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Jay Cockburn

@jaycockburn.bsky.social

3.4K followers 320 following 960 posts

I write and make podcasts about cities and the people in them. Producer: Lately & City Space at the Globe and Mail Write for Canada's National Observer, The Green Line, The Local, Toronto Star, Former BBC News. He/him.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · Mar 4

I had so much fun making this episode of City Space. It's about a Calgary that might-have-been, but also about how power uses beauty and architecture to express itself.

Plus you can hear me acting as a 1900s English landscape architect.

The Mawson plan for Calgary, showing something more like Vienna or Paris: wide stone boulevards

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 2h

My friend's apparently socially liberal aunt and uncle are moving from Toronto to Florida because "they're sick of their taxes being used for things they disagree with."

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 4h

Glad I switched to Tidal, which as far as I can tell works exactly the same as Spotify but is cheaper, higher quality audio and does not involve sending my money to AI arms development or hearing ads for the Gammon Gestapo

Damon K @dadadrummer.bsky.social · 5h

We have confirmation from Spotify that it is running ads for ICE - thanks for heads up from @oiedecravan.bsky.social

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5h

Cardi B, welcome to the War On Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social

Metropolitan Transportation Authority @mta.info · 5h

“The subway is everything!” 🚇

Cardi B shared her memories of growing up in NYC and taking the subway and bus.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5h

Straight in Boston Harbour

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6h

Bessent: "No kings equals no paychecks"

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 2d

The last year or so of American media has just been me saying "man, I thought you were cool." Over and over again. Absolute rubes.

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5d

I hope that guy from @theatlantic.com Atlantic who blocked me because I thought it was ridiculous to suggest the US is not operating under fascism now sees this.

Way more comfortable to block people and pretend everything is still fine and liberal, I guess.

Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5d

It so clearly illustrates that *asking someone else for help when you are stuck* is so out of their usual imagination that they'd rather boil the oceans asking a robot for bad, plagiarised help instead.

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5d

Air Force One was a gift, no strings attached.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d

Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5d

They always tell on themselves. Weiss is asking this because she assumes her CBS reporters are working like she did as an NYT Opinion writer.

Being a broadcast reporter is about as hectic as jobs outside the medical profession can get. Nobody has time for this admin nonsense.

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 5d

News: Bari Weiss just sent a memo to staffers at CBS News asking them to produce a memo explaining "how you spend your working hours—and ideally, what you've made (or are making) that you're most proud of."

One CBS News staffer puts it like this to me: "We just got Elon Musked."

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5d

Hot take: they should only be allowed to do this if they provide a high speed rail line to downtown SF!

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 5d

I hope you've never been tricked by London-Luton airport. Or London-Southend, for that matter.

Both are over an hour away from London by car and train.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

"The most infamous battle in rap history" is errrr not a very historical take. Nobody got shot.

Erik Uebelacker @uebey.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: Drake loses his defamation case against Kendrick Lamar over the “Not Like Us” lyrics.

More coming @courthousenews.bsky.social

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

Yeah, that last minute luggage booking cost more than the plane tickets if I remember rightly. Ryanair 🙃

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

So, luckily, I noticed before we flew and my friend sheepishly rebooked for us. However, I didn't notice until the airport that he hadn't booked checked bags for our 2 week Italian road trip.

In his defence paying for luggage was relatively new at the time.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

My buddy once booked us a trip to Italy, London-Rome.

Of course he didn't realise that in the booking system at the time you had to specify the return was to the point of origin, so our return flight was booked to the first airport in the drop down menu: Alicante.

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

We should be funding jobs at Canadian Universities for people like this, though!

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

DM'd you!

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

I'm not generally opposed to different media orgs telling the same story in different formats, or even in the same format but presented creatively.

Doesn't feel great when one of the biggest ones in Canada actually rips lines you wrote and uses the same interviewee, though.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

I would like the Blue Jays to avoid big wins the night before I have 9am dental appointments in future please. Having a filling replaced with a hangover sucks.

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

I understand that the Alberta government is particularly evasive, so thank you!

Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

Any chance you can include Alberta? Don't let Canada off the hook!

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Reposted by Jay Cockburn

Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD @mbonsma.bsky.social · 6d

Can't stop chuckling at the contrast between the Kirk and Judge strike zones
#Jays

Catcher Alejandro Kirk at bat for the Blue Jays in ALDS game 4. Kirk is a short guy and the strike zone is nearly a square.

Aaron Judge at bat for the Yankees. He is a literal giant at 6'7" and his strike zone is very tall.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 6d

I showed this to people in the pub and we are sobbing laughing

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Reposted by Jay Cockburn

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 6d

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 6d

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

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Jay Cockburn @jaycockburn.bsky.social · 7d

Seriously I'd be so mad