Media diet: A few things I’ve seen lately
[Most of this was published earlier today as my newsletter on Substack.]
Congratulations on making it to the weekend.
We’re being advised via Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to conserve electricity and that rolling outages are possible due to the loss of power at a generating station, “polar vortex” is one of the most searched phrases, a cold snap is underway in lots of places, and there’s a whopper of a storm moving through the U.S. and Canada. Observe this map, courtesy N.L. meteorologist Eddie Sheerr, of what’s expected to fall by Tuesday:
It’s too early to say what’s coming our way early next week, but after a zigzag winter, nothing surprises me. We had a ton of snow in December, and it all melted earlier this month, at least a couple of times over. We had double-digit temperatures at one point (a reminder that I’m in Canada, and following Celsius, just as the map above is showing centimetres of snow, not inches!), followed by lashings of rain and then brutally cold winds.
A good time, all the same, to get (another) coffee and see what’s happening. Here are some things I’m happy to share.
Been paying attention to the news? Try a round with today’s quiz from The Walrus.
St. John’s, where I live, is bucking the national trend of softening real estate. Prices jumped almost 10 per cent in 2025.
The latest episode of CBC’s the fifth estate looks at how organized crime is luring Black boys in Ontario into gangs. You’ll have to click through to watch on YouTube because of age restrictions on community guidelines.
Maureen Dowd in today’s New York Times (gift subscription link here) on Donald Trump:
He feels entitled to whatever he wants, from Greenland to Canada to the Kennedy Center to a Nobel Prize he didn’t win. Unlike previous presidents, he isn’t countering Russia; he’s catering to it. He disparaged the NATO troops who died for us in Afghanistan and belittled our nicest neighbor, claiming that “Canada lives because of the United States.”
With Sinners having set a record for the number of Academy Award nominations, check out these Oscar-themed infographics from the savvy British magazine Delayed Gratification.
One way to fight wildfires: better landscaping.
We’ve been watching the latest U.K. season of The Traitors, and this post on Threads made me laugh:
It’s not warm feelings that people have been taking back from the United States, in the wake of Donald Trump’s anti-European rhetoric. Gold reserves may be next.
If you grew up in Canada, this reel will likely remind you of your childhood.
A few things to keep you busy as you search for the eternal Tickle Trunk.
Stay warm this weekend.