Sam Bird 🏔️🍁🇨🇦

@sambir.bsky.social

4308 Followers 940 Following

Geographer. Mostly harmless. Mountains > oceans. Permafrost is cool. Rivers and lakes are pretty nice too.

Small waves lap gently on a golden sand beach while the tail and dorsal fin of a shark poke above the water. The shark is patrolling the shallow water along the beach looking for food. I assume innocent tourists are the preferred food and conclude swimming is stupid anyway.
Just another day in Australia. A weathered sign depicting a snake at the entry of a children's playground. The text on the sign reads, "CAUTION" in large yellow letters before continuing in smaller blue letters, "SNAKES MAY BE FOUND IN THIS AREA" going on in still smaller LETTERS, "IF A SNAKE IS ENCOUNTERED:" And although you, the non-Australian reader of this warning, are probably now rather keenly interested to know what to do in such an alarming situation, the words trail off in even smaller lettering that is no longer in all caps. Getting closer you can read, "Please do not approach, keep your distance and..." By this point you have undoubtedly realized that this is not a good place for your children to play and you should all move to a more reasonable country. The only remaining mystery is why would anyone build a playground for children in such a place and what was wrong in their heads when they did so anyway.
The inside of a birthday card with an "X" from Elections Alberta to let my son know that he is automatically registered to vote now that he is 18.
A bright sunny summer day looking at the parking lot in front of the businesses mentioned in the thread. A red and white classic Austin Mini looking impossiblely small parked between two FULL size black pick up trucks. You could easily park two Austin Minis in the one parking space between the pick up trucks.
View from an airplane window of river channels with blue-brown water and short vegetated drainages cut into a dry, brownish-green plane
Hoodoos along the Bow valley near Banff. Pillar formations left after the soil around them eroded. Some pine and spruce trees surround them. The blue green bow River flows along the valley bottom with some grassy green banks. Summer time clearly.
Screen shot of the linked CBC story. Headline reads, "Alberta's AI data centre boom unleashes 'Gold Rush' for electricity allotments Kalina Distributed Power sold its AESO-allotted megawatts to another company for $18 million" posted February 17th 2026 Text reads, "Last year, as AI data centre proponents competed for a portion of the limited 1,200 megawatts that would connect their projects to the provincial grid, one company secured 180 megawatts from the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) — then sold it to a buyer for $18 million."
Grade = Needs improvement. Screenshot of Alberta NDP's 'about' webpage which does neither heavy, nor even light lifting, to deliver information reads; "A better future. The Alberta NDP are fighting for all Albertans to create a province that’s more progressive, sustainable, and where no one is left behind. For over 50 years, the Alberta NDP has fought for what matters: good jobs, good schools, and strong public healthcare. In 1982, Albertans put their trust in leader Grant Notley and the Alberta NDP became a strong opposition to the PC government. Constitution The constitution of the Alberta New Democratic Party. Download the full document here." https://www.albertandp.ca/about
A dozen or so Ambrosia apples wait patiently beside a few mandarin oranges and a bunch of bananas in a low sided white fruit dish atop a light grey stone countertop.
Flag of Limousin France. A bunch of repeated black shapes that look like Christmas trees, each with three shapes that look like dildos at what would be the top of the tree evenly spread across a white field with a thick red border.
Map of France showing the location of Limousin in the middle of France. The flag and coat of arms are shown above and can be described as a bunch of tiny black Christmas trees with 3 point stars above each on a field of white surrounded by a thick red border. They probably aren't meant to be Christmas trees and three point starts. Up close (and personal?) with the flag, the shapes making up each point of the stars look a lot like dildos. Less so on the coat of arms. The image is from Wikipedia. The description is not from Wikipedia.
Clipping of an illustration from an article titled "Independence Inventory" There is a photo of a toy US tank with a white star. The text beside the tank reads, "Defense: taking the joint approach and doing it their way" I wonder how many ways to read this. I understand that joints were quite popular at the time.
Screenshot of job add for The Bow Valley Insider. The humiliating text includes the following bangers. "AI-First Reporter (remote) Bow Valley Insider Location: Canmore/Banff, Alberta" The description of the customers they look forward to laughing at, "Bow Valley Insider is a digital news publication sent to more than 16,500+ Canmore and Banff locals every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7AM. We’re the largest digital media company in the region, with 1.5 million+ emails sent and 22 million+ social media views in 2025." How they describe babysitting AI slop shovelling, "We’re looking for a part-time reporter to join our team for about 10 hours per week." "This is not a traditional journalism job. In fact, it’s the opposite. You will not be writing your stories. AI will handle the writing. If that sentence bothers you, this isn’t your role." Don't worry bio-based job seeker, your skills are not meaningless, "You still need to be a strong writer, storyteller, and communicator so that you can recognize when AI spits out slop. You’re essentially the editor, quality control, and context-builder, making sure the article actually reflects local reality." What even are words? AI doesn't know and neither do we. "Think of yourself as a reporter who doesn’t type. You investigate, gather, fact-check, shape, and guide. The AI does the drafting."
