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Paul Fairie

@paulisci.bsky.social
32K followers 3.7K following 3.7K posts

Researcher, UCalgary PhD, Political Science Dr. Cronk, Historian of Complaints. I've written a book, The Press Gallery (release TBD). Headline of the Year! Lots going on.

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Reposted by Paul Fairie
Moebius Stripper @moebiusstripper.bsky.social · 6h
Apparently October is Canadian Library Month. There's never been a better time to borrow my award-winning Canadian novel, THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, from your local Canadian library! And if your library doesn't carry it, there's never been a better time to request it. www.overdrive.com/media/128041...
overdrive.com
eBook - The Middle of Nowhere
Everyone in Rupert, Ontario knows Bob Gillis as the quiet middle-aged man who runs the town's grocery store – and that's all. The first twenty years of Bob's life are a mystery even to his wife and ch...
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 6h
I've seen several posts by people saying things "oh I didn't have plague on my bingo card" Seriously, get it together, put all the worst things on your bingo card - locusts, hurricanes, miseries that nobody has even imagined Haven't you learned
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I just saw an ad for Digger that could be summed up as "American critics hate this film, non-American critics love it" and you know what, I'm sold
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Getting noticeably crankier about the referendum as it gets closer.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Gambling on sports? Gambling with our future? It's all happening here in Alberta.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Every accusation is a confession.
Trump trade adviser says Canada will 'pay even more dearly' if 'you interfere' in U.S. midterms
Peter Navarro said Canadian lobbyists should 'get the hell out of our country'
-CBC, Sep 29 2026
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
MORE MAR-A-LAGO LESS OTTAWA
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
this is not the point at all, but I love the image of people running all over the place turning their clocks back twice a year
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
YES
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Recently I've been learning to play the piano (very fun!) and now Facebook is convinced that I want to buy whatever this is supposed to be
Why are there so many black keys just everywhere and so unevenly spaced
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Reposted by Paul Fairie
Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Certainly, vocal support for Alberta separatism had risen during Liberal regimes, at least as far back as '80s Trudeau. Mulroney getting in dampened the mood, so did Harper. But for him to claim it was zero — that's just factually off.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Hi Nobel Prize! Hope you are doing well. Does Canada need to proactively close our border just in case, or are we good? Wink twice if we need to close.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
My new grumpy middle aged opinion is that there used to be good websites that individuals would run sharing amazing info about their special interests and for the most part those don't exist anymore and I miss them.
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Finch in Al-boo!-querque 👻 @finchinabq.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What time?
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Adi 🍉 @adigoesswimming.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Jeez how am I supposed to get there without the location, I'm odd not psychic
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Reposted by Paul Fairie
scribbleghoul @scribblegurl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
ON MY WAY DON'T START WITHOUT ME
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Surely this could be useful for someone.
Odd Ladies Meet Tonight
--The Daily Item, 29 Mar 1961
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
1904
QUEER FOLKS

Everybody Queer But Us

THEIR FADS ARE INEXPLAINABLE

--The Pickens Sentinel, 14 Dec 1904
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Reposted by Paul Fairie
Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 @emmettmacfarlane.com · 30/09/2026
POLITICAL SCIENCE JOB AD: Tenure-track position in International Relations at the University of Waterloo. We're *very happy* to announce this. Applications due Nov. 1st; job start date July 2027. Details here (pdf): uwaterloo.ca/arts/sites/d...
uwaterloo.ca
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Another good entry in The Politics of Parking literature
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm glad we're finally outsourcing the horrible bits of life like making plans with friends so we can have more time to consume ads.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
1959
SCIENTIST FEARS

Thinking Machines Will Dominate Man

--Sarasota Journal, 28 Dec 1959
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just from a pure entertainment perspective: Would be very funny.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Given how people look things up and the state of many of our tools to look things up with, I'm wondering if annually and manually updated printed reference handbooks will start to make a comeback.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
That's more than 1 in 5 eligible voters in Alberta -- and this is different from advance polls (coming in two weeks) or actual referendum day (in three).
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Albertans with Canadian flags attached to their car in 2026 and Albertans with Canadian flags attached to their car in 2021 are completely non-overlapping groups.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The real Alberta Advantage is that 100% of our podcasts are sponsored by online gambling companies.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
De gustibus non disputandum est, unless you think AI generated images of food on menus is a good idea.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Splendid Drink for warm weather at the lowest market rates
CRONK! CRONK!

