iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

US envoy to NATO expresses solidarity with Germany over Leipzig attack

After Germany publicly named Russia over an attempted attack on its soil, the best the U.S. could muster was to send its NATO ambassador to voice support for an ally under attack, not a senior Cabinet official. That's telling, and I am sure protocol-obsessed Moscow noticed. aa.com.tr/en/europe/us...

aa.com.tr

We remain committed to NATO’s collective defense, clear-eyed about deterrence, says Matthew Whitaker | Anadolu

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As researchers who study rhetoric and framing, we’ve noticed that many American politicians don’t seem to understand that the U.S. has lost an entire generation of Canadians. Many now say they’ll never set foot in America again or buy American-made products.

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Greer says agriculture, non-tariff barrier announcements likely during Xi visit

See, when the Trump administration views an interlocutor as a genuine threat and an equal, it can behave rationally. www.reuters.com/business/aut... It clearly doesn’t view Canada as an equal, but as a wayward vassal, so it’s bringing out the sticks.

reuters.com

The United States and China are set to make some ‌announcements on agriculture and non-tariff barriers during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington ⁠this month, U.S. Trade Represen...

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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 03/09/2026

Alienating the people who share your longest undefended border is not just a diplomatic failure; it’s a costly strategic mistake with profound military and human consequences. As the US pushes Canada towards Europe and China, repairing this fracture will take decades, if not longer.

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"Dozens Of Federal Judges Go On Record About The Rising Threats They Face. In rare first-person accounts, judges describe a surge in disturbing threats, “swatting” and “pizza doxxing” since Trump took office in 2025." www.huffpost.com/entry/federa...

huffpost.com

Dozens Of Federal Judges Go On Record About The Rising Threats They Face

In rare first-person accounts, judges describe a surge in disturbing threats, “swatting” and “pizza doxxing” since Trump took office in 2025.

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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 03/09/2026

"Identity Verification Is Broken. The 153M Driver’s Licenses Now for Sale Are Proof A massive trove of driver’s license scans allegedly stolen from an identity verification company shows the danger of creating honey pots of our most sensitive documents for malicious actors to exploit."

gizmodo.com

Identity Verification Is Broken. The 153 Million Driver’s Licenses Now for Sale Are Proof

A massive trove of driver’s license scans allegedly stolen from an identity verification company shows the danger of creating honey pots of our most sensitive documents for malicious actors to exploit...

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Reposted by Philip Mai

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Suddenly due process matters.

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Most Americans disapprove of Lake Ontario name change

"Most Americans disapprove of Lake Ontario name change." That's nice. But it assumes Americans still live in a democracy where citizens' approval is valued. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/09/01/most-americans-disapprove-lake-ontario-name-change/

washingtonpost.com

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week renaming it Lake America, as part of his feud with Canada.

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That is the paradox: AI can make individual expression easier while potentially making collective expression more alike. The danger isn't that AI will make us stupid. It may be more subtle: it could make us vanilla. But people like vanilla.🍦

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If millions of people ask the same handful of AI systems to write, design, brainstorm or explain, the systems may continually steer us toward what is statistically familiar, polished and broadly acceptable. The result may be a world in which everything is excellent & increasingly indistinguishable.

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Generative AI could produce an analogous form of cultural homogenization, but at a much deeper level. Instead of merely making places look alike, it could make our ideas, language, images, stories and even ways of solving problems converge.

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Mass tourism, global hotel chains, standardized services & algorithmically popularized “must-see” attractions gradually flattened many of those differences. The world became easier to navigate, but also more predictable: the same cafés, same hotels, same Instagram spots, the same experiences.

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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 28/08/2026

This is a legitimate concern. AI may do to culture and cognition what mass travel did to the travel experience. Travel once exposed people to places with distinctive character... different food, architecture, rhythms, customs and ways of living.

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Talented people are always in demand, which means they have the luxury of choice. "Canada Hires 48 Scholars Away From Top U.S. Universities. A crackdown on American academia by the Trump administration has handed Canadian universities a rare opportunity to lure some top researchers north."

nytimes.com

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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 01/09/2026

"The man who shaped Trump: book sheds fresh light on ruthless Roy Cohn. American Scoundrel tells story of McCarthy attack dog, mob lawyer and Trump mentor " www.theguardian.com/books/2026/s...

theguardian.com

The man who shaped Trump: book sheds fresh light on ruthless Roy Cohn

American Scoundrel tells story of McCarthy attack dog, mob lawyer and Trump mentor – will the president be thumbing its pages?

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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 28/08/2026

"Sweetener used in chewing gum and jam linked to strokes and heart attacks. High blood levels of xylitol associated with higher risk of major cardiovascular events, in largest study of its kind" www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

theguardian.com

Sweetener used in chewing gum and jam linked to strokes and heart attacks

High blood levels of xylitol associated with higher risk of major cardiovascular events, in largest study of its kind

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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 28/08/2026

Don't forget tech leaders in Canada tried to do this last year.