SBS News Dec 22, 2022 China's foreign ministry has previously said “judicial authorities handled the case in strict accordance with the law, (and) fully protected Yang Hengjun's litigation rights”. Dr Feng accused China of using Dr Yang for “hostage diplomacy”. “The most horrible things actually took place back in early 2019, the first sixth months, he was seriously tortured for a confession to establish the case. We all know the trumped-up case against him, that's why we call it a part of the Chinese hostage diplomacy,” he told SBS News. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/penny-wong-raised-the-issue-of-australians-detained-in-china-in-historic-talks-why-were-they-imprisoned/zxouemtbh
A band of orange cloud between dark purple cloud and a dark outline of trees in the foreground
"In Affectionate Remembrance of ENGLISH CRICKET, which died at the Oval on 29 August 1882, Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances R.I.P. N.B. – The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia." The words of the obituary printed in the Sporting Times, in 1882.
Text from Wikipedia for The real Sun King, Louis XIV. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV "Louis has often been criticised for his vanity. The memoirist Saint-Simon, who claimed that Louis slighted him, criticised him thus: There was nothing he liked so much as flattery, or, to put it more plainly, adulation; the coarser and clumsier it was, the more he relished it. For his part, Voltaire saw Louis's vanity as the cause for his bellicosity: It is certain that he passionately wanted glory, rather than the conquests themselves. In the acquisition of Alsace and half of Flanders, and of all of Franche-Comté, what he really liked was the name he made for himself."
Cartoon of a man on his knees praying with a look of desperation, the text reads, "Please God send us another boom and this time I promise not to piss it all away."
Map of Canada showing cell phone coverage for Telus. Spoiler, the VAST majority of people, and therefore coverage are concentrated along the southern border. Saskatchewan and Alberta are weird (surprising I know) because the coverage is over a much larger percent of the land area. About 80%of the country has no cell coverage because there are too few customers in these areas to pay for cell towers... or power lines... or roads...
Screenshot from CBC News. Title reads, "King Charles gives his Canadian attendant a sword as sovereignty threats intensify" Photo in a palace room of King Charles, wearing a sharp dark suit, picking up a sword from an attending Royal Navy officer. A man with grey hair and beard and a lady stand waiting to accept the sword from the King.
A traditional moose skin on wood frame canoe on display in the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre museum in Yellowknife Canada. The canoe is about 6 meters long and 1.5 wide. A museum visitor is reading an information pannel about the impressive canoe.
Scattered white clouds on a blue sky behind steep mountain sides clothed in light green, yellow and red shrubs. Viewed down the valley, a few dark green fir trees stand amongst the forest of grey standing and fallen trees, rare survivors of a massive forest fire several years ago.
A shapely glass of amber beer is next to a can of "La Fin du Monde". After consuming quantities of this 9% delight, the map of Quebec on the can may come in handy.
Bright green Aurora borealis framed by dark spruce trees (this one's Norman Wells NWT)
View of an Arctic valley. Sparce, stunted spruce trees catch the low rays of the setting sun in the foreground, a wide tundra valley floor sepperates the hillside on the other side cast in a mix of sun and shadows from some towering clouds.
A gray-pink roundish rock with three pits on the surface that look like two wide eyes and a gaping, screaming mouth. Also a fossil corral on the large underlying rock.
Introduction Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is working with nine Indigenous communities on a Crown-Indigenous Working Group (CIWG). The CIWG is exploring options to manage mine water from oil sands mines in the Lower Athabasca Region in Northern Alberta. This includes work to develop potential regulations to allow releases of treated effluent to the Athabasca River. The CIWG is working to assess whether releases are needed, and if so, on the development of the potential regulations. Potential regulations would set protective standards based on the best available scientific information and Indigenous knowledge. In June 2023, ECCC published the Introduction to the Crown-Indigenous Working Group for the Potential Oil Sands Mining Effluent Regulations (Introductory Paper).
Wascana lake in the foreground, a distant tree lined shore in front of the domed Saskatchewan Legislature building. A great big blue sky over all, decorated by a few streaks of thin white cloud cloud and a contrail at high altitude.
Calculation of 300 million divided by 36 and multiplied by 2 equals 16,666,666.666 repeating. to show two months of pay if someone earns $300M over three years.
