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varnam.bsky.social

@varnam.bsky.social
276 followers 161 following 339 posts
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Reposted by @varnam.bsky.social
Cian 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (he/him) @cbdawson.bsky.social · 4h
These photos are appalling. It should be a violation of game rules for competing contestants to fraternize like this 🤣😆🙈
Screenshot of Mincup showing photos of graphite & quartz in the same hand sample. 

Caption:
Left: Graphite inclusions and bubble within a water pocket within a double-terminated quartz crystal. Credit: Robert M. Lavinsky.
Center: Graphite and quartz intermixed from Connecticut. Credit: Harold Moritz.
Right. Hexagonal graphite crystal within a quartz crystal. Ferdinando Giovine (right)

Text:
Both quartz and graphite can form in the same kinds of rocks, either entangled together or with graphite as an inclusion within quartz. This gradient most often in hydrothermal fluid. As the fluids cool, carbon precipitates out first as graphite with silica crystallizing into clear quartz crystals around it.
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Owen Missen @scimissionowen.bsky.social · 4h
Ten years after Mineral Cup began, the mineral that began it all, quartz, is into the semi finals. Quartz is the most common SiO2 polymorph, but there are 8 other known polymorphs of SiO2 (cristobalite, tridymite, coesite, lechatelierite, moganite, seifertite, stishovite and xiexiandeite).
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Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧ @charliejane.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The "social contagion" thing drives me screaming angry. When I was young I had no clue trans ppl existed. I'd never met anyone trans. I saw cruel caricatures in pop culture occasionally. When I realized trans was a thing someone could be, it hit like a lightning bolt. My life felt newly possible.
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Hannah Vardit @hannahvardit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
i worry that men think being A Good Guy is dramatically and heroically intervening on behalf of an endangered woman and then being publicly rewarded on a grand scale when actually being A Good Guy is just usually saying, “hey man that’s not funny” or “wow that’s fucked up” and there is no reward
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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Teach your son to wait. Teach him that other people are as important as he is. Teach him to apologize and go back to the end of the line if he made an entitled decision. Teach him that girls and women deserve respect in *all* scenarios—not just during sex.
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hannah @hannza.bsky.social · 4h
like I said before: this is a more agonizing choice than some elections I've voted in
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Talking about "the Indian Question," like Texas Republican Bo French's racist tweet, is intended to suggest that multi-racial democracy is "a problem," rather than a centerpiece of the post-WWII American political tradition. FWIW, Chris Rufo's wife is an immigrant from Thailand.
Bo French & @bofrench
X.com
Like body-cams exposed criminals, social media is exposing how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners. It's everywhere and far worse than any of us could imagine.
AS
7:27 AM • 9/13/26 • 674K Views
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 3h
Quite a day for the humanities. No better argument for learning tactics for the close reading of texts than what we saw today. Hawks are quite different than Hawkeyes, Mr. Schmitt. Ex Corde, A Hawkeye
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Niigaan Sinclair @niigaanwewidam.bsky.social · 3h
I’ll be co-anchoring the CBC coverage of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation alongside Adrienne Arsenault live from Parliament Hill - tune in on CBC News Network or CBC Gem at 11 am EST (10 am CST for you Manitobans)! See you then 🙂
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 4h
GOAT OR BIRD????
This is even better than the
"what color is this dress" dress.
Goat?
or Bird?
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The Progress Report @theprogressreport.ca · 3h
The Alberta chapter of the Canadian Bar Association has published an analysis of Premier Smith's nine referendum questions. They find that most of these proposals would invite immediate court challenges, and several of them are not legally clear at all.
cbaalberta-referendum-analysis.com
CBA Alberta Referendum Analysis
CBA Alberta Referendum Analysis
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Anna Gifty @itsafronomics.blacksky.app · 2h
What does it say that university leadership is protecting an institutional brand over a student's safety? It means students shouldn't go to that school because their safety is not a priority.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 5h
A picture perfect Monarch! #notabird #Butterflies #Monarch #HamOnt
A Monarch butterfly perched in a patch of purple asters.
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NWHiker @nwhiker.bsky.social · 6h
Come on, people! Cuprite is gorgeous, but baked potatoes without salt? Bread without salt? Popcorn without salt? Cakes, cookies, and caramel without salt? A mineral that allowed us to preserve food and thus journey, that is indispensable to life. VOTE HALITE. #MinCup26 SEMI-FINALS!!!
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 9h
“30% of people in the US and Canada can’t or don’t drive.” — @nondriver.bsky.social. #WeekWithoutDriving Including me now, because of vision issues. But I didn’t need it to happen to me in order to care about mobility that works better for EVERYONE.
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Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 29/09/2026
Many low income people are in fact stay at home parents because the cost of daycare is so high that their salary if they went to work would not cover it.
