jenny (phire)
@phirephoenix.com
I write code for a living and words for my sins. occasional blog posts at https://phirephoenix.com, weekly newsletter for organizing/activism in Toronto at @showuptoronto.ca.
Pinned
jenny (phire)
@phirephoenix.com
· May 5
Show Up TO
Show Up Toronto is a hub and weekly newsletter of public organizing, mutual aid, and advocacy events from around the city.
showuptoronto.ca
Hi pals, I'm launching a new project today called Show Up Toronto!! It's a website and weekly newsletter that aggregates organizing/advocacy/direct action events in the city so you can find out how to get involved without Insta/FB. First email tomorrow, sign up and tell your friends showuptoronto.ca
Reposted by jenny (phire)
joining the war on AI on the side of bong joon ho
Bong Joon Ho hit me up for the squad you legend deadline.com/2025/11/bong...
November 29, 2025 at 1:59 PM
joining the war on AI on the side of bong joon ho
Reposted by jenny (phire)
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
November 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
I remember hearing about this cutoff when I was younger and being like NO I’M GONNA OUTLAST THEM OUT OF SPITE and now I’m 36 and like hmmmmmmmmm I might be over it
Someone asked me at a conf once what I would say, as a psychologist and a queer woman in tech who has stayed in tech longer than the classic cutoff at 35, to a younger woman approaching the 35 cliff and thinking about leaving, and I said I would say I'm sorry we failed you and I want you to be happy
November 28, 2025 at 11:01 PM
I remember hearing about this cutoff when I was younger and being like NO I’M GONNA OUTLAST THEM OUT OF SPITE and now I’m 36 and like hmmmmmmmmm I might be over it
Reposted by jenny (phire)
A Google software engineer won his battle against MetLife to receive disability benefits for Long Covid.
This is huge
Long Covid has a lot of stigma attached to it and it can be hard to get disability.
You’re told to “try harder”.
It’s “not that bad”.
You can “still work”.
Not everyone can
This is huge
Long Covid has a lot of stigma attached to it and it can be hard to get disability.
You’re told to “try harder”.
It’s “not that bad”.
You can “still work”.
Not everyone can
MetLife Owes Disability Pay to Software Engineer With Long Covid
A Google LLC software engineer suffering from long Covid won his lawsuit seeking long-term disability benefits from Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:45 PM
A Google software engineer won his battle against MetLife to receive disability benefits for Long Covid.
This is huge
Long Covid has a lot of stigma attached to it and it can be hard to get disability.
You’re told to “try harder”.
It’s “not that bad”.
You can “still work”.
Not everyone can
This is huge
Long Covid has a lot of stigma attached to it and it can be hard to get disability.
You’re told to “try harder”.
It’s “not that bad”.
You can “still work”.
Not everyone can
Reposted by jenny (phire)
New blog post at chrismelito.com
Doug Ford is an asshat, and it's bad for all Ontarians
www.chrismelito.com/blog/go-find...
Doug Ford is an asshat, and it's bad for all Ontarians
www.chrismelito.com/blog/go-find...
‘Go find a job’ — CHRIS MELITO
The Premier of the Province is, to put it in the most polite terms I can muster at this time, a festering pustule on the face of Ontario. There are numerous controversies and reprehensible politica...
www.chrismelito.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:01 PM
New blog post at chrismelito.com
Doug Ford is an asshat, and it's bad for all Ontarians
www.chrismelito.com/blog/go-find...
Doug Ford is an asshat, and it's bad for all Ontarians
www.chrismelito.com/blog/go-find...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
Forget French, the federal NDP doesn't speak Québec gersande.com/blog/forget-...
November 28, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Forget French, the federal NDP doesn't speak Québec gersande.com/blog/forget-...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
so our government made a big deal about banning speed cameras but one city left theirs running to see what difference the ban would make and you are not going to believe this
November 28, 2025 at 12:56 AM
so our government made a big deal about banning speed cameras but one city left theirs running to see what difference the ban would make and you are not going to believe this
Reposted by jenny (phire)
"Moms [for Liberty] has a Canadian chapter, and there are many similar organizations that are active here. Parental rights activism picked up speed during the COVID-19 pandemic with anti-mask mandates before focusing on the supposed threat posed by school libraries." thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
‘The Librarians’ Traces the Battle of a Lifetime | The Tyee
As rightward forces campaign to pull books from library shelves, a gripping new documentary exposes what’s at stake.
thetyee.ca
November 28, 2025 at 2:34 AM
"Moms [for Liberty] has a Canadian chapter, and there are many similar organizations that are active here. Parental rights activism picked up speed during the COVID-19 pandemic with anti-mask mandates before focusing on the supposed threat posed by school libraries." thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
Pedestrian struck by motorist on Parkside a block from the speed camera that vigilantes kept tearing down that caused ford to remove them from all Ontario. Drive as you wish Ontario. Nobody matters. This is what you voted for.
