#Canadian ALS research

[good-night-space-kid]

Geology and The Terror

As a geologist who is incapable of turning off their geology brain even while watching shows for fun, one of the things that baffles me a bit about The Terror is why they continuously refer to the landscape as shale when both King William Island and the filming location in Pag, Croatia are dominated by limestone. Given the desolation of the landscape, the geology is rather at the forefront of many scenes so it was fun to try and parse it out as I watched.

King William Island, Nunavut, Canada

According to the official map of the bedrock of the region as published by the Canadian government (Harrison et al., 2015), the entirety of King William Island is mapped as dolostone, dolomitic limestone, and limestone with only minor components of shale, sandstone, conglomerate, and breccia. This is a shelf marine deposit dating back to the Late Cambrian, so this is very old sedimentary rock but younger than most of the surrounding hard rock that composes various parts of the Canadian shield. Notably, the pink units mapped on the Boothia Peninsula are Paleoproterozoic in age (2.5-1.6 billion years old), potentially up to 2 billion years older than the limestones of King William Island.

(This is an absolutely massive .pdf file with some scaled features so I would recommend viewing via the official publication to actually read anything or see fine details: publications.gc.ca/pub?id=9.557274&sl=0)

Notably, this map was published in 2015, 8 years after the novel was written. However, according to the bibliography for the map (which can be accessed via the previous link) a preliminary geologic map has existed for the area since at least 1967, though I was unable to track this publication down online. The novel was clearly thoroughly researched and Dan Simmons could have easily accessed this publication and others through multiple institutions.

The surficial geology of King William Island has also been mapped, and is predominantly glacial, as one would expect given it's location. For those unfamiliar with glacial geology processes, this is basically saying that the bedrock is buried under a bunch of glacial deposits. Glacial till is composed of rocks and sediments plucked from the bedrock and ground up. This is why the surface of the island is not one big rock, but a bunch of smaller pieces. Interestingly, the material on the southern part of the island is sandier because it contains more material derived from the Canadian Shield further south. If you're interested in glacial geology, I highly recommend zooming around a bit on Google Earth because the features here are GORGEOUS.

(This map is absolutely massive and the lines scale with zoom so it's hard to see at this resolution, access it here: publications.gc.ca/pub?id=9.834073&sl=0)

(Google Earth Pro, satellite imagery from 2020)

According to the surface geology map and Google Earth, the actual landscape of King William Island is much more water logged than it appears in the show. It's not entirely impossible that there has been some geomorphological change since 1848, but most of the features mapped would have been formed during the last ice age and as the glaciers melted and not more recently. This would have been handy for the men of the Franklin Expedition because each of these pools is filled with freshwater.

Pag, Croatia

Tracking down a geologic map of Croatia was somewhat challenging as I don't speak Croatian. I was able to find a map of the whole country, and while it's all in Croatian the symbol for the geologic time periods is universal so time periods can be correlated. This shows that the units that make up Pag are Cretaceous and Paleocene-Eocene in age.

(Map accessed here: https://www.hgi-cgs.hr/en/geoloska-karta-republike-hrvatske-1300-000/)

I was able to find a .pdf (access here: http://kig.kartografija.hr/index.php/kig/article/view/158/274) that had a bit more information on the map above but at a lower resolution. This states that the Cretaceous units are dominantly carbonates from the Adriatic sea and the Eocene units are also carbonates. This makes sense as both the Cretaceous and Paleocene-Eocene boundary/PETM are times of increased global temperature correlated with increases in global sea level.

As always, the best geology website out there, Macrostrat, also came through on the unit lithologies. I was unable to access the source listed on Macrostrat, but both the Cretaceous (green) and Paleocene-Eocene units (orange) are listed as limestone.

(Source: https://macrostrat.org/map/#x=16&y=23&z=2)

One of the best views that we get of the geology on Pag is the last scene with Bridgens in episode 9. During the zoom out of this scene we get a really nice view of the bedrock and debris covering it.

Given all of this, I'm really not sure where the landscape description as shale came from. If there is historical precedence for calling the rocks on the island shale, let me know! I have read a few books but none of the primary sources from the expeditions to this region, so if it comes from that I wouldn't be surprised.

Overall though, I have to say that the filming location was well chosen given the similarities it holds to the geology of King William Island.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Five-Factor Model of Personality

Culture is transmitted to people through language, as well as through social norms which establish acceptable and unacceptable behaviors which are then rewarded or punished (Henrich, 2016; Triandis & Suh, 2002).

With an increased understanding of cultural learning, psychologists have become interested in the role of culture in understanding personality.

The 5 Personality Traits According to this Model

OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE

Refers to a person's imagination, feelings, actions, ideas

LOW score: More likely to be practical, conventional, prefer routine

HIGH score: More likely to be curious, have a wide range of interests, be independent

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS

Competence, self-discipline, thoughtfulness, goal-driven

LOW: Impulsive, careless, disorganized

HIGH: Hardworking, dependable, organized

EXTROVERSION

Sociability, assertiveness, emotional expression

LOW: Quiet, reserved, withdrawn

HIGH: Outgoing, warm, seeks adventure

AGREEABLENESS

Cooperative, trustworthy, good-natured

LOW: Critical, uncooperative, suspicious

HIGH: Helpful, trusting, empathetic

NEUROTICISM

Tendency toward unstable emotions

LOW: Calm, even-tempered, secure

HIGH: Anxious, unhappy, prone to negative emotions

Applicability

The idea that personality can be described and explained by five traits (OCEAN) has important implications, as does the fact that most personality tests were constructed and initially tested in Western countries.

Western ideas about personality may not apply to other cultures (Benet-Martinez & Oishi, 2008).

2 Main Cultural Approaches for Researching Personality

Etic traits - considered universal constructs that are evident across cultures and represent a biological bases of human personality. If the Big Five are universal then they should appear across all cultures (McCrae and Allik, 2002).

