Mel Sweetnam
@melsweetnam.bsky.social
Writer. Natural dye educator. Facts advocate. Democracy defender. Former public policy strategist. Living on un-ceded L'nu territory. Meta escapee - join my new natural dye community: https://mewe.com/join/naturaldyeeducation
www.mamiesschoolhouse.com
www.mamiesschoolhouse.com
A new independent news source, from the investigative journalist who broke the FB/Cambridge Analytica data scandal...
My colleagues & I have taken a huge gamble to set up @thenerve.news We’re trying to build a new independent publication from the ground up. Social media is our only distribution for now.
Sharing this article in your networks would make a huge difference. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏
Sharing this article in your networks would make a huge difference. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏
NEW: The British politician, his Russian intelligence handler & a Kremlin plot against the US & Ukraine.
My new piece about Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage for @thenerve_news in which we ask:
Why, even now, is no-one asking questions?
t.co/BUTtpK9C4S
My new piece about Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage for @thenerve_news in which we ask:
Why, even now, is no-one asking questions?
t.co/BUTtpK9C4S
October 13, 2025 at 9:56 AM
A new independent news source, from the investigative journalist who broke the FB/Cambridge Analytica data scandal...
These folks put so much great work into providing guidance for those who want practical ideas about how to fight fascism. #BOYCOTTDISNEYABC
Here’s all the ways you can take action against Disney, ABC, Sinclair, and Nexstar for silencing Jimmy Kimmel and attacking free speech.
Share WIDELY.
#BOYCOTTDISNEYABC
Share WIDELY.
#BOYCOTTDISNEYABC
TAKE ACTION AGAINST DISNEY-ABC STOP BENDING TO THE ADMIN
DISNEY-ABC STOP BENDING TO AUTHORITARIAN PRESSURE. ACTION RESOURCE LIST WE HAVE FRIENDS EVERYWHERE On September 17th, Disney-ABC yanked Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air—just hours after the FCC Chair Bre...
docs.google.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:58 PM
These folks put so much great work into providing guidance for those who want practical ideas about how to fight fascism. #BOYCOTTDISNEYABC
Cancel cable/streaming services that carry ABC &/or Disney. Consumers have so much un-exercised power in this fight for democracy.
"The response must be loud and sustained. Viewers should boycott ABC and Disney until the show is restored and a public commitment to editorial independence is made."
"The response must be loud and sustained. Viewers should boycott ABC and Disney until the show is restored and a public commitment to editorial independence is made."
When government intimidation and corporate cowardice meet, free speech dies. Boycott ABC and Disney until they stand up to Brendan Carr’s censorship.
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
Brendan Carr’s FCC Power Play: How One Weak Man Threatens America’s Free Speech
After Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks on the Charlie Kirk shooting, Carr used FCC leverage to pressure ABC—showing how quickly constitutional rights can be trampled.
open.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Cancel cable/streaming services that carry ABC &/or Disney. Consumers have so much un-exercised power in this fight for democracy.
"The response must be loud and sustained. Viewers should boycott ABC and Disney until the show is restored and a public commitment to editorial independence is made."
"The response must be loud and sustained. Viewers should boycott ABC and Disney until the show is restored and a public commitment to editorial independence is made."
It's never about actually addressing a problem in an evidence-based way, otherwise no straight white man would be allowed to own firearms. Instead, the far right leverages every disaster to scapegoat and target already marginalized communities.#banstraightwhitemenfromowningfirearms
September 4, 2025 at 5:45 PM
It's never about actually addressing a problem in an evidence-based way, otherwise no straight white man would be allowed to own firearms. Instead, the far right leverages every disaster to scapegoat and target already marginalized communities.#banstraightwhitemenfromowningfirearms
I highly recommend this excellent podcast series. It says out loud the thoughts troubling most Canadians &, perhaps un-intuitively, is reassuring in the way that clearly facing any problem provides the possibility of a way forward. #truenorth #canadasovereignty
www.youtube.com/@Gloves-OffPod
www.youtube.com/@Gloves-OffPod
Gloves Off with Stephen Marche
An eight-part podcast series about the threat to Canada’s sovereignty and what we can do about it. Hosted by journalist and author of The Next Civil War, Stephen Marche. What we may be witnessing is t...