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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 28/08/2026

"The Unwelcoming States of America. By trying to change its demographic trajectory, Donald Trump will make his country weaker." www.economist.com/leaders/2026...

economist.com

The Unwelcoming States of America

By trying to change its demographic trajectory, Donald Trump will make his country weaker

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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 27/08/2026

As we and others suspected... "CIA Chief’s Surprise Moscow Trip Was to Warn Russia Not to Attack NATO" www.wsj.com/politics/pol... Here are a few of the many breadcrumbs we have gathered that suggest Russia may want to test NATO resolve sooner rather than later.

wsj.com

Exclusive | CIA Chief’s Surprise Moscow Trip Was to Warn Russia Not to Attack NATO

The warning comes after new U.S. intelligence assessments indicated the Russian president could launch a limited assault.

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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 25/08/2026

She was a light that represented the best of America ... Her music will live on... youtube.com/watch?v=ZCwW...

youtube.com

Jolene

YouTube video by Dolly Parton - Topic

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Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle playing their acrylics. Two icons.

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Dun Jun @clustertuck.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

RIP Dolly Parton ❤️ Here's a lovely Dolly story: We worked together on "Transamerica." She told me that the bible passage that used to puzzle her the most was, "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." She said, "How the heck do you sin against the Holy Ghost, and-

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Tina Vasquez @tinavasquez.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

When the Gatlinburg Wildfires happened in 2016, Dolly gave impacted families $1,000/month to help them get back on their feet. This included my father-in-law, who lost everything in the fire. Dolly gave children in TN free books each month, from birth to the age of five. She was a goddamn saint.

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Stephen McDonell @stephenmcdonell.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

#China’s robot games underway today and race one already had a great stack. Kids cheered! #Beijing now…

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"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has hit out at new US tariffs on Canada, saying they were "designed to hurt us and divide us" after talks between Ottawa and Washington broke down on Friday."

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Carney says new US tariffs are 'designed to hurt us and divide us'

"We cannot accept what they've offered, and we will not give what they've asked," Carney said during a speech outlining Canada's position on the trade dispute with the US. www.euronews.com/2026/08/23/c...

euronews.com

"We cannot accept what they've offered, and we will not give what they've asked," Carney said during a speech outlining Canada's position on the trade dispute with the US.

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What kind of justice system is this? How is this fair? How is this legal?

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Judge to Baby: File an Asylum Application

“A 1-year-old baby appeared in immigration court without legal representation in Arizona and received an instruction: File an asylum application before the next hearing or face deportation.” www.notus.org/immigration/...

notus.org

The 1-year-old is one of the migrant children who advocates say appeared in immigration court without legal representation.

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Trump’s bullying of Canada is failing.

"Yes, Trump can hurt Canada more than Canada can hurt Trump. That part of Trump’s thinking is true. But wars are not decided only by the question Who can inflict more pain? Wars are also decided by the question Who can endure more pain?" www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

How to Lose a Trade War

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Militæranalytiker efter Bødskovs melding om russisk indblanding i migrantkrisen: 'Jeg ville ikke blive overrasket'

👀 2,000 fake articles and over 6,000 fake posts on social media. "Minister of Immigration and Integration Morten Bødskov (S) to link the migrant crisis in Ceuta to Russia's hybrid warfare." www.dr.dk/nyheder/udla...

dr.dk

På EU-hastemødet om Ceuta blev der ifølge Morten Bødskov fremlagt dokumentation for, at Rusland benytter situationen i Ceuta til at føre hybridkrig.

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In plain English, by trying to dictate whom Canada can trade with, the US is effectively seeking to formalize Canada’s status as a vassal state, supplying raw materials only to the US and countries the US approves.

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One of the hallmarks of sovereignty is the power to govern your own foreign affairs: deciding who you want to trade with and who you want as your allies. Any country that gives that up ceases to be sovereign.

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Carney calls Trump's fresh tariffs a 'miscalculation' after trade talks collapse

Attacked by Trump on tariffs, Mark Carney says Canada is now ‘at war’ with US over trade. Carney said the US presented "unacceptable" terms that were too restrictive, including curbing Canada's ability to strike new trade deals with other countries. www.bbc.com/news/article...

bbc.com

Canada's prime minister said he was "reluctantly" announcing retaliatory tariffs as he accused the US of starting a trade war.

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Canada is not helpless in this fight. But a $-for-$ match is the wrong way to go. Instead, Canada could leverage America's dependence on Canadian inputs and shut down whole supply chains. Imagine not being able to ship a $50k car because of a $100 part made only in Canada. bsky.app/profile/soci...

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