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Liane

@lianemclarty.bsky.social
349 followers 108 following 791 posts

A secular humanist & socialist who prizes kindness & humour. Does journalism stuff. Lives to smite bullies. Approach with puns or cheese. 🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈🇨🇦

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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
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Katie Phang @katiephang.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Perpetually “concerned” Susan Collins should be VERY concerned by the latest reporting from ProPublica, revealing her involvement in an alleged bribery/pay to play scheme of awarding defense contracts to a specific firm right after that company made campaign “donations." youtu.be/f2fFlCPjKnk?...
youtu.be
GOP Senator CAUGHT RED-HANDED In MASSIVE BRIBERY SCHEME Probe!?!
YouTube video by Katie Phang
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This! Thank you @althiaraj.bsky.social 👏
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Mike Leech @mandomike.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
@doctorow.pluralistic.net
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Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is actually a great point that the Bloc Quebecois leader (yes, really) made today. I'm paraphrasing from memory, but he basically said Carney is undoing stuff in minutes that took years to fight for.
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Adam Becker @adambecker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
@aoc.bsky.social just put out a great statement on AI. Refreshing to see a major politician on the left nail this. "Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity. But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves." 🎯
Charles,

Last weekend, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, one of the largest Al companies in the world, publicly asked his industry to slow down Al development.

Shortly after, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAl, followed suit. Then Elon Musk.

This all came days after an Anthropic researcher quit, citing his belief that this technology could wipe out humanity and that Al companies are "gambling with our lives."

For years, people have warned that generative Al could slip out of our direct control.

Those safety concerns must be taken seriously.

And this is why I have advocated for strict safety standards on how Al is built and deployed, public oversight over this technology, and using existing laws to hold these companies accountable when they cause harm.

But I want to draw your attention to another reality: Right now, the U.S. economy and our financial futures are riding on Silicon Valley's bet that Al will soon be immensely profitable and pay off. And that bet isn't looking good.

The formula for a profitable business isn't complicated: make more money than you spend. But the biggest Al companies aren't doing that. They are spending hundreds of billions per year on data centers, chips, and other costs while their ability to make revenues that exceed their already-immense sunk costs are unclear. Experts estimate that these Al companies will require another $600 billion of debt just to financethemselves in 2026 alone. That is more than the entire budgets of the U.S. Departments of Justice, Transportation, & Education combined.
Meanwhile, despite almost every single one of these companies not turning a profit & having sunk billions of investor dollars in development of data centers & other infrastructure, Al companies are also on a spending spree of hundreds of millions of dollars in lobbying & dark money in our elections.
It would be one thing if we were discussing a few private companies with a poor business model. But last year, virtually all stock market gains - 80% - rested entirely on just a handful of Al companies.
That tells us two things:
1. Nearly the entire U.S. economy outside the Al industry is relatively stagnating and faring poorly & the gains from these few companies are disguising it; &
2. Millions of people's retirements - including their pensions, 401ks, & investments - are potentially exposed to this risk.
That's why these Al companies' dubious financial positions matter to working people.
These companies argue that debt is necessary. They'll tell you that building transformative technologies requires upfront capital, & that massive borrowing today will pay off in generating unprecedented prosperity tomorrow.
But this is not the typical debt that startups take on while they build out a company. We are talking about billions going on trillions of dollars leveraged with no indication that these companies will be able to recoup these funds profitably. And they are increasingly looking to the government as their source of cash.
In an effort to hide their debt, tech companies have been relying on "circular financing" where tech giants like Google, Amazon, & Microsoft give billions to Al startups like OpenAl & Anthropic, only for those startups to hand that money right back to buy Al processing power.
In other words, these Al companies are luring in new investors by making it look like their financials are healthier than they really are.What's even worse is that retirement & pension funds are key to supporting this illusion.
When the Al companies issue bonds to raise more money, your pension funds & retirement accounts are some of the biggest buyers. When Musk's Al business went public, it became part of index funds where millions of Americans invest our savings. Many Americans don't even know that their retirement investments are tied up in these companies at all.
From Big Tech's perspective, that's a feature, not a bug. By tying our futures to their reckless gambling, Al billionaires are trying to make themselves too big to fail. They think they can take such dangerous risks because we will bail them out if things go wrong.
Sound familiar? This scene is dangerously reminiscent of the rampant speculation, corruption, & broken incentives leading up to the 2008 financial crisis that plunged millions of working class Americans into financial chaos that we never fully recovered from.
It is no accident that these warnings from Altman & Amodei come months-if not weeks-before these companies were meant to go public.
When companies go public, they have to be more transparent about how they are doing financially. And after a waiting period, they typically have to let private investors-like their own employees-sell their shares.
The New York Times recently confirmed that OpenAl has postponed going public for this very reason. They are in no rush for the truth about their finances to come out.
But the moment these oligarchs began to seek our public tax dollars & public contracts while exposing their companies to public pension funds & investments, they opened themselves to public accountability & scrutiny.
Silicon Valley billionaires have rigged the game & are attempting to shift their financial risk to working people: If they're right about Al's potential, they reap the profits. If they're wrong & the bubble bursts, they are setting up the American people to pick up the tab.
Heads, they win; tails, we lose.We can stop this, and we shouldn't play their game. Together we can address both the economic and safety threats of unrestricted Al development and prevent financial chaos and stabilize market risk.