November 28, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Pedestrian struck by motorist on Parkside a block from the speed camera that vigilantes kept tearing down that caused ford to remove them from all Ontario. Drive as you wish Ontario. Nobody matters. This is what you voted for.
Reposted by jenny (phire)
This is a really good New Republic article about trans people leaving the country. Do some research about getting visas. Start now. It is harder and slower than you think, and there are no opportunities for asylum right now. It also is entirely doable.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
When Is It Time to Flee?
Trans people and their families are facing hard questions and choices as threats to their safety and rights proliferate.
newrepublic.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:58 PM
This is a really good New Republic article about trans people leaving the country. Do some research about getting visas. Start now. It is harder and slower than you think, and there are no opportunities for asylum right now. It also is entirely doable.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 27, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by jenny (phire)
Trudeau-era environment minister Steven Guilbeault has published a resignation letter detailing the reasons for his departure from Carney's cabinet.
He directly cites today's MOU:
He directly cites today's MOU:
November 27, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Trudeau-era environment minister Steven Guilbeault has published a resignation letter detailing the reasons for his departure from Carney's cabinet.
He directly cites today's MOU:
He directly cites today's MOU:
Reposted by jenny (phire)
Reposted by jenny (phire)
“Rather than reinvesting those profits in the Canadian economy, the four companies paid out $79.7 billion in dividends and share buybacks, nearly ¾ of which went to foreign shareholders, including 62% to American shareholders.”
www.theenergymix.com/u-s-owned-oi...
www.theenergymix.com/u-s-owned-oi...
U.S.-Owned Oil Sands Giants Send Profits Out of Canada Despite Public Support for Resource Sovereignty
Canada’s biggest oil sands producers are sending a large share of their profits out of the country to their shareholders in the United States, the CEO of the Trottier Family Foundation warns in an opi...
www.theenergymix.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
“Rather than reinvesting those profits in the Canadian economy, the four companies paid out $79.7 billion in dividends and share buybacks, nearly ¾ of which went to foreign shareholders, including 62% to American shareholders.”
www.theenergymix.com/u-s-owned-oi...
www.theenergymix.com/u-s-owned-oi...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
This is the correct take. Stewing in white supremacist propaganda is bad for your thinking. And if think you are so savvy that it won’t impact you, you are the exact kind of mark they are slowly converting (I’m looking at you, centrist pundits).
It’s really funny how a generation will roll its eyes at parents who watch Fox News but doesn’t see why being immersed in Twitter is having the same effect. Lots of serious people show up on Fox News too but that shouldn’t be your primary source on the news.
November 27, 2025 at 10:05 AM
This is the correct take. Stewing in white supremacist propaganda is bad for your thinking. And if think you are so savvy that it won’t impact you, you are the exact kind of mark they are slowly converting (I’m looking at you, centrist pundits).
Reposted by jenny (phire)
if I had to choose between "being able to comfortably support myself and my family through my writing" and "actually making a difference with my writing" I would be deeply conflicted. thankfully, neither of those things is actually on the table so this is more of a goku vs superman kind of situation
July 26, 2025 at 2:55 AM
if I had to choose between "being able to comfortably support myself and my family through my writing" and "actually making a difference with my writing" I would be deeply conflicted. thankfully, neither of those things is actually on the table so this is more of a goku vs superman kind of situation
Reposted by jenny (phire)
Troublemaker’s Handbook: Labor Notes workplace organizing guide, as a pdf labornotes.org/2024/04/free...
Free Download of Shawn Fain's 'Other Bible,' A Troublemaker's Handbook
“As a young union activist I had another bible," United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said on Sunday in the final main session of the 2024 Labor Notes Conference. "It was this book right here,
labornotes.org
April 26, 2024 at 3:41 PM
Troublemaker’s Handbook: Labor Notes workplace organizing guide, as a pdf labornotes.org/2024/04/free...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
2025 has been an eventful year for Canada's identity. To commemorate the year, The Society for Canadian English is choosing a 2025 word of the year (CWOTY), based on the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles.