Emic traits - constructs unique to each culture and are determined by local customs, thoughts, beliefs, and characteristics. If personality traits are unique to individual cultures then different traits should appear in different cultures.

Using an Etic Framework

Cross cultural research of personality uses an etic framework and researchers must ensure equivalence of the personality test through validation testing.

The instrument must include equivalence in meaning, as well as demonstrate validity and reliability (Matsumoto & Luang, 2013).

Example: The phrase feeling blue is used to describe sadness in Westernized cultures but does not translate to other languages.

Differences in personality across cultures could be due to real cultural differences, but they could also be consequences of poor translations, biased sampling, or differences in response styles across cultures (Schmitt, Allik, McCrae, & Benet-Martínez, 2007).

Personality Test/Measure Used: The NEO-PI

Most of the cross-cultural research on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) and Big Five (OCEAN) has been done using the NEO-PI (and its subsequent revisions; i.e., it is an assessment tool developed to measure the 5 dimensions of personality according to the FFM) which has demonstrated equivalence, reliability and validity across several cross-cultural studies (Costa & McCrae, 1987; McCrae, Costa & Martin, 2005).

Research using the NEO-PI found support for the entire Five-Factor Model in Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Hungarian, German, Australian, South African, Canadian, Finnish, Polish, Portuguese, Israeli, Korean, Japanese, and Filipino samples, in addition to other samples (McCrae, Costa, Del Pilar, Rolland, & Parker, 1998).

NOTE

Personality tests rely on self-report which is susceptible to response bias like socially desirability responding.

To evaluate this possibility, McCrae and colleagues (2005) recruited students from 50 cultural groups and modified the NEO-PI to be in the third person (i.e., he, she, his, her):

The research participants were asked to complete the form on someone else that they knew very well (McCrae et al., 2005).

The same 5 factors emerged in this study.

These results provided empirical support for the FFM and for the use of self-report instruments when conducting cross-cultural personality research.

There was no reason for the students to respond in a desirable way because they were answering questions about someone else.

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[alphynix]

Jiangxichelys neimongolensis was a terrestrial turtle that was part of an extinct group known as nanhsiungchelyids, whose closest living relatives today are the aquatic softshell turtles.

(This species was previously known as "Zangerlia” neimongolensis, but has since been moved into the genus Jiangxichelys instead.)

It lived towards the end of the Cretaceous, about 75-71 million years ago, in what is now the Gobi Desert – which at the time was more of a semi-arid climate with both rivers and sand dunes.

Its 60cm long (~2') carapace had a long wide shape that made it appear rather flattened from the front, but not to quite as much an extreme as its larger American cousin Basilemys.

Several fairly well-preserved specimens have been found that appear to have been buried alive, probably either engulfed by sudden sandstorms or trapped in collapsing burrows. This has preserved some anatomical details previously unknown in nanhsiungchelyids, such as the pattern of scales on top of the head and the presence of large bony osteoderms on the underside of the front toes, which may have aided with traction on loose sandy ground.

———

NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Brinkman, Donald, and Jiang-Hua Peng. "A new species of Zangerlia (Testudines: Nanhsiungchelyidae) from the Upper Cretaceous redbeds at Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia, and the relationships of the genus." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 33.4 (1996): 526-540. https://doi.org/10.1139/e96-041

Brinkman, Donald B., et al. "New exceptionally well-preserved specimens of “Zangerlia” neimongolensis from Bayan Mandahu, Inner Mongolia, and their taxonomic significance." Comptes Rendus Palevol 14.6-7 (2015): 577-587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2014.12.005

Jerzykiewicz, T., et al. "Djadokhta Formation correlative strata in Chinese Inner Mongolia: an overview of the stratigraphy, sedimentary geology, and paleontology and comparisons with the type locality in the pre-Altai Gobi." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 30.10 (1993): 2180-2195. https://doi.org/10.1139/e93-190

Tong, Haiyan, and Lu Li. "A revision of the holotype of Nanhsiungchelys wuchingensis, Ye, 1966 (Testudines: Cryptodira: Trionychoidae: Nanhsiungchelyidae)." Cretaceous Research 95 (2019): 151-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2018.11.003

Tong, Haiyan, et al. "New material of Jiangxichelys ganzhouensis Tong & Mo, 2010 (Testudines: Cryptodira: Nanhsiungchelyidae) and its phylogenetic and palaeogeographical implications." Geological Magazine 154.3 (2017): 456-464. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756816000108

Wikipedia contributors. “Nanhsiungchelyidae.” Wikipedia, 19 Nov. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanhsiungchelyidae

[capybaracorn]

Demands for Canada to stop supplying weapons to Israel grow louder

But loopholes and a lack of transparency stall efforts to hold government accountable for its role in arming Israel.

Montreal, Canada – Human rights advocates are accusing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government of misleading the public over weapons sales to Israel, which have come under greater scrutiny amid the deadly Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

At issue is legislation that prohibits the government from exporting military equipment to foreign actors if there is a risk it can be used in human rights abuses.

But regulatory loopholes, combined with a lack of clarity over what Canada sends to Israel, have complicated efforts to end the transfers.

Dozens of Canadian civil society groups this month urged Trudeau to end arms exports to Israel, arguing they violate Canadian and international law because the weapons could be used in the Gaza Strip.

But in the face of mounting pressure since Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, Canada’s foreign affairs ministry has tried to downplay the state’s role in helping Israel build its arsenal.

“Global Affairs Canada can confirm that Canada has not received any requests, and therefore not issued any permits, for full weapon systems for major conventional arms or light weapons to Israel for over 30 years,��� the department told Al Jazeera in an email on Friday.

“The permits which have been granted since October 7, 2023, are for the export of non-lethal equipment.”

But advocates say this misrepresents the total volume of Canada’s military exports to Israel, which totalled more than $15m ($21.3m Canadian) in 2022, according to the government’s own figures.

