Shan Kothari

@shankothari.bsky.social

1.2K followers 1.8K following 190 posts

Assistant professor at University of Alberta. Forest ecology + tree physiology. he/il

Videos

Environmental science 59%

Agriculture 16%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Alan Richardson, Shan Kothari

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 12h

FYI Americans: if you had Canadian grandparents/parents: you may be Canadian

What does the new law say?
Bill C-3, which came into force on December 15, 2025, reinstates citizenship by descent beyond the first generation. In 2009, the Conservative government had restricted access to citizenship. Canadians born abroad could therefore only pass on their Canadian citizenship if their child was born in Canada. The law was ruled unconstitutional by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Now, to be eligible for Canadian citizenship by descent, a person born abroad before the coming into force of Bill C-3 must have an ancestor who became a Canadian citizen on or after January 1, 1947 (the date the status of Canadian citizenship was created).

The new law also specifies that a person can become a citizen if one of their deceased parents or grandparents had obtained citizenship status upon the law's entry into force.

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · 4d

LAPD kills man allegedly holding gun near California Science Center, officials say

Los Angeles police shot a man after receiving reports of someone with a firearm in the parking lot of the California Science Center in Exposition Park on Thursday morning. Fire officials said the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

www.latimes.com

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 4d

Woke 2.0 is gonna be rad

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 4d

An investigation by a German outlet has found that in German supermarkets, wines from illegal settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank are labelled as "from Israel".

This violates both EU regulations and the International Court of Justice's advisory ruling on the occupation of the oPT.

Wie der deutsche Weinhandel Israels Siedlungen mitfinanziert

Weine aus israelischen Siedlungen werden in deutschen Supermärkten, Online-Shops und auf Fachmessen als „israelisch“ vermarktet – und normalisieren so die illegale Besatzung der palästinensischen Ge...

www.fr.de

Reposted by Stacy D. VanDeveer, Shan Kothari

Vox @vox.com · 6d

Apartments are safer and more affordable than single-family homes. Why do we treat them like a hazard? www.vox.com/future-perfe...

The hidden double standards driving our housing crisis

Apartments are safer and more affordable than single-family homes. Why do we treat them like a hazard?

www.vox.com

Reposted by Lindsay M. Tedds, Shan Kothari

Scott Robertson @sarobertson.bsky.social · 8d

Danielle Smith says Alberta separatist movement is a "pressure release valve."

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 9d

to steal @consume.red's catchphrase, there's a zugzhuang for that

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 9d

now they always say congragulations 🎵

tj mahr 🤘 @tjmahr.com · 10d

congragulations

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 9d

recognizing a lot of names from the Epstein Files as someone who used to casually browse edge dot org circa 2012

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Bill McKay @mckay4senate.bsky.social · 10d

It's crazy that if you have the first principle "human ethnic groups, physical differences aside, are not different in terms of mental capacity or 'inherent' personality traits" you are woker than 90% of the people who work for supposedly liberal media organizations.

Reposted by Stephen A. Meserve, Shan Kothari

tj mahr 🤘 @tjmahr.com · 10d

congragulations

Reposted by Shan Kothari

The Narwhal @thenarwhal.ca · 13d

A new report says Alberta has lost its status as a leader in attracting renewable energy investment — and provincial policies are to blame. thenarwhal.ca/alberta-rene...

Alberta, once a hotspot for renewable energy projects, sees investment 'plummet’ | The Narwhal

Corporate investment fell 99% after Alberta’s pause on new renewable energy development, as the industry faces ongoing policy uncertainty

thenarwhal.ca

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Matthew Bunn, Mark D. White , and 6 more Shannon Vallor, Matthew Bunn, Mark D. White, Aaron Sojourner, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Francesco Nicoli, Dunlap, Carly D. Ziter, Shan Kothari

David Brauer @dbrauer.net · 15d

The Atlantic Magazine just dropped a tremendous story on the Minnesota Resistance. The author is a war correspondent & sees the echoes of leaderless community empowerment around the globe: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202... (supposed to be a gift link, might not work, it’s in Apple News, too.)

Welcome to the American Winter

In the frozen streets of Minneapolis, something profound is happening.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Dean Eckles, Brooke Harrington, Magda Teter , and 4 more Dean Eckles, Brooke Harrington, Magda Teter, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Todd Hedrick, Kristina McElheran, Shan Kothari

Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 15d

The largest Trump superPAC donor so far this cycle is the president of OpenAI

CONTRIBUTOR
GREG BROCKMAN
AMOUNT
ELECTION TO DAT
$25,000,000 $25,000,000

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Dan Immergluck, Shan Kothari

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 16d

This piece by M. Gessen should have been co-signed by the entire NYT editorial board. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...

Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Jan W. Mueller, Elizabeth Saunders , and 32 more Anna O. Law, Jan W. Mueller, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit, Stephan Lewandowsky, Axel Bruns, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Joshua S. Weitz, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers, Caroline Krafft, Lesley A. Hall, Richard Waite, Gernot Wagner, Trevon D. Logan, Smith, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Martha Albertson Fineman, Adrian Daub, James Goodwin, Erol Akçay, Timothy Graham, Nancy Langston, Mark Rice, Andrew Thacker, Susan Strasser, Klaus Oschema, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Farah Mendlesohn, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Aidan O’Sullivan, David Darmofal, Shan Kothari

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 16d

You have to read this. Firsthand affidavit from one of the women who was there and recording the video. She talks about how Alex Pretti was directing traffic when she arrived. She watched him be killed in front of her. She's afraid to go home, worried she'll be arrested.

1. I am a resident of the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am over 18 years of age. I am a children's entertainer who specializes in face painting.
2. On Saturday, January 24, 2026, at about 8:50 am, I was getting ready to go to work when I heard whistles outside. I knew the whistles meant that ICE agents were in the area, so I decided to check it out on my way to work. I've been involved in observing in my community because it is so important to document what ICE is doing to my neighbors. Connecting to your local community and knowing who your neighbors are is something I profoundly value.
3. I drove to Nicollet Ave. and 26th where I could hear the whistles coming from. I turned south onto Nicollet. There were already several ICE agents there and they'd set up a sort of vehicle convoy on Nicollet and 28th. There were also about 15 observers there, recording and observing ICE.
4. I saw ICE agents surrounding cars and punching car windows. I also saw them stopping vehicles further down Nicollet, so I backed up because I didn't feel safe continuing on.
5. I noticed a man sort of acting to help traffic move more smoothly. He helped me find a place to park. I got out with my whistle and my camera. I went over to him and said something like, "I'm going to film and use my whistle."
6. It seemed like most ICE activity was happening a little farther down the street from us, near 27th. Someone was being thrown to the ground.

7. I started recording. There was an agent by a car across the street. Two observers were a few feet away from the agent, blowing their whistles. One was wearing a backpack.
8. I and the man who was observing and helping direct traffic were standing in the street. There was a phone in the man's hand recording a video.
9. An agent approached and asked us to back up, so I moved slowly back onto the sidewalk.
10. The man stayed in the street, filming as the other observers I mentioned earlier were being forced backward by another ICE agent threatening them with pepper spray. The man went closer to support them as they got threatened, just with his camera out. I didn't see him reach for or hold a gun.
11. Then the ICE agent shoved one of the other observers to the ground. Then he started pepper spraying all three of them directly in the face and all over. The man with the phone put his hands above his head and the agent sprayed him again and pushed him.
12. Then the man tried to help up the woman the ICE agent had shoved to the ground. The ICE agents just kept spraying. More agents came over and grabbed the man who was still trying to help the woman get up. All three of the observers looked to have been badly affected by the pepper spray. I could feel the pepper spray in my eyes.

13. The agents pulled the man on the ground. I didn't see him touch any of them-he wasn't even turned toward them. It didn't look like he was trying to resist, just trying to help the woman up. I didn't see him with a gun. They threw him to the ground. Four or five agents had him on the ground and they just started shooting him. They shot him so many times.
14.1 don't know why they shot him. He was only helping. I was five feet from him and they just shot him.
15. The video I recorded of what happened accurately depicts the events leading up to the agents shooting him and several minutes afterwards. The video is attached as Exhibit 1.
16. I have read the statement from DHS about what happened and it is wrong. The man did not approach the agents with a gun. He approached them with a camera. He was just trying to help a woman get up and they took him to the ground.
17. I feel afraid. Only hours have passed since they shot a man right in front me and I don't feel like I can go home because I heard agents were looking for me. I don't know what the agents will do when they find me. I do know that they're not telling the truth about what happened. I've heard that other witnesses might have been arrested and taken to the Whipple Building.
18. I am disgusted and gutted at how they are treating my neighbors and my state. I keep alternating between crying and feeling determined it is important to remember the value of documenting injustice. We show up for the people who need us to bear

witness, because it can't just be one group of people bearing the brunt of their tyranny. This is a struggle to protect our freedom and democracy, those things are on the line. He lost his life for those values.
I declare under penalty of perjury that everything I have stated in this document is true and correct.

Dated and signed on Jan 24, 2026 in Hennepin County, State of Minnesota.