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
elifesciences.org/articles/08347
Dengue
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🌈Dr. Frizzle @swilua.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
my colleague: I have a question me: MC: yk period blood & stem cells? is it true no one has researched it because it is icky? me: OK WELL, Menstrual-blood stromal cells were first found in 2007, but the science way to say "icky" is "research is limited due to gender bias & sociocultural stigma"
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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#MinCup26 SEMI-FINALS!!! It's showdown of the soft and cubical as coppery #Cuprite and salty #Halite compete for a spot in the finals! Both are worthy, but only one can have your vote. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...
Split photo of a translucent deep red cube of cuprite within swooping matte blue-green crystal blades and a scattering of  translucent white halite cubes in a nest of golden yellow spiky crystals.
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Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · 28/09/2026
To the people complaining these sex abuse cases have created a world where men now have to think 10 times before they touch a woman. Yes, that's the point. It's called consent. Welcome to human decency.
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Eos @eos.org · 28/09/2026
Once again, we're Team #Graphite over here at Team Science Writers, and we have the gray-stained fingers to prove it! ✏️
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Will Beaman @greenbackbetter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A field can be socially indispensable and poorly remunerated because of existing institutional arrangements—social work and education are obvious examples of this. Then, circularly, that low remuneration is cited as evidence that educating people to perform the work is a bad financial investment.
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🇨🇦Joe Vipond🇨🇦 @jvipondmd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
i think what makes me sad is there were many more HCWs (and patients) hurt in HC facilities but we will never ever see a similar report on the failings associated with that. and we should. 2/2 healthydebate.ca/2026/04/topi...
healthydebate.ca
HCWs have died and been disabled. Laws should have prevented this - Healthy Debate
We must learn the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent thousands from acquiring a preventable workplace-acquired illness.
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Debbie Iron Bow @ironbow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We are supposed to be okay during this month of supposed truth and reconciliation. We are supposed to be able to show honor to those who survived those hell holes they called schools. And to remember those who never came home. They allow for any other nation to grieve. But us. No, for us, its
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Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 28/09/2026
"Whereas his first administration took children from their parents at the border to deter illegal crossings, the second is separating families living in the United States as part of a purge. "
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The Tyee @thetyee.ca · 28/09/2026
“This tragedy occurred in a political environment that prioritized economic growth over the health and safety of a vulnerable group of workers. The result was a large-scale, tragic outbreak, the scope of which was preventable,” reads a new Parkland Institute report. thetyee.ca/News/2026/09...
thetyee.ca
Alberta’s Deadly Betrayal of Meat Plant Workers During COVID | The Tyee
A shocking report finds the UCP ignored evidence of high risk.
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David J. Climenhaga @djclimenhaga.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Political pressure, negligence, incompetence all contributed to pandemic tragedy at High River plant, new report says. albertapolitics.ca/2026/09/poli...
albertapolitics.ca
Political pressure, negligence, incompetence all contributed to pandemic tragedy at High River plant, new report says - Alberta Politics
One of the most disgraceful episodes of the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta took place on April 18, 2020, when Devin Dreeshen, Jason Copping and Deena Hinshaw assured employees of Cargill Inc.’s meat pac...
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Sleestak @sleestak.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
and behold a pale horse. and the name that sat on him was death. and hell followed with him
cat on a statue
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varnam.bsky.social @varnam.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
not just contorting and changing culture, voice, vocabulary, etc, but accepting often worse outcome from process. Signed, former public-facing worker with software changes that required changes to policies because purchased / purchasable software wouldn't allow some established tasks
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varnam.bsky.social @varnam.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I don't know how to get good collards but let me type about milk. I use up most of the milk in our household, in drinks and cooking so buying the right milk matters to me. Milk for V on shopping list means: selecting which grocery chain is more likely to have my preferred milk
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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Wolves & wild horses have returned to Portugal’s Côa Valley. Rewilding Portugal has been working across the Greater Côa Valley, releasing Sorraia horses & Tauros cattle since 2021 to restore natural grazing. Iberian wolves have now returned to the area on their own buff.ly/xEAcxIx #ShareGoodNewsToo
buff.ly
The return of the wild in Portugal's Greater Côa Valley - ELSP
When Marta Calix moved to Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley in 2019, she joined an ambitious effort to bring nature back across one of western Europe’s important wildlife corridors. Six years later, new…
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J. Offir, PhD @joffirphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
US healthcare: She went to the ER for migraine. They did vitals & then told her to sit in the waiting room. After vomiting every 10 minutes for hours, she left for another ER. The 1st one charged her $410, & her insurance refused to pay because she'd left. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
washingtonpost.com
She waited for hours and left untreated. The ER billed her anyway.