We must make it clear now that should the Al bubble pop, Congress should not bail out Big Tech.

And across our federal agencies, we have the authorities and tools to hold Al companies and their leaders accountable for releasing dangerous, unvetted, and defective products. We must not wait.

Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity.

But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves.

It's time we hold them accountable.

Thank you for reading.

In solidarity,

Alexandria
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 19/09/2026
Carney government promises upcoming "Operation Strike Destroyer" legislation won't discourage future strikes
thebeaverton.com
Carney government promises upcoming "Operation Strike Destroyer" legislation won't discourage future strikes
OTTAWA — After multiple labour sources warned that the Federal government would likely be issuing binding mediation legislation as early as next week, Mark Carney personally assured Canadians that eve...
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This!
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Goes with 1st BC post *CACKLE*
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Tuesday call for BC election? The lead up has been mad fun.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Remember when Jake Tapper dug in his heels to defend Fox News when Obama dared to move them to the second row of the press room? Well, now that the roles have reversed, I'm sure that Fox News will -- come on, stop laughing, let me finish
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The Liberal BoJack @thelibbojack.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
NOT TO BE CONTROVERSIAL, but are we boycotting the Patriots and all shows at Gillette Stadium as hard as we are boycotting Ed Sheeran??? Because Robert Kraft deserves the heat about 100x as much, even if Ed is being a little dick bitch for letting him dictate things.
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Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This one seems worth repeating. It’s nothing to cheer about though, as the proceeds of ridiculous gas prices fuelled by irrational wars and rampant car dependency go to oil companies instead of to the public as useful carbon taxes. #UrbanTruth
An image of people riding bikes in protected bike-lanes in Central Paris, text reads “Gas prices? What gas prices?” Line at the bottom says “Better cities create choices.” All via the Urban Truth Collective. 
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John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Maybe the weirdest part of 2026 was that US adventurism was backstopped by the People's Republic of China, but that's coming to a close.
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Dr. Genevieve Eastabrook, MD FRCSC (she/her) @placentadoc.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Findings of new study – released as fuel prices for motor vehicles soar internationally – include fatality rates dropping, per 10 million trips, by 88% in Paris, 82% in London and 62% in New York City Meanwhile in Ontario…Doug Ford is demanding that bike lanes are removed! 😱
newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com
Post-pandemic cycling boom in major cities, as cyclist safety improved thanks to more and better cycling infrastructure - Taylor & Francis Newsroom
Cycling in some of the world’s largest cities has continued to increase since the pandemic, thanks to safer and improved infrastructure which is also leading to a drop in fatality rates. Tracking data...
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Rhuta Bhayga @rhutabhayga.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
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Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 09/09/2026
You know who actually did show up at Ground Zero? Canadian emergency rescue crews.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 08/09/2026
For years, New Yorkers have demanded access to City records about the lasting health impacts of the horrific September 11th attacks. For years, they have been denied and ignored. That ends today. nyc.gov/sept11docs
nyc.gov
September 11 Docs
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caroline cash @cashbrowns.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Nancy 9/7/26 … Happy Labor Day 🛠️
8 Hours for Work, 8 Hours for Rest, 8 Hours for What We Will. Based on a screenprint by Ricardo Levins Morales after the organizing work done by Robert Owen.
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John Nichols @nicholsuprising.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Dolly Parton logged a combined total of 115 years of union membership. Throughout her working life, the “9 to 5” singer/songwriter carried the union cards of two major unions: The American Federation of Musicians Local 257 in Nashville — for 58 years. SAG-AFTRA — for 57 years. HAPPY LABOR DAY!
