Alessandro
@poli.sisti.ca
Posts on public policy (in 🇨🇦 or abroad), humanities, classical music, altruism effective and ineffective. Many silly posts. Toronto-adjacent.
Reposted by Alessandro
Here’s the really bad part: over time, this dynamic breeds bigger and bigger crises.
Markets keep updating their beliefs about TACO, so it takes ever more extreme actions to convince them he might not TACO.
Buckle up.
Markets keep updating their beliefs about TACO, so it takes ever more extreme actions to convince them he might not TACO.
Buckle up.
January 21, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Here’s the really bad part: over time, this dynamic breeds bigger and bigger crises.
Markets keep updating their beliefs about TACO, so it takes ever more extreme actions to convince them he might not TACO.
Buckle up.
Markets keep updating their beliefs about TACO, so it takes ever more extreme actions to convince them he might not TACO.
Buckle up.
Reposted by Alessandro
His opposition didn't even TRY. They didn't even SUGGEST HE SHOULD BE REMOVED
Even after Trump is gone, the world will remember that he threatened to forcibly seize the territory of a peaceful democratic ally, and our institutions failed to immediately remove him. That makes US dangerously unreliable, not just one senile gangster.
His not being impeached by the end of the business day as a result of this threat is as much a problem as the threat itself. It’s not just Trump that the world has to worry about, it’s a GOP that supports him and Democrats who suck their thumbs and refuse to even discuss pushing to remove him
January 21, 2026 at 3:10 PM
His opposition didn't even TRY. They didn't even SUGGEST HE SHOULD BE REMOVED
Any good articles explaining why Carney chose Qatar in particular?
Canada is forging a new strategic partnership with Qatar. Together we’re making it easier for Canadian businesses to expand their operations here and attract investment from, this dynamic $290 billion economy.
January 21, 2026 at 3:51 AM
Any good articles explaining why Carney chose Qatar in particular?
Reposted by Alessandro
If I'm being honest, the collapse of the post-Cold War international order and the violent occupation of an American city are making it difficult for me to concentrate on housing policy.
January 20, 2026 at 6:15 PM
If I'm being honest, the collapse of the post-Cold War international order and the violent occupation of an American city are making it difficult for me to concentrate on housing policy.
Reposted by Alessandro
So it appears the far right have abandoned their conspiracy theory about the World Economic Forum being some sort of world-domination blood-libel plot now that they’re using it as a meeting place on the regular
January 19, 2026 at 3:26 PM
So it appears the far right have abandoned their conspiracy theory about the World Economic Forum being some sort of world-domination blood-libel plot now that they’re using it as a meeting place on the regular
I was joking with my friends about the seashore
it appears they took it littorally
it appears they took it littorally
January 18, 2026 at 8:26 PM
I was joking with my friends about the seashore
it appears they took it littorally
it appears they took it littorally
From The Economist: the US Congress has stood up to the president on science funding. Funding will be essentially unchanged from last year.
Link for Economist subscribers: www.economist.com/united-state...
Link for Economist subscribers: www.economist.com/united-state...
January 18, 2026 at 4:20 AM
From The Economist: the US Congress has stood up to the president on science funding. Funding will be essentially unchanged from last year.
Link for Economist subscribers: www.economist.com/united-state...
Link for Economist subscribers: www.economist.com/united-state...
Reposted by Alessandro
BC tried a laissez-faire decrim compared to Portugal's non-carceral but paternalistic decrim.
The former was politically diasterous, after public order decayed while public drug use skyrocketed while the later has proven politically sustainable and a model that continues to be held up.
The former was politically diasterous, after public order decayed while public drug use skyrocketed while the later has proven politically sustainable and a model that continues to be held up.
There was an interesting article on the ways BC different from Portugal's decrim policy.
Big one was BC took a much more hands off, police light approach, compared to Portugal where public drug use is is illegal and people caught are referred to treatment
www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/01/13/w...
Big one was BC took a much more hands off, police light approach, compared to Portugal where public drug use is is illegal and people caught are referred to treatment
www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/01/13/w...
What Canada failed to learn from drug decriminalization in Portugal
Experts say Canada adopted Portugal’s language of decriminalization, but not the system features that made it a success.
www.canadianaffairs.news
January 14, 2026 at 10:43 PM
BC tried a laissez-faire decrim compared to Portugal's non-carceral but paternalistic decrim.
The former was politically diasterous, after public order decayed while public drug use skyrocketed while the later has proven politically sustainable and a model that continues to be held up.
The former was politically diasterous, after public order decayed while public drug use skyrocketed while the later has proven politically sustainable and a model that continues to be held up.
Reposted by Alessandro
Having seen several abductions up close, it is really hard to convey how much the thing they’re doing is roaming in military convoys until they see someone who is alone and isn’t white, and then jumping out in large numbers, pulling them into a van, and screeching off, all in 90 seconds or so.