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Jan W. Mueller, Brian A. Nosek , and 29 more Kim L. Scheppele, Jan W. Mueller, Brian A. Nosek, Joshua S. Weitz, Tom Clark, Stacie B. Dusetzina, Robert W. Wallace, Jon Green, Sarah E. Gollust, Erica Chenoweth, Tuomas Mattila, Gerry Canavan, Michelle Everson, Alan Richardson, Scott A. Imberman, Robert B. Reich, Erol Akçay, Brian Keegan, Michael Müller, Nancy Langston, Andy Reisinger, Gerardo Martí, Hisham Zerriffi, Joanna L. Grossman, Tim Stephens, Stephen A. Meserve, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Jaap Kooijman, Virginia Sapiro, Anya Plutynski, Timothy D. McBride, Shan Kothari

Jeff Rueter @jeffrueter.bsky.social · 16d

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."

Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti
Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti

“We are heartbroken but also very angry.

Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact.

I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed.

Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

Reposted by Stacy D. VanDeveer, Daxton R. Stewart, Shan Kothari

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 16d

DOJ lies.
DHS lies.
ICE lies.

That has been established. Do not repeat their claims as fact. Their claims are arguments or, often, misleading propaganda — when not outright lies.

They are seeking to make a case for their lawlessness (and to please Trump), not seeking to inform.

Reposted by Elizabeth Sharrow, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan , and 31 more Elizabeth Sharrow, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan, Jennifer A. Richeson, Scott L. Greer, John Horgan, Ian Campbell, Eric Goldman, Lesley A. Hall, Daniel W. Drezner, Trevon D. Logan, Melanie C. Green, Jacob T. Levy, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Margot C. Finn, Michael H. Whitworth, Michael D. McDonald, James Goodwin, Sahar F. Aziz, Lisa Diedrich, Claire L. Adida, Christina Ho, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Joanna L. Grossman, Melanie O’Brien, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Manisha Sinha, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Virginia Sapiro, Élisabeth Vallet, Peter Jacobs, Kristina McElheran, Shan Kothari

Jay Kirell @jasonkirell.bsky.social · 17d

Two women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed.

www.startribune.com/detained-by-...

Detained by ICE, two women became first responders during agent’s seizure

The women say they guided agents through the emergency, later raising concerns about medical protocols, weapons safety and accountability.

www.startribune.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller , and 5 more Jan W. Mueller, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Margot C. Finn, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Andrew Defty, Shan Kothari

Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 19d

VOA's headquarters, 'the Sistine Chapel of the New Deal,' faces possible destruction as part of the Trump administration's drive for "maximum value for the federal real estate footprint." wapo.st/4a5NCsq

The stunning art trove hidden in a D.C. building marked by Trump for disposal

Packed with frescoes, paintings and reliefs, the federal government’s Cohen Building has been called “the Sistine Chapel of the New Deal.” Advocates fear these works could be at risk.

wapo.st

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 19d

Mumbai! this is near Bhuleshwar Market (one of my favorite places in the world)

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 19d

I'm sorry whose water supply now

Tank on a truck that says "Saddam Husain Water Supply" in painted letters

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Chris Elmendorf @cselmendorf.bsky.social · 20d

Read @mbolotnikova.bsky.social excellent new story on housing aesthetics and housing politics, covering my work w/ @dbroockman.bsky.social & @jkalla.bsky.social, the advocacy of @urbancourtyard.bsky.social, and more!

Gift link: www.vox.com/future-perfe...

Reposted by Shan Kothari

dash @phunphunphun.bsky.social · 21d

The Aviary in Edmonton needs our support after fire damage.
They are asking folks to buy gift certificates, and plan to reopen soon.

This size of venue is very important for the arts community here.
Please support as you are able...sharing helps!

#Edmonton #yeg #yegArts
#TheAviary

the-aviary.net

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 22d

I would venture to guess that most Canadians have no idea that happened, let alone care

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Reece Martin @rmtransit.bsky.social · 22d

An incredibly important video on the huge benefits of upzoning a North American city, and the risks that present afterwards: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVQ6...

This City Tried to Fix Housing. The Backlash Was Intense.

YouTube video by Oh The Urbanity!

www.youtube.com

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 23d

every roadside dhaba in the country around Baroda offers the same holy trinity of cuisines: Punjabi, Kathiyawadi, Chinese

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 23d

Prediction markets simulate “science” with a few numbers and curves.
Any serious scientist would hesitate.
In a system that keeps attacking expertise, forecasts turn into pure gambling.
Maybe that’s exactly the appeal.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

America Is Slow-Walking Into a Polymarket Disaster

Why is the media obsessed with prediction markets?

www.theatlantic.com

Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 25d

Supine Rag by Scott Joplin, the hottest player piano roll of 1913

Reposted by Shan Kothari

Edmonton Bike Coalition @yegbike.bsky.social · 25d

Wîhkwêntôwin Neighbourhood Renewal final designs are out now:
buff.ly/ea557h2

There is a short engagement period, with two in person events and an online survey.

We think that an important neighbourhood like this deserves a more ambitious design.

#yegbike #yegcc

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