Aleksander Bajrak

@abajrak

Pronounced 'bye-rack'. Fail whale expat and former editor, now work in comms. Cosmopolitan. #Coffee enthusiast. Passionately curious; obviously wrong views my own.

245 Following1,638 Followers938 Posts

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Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· 28d

Because Toronto air quality: This is low-key the smartest resource CBC News has published. Can't recommend it enough. www.cbc.ca/newsinteract...

'How much has burned so far this year in Canada' chart, part of "Tracking wildfires in Canada" infographics page managed by CBC's Graeme Bruce.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jun 30

I don't think we really appreciate how weird a moment this is, collectively, for Canadian sports. Bluesky has never fully encountered the Trade Raptor joke. globalnews.ca/news/5213493...

The parody mascot in the Bleacher Report "Game of Zones" episode predicting the Toronto Raptors would win the 2019 NBA Championship. After "eating" DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick, the Trade Raptor returns with Kawhi Leonard (and Danny Green).

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTU8iRdwfGc

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jun 15

For those wondering: Russia, in the 5th year of this war: - attacked the Orthodox monastery in Kyiv that holds Ilya Muromets, Nestor the Chronicler and & *checks notes* Yuri I Vladimirovich ("Founder of Moscow") Dolgorukiy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyiv_Pechersk_Lavra

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jun 10

It is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Canadian Senator Paula Simons' Facebook post from 2019.

Google AI search for "who is married to paula simons" still puts in Kim Bullard anyway.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· May 29

As you wish. cc: @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social canva.link/u0aedw6k0pem...

Quick design for a "Heck Yeah, I'm Canadian" tee on Canva.

Back: "Vote Option #1 [for Alberta to stay in Canada] on Monday, October 19"

(No need to credit - just run with it.)

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· May 28

Me: "He spent his first ever copy in a nationally-read newspaper writing that cats make you look less masculine on dating profiles." Cat: "???"

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· May 23

I'm going to have too much fun with this. #bluejays

"OK Blue Jays, let's play ball!" (See also DS9 episode "Take Me Out to the Holosuite")

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Apr 15

Who is this guy and why is he not on Bluesky?

dancatdad on Facebook: "Oddly, there's no male loneliness epidemic for cat guys"

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Apr 14

Sam Roberts, easily.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Apr 12

The Tokaji is out. 🇭🇺 #Hungary

Hungarian sweet desert wine on Orthodox Easter Sunday. #Magyarország

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Apr 3

Your average Bluesky feed right now: (Excellent timing, sir.)

Post 1: "NASA shared a high resolution image [THAT one] of the Earth captured during the Artemis II mission."

Followed one minute later by:

Post 2: "Trump admin proposed a 23% cut in NASA's budget, right as its new Moon mission kicks off. Science programs would be hit especially hard -- almost cut in half."

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Apr 2

Canadian edition.

Toronto Sun columnist Lorrie Goldstein (on the hellsite, timestamped August 18, 2023):

"Imagine if the White House had said it was preparing for the defeat of the Trudeau government in the next election. This is amateur-hour stuff, Liberals appealing to their base: Canada mulling 'game plan' if U.S. takes far-right, authoritarian shift - [Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie] Joly"

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Feb 8

Oh great, now I have nothing to complain about. #EglintonLRT

On the Eglinton Crosstown on its opening day. (Mount Dennis station was freezing, but the LRT is otherwise functional.)

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Feb 6

Liked this #Line5 advertising by TTC this morning.

"Line 5 [the Eglinton Crosstown LRT] will be open [on Sunday] February 8. Especially to your feedback."

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 28

TIL there are *cheese* latkes.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 20

And because we are at the “posting dumb memes of foreign leaders because my blackmail of Denmark isn’t working” stage of all this, another timely quote from Abraham Lincoln:

“Passion has helped us, but can do so no more. It will in future be our enemy. Reason—cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason—must furnish all the materials for our future support and defense. Let those materials be molded into general intelligence, sound morality, and, in particular, a reverence for the Constitution and laws…”

President Abraham Lincoln (R), Address Delivered Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, IL, 1837.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 8

22. Stephen Harper (2006-2015): Two cats, Stanley and Gypsy. Particular props goes to his wife Laureen, for fostering at least 200 cats as a volunteer for @ottawahumane.bsky.social and foisting numerous on Cabinet ministers and MPs alike. macleans.ca/news/canada/...