The hospital said her visit began as soon as “care,” which could mean registration and nursing assessment, was initiated.
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SaskAttitude @saskattitude3.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Hateful racists: Masked white supremacists descend on Tk’emlúps in Kamloops BC, days before Truth and Reconciliation Day. Residential school denialism must be recognized as a hate crime, so people like this can be held accountable. #TRC #IRSS #94calls indigenousinsider.substack.com/p/got-bones-...
indigenousinsider.substack.com
“Got Bones?” Masked White Supremacists Descend on Tk’emlúps, Three Days Before Truth and Reconciliation Day
They hid their faces but wanted to be seen. Residential school denialism is out of control, and it’s time Canada called it what it is: hate.
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AppleInsider @appleinsider.com · 28/09/2026
In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Meta's Muse AI is stealing Apple Messages, past and present, and uploading the contents to its cloud, even if explicitly told not to.
appleinsider.com
Meta's new AI agent blatantly ignores users permissions
In a completely unsurprising turn of events, Meta's Muse AI is stealing Apple Messages, past and present, and uploading the contents to its cloud, even if explicitly told not to.
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Mary Gillis @marygillis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm ok with that. More than ok. People who make millions and don't want to contribute to the society they live in are leaches who tend to use their ill-kept wealth to corrupt our institutions so they can keep even more of it. Our entire society would be better off with fewer of them.
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We've seen a distinct drop in interest in these conditions as people have memory-holed COVID; they'd like to forget infection-associated chronic conditions, but they're impacting everyone, including kids. I'm the Scientific Director at #MEAction, and I advocate for #MECFS, #LongCOVID, & other IACCs.
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Alicia @heyalicia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
People handle tasks so complex and with so many shifting variables as part of our day-to-day existence that the complexity is underestimated. It’s like how knitting machines have existed for over 400 years but there still isn’t a machine that can crochet, though we think of those tasks as comparable
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I can’t say strongly enough that these are not realistic scenarios for the people I observed and, based on data about family lives, almost anyone else we might consider normal and/or not rich.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yeah it’s not lost on me that it was a man who suggested family meal planning is rote. Research and loved experience shows that women structure their invisible labor to make the labor the men in their lives are willing to do predictable, ergo suitable to routinize.
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Bill Comeau 🇨🇦 @bill-comeau.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I look forward to a better world where people ask for verifiable evidence instead of accepting unjust hate and fear narratives, whether it's transgenders, vaccines, wellness cures, immigrants, religions, visible minorities, or whatever.
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yeah, I'm referring to the particularly heinous homecoming this year.
cbc.ca
This Ontario city had the 'worst' problems with homecoming parties, even filling a hospital ER | CBC News
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie says this year's off-campus homecoming parties impacted the entire community and were among the worst they've seen in terms of resources needed to respond to it. Other cities ...
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varnam.bsky.social @varnam.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
So will Oct to February infection be steady like in year 6 or skyrocket like year 2? I’m glad people like @moriartylab.bsky.social and other Canadians , @michael-hoerger.bsky.social and other Americans are getting information out of what data remains.
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Mike Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA @michael-hoerger.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
NBC has picked up the #bluewashing story. On August 14, the CDC downshifted how they categorize wastewater levels to make all current and historical COVlD levels lower.
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 28/09/2026
Gone are the mass raids and militarized metro operations. Gone are the pomp and pageantry. But ICE arrests have hit record levels. ICE operations are no longer concentrated in large American cities. Immigration enforcement officials are also working in suburban and rural areas, all across the US.
A map of the United States that shows immigration arrests per 100,000 people since ICE's new enforcement strategy began under DHS secretary Markwayne Mullin.
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Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"we didn't have anything like as many people claiming to have ADHD back in the days when everyone carried around a pack of inhalable stimulant drugs and took between 20 and 40 doses every day"
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varnam.bsky.social @varnam.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I made Halite, Haliter, and Halitest Pokémon for #MinCup26 match up!
Beige Pokémon NaCli marked up with blue stripes Second level salt Pokémon also Beige Pokémon marked up with blue stripes Third level salt Pokémon also Beige Pokémon marked up with blue stripes
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Ms. Magazine @msmagazine.com · 27/09/2026
The justice system seems to value lethally violent men’s lives over women’s.
msmagazine.com
The Perfect Victim Is a Dead Woman
Survivors of abuse face a justice system that often demands impossible perfection, while dangerous men receive leniency and accountability remains out of reach.
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Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.
Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites
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Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
AI companies, not agents go rogue. AI companies produce models and services. AI companies are responsible for their own products. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
OpenAI halts training of latest models as reports mount of AI agents going rogue
Decision follows disclosures that OpenAI agents searching government websites had acted in unexpected ways
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