Have your say: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Have your say: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 27, 2025 at 12:17 AM
2025 has been an eventful year for Canada's identity. To commemorate the year, The Society for Canadian English is choosing a 2025 word of the year (CWOTY), based on the Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles.
Have your say: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Have your say: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
wonder how long it'll take for the PR-poisoned to adopt "you're absolutely right" like the LLMs they interact with all day
jon, that's a good statement
gives me a lot to think about, and saying so allows me to flatter the audience (you) without saying anything of substance while i delay, until i think of a way to link this to one of the five approved talking points that i've been instructed to repeat
gives me a lot to think about, and saying so allows me to flatter the audience (you) without saying anything of substance while i delay, until i think of a way to link this to one of the five approved talking points that i've been instructed to repeat
Justin, as someone who routinely interviews people, i'd love you to do a story/video/snippet or something about how PR education has taught EVERYONE to begin absolutely any response with, "That's a good question." Even five years ago we didn't hear that.
November 27, 2025 at 12:47 AM
wonder how long it'll take for the PR-poisoned to adopt "you're absolutely right" like the LLMs they interact with all day
Reposted by jenny (phire)
jon, that's a good statement
gives me a lot to think about, and saying so allows me to flatter the audience (you) without saying anything of substance while i delay, until i think of a way to link this to one of the five approved talking points that i've been instructed to repeat
gives me a lot to think about, and saying so allows me to flatter the audience (you) without saying anything of substance while i delay, until i think of a way to link this to one of the five approved talking points that i've been instructed to repeat
Justin, as someone who routinely interviews people, i'd love you to do a story/video/snippet or something about how PR education has taught EVERYONE to begin absolutely any response with, "That's a good question." Even five years ago we didn't hear that.
November 27, 2025 at 12:29 AM
jon, that's a good statement
gives me a lot to think about, and saying so allows me to flatter the audience (you) without saying anything of substance while i delay, until i think of a way to link this to one of the five approved talking points that i've been instructed to repeat
gives me a lot to think about, and saying so allows me to flatter the audience (you) without saying anything of substance while i delay, until i think of a way to link this to one of the five approved talking points that i've been instructed to repeat
Reposted by jenny (phire)
Lots of people sharing this clip because it's funny and cathartic but I also genuinely believe it's important.
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Lots of people sharing this clip because it's funny and cathartic but I also genuinely believe it's important.
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
We have to win the narrative battle between "I live in a corrupt society and that's just how it is" and "I live in a corrupt society and we are going to defeat and humiliate these ghouls."
Reposted by jenny (phire)
I think if Canada wants to have a strong cultural identity we need to go back to doing what we're best at, making the weirdest fucking TV shows you've ever seen
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I think if Canada wants to have a strong cultural identity we need to go back to doing what we're best at, making the weirdest fucking TV shows you've ever seen
Reposted by jenny (phire)
This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
Part 1: My Life Is a Lie
How a Broken Benchmark Quietly Broke America
www.yesigiveafig.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:42 AM
This is an insightful but deeply upsetting article about why everyone in the US feels poor, and why the current political situation emerges as a direct result.
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
www.yesigiveafig.com/p/part-1-my-...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
NEW: Ontario’s transparency watchdog has been forced to “intervene” after the solicitor general’s office repeatedly ignored orders to release information.
It’s part of a trend which has also raised questions about political interference. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1154356...
It’s part of a trend which has also raised questions about political interference. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1154356...
Ontario watchdog ‘intervening’ after solicitor general ignores transparency orders | Globalnews.ca
There have been several instances in recent years where the IPC has told the solicitor general's office to release information, only for the government to ignore the decree.
globalnews.ca
November 26, 2025 at 1:43 PM
NEW: Ontario’s transparency watchdog has been forced to “intervene” after the solicitor general’s office repeatedly ignored orders to release information.
It’s part of a trend which has also raised questions about political interference. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1154356...
It’s part of a trend which has also raised questions about political interference. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1154356...
Reposted by jenny (phire)
i got tired of "how to read more" advice from people who are book critics and don't own tvs and live in monasteries with no wifi, so here is some advice from someone with a terminal case of internet brain www.shesabeast.co/how-to-read-...
how to read more
from someone who actually struggles
www.shesabeast.co
November 26, 2025 at 4:25 PM
i got tired of "how to read more" advice from people who are book critics and don't own tvs and live in monasteries with no wifi, so here is some advice from someone with a terminal case of internet brain www.shesabeast.co/how-to-read-...