Stanley as one of the last rulers of 24 Sussex Drive, prior to the residence's current state of disrepair.

Harper is also responsible for this quote: "I think people should elect a cat person. If you elect a dog person, you elect someone who wants to be loved. If you elect a cat person, you elect someone who wants to serve."

Link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/harper-transition-24-sussex-cats-bats-1.3294339

An honest-to-god letter sent by a former Prime Minister.

Link: https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/pms-cat-becomes-reddit-celebrity-as-harper-apparently-mails-glossy-feline-photo-to-letter-writer

(Perhaps the only time the National Post discusses PM Harper in an *unflattering* light.)

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 8

15. Pierre Trudeau (1968-1979, 1980-1984): No cat. Nonetheless, there are hints of a future golden age in PM–Cat relations. A visitor to the cat colony, his ministry updates the Criminal Code for the first time in decades to address animal cruelty. digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcont...

Copy of a Canadian Press wire photo of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, with a "Hang in There, Baby" poster outside the PMO.

Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/387829103300

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 8

For a 2026 timeline cleanse (and because every day is #Caturday), I intend to delve into a niche but very relevant historical subject – cats & Canada's Prime Ministers. 🍁 Felines have been recorded as cohabitating with (read: been owners of) a few Canadian political families. 🧵 #cdnpoli #historysky

A kitty guarding Purrliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada.

Source: Canadian Parliamentary Review (http://www.revparl.ca/41/4/41n4e_18_sketches.pdf)

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 6

A Modest Proposal to @bencollins.bsky.social and @lolennui.bsky.social: Create a headline generator webpage.

Mock The Onion hed: "Research Suggests Tariffs Lead To Stock Market Crash, Could Also Successfully Reduce Inflation"

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Jan 2

Seriously, I've been waiting for some time. @graphicmatt.com is waiting. @swanboatsteve.bsky.social has also been waiting.

"...[S]ubsidizing operating costs not covered by fare revenue is a City of Toronto responsibility, despite having the fewest available revenue tools of all orders of government. This is a uniquely Ontario-based problem, since higher levels of government generally help subsidize transit operations throughout the rest of North America. ... in the face of dramatic ridership revenue shortfalls due to the [COVID-19] pandemic, the federal and provincial governments broke with their contemporary practice of not directly funding transit operating costs, and provided [in 2020-2022] $1.2 billion in emergency operating funding on top of an increase in the City’s annual operating contribution.

... One of the paradoxes of the current moment is that at the same time as the TTC and other transit systems across the country are facing uncertainty around transit operating grants from government that are critical to maintain service levels, there is more public money than ever being spent on transit capital investments. ... expansion projects being undertaken during the current period are predominantly being led by the provincial agency Metrolinx ... have a total capital value of $28 billion, and represent the largest burst of rapid transit expansion in Toronto’s history. While the TTC has not contributed significantly to the capital costs of these projects from its own capital budget, it will have a role in operating some of the new services and will incur new operating costs when they open ...

By contrast, the TTC has the less glamorous but no less important role of maintaining and expanding the capital assets of the existing transit network. In the 2022 Capital Investment Plan, the TTC has identified $23.3 billion in capital spending need over the next 10 years, of which only $12 billion, or just over half, is funded."

Source: UofT (https://www.mobilitynetwork.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mobility-Network-Discussion-Paper-Economic-Benefits-of-Transit-December-2022.pdf)

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Dec 27

You will be visited by three spirits. @officialmelbrooks.bsky.social

Barf (John Candy), Yoghurt (Mel Brooks) and Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) in SPACEBALLS (1987).

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Dec 24

The centralized editorial team was a mix of old and new in the Canadian journalism industry. It was very much a "fish out of water" moment for me, as I wasn't from #HamOnt myself.

The Metroland Media Group (Torstar) copy-editing section in the Hamilton Spec office at close of business.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Dec 24

The setting is the old Hamilton Spectator (@thespec1846.bsky.social) newsroom. If you're from the city, or have travelled to it, you'll know exactly where this is.

The now-sold Spectator building, mailroom and printing plant on Frid St. on a regular commute.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Dec 24

Everyone gather 'round the fireplace, Bluesky. It's Christmas story time! Let me tell you of a heartwarming incident while I was in my heyday journalist years. It'll guarantee a laugh.

