she/her)
Marta O'Brien @archhistory.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
From article: - prov provided 78% of operating revenues for Ont universities in 1987-88 - by 2001 was 36%; in 2022 <25% - result: lowest per-student funding of any prov in Canada
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Chantzy @chantzy.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Canada loses Measles elimination status, as does the entire Americas region. Clinics here have signs warning about Measles but no masks in healthcare www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/m...
statnews.com
Canada loses measles elimination status — as does the entire Americas region
Canada has formally lost its measles elimination status, the country’s public health agency announced, triggering the loss of that status throughout all of the Americas.
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Cara Smusiak (she/her) @carasmusiak.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
I’m a sample of one, but this has been my experience. Mine is in hyperdrive. Possible histamine issues. Allergy-like reactions to coconut & palm oil & their derivatives—which are in tons of food, medications/vitamins, dental/hair/skincare products, soaps, air purifier/water filter carbon filters…
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