Oct 15, 2023
David Akin's Roundup
Clippings of #cdnpoli, #media, and #tech content aimed at those with an interest in Canadian politics and policy. And sometimes Canadian postage stamps.
A warm welcome to new readers and a reminder to all that the headlines and blurbs here are generated by the publishers themselves. If I've got a comment, it will be in italics within the blurb. But if I'm writing something longer than a comment, you will see me tag out with - DA

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Israel-Gaza
Twenty-two-year-old Shir Georgy went missing after the militant group Hamas attacked the music festival she was attending in Israel last Saturday. [Global]
Israel says northern Gaza offensive coming 'soon'
Israeli forces are planning a widespread offensive, but didn't say when the assault would happen. The announcement came as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians scrambled to leave northern Gaza. [NPR]
Canada is deeply concerned by the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. We are working closely with allies and partners in the region to do everything we can to support affected Canadian citizens, including assistance departing from Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel as quickly and safely as possible. [PMO]
The vast network of tunnels under Gaza are used to hide out or move around covertly, but the tunnels are now mostly likely a place to hold hostages. [Global]
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the federal government is still working to get Canadians out of the besieged Gaza Strip as the Palestinian territory braces for an expected ground invasion by Israel. [TorStar]
The social media platform published a lengthy blog post on its moderation efforts, noting that it’s working with fluent Hebrew and Arabic speakers to monitor and respond to the situation. [The Verge]
While such information has proliferated on X after Saturday’s attack, the research is believed to be the first concrete evidence that deliberate propaganda to mislead people about the conflict has gone unchecked on the platform. Combined, the accounts’ misleading posts and videos have millions of views. [NBC]
As Musk and Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino have rolled back the platform’s rules of engagement and rid their ranks of the content-moderation teams and tools that actually keep X trustworthy, they’ve also put in place a system that fundamentally incentivizes the spread of misinformation during times of mass panic and confusion, in part because X is now a platform that pays for viral content. [Slate]
Provencher MP Ted Falk (CPC): Canada’s Parliament pledges our solidarity with the victims of Hamas and supports Israel’s right to defend itself against these ongoing attacks and respond appropriately to the attackers. [The Carillon]
Canada
NDP Leader Singh gets lower approval vote than expected
Althia Raj: Members are disillusioned with the pact but the deal continues, Singh said at the NDP convention in Hamilton, so the party can deliver gains such as dental care. [TorStar]

Delegates at the New Democratic convention have made pharmacare the redline in their deal with the Liberals, saying they will withdraw their support if the minority government doesn't adhere to their demands. [CP]

From the provinces
The federal government’s multibillion-dollar offer to help build the Atlantic Loop “is not transferable to other clean energy projects,” Dominic LeBlanc's office is warning. That’s as Premier Blaine Higgs says his government wants to pursue other projects, including a different transmission corridor. [Telegraph-Journal]
Move to double fees for students from other provinces has all the markings of a separatist government, top Liberals say at a party general council meeting. [Montreal Gazette] 
People in Richmound, Saskatchewan rallied against Romana Didulo Saturday, after the village mayor gave a news conference. [Leader Post]
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Elsewhere
Poles vote in a high-stakes election that will determine whether right-wing party stays in power
Voting is underway in a high-stakes election in Poland that will chart the way forward for the European Union member on NATO's eastern flank. [AP]

Frightened by unprecedented violence on the streets and within prisons, Ecuadorians have a universal demand for their next president — safety. [AP]
Media
Google to pay German publishers 3.2 million eur per year on interim basis for publication of news content. [Investing.com]
Aurel Manea has released copyright on 4,700 high-resolution photos of mostly landscapes. The highlights include dazzling photos of the Northern Lights, the Tuscan hills of Italy, and Monument Valley in Arizona. [PetaPixel]
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Sci/Tech
The Secret Power of ‘Read It Later’ Apps
This piece is from 2022 and it makes an excellen t case for "read it later" apps and for reading in general!. My read-it-later app for years has InstaPaper but this week i came across a new open-source app -- Omnivore -- that looks really promising. It's got the ability to integrate newsletters (like this one!), RSS feeds and can do PDFs. - DA
[ForteLabs]
It's another nail in the DVD coffin. [ZDNet]

Issued this day ...
.. in 1968: Sc # 486 - Armistice. Design: Harvey Thomas Prosser.