It also shines a spotlight on the nation’s longstanding lack of transparency around these transfers.

“Canadian companies have exported over [$84m, $114m Canadian] in military goods to Israel since 2015 when the Trudeau government was elected,” said Michael Bueckert, vice president of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, an advocacy group.

“And they have continued to approve arms exports since October 7 despite the clear risk of genocide in Gaza,” Bueckert told Al Jazeera.

“Unable to defend its own policy, this government is misleading Canadians into thinking that we aren’t exporting weapons to Israel at all. As Canadians increasingly demand that their government impose an arms embargo on Israel, politicians are trying to pretend that the arms trade doesn’t exist.”

Lack of information

While Canada may not transfer full weapons systems to Israel, the two countries enjoy “a consistent arms trade relationship”, said Kelsey Gallagher, a researcher at Project Ploughshares, a peace research institute.

The vast majority of Canada’s military exports to Israel come in the form of parts and components. These typically fall into three categories, Gallagher explained: electronics and space equipment; military aerospace exports and components; and finally, bombs, missiles, rockets and general military explosives and components.

But beyond these broad categories, which were gleaned by examining Canada’s own domestic and international reports on weapons exports, Gallagher said it remains unclear “what these actual pieces of technology are”.

“We don’t know what companies are exporting them. We don’t know exactly what their end use is,” he told Al Jazeera.

Global Affairs Canada did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s question about what “non-lethal equipment” the government has approved for export to Israel since October 7.

“What does this mean? No one knows because there’s no definition of that and it really could be quite a number of things,” said Henry Off, a Toronto-based lawyer and board member of the group Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR).

Human rights lawyers and activists also suspect that Canadian military components are reaching Israel via the United States, including for installation in fighter jets such as the F-35 aircraft.

But these transfers are difficult to track because a decades-old deal between Canada and the US – 1956’s Defence Production Sharing Agreement – has created “a unique and comprehensive set of loopholes that are afforded to Canadian arms transfers to the US”, said Gallagher.

“These exports are treated with zero transparency. There is no regulation of, or reporting of, the transfer of Canadian-made military components to the US, including those that could be re-transferred to Israel,” he said.

The result, he added, is that “it is very difficult to challenge what are problematic transfers if we do not have the information with which to do so”.

Domestic, international law

Despite these hurdles, Canadian human rights advocates are pressuring the government to end its weapons sales to Israel, particularly in light of the Israeli military’s continued assault on Gaza.

Nearly 28,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past four months and rights advocates have meticulously documented the impact on the ground of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing, and its vast destruction of the enclave. The world’s top court, the International Court of Justice, also determined last month that Palestinians in Gaza face a plausible risk of genocide.

Against that backdrop, eliminating weapons transfers to Israel is effectively a demand for “Canada [to] abide by its own laws”, said Off, the Toronto lawyer.

That’s because Canada’s Export and Import Permits Act obliges the foreign minister to “deny exports and brokering permit applications for military goods and technology … if there is a substantial risk that the items would undermine peace and security”.

The minister should also deny exports if they “could be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws” or in “serious acts of gender-based violence or serious acts of violence against women and children”, the law states.

Meanwhile, Canada is also party to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a United Nations pact that bans transfers if states have knowledge the arms could be used in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other violations of international law.

But according to Off, despite a growing list of Israeli human rights violations since October 7, Canada “has been approving the transfer of military goods and technology that might fuel” them.

Late last month, Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights wrote a letter to Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly demanding an immediate end to the transfers. The group said it would consider next steps, including possible legal action, if action is not taken.

‘It takes a village’

Still, Canada insists that it maintains one of the strongest arms export control regimes in the world.

Asked whether his government intends to end arms transfers to Israel, Trudeau said in Parliament on January 31 that Canada “puts human rights and protection of human rights at the centre of all our decision-making”.

“It has always been the case and we have been consistent in making sure that we are responsible in the way we do that. We will continue to be so,” the prime minister said.

Gallagher, at Project Ploughshares, told Al Jazeera, however, that Canada maintains “a level of permissibility” in choosing which countries it chooses to arm, including Israel.

And while Canadian weapons exports to the Israeli government pale in comparison to other countries – notably the US, which sends billions of dollars in military aid to Israel annually – Off said, “Any difference is a difference.”

“It takes a village to make these instruments of death and it should make a difference if we cut off Canada’s contributions,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the pressure on Canada also sends a message to other countries “potentially aiding and abetting Israel’s slaughter of Gaza”.

“If you send arms to countries committing serious violations of international humanitarian law, you will be held to account.”

[philsmeatylegss]

Fundraisers for people/families trying to escape genocide

Have come across so many Palestinian people and family struggling to find funds to escape (which is ridiculous itself). Wanted to compile a list of as many as I can find with a small summary for those interested.

A plea for Humanity to help my family escape gaza

Summary: Thaer Aburaida is a student completing residency in Germany. However, her family of 15 are stuck in Gaza. The youngest being triplet babies with little access to formula. There are also a 2, 3, and 4 year old. Funds will be used to help them escape as well as healthcare as they are currently sick.

Emergency: help me evacuate my family from Gaza

Summary: Rawan AbuMahady, a 30-year-old Palestinian-currently residing in Canada, is a social worker and researcher who grew up on Gaza. She is recovering from PTSD due to what she has witnessed. Her younger sisters and parents still remain in Palestine, however. Her younger sisters, Hadeel (24)and Ayah(22 years old), has been expereincing severe panic attacks and have no access to food or clean water. Her mom has Type 2 Diabetes and was scheduled for eye surgery. However, she has had no access to insulin or any medical care for the past 3 months. Despite Rawan’s relentless efforts to reach the Canadian embassy and multiple international NGO’s through various channels, she has not received any help. However, her family has found a way to escape to Egypt for $7,000 each. While Rawan is financially independent and proud of the life she has made, she cannot afford a fee this high. As her family needs more than just fleeing to Egypt. Funds will first go to passes to get to Egypt, and any extra funds will go to transportation costs between Al-Nusierat camp to Rafah City, costs for any more travel, and possibly helping with food and shelter.