Splendid Drink for warm weather

EB HOPKINSON

WILL SUPPLY DEALERS AND OTHERS with the very
BEST CRONK BEER

AT THE LOWEST MARKET RATES

Old friends and others who want good Summer drink should give him a call

--Daily Miner-Transcript, 17 Jun 1870
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Just looking up sunrise times for the next few months as one does, and I'm realizing that sunrise in Calgary under the new time zone rules will be after 9AM between November 20 and February 9. Sigh.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's amazing that the lesson Hollywood learned from Heated Rivalry is that people want to see more shows that involve ice skating. That would be like the Boston Globe deciding that what people wanted to read was more stories about bars.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
1966
"Hawk" Looks LIke a Hit But Star Trek Doesn't

--The Louisville Times, 16 Sep 1966
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There's more work to do.
IDAHO STARTS CAMPAIGN TO PUT STATE AT TOP IN LITERARCY (SIC) TEST NOW RANKS IN FOURTH PLACE
--The Kellogg Evening News, 20 Dec 1927
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1952
Goldfish Gender Mighty Confusing To British Judge

LONDON -- A London judge Thursday gave himself a week to decide whether goldfish should be addressed as he or she or it.

--Detroit Free Press, 5 Dec 1952
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Aposematic cat (She's All Legs) @tess.bzky.team · 24/09/2026
Oh no, I'm already taking to poodles, quick!
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phoebe-jeebies @funkjunkins.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
[slicking back my hair] any old maids out there want to take care of a poodle?
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Single Female Lawyer @singlefemalelawyer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Bostonese” used here as the plural of Bostonians is sending me 😭
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Aurora, all too Aurora @auroragirl.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
i decided it was time to make my conventional marriage boston
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
On Boston marriage, 1894
BOSTON MARRIAGE

What the Scarcity of Men in Massachusetts Has Brought About

The funniest of all social developments is that which goes under the head of Boston marriages. Two women, as well known as Susan Channing and Edna D. Cheney, have made separate appeals for this new departure of female habit, and have defended it with considerable success.

A Boston marriage is described to be a sympathetic union of two women, who have not been able to make good and agreeable matches with members of the opposite sex. Miss Cheney is of the opinion that in our present state of civilization they seem to be necessary and should not be interfered with. Miss

--The Evening Herald, 21 Feb 1894Channing also believes that since in our present state of civilization marriage like wealth is getting to be more and more the privilege of the few, the women unsought in wedlock or unable to get the men of their choice should have the right to form sympathetic unions with each other.

What is to hinder a Boston couple from adopting a child or even more than one? Why not grow a household in this manner? The meanest thing about old-maid life is that it takes to cats, or parrots, or poodles -- generally cats. I see no reason why a cat shall not have a share of sympathy but it has no claim upon a love it cannot appreciate. Besides, cat-love is a dreadfulapology for baby-love. By all means let our Bostonese adopt children. In this way, while there is no increase of children, there will be a decrease of homeless children.
--
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Jeremy Klaszus @klaszus.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Tomorrow (Thurs Sept 24) I'm moderating a panel at the Central Library on the history of western alienation in Alberta. Killer panel with political scientists Lisa Young @jlisayoung.bsky.social, Lori Williams & Anthony Sayers. You should come!
calgarylibrary.ca
History of Referendums and Western Alienation Sentiment in Alberta | Calgary Public Library
Have we been here before? As we head towards a much-discussed provincial referendum in October, let’s take a look in the rearview mirror and see how our histories can help inform the present moment. J...
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"I don't want to be political so I'm going to be neutral about an issue" is a political opinion unfortunately
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Will the BC election be relatively forgotten or a legendary cautionary tale? Can't see any other option.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
1960
DOOMSDAY IS DUE IN YEAR 2026
--The Republican, 14 Dec 1960
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We've got to have a meeting about this.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I love how robots can free us from the drudgery of our creative tasks so we can be more free to perform confusing administrative ones.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
When I first moved to Calgary in 2006, I would regularly tell people outside Alberta that things were weird but not as weird as they seemed from the outside. Now I tell people that they're weirder.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The funniest parts of the BC Conservative Party caucus saga is each of the parts.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I've been trying to follow what's happening in the BC legislature recently so I made this chart. #bcpoli
A relatively boring line graph showing some changes in the BC legislature until it gets very existing towards the right when Conservative MLAs are constantly leaving the caucus 1 or 2 every week on average since August
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Toronto Star, 1913
THINKS THAT CANADA HATES UNITED STATES

New Yorkers Fancies That We Sit Up Nights to Cultivate Ill-Will

ESPECIALLY IN EAST

--The Toronto Star, 12 Sep 1913
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