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Jul 24 2023

Sleepy vote. Emergency protocol. Xing Twitter.

Jul 24, 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.
Canada

Canada issued 1,638 visas for the conference, and the documents show that at least 251 people, or about 15 per cent, claimed asylum after entering Canada. [Global]
A federal byelection is being held in Calgary on Monday to fill a seat left vacant since a Conservative MP called it quits last year, but the outcome is not expected to have much of a ripple effect across the country. The Conservative candidate and presumptive MP Shuv Majumdar is very highly regarded by Poilievre's team and if the CPC ever forms a government, I could easily see Majumdar be appointed foreign minister.  [CP]
From the provinces
Emergency closures so common that Ontario has developed a protocol
Since January, there have been more than 100 temporary emergency closures across the province and a permanent closure in Minden. [Ott Citizen]
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Elsewhere

A Catalan independence leader on the run from Spanish justice could hold the key to unlocking a political impasse after Sunday's election ended in a hung parliament. [Reuters]
The Governor’s strategy for revitalizing her state has two parts: to grow, Michigan needs young people; to draw young people, it needs to have the social policies they want.  [New Yorker]

Rasmussen Reports is polling — and pushing — election denialism and COVID-19 vaccine skepticism. Can they still be the Walmart of pollsters? [HuffPo]
French political candidates will not be allowed to have a blue tick on Twitter six months ahead of an election, campaign financing authorities said. [Euronews]
Media
Is The New York Times A Tech Company?
Last year, the company added 1 million subscribers to its base, bringing its total up to 9.7 million this year. It also boasts a slew of acquisitions, including but not limited to The Athletic, Wirecutter, Serial Productions, and Wordle. How did they rise so quickly, in a sea of struggling media companies? This week, OTM correspondent Micah Loewinger teases out the secret to the Times' success, and traces the transformation of the company into a stable, profitable powerhouse of the Internet — by trying to mimic, and beat, Big Tech at its own game. [On The Media]
Elon Musk has unveiled a new black and white “X” logo to replace Twitter’s famous blue bird as he follows through with a major rebranding of the the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year. [AP]
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Issued this day ...
Issued this day in 1998: Sc # 1738: William James Roué. Design: Louis C. Hébert.
Canada Post press release at time of issue: 
“From a very young age, William James Roué (1879-1970) amused himself by sailing bits of wood and shingles in gutters and drawing pictures of yachts - childhood hobbies which foreshadowed a career that would bring him national fame. That young boy went on to design the most renowned fishing craft in Canadian history: the Bluenose.

Weighing in at 154 tons, the schooner was launched at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, over 75 years ago. The vessel was commissioned by Nova Scotians in the hopes of redeeming Canada's loss to the U.S. in the 1920 International Fisherman's Race. The Maritimers were determined to win the trophy for Canada in the 1921 contest. To meet the challenge, they needed to build a salt banker with the speed of a fresh fisherman vessel, and the province insisted that the design come from home.

Though his experience was that of a yacht designer, Roué, a self-taught naval architect, conceived and realized a remarkable design. In 1921, Canada won the International Fisherman's Race, and Roué was rewarded with a gold watch and commemorative scroll.  

In his lifetime, Roué created more than 100 designs for commercial vessels, including two fleets of freighters for Newfoundland and the Arctic and a number of ferries. Roué passed away in 1970 at the age of 90.

Over the past decades, the Bluenose has been featured on three stamps: a 1929 50-cent issue, a 1982 60-cent stamp that commemorated the International Philatelic Youth Exhibition, and a 1988 37-cent issue that celebrated Bluenose skipper Angus Walters. The 1929 Bluenose stamp [which forms the background of this stamp] is the most famous of Canadian stamps, recognized around the world.”

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