Gaza: Help my family afford emergency surgeries

Summary: Nouran is an artist whose family has suffered injuries during the bombings. The injuries are brutal. Her brother lost his right eye and ear, and suffered a skull fracture. Shrapnel has destroyed his right ear canal, and he’s completely deaf on that side. Nouran also lost her right eye. She also suffered major soft tissue trauma to my forehead and scalp. Her dad has completely lost his right calf muscle and can no longer walk without support. He can’t get surgery right now because there are no doctors here that know how to give epidural anaesthesia. Her mom has an untreated broken jaw and can no longer eat solid food. In the time since she was injured, she has lost over 14kg. All donations will go to treating their wounds. Medicines like antibiotics, anaesthesia, and pain relief are extremely expensive and difficult to get because of supply issues. They are also low on food with savings going fast. She has family in Ireland who can help with travel after they can escape, but they need help immediately with their health.

help a family have a chance in life

Summary: Dr. Haya Ahmed Hegazy is a 28 years old Obstetrician and Gynecologist. Despite her and her family themselves having to flee, she has been doing everything she can to provide free healthcare to fellow refugees, including helping woman give birth safely. She needs money to escape with her family where she hopes to complete her studies and return to help with more knowledge

Help Abdallah Zaqout and Family of 10 Evacuate

Summary: Abdallah Zaqout, a young man who has recently watched his friends be martyred, and his family of 10 need help escaping Gaza. His family includes multiple young children, sleeping in leaking tents and suffering intense anxiety. You can find Abdallah @/abdallah_zaqout on Instagram and the creator of the fundraiser is taking questions on their Instagram, @/tigerlily4448

Help me and my family to escape from Gaza war!

Summary: Thaer Inshasi, is a radiologist living in the Gaza Strip. He has five siblings, one with a two year old child. All ten family members are currently living in a 3*3 room with no electricity, gas, or human toilet as well as no access to clean water or food. He is trying to find asylum for him and his family in Belgium. He needs $40,000 to get to Egypt and $40,000 to get him and his family to Belgium.

Help Moaiad escape Gaza to become a Doctor

Summary: Moaiad Aljamal, 21, lives in Gaza and is a 3rd year medical student trying to immigrate to Egypt to complete his degree. When attending school in Palestine, he was in the top 2 percentile of his classes. He plans to be a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. He has a family of nine all still stuck in Gaza, living in a refugee camp close to the border. The $8,000 will be used to help Moaiad cross into Egypt where he plans to finish education and hopefully make enough money to help the rest of his family leave.

Help my family evacuate Gaza

Summary: Rana Muneer is currently stuck with his family of five in the Gaza Strip, including her husband and three children. Her husband is supervisor in the ministry of heritage and she is a teacher. She has been forced to flee several times and is very low on supplies, including supplies for their two year old who still needs diapers and milk. They also have little access to medicine, food, and water. All funds will be used to buy supplies immediately for survival and to help flee.

Help Evacuate My Family from Gaza

Summary: Mahmoud Zaqout is attempting to raise money to help him and his family flee to Egypt. His sister is living in inhumane conditions in a refugee camp after recently giving birth. Her, her husband, and three other children are all sick, starving, and traumatized.

Help me rebuild my life & rebuild my family's home

Summary: Ali from Gaza is raising money to pay off debt from his bombed clothing store. His home has also been bombed. He and his family, including young children, are desperate to escape and, though he’s already done so much to work tirelessly for his family, is willing to do it again to resettle his family. He is looking to escape and have a safe net of money to recover as he starts over.

Help my Arabic teacher and his family flee Gaza

Summary: Mumen and his wife, Aya, and their 5-year-old daughter, Zaina, lived in Gaza City until the extreme bombardment started in October, along with his two parents, Ghazi and Zainab, and 10 siblings. Mumen, Aya and Zaina fled by foot, walking south, with nothing but whatever money they had on them. Along the way they were shot at "mockingly" (shooting at the ground just by their feet) by Israeli soldiers - one of many traumatic experiences they have endured. They have received the news their home has been destroyed. They have come to selling Aya’s jewelry to get by. They have almost raised enough money to cover the cost for him and his eight family members to escape to Egypt, but they still need basic necessities. In the event they cannot escape, all funds will be used for necessities

Help me REUNITE with my family.

Summary: Ola Masoud, her husband, and her children were very fortunate to escape to Egypt from Palestine before it was too late. However, her brother, Mostafa Masoud, and his family remain stuck in Gaza. They are relying on wood to make fires. They are a family of nine, two children studying medicine, all with dreams. Each member of the family needs at least $6,000 CAD for each family member to leave Gaza. All money will be to pay for permits for them to do so.

Help my family to escape GAZA

Summary: Sondos Maher, 27, is a mother of three. Her and her husband have studied hard to achieve their dream life. However, she has been forced to leave her husband behind and flee with their children. She is hoping for raised $7,000 for the Rafah Crossing permit, $500 for the fees of travel and transportation from Gaza to Egypt, and $20,000 will go towards shelter/house rental in Egypt, resettling, buying clothes, urgent healthcare, and other humanitarian needs for a few months up to 1 year.

Sondos ran a YouTube channel showcasing their family. Please check it out.

Help My Family Escape Gaza: A Journey to Safety

Summary: Mohmad Abumery is raising money to help his family of six escape Gaza, including 11 year old Farah, medical graduate, Faiza, and his grandma. His family has started showing symptoms of mental illness, specifically PTSD. Both his father and grandma suffer from hypertension and are facing constant low stockage of the their medication. His mother is a humanitarian who raised $2 million for humanitarian projects in Gaza. However, she currently resides in the Netherlands and is in great suffering wondering if her family will live. Funds will cover airplane tickets, egyptian border security clearance, living expenses in Egypt, and moving expenses to the Netherlands to reunite with their mother.

