Corvid_Moon

Looks like the current number of signatures is ~240k as of this post ♡

Canadian researchers using artificial intelligence to track foreign interest in the Alberta separatism debate have found the province’s political discourse is being targeted online by Russian and American interests in both overt and covert ways.

The U.S. activity, on the other hand, is more overt, with prominent American influencers, podcasts and websites openly promoting Alberta separation, said Brian McQuinn, co-director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Conflict at the University of Regina.

Statements from right-wing U.S. podcasters and MAGA influencers, meanwhile, have promoted the narrative that Canada is a failed state that Alberta has no choice but to leave.

Such narratives follow statements from Alberta separatist leaders this year who said they met with Trump administration officials in Washington on three occasions, and comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who, when asked about Alberta in January, said he had heard “a rumour that they may have a referendum” and called the province “a natural partner for the U.S.”

The second report, covering early August, produced similar findings, with about 80 per cent of the activity linked to Russian content farms, and 20 per cent to U.S. sources.

“They are targeting us every day. The question just becomes, what are they going to target, and how effective of a topic is it to magnify polarization and to amplify division?” Dr. McQuinn said in an interview.

“This report clearly shows they are pounding in on the Canadian ecosystem with topics related to Canada specifically, so is that foreign influence? I think by any sort of normative or practical standard, the answer is yes.”

From the Reddit community of Ask Vegans, now also on Lemmy ♡

If you have questions for vegans and are curious about veganism, this space is for you. Get answers from friendly vegans about questions relating to ethics, health, environmentalism and more! And if you are a vegan who also wishes to engage in this community, you are certainly encouraged to do so. The more who participate, the better!

Hope to see you there ♡

Hello,

I have a potentially niche question that I've been desperately trying to resolve:

I am an AMAB who has had body hair for most of my adult life. Last year or so, I had decided to start shaving it all off. At first, the result was nothing short of beauty; a completely hairless (sculpted) body with not a blemish to be seen-- perfect skin ♡

Then came the blemishes... The big, ugly, angry red blemishes, particularly on my belly and butt. It started happening after shaving a few more times and now no matter what I do, I can't get rid of them. I still want to keep a hairless body though, so my question is this:

How can I get my skin to return to as close to blemish-free as it once was, without having to stop shaving?

Thank you in advance!