share.google
Opinion | Celebrate Dolly Parton's working-class solidarity
John Nichols: She carried two union cards, sang Woody Guthrie songs and mocked the bosses in "9 to 5."
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andré, but scarier @andre-carlisle.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
a Black family dancing to korn with their astronaut relative who just got back from the moon is, quite frankly, the best thing the internet has ever produced
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💖 Birdhism Jen @birdhism.com · 02/09/2026
Paint them things please. #climate #windpower #birds
Scientists painted one wind turbine blade black, and bird deaths dropped by 70% in a long-term study in Norway. 
@explaining.tech
"Imagine the solution being this simple the whole time."
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Tim Ellis, TDSB Ward 2 candidate 🍁 @djdynamic.ca · 01/09/2026
Very big jump for the NDP here, and it's more than reversion to the mean; they typically pulled ~20% before collapsing in the Carney rush in 2025, so hitting nearly 26 here took more than just their voters coming home. Promising signs for Avi's organizing strategy, still in very early days.
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James McLeod @jamespmcleod.ca · 01/09/2026
For the Toronto Star, I wrote about the trade war, digital sovereignty, and Lake Ontario. We are already dominated by American tech giants. If Canada fights this trade war and we don't renegotiate the terms of digital trade, we will lose. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
thestar.com
Google changing Lake Ontario to Lake America isn’t just frustrating. It points to a deeper problem for Mark Carney
Canada’s digital infrastructure is too tied to companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
What James said.
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Oh, we know. 😁
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Strider @reluctantranger.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The guys who were zero for nine on getting countries right on a map of Africa think they are owning Canada by erasing a name used by the Native Huron people *on both sides of the border.* This Administration isn’t even in the same ballpark as stupid.
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Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Sure, and the United States of America is now the United States of MY ASSHOLE
The White House posts a picture on Twitter of Lake Ontario renamed to Lake America with the caption “EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Lake Ontario is renamed to LAKE AMERICA!”
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Toss @stevenspoints.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I really cannot think of a greater honor than to have the Muppets say this about you upon your passing
Instagram post from the official Muppets account: Few humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry. As a performer he was unparalleled - witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny. We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver’s crew. Thank you for everything, Tim.
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Tim Ellis (he/him), TDSB Candidate for Ward 2 @votetim.ca · 25/08/2026
Challenging times call for capable hands. I have a proven record of organizing communities just like ours to advocate & win, and years of governance experience on non-profit boards in South Etobicoke. My name is Tim Ellis, and I'm running to be our TDSB Ward 2 Trustee - for my kids, and yours.
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ℳatt @matttomic.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
One last thing I'll say about the final Hip concert and then I'm done Other than the CBC, how many other TV networks do we have that would devote 3 hours in prime time *completely commercial-free* to filming and airing a concert live across the country? NONE! That's how many! FUND THE CBC
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Brian (Stuttering Loudly) @stutteringloudly.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
If you’re COVID informed, please support / follow @thebeguiling.bsky.social on social media They’re a comic book shop in Toronto that requires masking(they provide a mask when you enter) Anti-maskers targeted them on one of their IG posts Thank you Beguiling for caring about immunocompromised ppl
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James McLeod @jamespmcleod.ca · 19/08/2026