Help Somaia Escape War

Summary: Somaia Adunada, 29, resident of Palestine, was preparing to travel to the USA to pursue her master's degree in English literature when October 7 happened. An air strike killed her sister and injured her and her family. Basic necessities have been a struggle from the start. The only way for Somaia to travel now is to pay "coordination" fees for travel permits, which have risen from $300 to $9,000, an amount she cannot afford. The funds raised will cover the coordination fees, the cost of her flight to the USA, and any other associated expenses.

Help My Friends' beloved Family Escape Gaza

Summary: Run by a friend, this fundraiser is for Mahmoud Shakshak. He is a student currently living in Türkiye, however, he is originally from Gaza where his family is still trapped. Funds will be used to help his family cross the Egyptian border to find refuge. This family consists of retired Sadi, 65, and his wife, Amna, 57, Mohammed, 33, his wife, Hanan, 33, and their children, Sadi Jr., 6, Ahmed, 5, and Mohammed Jr., only 101 days, Walaa, 35, Muhannad, 36, Bashar, 8, Raed, 27, and Zeena, 15. They are project managers, computer engineers, social workers, and beloved family. Funds will be used for travel fees, housing, and medical treatment, specifically for the months old child.

Help my family and I to evacuate from Gaza

Summary: 17 year old Shaymaa Abudalu is stuck in Gaza with her family, including her parents, her siblings Sarah, 12, and Lana, and Layan, 9. They need $50,000 CAD, mostly to help escape to Egypt, but also for visas, and basic necessities such as food, clothing, medicine, and shelter

Help my mother and sisters escape war in Gaza

Summary: Hasan Abuolba is a licensed realtor in Buffalo NY and a permanent resident in the US, however she has been separate from her family since 2014. Her five sisters, mother, aunt, uncle, and their children are all still stuck in Gaza. Her mom is a single mom of five children. They have had to walk everywhere with only a backpack of supplies. Three weeks ago, their refugee camp was bombed. She is trying to raise money to help her increasingly traumatized family escape, starting with her sisters, the youngest 12 and 13. Any additional funds will be used to help her aunt, uncle, and their minor children.

HELP REEM & HER FAMILY ESCAPE GAZA

Summary: Reem lives in Rafah with her husband, four children, and mother in law, 80. Funds will be used to escape with her 9 family members. Specifically, passport fees, Evacuation Fee/Egyptian Coordination, visa application fees, transportation to get to the border, Flight from Cairo to destination, and other living costs. Make sure to not give any percentage at checkout to Gofundme. She is allocating over $3,000 in assumption to go to Gofundme.

Help me get out of Gaza To save my life

Summary: Ola Louz has been a resident of Palestine her whole life. She has been displaced four times and has dealt with a lifetime of trauma. Ola has received a scholarship at the Asian University in Bangladesh. The scholarship would help her complete her university studies, which she can not continue in Gaza. All donations would be used to helped her escape to Egypt and then to Bangladesh.

Help our family evacuate Gaza and find safety

Summary: Ramzi Saud and Sarah Tahhan are attempting to help their family flee to safety. They are now living in Khan Younis in a house of 60 people with scarce food, no potable water, and no electricity still with constant bombs. Funds will go to Rafah border crossing for 9 people, Passport fees for 9, and money for rent and living expenses for two months. They have currently raised enough money to start setting up their escape, but still need more.

Help Salma escape agression on Gaza,secure insulin

Summary: Hayam Abu-Shaaban, 37, is residing with his family on the Gaza Strip. She is a mother of five, the older 15 and the youngest 4. One child, Salma, has suffered with diabetes since age 2. There is a constant low stock of insulin and the price continues to rise. Funds will be used to relocate to Egypt, purchase Salma’s insulin, and to get settled with necessities.

Help me to evacuate from Gaza

Summary: Khaleel Al-Najar, 29, is a husband and father to his baby daughter, Ghazal. He needs 30 thousand dollars actually to be able to leave Gaza and to reach Egypt with his wife and daughter, and another 10 thousand dollars to live in Egypt for a year until finding any suitable job there would be greatly helpful.

Help Shahd's Family Escape Gaza!

Summary: Arabic teacher, Shahd Safi, 22, and her family are trying to leave Gaza for Egypt. Egyptian officials require $5,000 to $10,000 USD for every family member, a number frequently fluctuating. Shahd’s family consists of herself, two brothers, one sister, and her mother. Once in Egypt, her mother will no longer be able to receive her salary. Funds will be used to help escape and resettle while the family finds a new source of income.

Help Ula escape Gaza

Summary: Ula ElHindi is a Palestinian feminist activist who has dedicated her life to fighting for peace and women's rights in the Gaza Strip. She needs $7,000 USD to escape to Egypt and leftover funds will be used for relocation and necessities.

Help us evacuate our family out of Gaza

Summary: Awesta and a few of her family members escaped to Egypt as the genocide began, but her brother, his wife, and his children, Hamdi (11), Hala (9), and Amir (3), have been stuck, along with her parents, her father which has a heart condition and is running low on medication. In total, Awesta needs money to help six people escape to her. Hamdi, Hala, Amir, their mother, father, and grandfather out of Gaza. She plans to show receipts of where the money is spent as it comes in.

Emergency: Help Sukar’s family get out of Gaza

Summary: Fundraiser on behalf of a family in Gaza trying to cross into Egypt. They are a family of 7 and are comprised of 2 elderly parents, two young men, a young girl, and a set of twin boys under the age of 18. For them to get through the border, it will cost around $7,500-8,000 USD (10,000-11,000 CAD) per person. Currently, they are waiting for a registry list to open so they can sign up to leave. It’s a little difficult because there are people who are scamming Gazans out of their money.