Screen shot of two posts in a feed. First one jokes that the cure for male loneliness can be found in a new pair of "sick ass Type O [brand] chucks", with photo of a pair of black sneakers with lime green graphics. Second post shows a graph of average July sea surface temperatures over the years. Spoiler, they are going up, up, up. Text says oceans are absorbing 870,000 Hiroshima bombs worth of heat per day. "
MP & then CPC leader, Andrew Scheer standing on stage in a blue suit, backed by a Canadian flag and a black backdrop, cheerfully drinks from a 1 litre carton of milk to showcase his support for dairy supply management policy.
Inflation calculator for the United States shows 36.1% inflation of US CPI between 2015 and June 2025.
A rainbow arcs from grey cloud in front of a sun lit mountain side of forest and a steep rocky peak. An alpine meadow with sparce forest of fir in the foreground. A mountain valley stretching in a gentle bend to the horizon of blue sky and puffy clouds.
Photo of the apple section of a supermarket in Canada May 11, 2025. The shelves are full of a variety of USA grow apples. The only available Canadian grown apples are Ambrosia where the section is nearly empty.
Layered structure of alternating ice and silt in the wall of an tunnel through permafrost. The ice is dark, almost black. The silt is light brown. Beds are slightly bent, deformed and sheared. The layers of silt at the bottom are very thin 1 mm, with ice about 5 to 50 mm thick. There is a a oval silt ball making up one layer, up to 70 mm thick that pinches out at either end. A thick silt layer over more ice is at the top of the frame.
Screen capture from the Australian Broadcasting Corp four voters are shown at voting booths while wearing tight bathing suits, swimming togs, budgie smugglers, call them what you will but the headline reads, "Budgie smugglers, dogs, and last minute election pitches at the polling booths." Another headline reads, "A sign of good luck for Monique Ryan"
Screen shot from ECCC study. Section 5.1.1 within the "Shoreline" section. Highlighted text from a European study of macro plastics in freshwater environments lists the ten most prevalent items found in descending order. Items 9 and 10 are "plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery (1%), and plastic bags (1%)". Cigarette butts are noted to be found in higher abundance in Canada and Europe.
Purple crocus blooming amongst the still dormant and brown prairie grassland. The sky is grey on a blustery early spring day.
Screen shot. Headline Text reads, "DRDO [India's Defence Research and Development Organization] actively seeks domestic and Global Partners to develop indigenous 3000+ HP marine diesel engine for project 76 submarines" Image of a submerged submerged submarine... flying an Indian flag from the conning tower. Raising the question WTF? And hang on, *zooms in...
Text from the screenshot of Wikipedia page for Vidkun Quisling. "In 1933, Quisling founded the fascist Nasjonal Samling (National Gathering). Although he gained some popularity after his attacks on the political left, his party failed to win any seats in the Storting, and by 1940, it was still little more than peripheral. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he attempted to seize power in the world's first radio-broadcast coup d'état but failed since the Germans sought to convince the recognized Norwegian government to legitimize the German occupation, as had been done in Denmark during the simultaneous invasion there, instead of recognizing Quisling. On 1 February 1942, he formed a second government, approved by the Germans, and served as minister president. He headed the Norwegian state administration jointly with the German civilian administrator, Josef Terboven. His pro-Nazi puppet government, known as the Quisling regime, was dominated by ministers from Nasjonal Samling. The collaborationist government participated in Germany's war efforts, and deported Jews out of the country to concentration camps in occupied Poland, where most were killed. Quisling was put on trial during the legal purge in Norway after World War II. He was found guilty of charges including embezzlement, murder and high treason against the Norwegian state, and was... "
In 1933, Quisling founded the fascist Nasjonal Samling (National Gathering). Although he gained some popularity after his attacks on the political left, his party failed to win any seats in the Storting, and by 1940, it was still little more than peripheral. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he attempted to seize power in the world's first radio-broadcast coup d'état but failed since the Germans sought to convince the recognized Norwegian government to legitimize the German occupation, as had been done in Denmark during the simultaneous invasion there, instead of recognizing Quisling. On 1 February 1942, he formed a second government, approved by the Germans, and served as minister president. He headed the Norwegian state administration jointly with the German civilian administrator, Josef Terboven. His pro-Nazi puppet government, known as the Quisling regime, was dominated by ministers from Nasjonal Samling. The collaborationist government participated in Germany's war efforts, and deported Jews out of the country to concentration camps in occupied Poland, where most were killed. Quisling was put on trial during the legal purge in Norway after World War II. He was found guilty of charges including embezzlement, murder and high treason against the Norwegian state, and was... (above text from the screen shot from Wikipedia)
A March 18, 2025 vote projection for the riding of Calgary Centre. It's a toss up. Liberals 45% of poll, plus or minus 8% CPC 43% plus or minus 8% NDP 8% Green 3% CPC recieved 50.9% in 2021 election.