"“They specifically asked me if I knew where the Hmong families lived on my street & in the neighborhood.” Lugert-Thom responded, “I don’t know anything about that” & she said they then asked, “Well, what about the Asian families?”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
A St. Paul resident says federal officers knocked on her door and asked her to identify Hmong and Asian households in her North End neighborhood last week.
January 14, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Having seen several abductions up close, it is really hard to convey how much the thing they’re doing is roaming in military convoys until they see someone who is alone and isn’t white, and then jumping out in large numbers, pulling them into a van, and screeching off, all in 90 seconds or so.
welcoming new neighbours the best way I know how!
(NB.—two jars out of frame of final pic)
(NB.—two jars out of frame of final pic)
January 14, 2026 at 2:34 AM
welcoming new neighbours the best way I know how!
(NB.—two jars out of frame of final pic)
(NB.—two jars out of frame of final pic)
Reposted by Alessandro
The Canadian liquor boycott had some unexpected consequences.
New: CBS News seems to be preparing a new segment called "Whiskey Fridays with Tony Dokoupil," per sources.
Some staff were only first made aware of it as they encountered CBS testing out set designs of a faux-stocked bar in the newsroom, featuring a large sponsor banner for Jack Daniels.
Some staff were only first made aware of it as they encountered CBS testing out set designs of a faux-stocked bar in the newsroom, featuring a large sponsor banner for Jack Daniels.
January 13, 2026 at 9:42 PM
The Canadian liquor boycott had some unexpected consequences.
Reposted by Alessandro
I've been working for ages on a comprehensive revamp of the Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on "Animal Consciousness", with new sections on non-Western perspectives, methodological challenges and evolutionary big pictures, and it's out today: plato.stanford.edu/entries/cons.... Hope you find it useful!
January 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I've been working for ages on a comprehensive revamp of the Stanford Encyclopedia Entry on "Animal Consciousness", with new sections on non-Western perspectives, methodological challenges and evolutionary big pictures, and it's out today: plato.stanford.edu/entries/cons.... Hope you find it useful!
This is a serious question: when did the White House start liking Elon Musk again?
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
January 13, 2026 at 5:01 AM
This is a serious question: when did the White House start liking Elon Musk again?
Reading whatever grabs your interest is great because you occasionally come across sequences of words such as:
“The story of the horn in Austro-Bohemia begins with Count von Spork”
“The story of the horn in Austro-Bohemia begins with Count von Spork”
January 12, 2026 at 1:53 AM
Reading whatever grabs your interest is great because you occasionally come across sequences of words such as:
“The story of the horn in Austro-Bohemia begins with Count von Spork”
“The story of the horn in Austro-Bohemia begins with Count von Spork”
did you hear about the mechanical loom? it cotton in a flash
January 12, 2026 at 1:15 AM
did you hear about the mechanical loom? it cotton in a flash
I was stumped by a challenge and for advice hired a duo of shrimp
they recommended a two-prawned approach
they recommended a two-prawned approach
January 10, 2026 at 2:35 AM
I was stumped by a challenge and for advice hired a duo of shrimp
they recommended a two-prawned approach
they recommended a two-prawned approach
Reposted by Alessandro
Almost no one has articulated a positive vision for what comes after superintelligence. What should we be trying to aim for?
Utopias from history look clearly dystopian to us, and we should expect the same for our own attempts. We don’t know enough, or have the authority, to decide the details.
Utopias from history look clearly dystopian to us, and we should expect the same for our own attempts. We don’t know enough, or have the authority, to decide the details.
January 8, 2026 at 10:08 AM
Almost no one has articulated a positive vision for what comes after superintelligence. What should we be trying to aim for?
Utopias from history look clearly dystopian to us, and we should expect the same for our own attempts. We don’t know enough, or have the authority, to decide the details.
Utopias from history look clearly dystopian to us, and we should expect the same for our own attempts. We don’t know enough, or have the authority, to decide the details.
Reposted by Alessandro
it’s so insane that the most annoying caricatured leftist ideologue you can think of has moved from being mildly incorrect to unabashedly correct about the US in like a weekend and anyone who thinks otherwise can be proven wrong by simply reading the news
January 6, 2026 at 6:39 AM
it’s so insane that the most annoying caricatured leftist ideologue you can think of has moved from being mildly incorrect to unabashedly correct about the US in like a weekend and anyone who thinks otherwise can be proven wrong by simply reading the news
Reposted by Alessandro
1/ McGill is searching for high profile candidates (advanced associate or Full) to apply for the Impact+ chairs funded by the Federal Government of Canada.These chairs are for candidates who are currently not residing or working in Canada.
January 8, 2026 at 2:52 PM
1/ McGill is searching for high profile candidates (advanced associate or Full) to apply for the Impact+ chairs funded by the Federal Government of Canada.These chairs are for candidates who are currently not residing or working in Canada.