www.youtube.com
August 12, 2025 at 10:52 AM
I highly recommend this excellent podcast series. It says out loud the thoughts troubling most Canadians &, perhaps un-intuitively, is reassuring in the way that clearly facing any problem provides the possibility of a way forward. #truenorth #canadasovereignty
www.youtube.com/@Gloves-OffPod
www.youtube.com/@Gloves-OffPod
I'm in the extreme area. No real rain in months. Down to 3 minute showers every 3 days. Used dish washing water goes on my outdoor plants. It makes me think of my time in Africa, & the endless labour of women there walking hours each day to access water. #climatechange #canadadrought #conservewater
August 10, 2025 at 10:17 AM
I'm in the extreme area. No real rain in months. Down to 3 minute showers every 3 days. Used dish washing water goes on my outdoor plants. It makes me think of my time in Africa, & the endless labour of women there walking hours each day to access water. #climatechange #canadadrought #conservewater
If the GOP really wanted to know who the other predators are, they would a) listen to survivors, & b) release the official files. Pardoning a pedophile & human trafficker in exchange for testimony signals they're buying testimony they want to hear - i.e. the names of adversaries only. #coverup
August 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM
If the GOP really wanted to know who the other predators are, they would a) listen to survivors, & b) release the official files. Pardoning a pedophile & human trafficker in exchange for testimony signals they're buying testimony they want to hear - i.e. the names of adversaries only. #coverup
A great, thoughtful resource list...
Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump was a mask off moment and showed the world we can’t depend on US tech companies.
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
Getting off US tech: a guide
I’m in the process of dropping US tech services. Here’s how I did it, and options you should consider.
www.disconnect.blog
July 18, 2025 at 7:55 PM
A great, thoughtful resource list...
With the passing of the US billionaire bonanza bill yesterday, supercharging ICE/the gestapo, companies like Thiel's Palantir will get ever richer, and I think we'll also start seeing widespread corporate slavery/forced labour in the camps, as in every internment/concentration camp that ever was.
How Trump’s Bill Creates a Super Police Force
YouTube video by Heather Cox Richardson
youtu.be
July 4, 2025 at 9:51 AM
With the passing of the US billionaire bonanza bill yesterday, supercharging ICE/the gestapo, companies like Thiel's Palantir will get ever richer, and I think we'll also start seeing widespread corporate slavery/forced labour in the camps, as in every internment/concentration camp that ever was.
Great read. I'm stumped as to why more of my FB friends haven't migrated to Bluesky. It's so easy to recreate desirable online connections here (or, heaven forbid, real connections in the offline world), but without all of the enshittification of FB.
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/engineered...
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/engineered...
Engineered Estrangement | An Interview with Cory Doctorow
The author, activist, and technology critic Cory Doctorow on reckless broligarchs and what their 'enshittified' platforms are doing to our future
www.bylinesupplement.com
June 20, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Great read. I'm stumped as to why more of my FB friends haven't migrated to Bluesky. It's so easy to recreate desirable online connections here (or, heaven forbid, real connections in the offline world), but without all of the enshittification of FB.
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/engineered...
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/engineered...
Reposted by Mel Sweetnam
The neighborhood is getting ready for tomorrow
June 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The neighborhood is getting ready for tomorrow
Canadian citizen/resident? Please sign this petition requiring all party leaders & other holders of high office (I didn't write the petition, but assume this means Ministers) to get security clearance. It's outrageous that PP is refusing to get his.
Sign this Petition - Petitions
www.ourcommons.ca
June 1, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Canadian citizen/resident? Please sign this petition requiring all party leaders & other holders of high office (I didn't write the petition, but assume this means Ministers) to get security clearance. It's outrageous that PP is refusing to get his.
I'm one of the 300K whose data was stolen in this awful failure by the utility. Called my credit union, credit card company, & credit agencies. I recommend folks also call the CRA, who were so helpful & can place multiple levels of additional protection/alerts on your accounts: 1 833 995 2336
Personal data stolen in N.S. Power breach? Here's how to protect yourself from fraud | CBC News
Jeff Horncastle, a client and communications outreach officer with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the RCMP, says it's up to impacted customers to ensure they don't become victims of identity fraud...
www.cbc.ca
May 28, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I'm one of the 300K whose data was stolen in this awful failure by the utility. Called my credit union, credit card company, & credit agencies. I recommend folks also call the CRA, who were so helpful & can place multiple levels of additional protection/alerts on your accounts: 1 833 995 2336
In every area of US federal administration, felon47 has installed someone who will kill as many people as possible... #fightfascism
He will take your meds away! 👇🏻
"FDA Commissioner Marty Makary argued that insulin should be withheld from people with diabetes and replaced with "cooking classes."
"FDA Commissioner Marty Makary argued that insulin should be withheld from people with diabetes and replaced with "cooking classes."
Trump FDA commissioner complains about 'throwing insulin" to diabetics
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary argued that insulin should be withheld from people with diabetes and replaced with "cooking classes."
During a Sunday interview on Fox Ne...
www.rawstory.com
May 26, 2025 at 12:22 PM
In every area of US federal administration, felon47 has installed someone who will kill as many people as possible... #fightfascism
Why any head of state, or any serious person, is agreeing to an on-camera oval office 'meeting' with these fascists is beyond me. Mark Carney survived his, but every decent person needs to stop participating in these propaganda stunts. It's always, always, a set up by these ghouls. #fightfascism
staging a show-and-tell about a fake genocide during a real genocide to the government that has done the most to seek justice for that real genocide is designed to break our brains. They know what they are doing. www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/w...