Help Yousef escape Gaza and treat his cancer

Summary: Youseff Abu Saeed is a photojournalist from Gaza. He has cancer and only began chemo briefly before the genocide. His cancer has a recovery rate of 95%, but with a bombed home and spotty access to chemo for over 100 days, he is suffering. Funds will go to him and his family escaping Gaza and to fund his treatment.

Rescue the Tanani family from the Gaza War

Summary: Ali Tanani is trying to save the rest of his family from Gaza. Though he has the ability to leave, his wife, who is nine months pregnant, and their children are not. Him and his friends have broken down costs to the following: Legal Fees from immigration attorney, Administrative and consulting fees, US Customs and USCIS filing and priorty fees, Petition to Michigan Congress and other outreach efforts, Transportation out of Gaza and into safe zone, Medical care, Temporary lodging, shelter and food supplies, and income loss results in them needing $52,980 USD

Safe Passage for Nadin

Summary: Nadin is a young girl who, from age 10, she was 10, has fought for Palestinian rights and she got a special title from the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR). All funds will go to helping her and her family of 8, including her father who was brutalized by occupiers, finding refuge in Egypt and money to help them start anew.

Follow Nadin @/nadinabdullatif on Insta

Supporting Mohammed

Summary: Mohammed, affectionately called Mo, left his home in Australia last year to spend time with his family in Palestine. His plan was to stay a few years, get a job on an NGO and give back to his community. However, his plans were stopped on October 7. Mo is the current caregiver to his elderly parents, who he thankfully able to help evacuate to Australia. However, much of his family, including his siblings, remain stuck. He and his families are still in shock and are overwhelmed. All money will go to helping his family escape.

URGENT EVACUATE: GazaWar Destroyed My Family Again

Summary: Hasan Alaloul is currently trying to raise money for him and his family in Gaza escape. They have been suffering since 2021, where they were previously attacked by Israeli forces. His father, Dr Mooein Al-Aloul الله يرحمه , and his mother and little sister were also seriously injured. Their house was finished being rebuilt only six months before October 7, 2023. The funds will be used for travel through the Rafah border crossing to Egypt and essential needs such as temporary housing, food, medical care and basic necessities for his family until they can establish a more stable situation where we can begin the process of rebuilding their shattered lives again.

URGENT: Evacuate My Diabetic Kid Out of GAZA WAR

Summary: Mariam is a wife and mother of three children, one of whom is a 7-year diabetic kid. Her twin children are also two years old are also deprived of diapers, milk, and medical check-ups, drugs, and clean water and food. Kenan, the diabetic child, dreams of being a scientist, but is currently beyond suffering. Funds will be used to help Mariam, her husband, and her children cross the Rafah/Egypt border, which she needs $8,000 USD each, visas, passport fees, airplane flights, and basic living costs for six months, including Kenan’s insulin.

URGENT: HELP US ESCAPE GAZA & STAY ALIVE!

Summary: Dr. Nusaiba fawzi Abu Mustafa is a 24 year old on an internship MD from Gaza. However, she had to stop her studies due to the genocide. Her and her family, including 4 girls, two children, and a 92 year old grandmother, are currently very near the Egyptian border. $5,000 are needed for them to cross. All funds will go to that.

Urgent: Help My Family Escape War in Gaza

Summary: Bahaa Alsawalhi is a Gazan and a current master's student in Medical Systems Engineering in Germany. He needs help with funds to help his family of 15 escape to him. His family has been separated to different refugee camps and are desperate to reunite. Their homes are bombed. They are married with children and pets they deeply love. $80,000 is needed for all of them to obtain a Rafah Crossing permit

This is his Instagram

[mariacallous]

So-called zombie fires in the peatlands of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia disappear from the Earth’s surface and smolder underground during the winter before coming back to life the following spring. These fires puzzle scientists because they appear in early May, way ahead of the usual fire season in the far north, and can reignite for a number of years.

Most scientists believe that zombie fires are the remnants of fires on the surface, but we have identified an alternative cause. Our research suggests that rapid atmospheric warming aboveground can cause peat soils to suddenly heat up to smoldering temperatures underground, all without any spark or other ignition. These zombie fires may be a case of climate-change-driven spontaneous combustion.

Reports of such fires date back to the 1940s, when they were rare events. However, the frequency and intensity of these fires have increased significantly in the past two decades, hand in hand with accelerated warming in the Arctic, the fastest-warming region on the planet.

At the start of 2024, more than 100 zombie fires were active in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Zombie fires have even been recorded near the coldest village on Earth, Oymyakon in north eastern Siberia, where they carried over through multiple winters and account for around 3.5 percent of area burned in the wider region each year.

Red areas are warming fastest, while black and gray areas show carbon-rich peat soils. There is significant overlap between the two, such as in Cherskii in northern Siberia. Map: O’Sullivan et al./Royal Society A; data from Berkeley Earth/PEATMAP

More carbon is trapped in temperature-sensitive Arctic peat soils than is found in the entire atmosphere, and these fires are releasing gigatons of it into the atmosphere. We wanted to know if sudden warming might be directly responsible.

Two Remarkable Results

We developed a mathematical model to explore different what-if scenarios, including how the temperature and carbon content of peat soils respond to changes in the weather and climate. Crucially, our model captures how certain microbes generate heat while breaking down soil and releasing its carbon into the atmosphere.

We obtained two remarkable results:

The first is that those microbes can generate so much heat that underground peat can smolder at around 80 degrees Celsius (176° F) over the winter, ready to ignite in spring. And this can happen without there ever having been a fire in that spot aboveground and without the weather aboveground reaching the sorts of temperatures that would normally be needed for soil to burn.

We call this new state the hot metastable state of peat soils. In this context, “metastable” means a long burn—the hot state lasts for a long but finite time, up to 10 years, until the peat burns out.