Novo Nordisk is responding to the expiration of its patent in Canada in an odd way: it's creating rebranded versions of Ozempic and Wegovy that are identical in everything but name; the rebranded versions will differ only in marketing and price.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
January 7, 2026 at 1:48 AM
Novo Nordisk is responding to the expiration of its patent in Canada in an odd way: it's creating rebranded versions of Ozempic and Wegovy that are identical in everything but name; the rebranded versions will differ only in marketing and price.
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
“ … the tendency of large families to devolve into singing ensembles—a phenomenon described by political scientists as the ‘Captain vonʼ Trap.”
January 6, 2026 at 1:52 AM
“ … the tendency of large families to devolve into singing ensembles—a phenomenon described by political scientists as the ‘Captain vonʼ Trap.”
On pre-internet workplace distraction:
In the late 1990s, Clinton is at a trade talk in Chile, with 33 other leaders.
Mid-meeting, he asks Sandy Berger, his national security advisor, for the red folder. Its cover reads “FOR THE PRESIDENT’S EYES ONLY”.
Inside are three NYT crossword puzzles.
In the late 1990s, Clinton is at a trade talk in Chile, with 33 other leaders.
Mid-meeting, he asks Sandy Berger, his national security advisor, for the red folder. Its cover reads “FOR THE PRESIDENT’S EYES ONLY”.
Inside are three NYT crossword puzzles.
One of the big changes from print periodicals to digital analytics is we now know that people mostly read stuff when they're at the office pretending to work.
www.slowboring.com/p/nobody-wil...
www.slowboring.com/p/nobody-wil...
Nobody will read this article
And that’s fine — no matter what I wrote about today, it would be doomed.
www.slowboring.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:11 PM
On pre-internet workplace distraction:
In the late 1990s, Clinton is at a trade talk in Chile, with 33 other leaders.
Mid-meeting, he asks Sandy Berger, his national security advisor, for the red folder. Its cover reads “FOR THE PRESIDENT’S EYES ONLY”.
Inside are three NYT crossword puzzles.
In the late 1990s, Clinton is at a trade talk in Chile, with 33 other leaders.
Mid-meeting, he asks Sandy Berger, his national security advisor, for the red folder. Its cover reads “FOR THE PRESIDENT’S EYES ONLY”.
Inside are three NYT crossword puzzles.
Reposted by Alessandro
The Globe just went full Melian Dialogue.
January 4, 2026 at 11:52 AM
The Globe just went full Melian Dialogue.
Here is what *would* be going into Canada's public domain tomorrow if we hadn't extended copyright under CUSMA. Instead, we'll need to wait until 2046.
WRITERS:
Hannah Arendt
P.G. Wodehouse
Julian Huxley, biologist and brother of Aldous
Arnold J. Toynbee
WRITERS:
Hannah Arendt
P.G. Wodehouse
Julian Huxley, biologist and brother of Aldous
Arnold J. Toynbee
December 31, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Here is what *would* be going into Canada's public domain tomorrow if we hadn't extended copyright under CUSMA. Instead, we'll need to wait until 2046.
WRITERS:
Hannah Arendt
P.G. Wodehouse
Julian Huxley, biologist and brother of Aldous
Arnold J. Toynbee
WRITERS:
Hannah Arendt
P.G. Wodehouse
Julian Huxley, biologist and brother of Aldous
Arnold J. Toynbee
![Extract from the article for Joseph Leutgeb, in the section on his relationship with Mozart. Highlighted is the text,
"In one place, [Mozart] marks the orchestra part 'Allegro' and the solo part 'Adagio', perhaps mocking the tendency of horn notes to come in late, dragging the tempo."
The full extract reads as follows:
Leutgeb was most likely Mozart's favorite horn player, as a number of the composer's works were written for him. These include the Horn Concertos K. 417, K. 495 and K. 412/386b (514) and "probably"[4] the Horn Quintet K. 407/386c. These date from Mozart's years in Vienna after his move there in 1781. The concertos are at the core of the solo horn literature and are widely performed today. These works were written for natural horn, the valved instrument not being invented until after 1814 when Heinrich Stölzel invented the valve, patented in 1818. Leutgeb thus needed to exercise great lip control, as well as using the hand-stopping technique (hand in bell) to play chromatic notes.
Mozart had a curious joking relationship with Leutgeb, seen for instance in the mocking comments he placed in Leutgeb's horn parts. K. 417 bears the mock dedication: "Wolfgang Amadé Mozart takes pity on Leutgeb, ass, ox, and simpleton, at Vienna, 27 March 1783". In one place he marks the orchestra part "Allegro" and the solo part "Adagio", perhaps mocking the tendency of horn notes to come in late, dragging the tempo. For another possible instance, see K. 412. The multicolored inks in K. 495 are often taken to be a kind of joke, though Mozart biographer Konrad Küster has claimed they had a purpose, specifically "to make some musical suggestions to the interpreters."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:3vdbfu36k4qfusl46uajvydb/bafkreifgjpdls4ufbh5c2ct7xctiabmxwt53t2j43qhcc4zg7fyby53t24@jpeg)
December 29, 2025 at 10:23 PM