Trump ambushes South African president in Oval Office with video | CNN
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sat in awkward silence as he listened to a video US President Donald Trump played in the Oval Office. CNN’s Larry Madowo reports that Trump was pushing debunked...
www.cnn.com
May 21, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Why any head of state, or any serious person, is agreeing to an on-camera oval office 'meeting' with these fascists is beyond me. Mark Carney survived his, but every decent person needs to stop participating in these propaganda stunts. It's always, always, a set up by these ghouls. #fightfascism
A good summary of where things are at the moment. #fightfascism
We’re Experts in Fascism. We’re Leaving the U.S. | NYT Opinion
YouTube video by The New York Times
youtu.be
May 21, 2025 at 12:01 PM
A good summary of where things are at the moment. #fightfascism
What a great gig for literature lovers...
We’re hiring interns! The application deadline for our Fall–Winter internship is June 1. Pay is $20/hour, 35 hours a week, with the option to enroll in health insurance. Apply!
buff.ly/inDfJv9
buff.ly/inDfJv9
May 17, 2025 at 1:04 PM
What a great gig for literature lovers...
Along with the appointment of 25 Faux News personalities to once serious government positions, and the meme-ification of official White House social media accounts, it's clear the objective is to entertain cult members into unending submission. #fightfascism
OMG: Noem in talks to make migrants COMPETE for citizenship on reality TV show
YouTube video by Brian Tyler Cohen
youtu.be
May 16, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Along with the appointment of 25 Faux News personalities to once serious government positions, and the meme-ification of official White House social media accounts, it's clear the objective is to entertain cult members into unending submission. #fightfascism
Just finished my last knit from this past Winter. Used up some of my own #madder and #butternut dyed wool, along with some undyed wool (soft grey), plus some synthetically dyed blue wool I bought at a farm on a roadtrip in southern Ontario >20 years ago! #naturaldyeonbluesky #knittersofbluesky
May 13, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Just finished my last knit from this past Winter. Used up some of my own #madder and #butternut dyed wool, along with some undyed wool (soft grey), plus some synthetically dyed blue wool I bought at a farm on a roadtrip in southern Ontario >20 years ago! #naturaldyeonbluesky #knittersofbluesky
Canada is such a majestic country. Please don't spend your vacation dollars south of the border. Become a tourist in your own magnificent land (or any land other than the US). My east coast island home routinely makes global lists of the most spectacular islands on earth. #supportcanada
May 12, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Canada is such a majestic country. Please don't spend your vacation dollars south of the border. Become a tourist in your own magnificent land (or any land other than the US). My east coast island home routinely makes global lists of the most spectacular islands on earth. #supportcanada
So refreshing to hear someone say it like it is. It's aggravating listening to so many journalists twist themselves into pretzels trying to normalize felon47's malignant narcissist language and behaviours. Thank you, Tom Mulcair for calling him out as a pathological liar, carnival huckster, etc.
Mulcair says that while Trump 'is not an economic genius', PM Mark Carney is
YouTube video by CTV News
youtu.be
May 6, 2025 at 2:00 PM
So refreshing to hear someone say it like it is. It's aggravating listening to so many journalists twist themselves into pretzels trying to normalize felon47's malignant narcissist language and behaviours. Thank you, Tom Mulcair for calling him out as a pathological liar, carnival huckster, etc.
This exhausted election worker just got home after a 15.5 hour stint at a polling location that involved driving across a mountain in the fog to get there, and back across in the dark to get home. Everyone should work as an impartial poll worker at least once in their life. Hurrah democracy!
April 29, 2025 at 2:08 AM
This exhausted election worker just got home after a 15.5 hour stint at a polling location that involved driving across a mountain in the fog to get there, and back across in the dark to get home. Everyone should work as an impartial poll worker at least once in their life. Hurrah democracy!
Research shows survivors of sexual assault are 10X more likely to attempt suicide than those who have not been sexually assaulted. If the assault(s) began prior to age 16, that ratio is even higher. RIP, warrior of truth. If you're a survivor, you're not alone and you deserve to live and thrive.
Virginia Giuffre, accuser of Epstein and Prince Andrew, dead at 41
YouTube video by CBC News
youtu.be
April 27, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Research shows survivors of sexual assault are 10X more likely to attempt suicide than those who have not been sexually assaulted. If the assault(s) began prior to age 16, that ratio is even higher. RIP, warrior of truth. If you're a survivor, you're not alone and you deserve to live and thrive.
Please don't vote split and throw your vote away. Know which non-maplemaga candidate has the best chance of winning in your particular riding, and vote for them: smartvoting.ca/ridings/fede... #defenddemocracy #fightfascism
April 27, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Please don't vote split and throw your vote away. Know which non-maplemaga candidate has the best chance of winning in your particular riding, and vote for them: smartvoting.ca/ridings/fede... #defenddemocracy #fightfascism