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Mar 6 2024

Ice-Free Arctic. Trump fakes. Claude stir: The Roundup

Mar 6, 2024
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.
Canada
Projections of an ice-free Arctic Ocean
Consistently ice-free September conditions (frequent occurrences of an ice-free Arctic) are anticipated by mid-century (by 2035–2067), with emission trajectories determining how often and for how long the Arctic could be ice free. Specifically, there is potential for ice-free conditions in May–January and August–October by 2100 under a high-emission and low-emission scenario, respectively. In all cases, sea ice losses begin in the European Arctic, proceed to the Pacific Arctic and end in the Central Arctic, if becoming ice free at all. [Nature]
... the escalating impacts of climate change are forcing policymakers and security experts to reassess and broaden their perspectives. Here, we explore the evolving intersection of climate change and Canadian security, highlighting the reasons behind this paradigm shift and the measures being taken to address the emerging challenges. [Centre for International Policy Studies]
The federal government is resuming funding to UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, CBC News has learned. [CBC]
The two Tory parties have been at odds for months but things have flared up in recent weeks. [TorStar]
More than 100 Iranian-Canadians sent a letter to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Tuesday calling for an investigation of the party's handling of allegations of Iranian regime interference in an Ontario riding nomination race. [CBC]

The Liberal government is heading into its 2024 budget with higher debt costs and a slowing economy, a new report form the Parliamentary Budget Officer shows. [Global]
This report provides a baseline projection to help parliamentarians gauge potential economic and fiscal outcomes under current policy settings. Some assessments from the PBO on the deficit, debt-to-GDP, GDP growth, interest rates as well as a detailed look at the state of government revenues and expenses. [Parliamentary Budget Office]
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the Penticton Seniors’ Centre March 9. [Penticton Western News]
From the Provinces
B.C.’s wine industry is still reeling from January’s cold snap. Orchardists say major crop losses will occur, possibly up to 90 per cent. [Global]
Elsewhere
Trump supporters target black voters with faked AI images
Faked images of black voters with Trump are a growing disinformation trend in the US election, the BBC finds. [BBC]

Nikki Haley plans to suspend her Republican presidential primary bid in a speech Wednesday morning, people familiar with her plans told The Wall Street Journal. [WSJ]

In 2020, UVBM states had higher turnout than battleground states, where battleground states are defined as those where partisan groups spent at least $90 million on broadcast TV.  Lots of data points about Universal Vote By Mail. [Vote America Research Center]

Deeplina Banerjee: Canada needs to go beyond funding recovery assistance programmes at a surface level. Without understanding social norms and cultural practices that influence women's participation, mobility, and visibility in public spaces, gender equality in Canada's response strategy will be limited to only checklist goals. [International Journal]
Media
New technology to show why images and video are genuine launches on BBC News
'Content credentials' will show how BBC journalists have verified content's authenticity. [BBC] 

The relationship between South Africa’s major publishers and Google has turned hostile and may trigger an aggressive face-off between the parties as the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI) gains momentum. [MoneyWeb]
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Sci/Tech
Anthropic’s Claude 3 causes stir by seeming to realize when it was being tested
Claude: "This pizza topping 'fact' may have been inserted as a joke or to test if I was paying attention." Maybe change the name of this product to HAL? [Ars Technica]
Today, we're announcing the Claude 3 model family, which sets new industry benchmarks across a wide range of cognitive tasks. The family includes three state-of-the-art models in ascending order of capability: Claude 3 Haiku, Claude 3 Sonnet, and Claude 3 Opus. Available in 190+ countries but not in Canada!! Argh!!  [Anthropic]

A new report says a plug-in hybrid can beat out the greenest of electric vehicles. [WaPo]
Many of the biggest changes in iOS 17.4 are limited to people in the European Union, but there new additions in the update that are available worldwide. Apple also says there a couple of crucial security updates. Update right away. [MacRumors]
There are several free (and paid) AI detection tools on the market that can come in handy when evaluating writing. But even with these detection tools, there are ways people have found to sneak AI stories through by using tools such as BypassGPT. Be careful! [Journalists Toolbox]
You should be looking at the road, but Waze is trying. I'm a straight Google Maps guy when I need to get from A to Z or check out the commute to work but many friends swear by Google's other driving app - Waze. [The Verge]
The Calendar
  • 0900 ET: HoC Foyer - Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc speaks about the POEC final report.
  • 0900 ET: Englishtown, NS - LPC MP Jaime Battiste makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1000 ET: 225A West Block, - Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) | Meeting 106 - Report 1, ArriveCAN, of the 2024 Report 1 of the Auditor General of Canada
  • 1000 ET: Sault Ste Marie, ON - Labour Min Seamus O'Regan and LPC MP Terry Sheehan meet with seniors.
  • 1200 ET: Edmonton, - Employment Min Randy Boissonnault makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1230 ET: Thompson, MB - ACOA Min Gudie Hutchings makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1245 ET: Toronto - Energy and Natural Resources Min Jonathan Wilkinson speaks to reporters.
  • 1245 ET: Courtenay, BC - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP MPs Rachel Blaney and Gord Johns visit LUSH Valley Food Action Society and speak about school food programs. 
  • 1300 ET: Pemberton, BC - LPC MP Patrick Weiler makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1330 ET: Burnaby, BC - Citizen Services Min Terry Beech makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1400 ET: Sudbury, ON - Immigration Min Marc Miller announces new immigration pilot programs.
  • 1400 ET: Woodbridge, ON - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a CPC fundraising event.
  • 1400 ET: Sault Ste Marie, ON - Labour Min Seamus O'Regan and LPC MP Terry Sheehan tours Algoma Steel.
  • 1430 ET: Mississauga, ON - Energy and Natural Resources Min Jonathan Wilkinson makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1530 ET: Denman Island, BC - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and NDP MP Gord Johns visit Denman Island Firehall.
  • 1730 ET: Calgary - LPC MP George Chahal makes a funding announcement. 
  • 1730 ET: Toronto - Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at a CPC fundraising event.
Issued this day ...
… in 1980. Scott #852a plate block. Academy of Arts. Design: Jean Morin.
The pair of stamps featured here was one-half of a quartet issued this day in 1980 to feature some notable Canadian art works. This pair includes Parliament Buildings by Thomas Fuller (1823-1898) and Sunrise on the Saguenay (1880) by Lucius O’Brien (1832-1899). 

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