Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Julia Azari @juliaazari.bsky.social · 3h

states and political structures and such are there to serve humanity, not the other way around. nationalism is a lie and should be rejected. we need to be pretty clear about this.

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 23h

People don't realize how literally this was meant... vancouver.ca/green-vancou...

Greenest City Action Plan

Greenest City is a bold initiative that addresses Vancouver's environmental challenges.

vancouver.ca

Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 1d

Neatly torn between "absolutely must send this to my brother-in-law" and "cannot under any circumstances send this to my brother-in-law."

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 1d

This is brilliant.

More broadly, would love a scholarly consideration of how politicians prioritizing speedy travel - perhaps due to work demands, but also maybe oversized egos - leads to so much bad policy, from disabling speed enforcement to lack of taking air travel seriously as climate problem.

Isaac Callan @isaaccallan.bsky.social · 1d

Here are some of the automated speed enforcement tickets given to vehicles assigned to Ford cabinet ministers. #OnPoli

Story ▶️ globalnews.ca/news/1146373...

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Neil Flanagan 🧱🗃️ @jgbollard.bsky.social · 2d

Basically all professional journals treat multifamily dwellings as a selfish convenience with serious social costs in the 1920s. They always are opposed to the purportedly universal necessity of detached houses—which they always conflate with ownership and eusocial behavior.

Are Apartments Necessary?

An Important Test as to the Legality of Zoning Regulations. Judge Kramer Rules Against Establishment of Apartment Houses in Resident Sections

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 4d

"The total regional [Development Cost Charge] for a new apartment in the Vancouver sewerage area was $6,249 last year. It escalated to $13,392 this year, and will rise further to $17,873 in 2026 and $20,906 in 2027. That’s a total increase of 235 per cent."

see: metrovancouver.org/about-us/dev...

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 5d

counterargument

a man in a suit says let them fight in front of a group of soldiers

ALT: a man in a suit says let them fight in front of a group of soldiers

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Jens von Bergmann @jensvb.bsky.social · 5d

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 5d

Petite bourgeoisie = owns the means of production but is less than 6 ft for men / 5'7 for women / 5'10 for enbies. I don't make the rules, Lenin did

Doubtful Ghost 👻 @doubtful-guest.bsky.social · 5d

Petite bourgeoisie?

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 5d

So much this.

The collapse of "working class" into an education category is straight-up terrible social science.

But don't take my word for it. We can actually ASK people about their social class & see how crummy the match is! e.g. here from 2017...

homefreesociology.com/2017/04/26/g...

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Bryn Davidson - Lanefab @lanefab.com · 7d

So, here's our vision for the 'New Vancouver Special':

Existing owners redevelop their lot, building 6 "family size" flats, and keeping 2 for themselves

4 additional families buy in as co-developers

City provides "outright" zoning so the permit can be had in the same timeline as a house

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 6d

Sewer socialism adjacent reminder for me to pay more attention to what's happening in Montréal

Transition Montréal @transitionmontreal.bsky.social · 6d

Our mayoral candidate, @craigsauve.bsky.social, promises the construction of two hundred fifty public toilets that are heated, well lighted, and universally accessible by 2029. #polMtl

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 7d

Chuckling just because I think the idea of what's librarian-coded has really been... um... changing in recent years.

www.nypl.org/blog/2019/07...

Books and Ink: The Literary Tattoos of NYPL Staff | The New York Public Library

Tattooing has been around for thousands of years, and it's no surprise that books and literature often serve as tattoo inspiration.

www.nypl.org

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 7d

Most of the power authoritarians have is freely given. We should not comply with them in advance.

Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.

We have been sent here to fight for people.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 7d

AOC: I think there's two things that are happening at once: One, there absolutely is an unprecedented abuse of power, destruction of norms, erosion of our government and our democracy in order to prop up an authoritarian style of governance

However, they are weaker than they look…

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 8d

It was very special to work with six brilliant, thoughtful Indigenous writers — Michelle Good, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Eva Jewell, Janelle Lapointe, Anna McKenzie and Riley Yesno — on this series about truth and reconciliation, in print & online for @thewalrus.ca. thewalrus.ca/truth-and-re...