And unidentified man stands blocking the path of four tanks in Tiananmen Square protest. June 1989.
The cover of Farley Mowat's book, "My Discovery of America" A cartoon of Mowat standing naked with a maple leaf acts as a loin cloth preserving his modesty and a large sticker is on his chest reading "U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Reject"
Long screen shot of some random comments from the thread.
A Steller's Jay standing proudly on the roof of a car with pine trees in the background. The bird has bright blue feathers on its body and wings and black feathers on its neck and crested head.
Taken from a helicopter, A densely vegetated tundra landscape, gentle rolling hills pitted with boggy low lying hollows, lakes and ponds to the horizon. Autumn coulours of orange and yellow contrast with the dark blues of the water. The horizon is white with haze and the curvature of the earth meets the sky... If you believe in a round earth that is.
Screenshot from the linked news story. Key text in the photo reads, "Good news for Middle kids? But as for the current studies finding that parents tended to favor the more agreeable and conscientious child? That may be good news for Middle children, according to new Canadian research..." "That study... found that middle children were more cooperative." "... middle-borns scored highest on two personality dimensions involving cooperatives - specifically honesty/humility and agreeableness."
Photo of a book page. Chapter title is "Raven". The text from "Memorandum of the convention of Catholic principles, describing attitudes towards indigenous people, 1924" contains what may be the world's least self aware defence of the cultural assimilation purpose of residential schools ever written. "Several people have desired us to countenance the dances of the Indians and to observe their festivals; but their habits, being the result of free and easy mode of life, cannot conform to the intense struggle for life which our social conditions require."
A book page with the quote from Georges Erasmus "Where common memory is lacking, where people do not share the same past, there can be no real community. Where community is to be formed, common memory must be created."
Screen shot mid-column. The text mocks but laughably misses what's obvious to anyone that knows ANYTHING about cities or societies. "... a document prepared at City Hall and designed to guide us to a new future." "If you suspect civic Administration has an agenda well beyond addressing the usual concerns citizens — fire and police services, transit scheduling, garbage pickup, park and recreational facilities, road maintenance and providing the best bang for a tax bucks then these following paragraphs, plucked from the plan will be eye-opening." Blah, blah, blah. Listen Chris, all those phrases you go on to mock actually are designed to meet all of those needs efficiently and effectively.
Screen shot from the ending of a column in the Calgary Herald by one of the usual rinse and repeat suspects, "Chris Nelson is a regular columnist." The last sentences of this pointless piece are, "... so expecting it to be rejected as a dream too far. This nightmare is well and truly at our door." Insert eyeroll emoji, oh Chris, please tell me you can see this applies more so to your whinging columns than to the policy proposals of the City.
Blue sky behind bare aspen trees on a sunny day. Yellow leaves on the ground and the path ahead.
The John Wurmlinger, a self contained barge camp complete with ample deck space for cargo, an impressive enclosed maintenance shop, and a hydraulic ramp on the bow to unload and load equipment and supplies. A palace for work sites on remote arctic shores. The photo shows the Wurmlinger against a blue sky and large white clouds, hauled up a dry silt bar on the MacKenzie River, awaiting an inspection. The rectangular hull rests on huge inflatable rollers (1.5 m diameter by 10 m ish long) the front half of the vessel is open deck space, the aft half has a blue and white super structure, huge sliding doors close off a maintenance shop on the main deck level and the upper 2 decks are accommodation and office spaces. The ingenuity of rolling the vessel out of the water with limited equipment in a small Arctic town is part of what I love about northerners and commercial maritime workers.
Pink and green northern lights looking almost straight up.
The wall of the underground community freezer in Tuktoyaktuk NWT. The wall is 80-90% dark ice with thin layers of beige coloured silt.
Wagon wheels, the chocolate covered, marshmallow and cake(?) filled treat. Timeless... possibly because they have never been known to spoil, lasting forever being completely inedible to any microbe with a sense of self respect. I would eat one right now if I had one.
Homer Simpson putting on a giant boot in a scene from the Simpsons in Australia, where he threatens to boot the government officials.
In Plymouth, town meeting is a 135-member body of elected representatives divided into 18 precincts, serving as representatives for the town's approximately 60,000 residents. The Committee of Precinct Chairs, comprised of all 18 precinct chairs, facilitates the business of town meeting and makes recommendations to the town meeting and the moderator, according to the town meeting handbook.
Northwest Territories government awareness campaign poster stating things you should not leave unattended; Raven and garbage bag, zombie, the loss of raptor, campfire.