If Canada gives up the ability to regulate digital platforms in the name of regulatory "alignment" with the United States, in exchange for lowering tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles, it's difficult to overstate how much of a catastrophic defeat that would be for us.
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Absolutely pleased as punch!
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Tim Ellis, TDSB Ward 2 candidate 🍁 @djdynamic.ca · 16/08/2026
Oh hell yes, it's time to sign if you haven't yet
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Futurism @futurism.com · 16/08/2026
They're even more unpopular than data centers.
trib.al
Young People Hate AI CEOs So Passionately That It's Almost Hard to Believe
A new survey of 1,000 young adults in the US found that nine of the top tech executives are deeply loathed.
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The Intercept @theintercept.com · 14/08/2026
The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation sued President Donald Trump and his staff Wednesday, challenging a Trump-owned media company’s plan to monetize the president’s social media posts. 📹: @jordanuhl.com youtube.com/shorts/g-Ekx...
youtube.com
The Intercept Is Suing Trump & Truth Social
YouTube video by The Intercept
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
What JMM said, you fuckwits!
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Justin Ling @justinling.ca · 07/08/2026
RFK Jr's reign is a real-time expirement: What happens when you smash the scientific regulatory state? (It's not going well.) www.thestar.com/opinion/star...
thestar.com
Justin Ling: RFK Jr. promised to make America healthy again. Instead, he’s given America explosive diarrhea
If nothing else, the cyclosporiasis catastrophe has given Canadians further motivation to boycott U.S. goods.
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Dr. Meredith Wills ⚾️⚾️👀 @bbl-astrophyscs.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Reminder: ChatGPT first came online in November 2022. We’re attributing “inevitable” societal changes to a technology that has yet to see its first midterm election.
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Tim Lowe @timlow3.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
By the way if you're a Saskatchewanian like me. Sign the petition and kick tRump in the fork.
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 05/08/2026
Carney vows to fast-track West Coast Pipeline before entire West Coast burns to the ground
thebeaverton.com
Carney vows to fast-track West Coast Pipeline before entire West Coast burns to the ground
OTTAWA - Mark Carney has officially given notice that his government will be designating Danielle Smith’s West Coast pipeline a project of national interest, allowing the massive oil and gas project t...
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Michelle @michelleroy78.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Receiving a dick pic from a guy is like your cat bringing you a dead mouse. I can see you're proud, but I'm not touching it.
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I would like to nominate Wales for the Nobel Peace prize 👏
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Arbaz Kakkar5 @arbazkakkar5.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Only 1 more days until Mitch McConnel is declared dead.
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Show people you're an abusive pos without saying you're an abusive pos.
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Reality Winner @reazlepuff.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I know things are bad but please don't pass up adopting that puppy or kitty that you've been thinking about. My house and my rescue foster network are so full that we are passing up on lives that we could save because adoptions have trickled to a stop in 2026. And we're not the only rescue affected.
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James McLeod @jamespmcleod.ca · 30/07/2026
BikeShareTO is arguably the single greatest Canadian public services success of the 21st century, and I really can't think of another obvious contender that comes even close.
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Liane @lianemclarty.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Oh Lawd here my prayer. 🤞
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Tim Ellis, TDSB Ward 2 candidate 🍁 @djdynamic.ca · 31/07/2026
Right, but like... "oh it'll save you time" is the entire pitch! "It's a PhD level intelligence! It'll do the boring stuff so you don't have to!" and then when you actually use it as though any of that were true it gets *literally everything wrong*
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