Random stock photo of a cozy living room on Christmas Eve.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Dec 21

Opening titles from MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975):

"The directors of the firm hired to continue the credits after the other people had been sacked, wish it to be known that they have just been sacked. The credits have been completed in an entirely different style at great expense and at the last minute"

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Dec 14

Continues to be one of the most timely tweets of the decade. (Surprised it's still online on the Bad Place™.)

Brendan Cox, the (now-disgraced) widower of MP Jo Cox, responding to Nigel Farage on Twitter in 2016:

"Far-right and Islamist extremists share same hate-driven psychology, intolerance towards difference and tendency to violence. We must defeat both".

Josep Maria García, saddened that someone had to reference "The Worst Person You Know Just Made a Great Point" again.

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Nov 20

"The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War" by Don H. Doyle. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/don-h... Excerpt from the introduction:

"Foreign admirers typically regarded the United States not as some exceptional city upon a hill, but as exactly the opposite: an imperfect but viable model of society based on universal principles of natural rights and theories of government that originated in Europe but had thus far failed to succeed there. In the 1860s, they were horrified to see government of the people seriously imperiled in the one place it had achieved its most enduring success. Abraham Lincoln was hardly boasting when he referred to America as the 'last best hope of earth.' His was a forlorn plea to defend America's—and the world's—experiment in popular government.

In the mid-nineteenth century, it appeared to many that the world was moving away from democracy and equality toward repressive government and the expansion of slavery. Far from being pushed off the world's stage by human progress, slavery, aristocratic rule, and imperialism seemed to be finding new life and aggressive new defenders. The Confederate South had no intention of putting slavery on the road to extinction; its very purpose in breaking away was to extend and perpetuate slavery—forever, according to its constitution. Had the Confederacy succeeded, it would have meant a new birth of slavery, rather than freedom, possibly throughout the Americas, and it would have been a serious blow to the experiment in egalitarian democracy throughout the Atlantic world." (p. 10)

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Nov 12

If you wanted to hear how this era in dance music sounded like, I've compiled an #Anjuna25 playlist of must-listens. #TranceSky music.apple.com/ca/playlist/... open.spotify.com/playlist/6c9...

25 Years of Anjunabeats/Anjunadeep/Anjunachill etc. #EDM #PLUR #TranceFamily
My Top 25:

1. Slusnik Luna - Sun 2011 (4 Strings Remix)
2. Oliver Smith - Nimbus (Original Mix)
3. Above & Beyond pres. OceanLab - Beautiful Together (Signum Remix)
4. Signalrunners - Meet Me In Montauk (Original Mix)
5. Matt Lange - Rift (Original Mix)
6. Soundprank - The Far Side (Original Mix)
7. Jaytech - Spacelift (Original Mix)
8. Super8 & Tab feat. Anton Sonin - Black Is The New Yellow (Original Mix)
9. Above & Beyond - Anjunabeach (Original Mix)
10. Ost & Meyer - Britanica (Original Mix)
11. Evbointh - One Wish (Original Mix)
12. ilan Bluestone feat. EL Waves - Mama Africa (Extended Mix)
13. Norin & Rad - Bloom (Original Mix)
14. Nitrous Oxide - Frozen Dreams (Original Mix)
15. Maor Levi feat. Ashley Tomberlin - Chasing Love (Original Mix)
16. Above & Beyond - Alone Tonight (Above & Beyond's Club Mix)
17. Luminary - Amsterdam (Smith & Pledger Remix)
18. Basic Perspective - Small Step On The Other Side (Original Mix)
19. Kyau & Albert - Falling Anywhere (Kyau & Albert Rework)
20. Boom Jinx & Daniel Kandi - Azzura (Original Mix)
21. Paul Keeley - Life Aquatic (Original Mix)
22. Above & Beyond pres. OceanLab - Ashes (Oliver Smith Remix)
23. Marsh - Lost In You (Extended Mix)
24. Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston - Good For Me (Above & Beyond Club Mix)
25. Mat Zo feat. Janai - Time On Your Side

Aleksander Bajrak@abajrak· Oct 22

I'm sure someone already has done this, but: Wearing symbols of totalitarian government is bad and disqualifying for public office.