The Truth of Reconciliation | The Walrus

The TRC report, released in 2015, laid out ninety-four clear Calls to Action. Ten years later, Indigenous writers reflect on what has and hasn’t been achieved

thewalrus.ca

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 8d

Rainbow alert Vancouver!

rainbow over Vancouver, houses in foreground & trees

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 8d

I thought there was an even more formal involvement of Gibson? Here (from 2016) it suggested he "consults for Arc’teryx Veilance" www.documentjournal.com/2016/05/fash...

Fashion in an Age of Technology

Collectible but Not Consumeristic

www.documentjournal.com

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Reposted by Nathan Lauster

Brendan Dawe @dawe.bsky.social · 8d

A brief history of the Vancouver area Interurban Lines

Brendan Dawe @dawe.bsky.social · 8d

a whole bunch of providers jumped into fill that niche when electric train technology became available, they just tended to 'spend' the advantages of the tech on cheaper right of way or greater coverage in ways that made them quite uncompetitive in the motorized era

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 8d

From the same WSJ piece. Go WA & OR reforms!

Legit a little surprised that Wash DC hasn't been hit harder by the deliberate hollowing out of the federal workforce yet, but I suppose this is still just from the first quarter.

Plus I suppose there are still a LOT of grifters headed to town.

Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 8d

Here for the dunking.

Which the diagonal makes a lot easier.

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 11d

Friday fig harvest.

First time I might have enough from my Brown Turkey tree to try and make jam!

A bowl of freshly harvested and mostly purplish Brown Turkey figs with a bicycle glass, tomatoes, and a cat timer on a counter

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 11d

Such a weird take, especially insofar as property rights were explicitly, and somewhat unusually, not part of the Charter... publications.gc.ca/Collection-R...

Property rights and the Constitution (BP-268E)

publications.gc.ca

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 11d

Our premier just keeps getting taller every time I see him...

Shannon Waters @sobittersosweet.bsky.social · 12d

Premier Davie Eby is addressing the UBCM this morning

There's a climate protest outside and they brought this

An inflatable of BC Premier David Eby outside the Victoria Conference Centre. The pr Mier has his arms around two smoke stacks, one says Oil, the other says LNG. The base of the inflatable looks like fire and says, "Eby: invest in people, NOT pipelines"

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 13d

CBC "Canada's divisive 'weird' chocolate, the Cherry Blossom, now worth its weight in gold" www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

...just in case anyone's in the market for news stories celebrating the delightful quirkiness of people topped off with a dash of touching detail...

extract of CBC picture of big bushy bearded guy quoted with his cherry blossom and jade statue connected to his grandma

CBC story text:

He says he has no idea when he bought the one he found in his candy drawer. He couldn't find an expiry date on the box. His wife, Ball said, "was absolutely beside herself disgusted" that he was still considering trying the chocolate despite all that.

But when asked if he might keep it for memory's sake, or might try to sell it for profit, Ball said he couldn't.

"No. I've already eaten it," he said with a laugh, explaining he sat down with a jade bear figurine from his grandmother to enjoy the treat while thinking of her. She died several years ago, Ball said.

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Nathan Lauster @lausterna.bsky.social · 13d

Delta puts together a proposal for townhouse-only zoning... and gets in on the game of trying to explain BC municipalities' newest planning concept of "pre-zoning"

(perhaps inadvertently explaining a key portion of how we got into housing shortage in the first place) letstalk.delta.ca/pre-zoning

Delta explanation of Pre-Zoning text:

What is Pre-Zoning?

Pre-zoning is a process where a municipality proactively changes the zoning for certain areas to align with land use designations, to encourage certain types of development such as housing. This would speed up the process for getting new housing built faster. Future projects in a pre-zoned area could apply for permits directly without needing a lengthier rezoning process. Pre-zoning is considered in locations that are consistent with the Official Community Plan (OCP)

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