Our other key finding is that a sudden transition from the regular cold state to the hot metastable state can be triggered by realistic climate patterns alone, including summer heat waves and global warming scenarios. Most interestingly, the increase in the atmospheric temperature has to be faster than some critical rate to trigger the transition. If the atmospheric temperature increases by the same amount but at a slower rate, bioactive peat soil remains in the regular cold state and never transitions to the hot metastable state.

We still do not have proof of this happening in the real world, and it hasn’t been demonstrated in a lab—for now, this is a phenomenon seen only in our models. But we do know that compost (very similar to peat) can catch fire in the same way. For instance a large fire on the outskirts of London during a heatwave in 2022 was probably caused by a pile of compost spontaneously combusting.

All this suggests that atmospheric temperature is not actually the key critical factor for zombie fires. Rather, it is the rate of atmospheric warming that triggers long burns of underground peat. Put simply, it is not the heat, it is the rate.

How to Fight the Zombies

As the climate warms, the weather is becoming more extreme, and these are precisely the conditions that can lead to more and more zombie fires. This is concerning, as it could kick off a vicious cycle: The gigatons of carbon released from ancient peat soils into the atmosphere are likely to make the climatic changes even worse, which means more fires, so more extreme weather, and so on.

Indeed, zombie fires are an example of a rate-induced tipping point, where a system fails to adapt to too-fast changes in external conditions and transitions from its regular state to a different, often undesired state. It is possible that the contemporary climate is approaching—or has already exceeded—dangerous rates of change for certain natural system, such as bioactive peat soils, which could explain the recent increase in zombie fires.

It appears that the only solution to prevent further zombie fires is to limit climate variability. While policymakers focus on dangerous levels of atmospheric temperature (the heat), climate variability (the rate of change) could be equally or even more relevant to our resilience in the short term.

[fatehbaz]

Within a timespan of just a couple of weeks, in March and April 2023, the United States presidential administration and its homeland security leaders have announced significant crackdowns on refugees and asylum seekers at both its northern and southern peripheries. These policy changes have been described by scholars, lawyers, doctors, and other advocates as “terrifying’, “dangerous”, “deadly”, and “inhumane”.

In the final days of March 2023, following the US president’s visit to Canada, the US and Canada have announced a major change to the Safe Third Country Agreement policy. Scholars have described the rule change as one that will effectively deny refugee or asylum status to many people crossing the border along the entire continent, from Atlantic to Pacific. Meanwhile, in early April 2023, a trilateral statement/agreement was announced by the leaders of the US, Colombia, and Panama, as the nations describe their intent to discourage refugee travel through the notoriously horrific Darien Gap,

---

About the US-Canada border. Excerpt:

Others have not survived. On March 31 [2023], two families perished at the Quebec-US border, including an infant and a three-year-old. [...] Why aren’t people going to official ports of  entry? The answer is that the law, specifically the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between the US and Canada, deters people from using official border entry points because they will be turned away and denied the opportunity to make a refugee claim. Canada has acknowledged these crossings by erecting pop-up border  stations like one at Roxham Road, facilitating the movement of migrants. Quebec’s premier and main opposition leader have called for this makeshift port of entry to be shut down. And now, as part of US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Canada, the two countries have decided to do just that, under a renegotiated STCA that came into effect starting midnight on Friday, March 24 [2023]. Now anyone crossing any point of the Canada-US land border to make a refugee claim will be turned away. They will not be able to make a refugee claim and will be sent back to the US side of the border. Until now, this agreement only applied at official land ports of entry which pushed people seeking asylum to cross at unofficial points [...]. The newly expanded STCA now applies across the entire Canada-US land border, including areas between official ports of entry and certain bodies of water. Anyone making an asylum claim within 14 days of crossing without authorisation or valid immigration status will be brought back to a US port of entry and excluded from being able to make a claim in Canada. [...] Advocates argued that the agreement not only infringes migrants’ rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but also violates Canada’s international legal obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention [...].

Text by: Jamie Liew, Petra Molnar, and Julie Young. “The new US-Canada border deal is inhumane - and deadly.” Al Jazeera. 19 April 2023. Liew is a lawyer and associate professor at University of Ottawa. Molnar is associate director of the Refugee Law Lab. Young is Canada Research Chair in Critical Border Studies at University of Lethbridge.

---

More on the US-Canada border. Excerpt:

“The United States and Canada will work together to discourage unlawful border crossings and fully implement the updated Safe Third Country Agreement,” US President Joe Biden said during an address to the Canadian parliament in Ottawa on Friday afternoon. But human rights groups said the move will not deter refugees and asylum seekers [...] but instead will push them to take riskier routes. [...] “This is very dangerous,” said Frantz Andre, spokesperson and coordinator of [...] a Montreal-based group that provides support for asylum seekers and others without immigration status. [...] Why is this happening now? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been under political pressure domestically to respond to an increase in crossings, particularly from conservative politicians in Quebec [...].

Text by: Jillian Kestler-D’Amour. “What the new US-Canada border deal means for asylum seekers.” Al Jazeera. 24 March 2023.

---

The US, Colombia, and Panama announcement about the Darien Gap. Excerpt:

A US-backed plan to stop migrants from crossing the [...] Darién Gap will likely fail [...], migration experts have warned. The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday [11 April 2023] that it had brokered a deal with the Colombian and Panamanian governments to halt migrants crossing the land bridge on their journey northward to the US. The number of people traversing the lawless strip of land between Colombia and Panama has spiked to record numbers in the last two years. [...] [I]t is likely the plan would require militarisation, a scenario which Nicole Phillips, legal director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, an immigration policy non-profit, described as “terrifying”. [...] Decaying bodies of migrants are routinely found deep in the rainforest [...]. Those who survive the arduous two-week trek are at the mercy of [...] groups that frequently rob [...] vulnerable migrants. Given the risk that migrants already undergo fleeing poverty or persecution, Blaine Bookey at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies said she doubted authorities can deter them from making the trip. More likely, migrants will be pushed further underground and forced to take more dangerous routes. [...] Despite the harrowing tales of robbery [...] and death in the Darién Gap, the number of people and families making the journey surged in 2022 to record levels [...].

