Christina Vasilevski

It wasn't "cancel culture" when women and people of color got used up, silenced, and dismissed before their careers even began. It only became "cancel culture" when powerful abusers started having established careers momentarily inconvenienced by revelations of what they'd done.

Today in unexpected covers, I urge you, reader, to check out the a capella version of "Teardrop" by O'Hooley and Tidow. Some really lovely dissonance in there.

If you ever get the chance, I also highly recommend "Newfie poutine". It's poutine with turkey/chicken stuffing added. It's so salty, but so good.

I am 41, and I have already had shingles TWICE. The first time was when I was only 12 years old. I really wish Ontario would make the vaccine available to people under 50.

Book Launch: The Iron Garden Sutra by A.D. Sui - Books and Tea Today, we attended the book launch for The Iron Garden Sutra by A.D. Sui. If you're a fan of locked-room mysteries with an existentialist streak, this book may be up your alley.

Completely by happenstance, I attended the book launch for The Iron Garden Sutra by @thesuiway.bsky.social at Bakka Phoenix books today, and it was lovely. So I posted about it!

You should give this book a shot if you get the chance.

booksandtea.ca/2026/02/book...

the jump from “trans people can’t have a driver’s license,” to “unmarried women can’t have a driver’s license,” is a secret nighttime vote away

fight with us now, or fight with far less backup later

Have you read "The Course of Honour" by Lindsay Davis? Historical romance set in Ancient Rome, a retelling/exegesis of the relationship between Vespasian (who becomes emperor) and a freedwoman. The romance is important, but it's also about her life in general.

Thousands of institutions abandoned programs, ended or rewrote scholarships, closed down clubs and publications, all in pre-emptive compliance.

And you know why?

Mostly because they wanted to do it if they thought they could blame someone else for it.

Not just the opposition party, but the NDP too. I'm not sure how things will change once the NDP leadership race finishes, but it would be so much healthier for everyone if all 3 major parties had stronger voices.

"Moderna's CEO announced the company will no longer invest in new Phase 3 vaccine trials for infectious diseases: 'You cannot make a return on investment if you don't have access to the U.S. market. Vaccines for Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, and shingles have been shelved.” 9:12 AM Feb 12, 2026 604.8K Views

In terms of what cures are being lost:

- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease

Have you ever seen the Game Changer episode he was in, where it was all about crowd work in standup? It's excellent.

My favourite is Ghost Dog's relationship with the ice cream vendor. They may not speak each others' language, but they still understand each other and are genuinely good friends. Especially that scene of the boat on the rooftop - what a strange, dreamlike image.

It’s 2026. There is a measles outbreak in the prison for babies

Screenshot of an X post by Omar Jimenez (@OmarJim…, 7h) stating that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says he doesn’t have the names of the agents who shot Alex Pretti, adding: “I’ve been a lawyer for 36 years. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Below is a CNN video thumbnail showing a split screen: on the left, an older man in a black cap and glasses labeled “Brown | Business Owner,” and on the right, Keith Ellison in a suit. A CNN “LIVE” bug appears in the corner.

This is a cover up of a murder, led by our own federal government.

"Design is only as humane as the business model allows and affords." - Erika Hall

This is something I've been thinking a lot about in my own work - whether what I'm doing is actually a net positive to the world. Sure, I'm not making bombs, but I'm still part of an extractive machine.

AKA: What's right for the user and what's right for the business are often at odds with each other. The relationship between the product/service experience is an interactive feedback loop with unintended consequences.

(Yay capitalism!)

#Throughline

Erika Hall's three myths of good design.

Myth 1: A "good" experience doesn't necessarily mean good for the USER. Technology is often like junk food - these systems are designed to be as appealing and delightful as possible, but hides the messy entanglements under the surface.

#Throughline

I'm attending the Throughlines design conference, and it's lovely to hear the organizers open by talking about how the struggles of dealing with fascism and our current political climate.

I'll be posting about Throughlines periodically through the day, so feel free to mute if it's not your bag.

I just made a donation to the Immigrant Rapid Response Fund to help affected families in Minneapolis.

There's nothing I can say here that others haven't already said (far more urgently and eloquently!), but at least I can do this.

All of these right wing twitter dipshits are screaming about insurgency are ideologically incapable of understanding that they're not fighting guerillas who move through the people like fish through the sea, they're fighting the fucking sea

Moreover, ICE must be destroyed

From the catbongos community on Reddit: Toby heard we were doing anti-facist bongos and he's all in Explore this post and more from the catbongos community

This isn't a sex subreddit, but r/CatBongos has also, wonderfully, had a bunch of anti-ICE posts go viral.

EG:

www.reddit.com/r/catbongos/...

I think there’s a difference worth pointing out between a person you know changing their mind (welcome) & a pundit feeling the wind shift on their spit-slicked finger as they declare it’s now correct to call something fascist (fuck off into the sun).

One of them will never fight alongside you.

NYT push alert: "A person was shot dead today during a struggle with federal agents in Minneapolis, according to officials."

By who? Who shot the person dead? You saw the video. We all know a federal agent shot a man dead who was prone on the ground. Also, it's not "according to officials." It's according to verified video seen with your eyes. Not saying what anyone can obviously see with their eyes is a form of lying.

Escape Pod 1003: Billionaire’s Tears I wake up to the sound of screaming, and know I’m going to die. I shoot out of bed, calling for my mother. First thing I’ve spoken clearly in two days. “Maria!” My mother bursts into my room. “Baby…

for the late night/timezone crowd, it's always a great fuckin day to read my short story about a plague that kills billionaires ✨

Good morning from Occupied Minnesota. First step, take kid to bus. Bus will drive by route of multiple arrests and beatings from federal troops. Second step, pay fourth quarter freelancer taxes to feds so they can steal it and use it to fund the occupiers while taking a slice for Trump kids.

The Hmong are here because they fought for the US in a war we lost.

You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof. What happens when you do minimal screening before hiring agents, arming them, and sending them into the streets? We're all finding out.

A few months ago, ICE hired me

I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I almost certainly failed the drug test. I'm real outspoken about my opposition to the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable

And yet, there it was, in plain English. "Welcome to ICE!"

My latest for Slate

I KNEW IT. I knew that was gonna make him identifiable. Well done, Secretary Noem, you doxxed Jonathan Ross.

Guess I'll post this again

98: Extremophiles & Astrology | Maximum Fun What are the most EXTREME lifeforms on Earth, and how are they surprisingly important to study? And what is the long yet recent history of astrology, and why do we reach for it? Things we Talk About…

One of my favourite podcasts just did an episode about the history of astrology, and it's quite interesting!

maximumfun.org/episodes/let...