Text by: Luke Tyler. “‘Terrifying’: Critics decry US plan to stop migrants at Darién Gap.” The Guardian. 14 April 2023.

---

Why? Excerpt:

Facing pressure from conservatives, the Biden administration is trying to cut down on irregular migration and has set its sights on the booming foot traffic through the Darién. Currently, a [...] law, Title 42, uses the pandemic as justification to prohibit asylum claims at the US-Mexico land border, requiring Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Cubans to apply formally and meet certain requirements instead. [...] [B]ut the most desperate migrants often cannot meet the requisites due to the dire conditions in the countries from which they are fleeing, said Phillips. “The thought of [the US, Panama and Colombia] further militarising in order to keep migrants out is terrifying for people’s safety.” She said it was disappointing that human rights were not mentioned even once in the trilateral statement, given the dire and growing humanitarian crisis in the Darién. Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which attends to migrants needing medical assistance when they emerge from the jungle in Panama, says it [...] is “concerned” by the possible militarisation of borders. “We have seen in other countries that it can lead to more danger, not ensuring basic services and may increase suffering,” Luis Eguiluz, head of mission for MSF Colombia and Panama, said.

Text by: Luke Tyler. “‘Terrifying’: Critics decry US plan to stop migrants at Darién Gap.” The Guardian. 14 April 2023.

[eternal-echoes]

“Besides, if you're seeking a soulmate, birth control isn't likely to be much help. Not much reflection is needed to notice that many men are likely to postpone marriage if they can enjoy the pleasure of sex without the responsibilities of fatherhood. Imagine how much more serious men—and women-would take the sexual act if making love meant making life! There's a reason why life and love are naturally united within the womb. What God has joined, we ought not separate.

… When a woman is sexually active while hoping not to become pregnant, her life is a contradiction. If she sets her will against life, where does this leave her when a pregnancy "accidentally" occurs? Often, the woman is told that she can simply choose to terminate the pregnancy and move on with her life.

Is it so simple? If abortion solves the "problem," why do studies show that women who elect to have abortions are seven times more likely to commit suicide within a year of the abortion as compared to mothers who gave birth?1 One researcher noticed a significant trend to many of these deaths: A disproportionate amount of them occurred seven to ten months after the abortion. The researcher noted, "This may correspond to a negative anniversary reaction related to the expected due date of the aborted child."2 Postabortive women are also more likely to require psychiatric hospitalization than the mothers who gave birth to their children.3”

-Jason and Crystalina Evert, How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul

Mika Gissler et al., "Suicides after Pregnancy in Finland: 1987-94: Register Linkage Study," British Medical Journal 313 (1996): 1431-34; cf. B. Garfinkle et al., "Stress, Depression and Suicide: A Study of Adolescents in Minnesota" (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Extension Service, 1986), quoted in David C. Reardon, "The Abortion/Suicide Connection," The Post-Abortion Review 1, no. 2 (Summer 1993).

David C. Reardon, "Abortion Is Four Times Deadlier Than Child-birth," The Post-Abortion Review 8, no. 2 (April-June 2000).

David Reardon et al., "Psychiatric Admissions of Low-Income Women Following Abortion and Childbirth," Canadian Medical Association Journal 168 (2003): 1253-56.

[lgenvs3000w23]

Ethics

My personal ethics related to nature interpretation are driven by the concept of preservation for future generations, and hugely driven by my sense of responsibility for our planet's well-being. The driver of responsibility is multi-faceted: taking accountability for one’s previous actions, as well as taking an authoritative position to spark future action and educate others. As a nature interpreter and environmentally conscious person in general, I am the most influenced by an unconventional driver: fear. When I think of 15 years in the future, I am overwhelmed by a sense of uncertainty and sadness because I do not know what the state of the world will be, based on the trajectory we are currently on. I have been obsessed with climate change biology, biodiversity, wildlife management, and forest ecology, since starting my undergrad 3 years ago, which has subsequently transformed my hobbies and interests outside of school into hiking, camping, and exploring nature. I have developed an intensive love for nature that I want everyone to experience as well; I love bringing friends, family, and my boyfriend on adventures and showing them my favorite beaches, trails, and little secret spots in the forest. However, I fear I will not be able to do these things with my children one day because of habitat degradation and loss. This is not an irrational fear, even the textbook describes climate change as a looming threat that requires action and the need for policy-makers worldwide to better understand the importance of climate change (Beck et al., 2018).

I have always been interested in eco-friendly lifestyle choices such as zero waste, carbon-neutral practices, and ethically sourced food for the preservation of our planet. When I was much younger I thought that everyone had to be 100% plastic-free and make sacrifices for our planet, but my beliefs have shifted… I still believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to help save our planet but I can recognize that unfortunately, even my most intense efforts on an individual scale were lackluster compared to the negative contributions of large corporations and governments. 

My values are a very strong driver in my life, as my beliefs on the importance of climate change action and the preservation of the planet have had me in debate lately on what I want to do for my graduate studies. I am not sure if I want to do my Bachelor of Education (as originally planned) or a master's degree to contribute to climate change research. My dream research would be to develop improved carbon sequestration modeling, specifically for agriculture. This is a field of research very dear to my heart because it is the intersection of my major and minors (Biological Science, Mathematics, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) & Environmental Analysis), as well as being in demand research for policy-makers to set accurate goals. As the textbook states, a key role of nature interpretation is helping people accurately perceive the world (Beck et al., 2018). We are currently in a situation where we have inaccurate carbon storage and sequestration models in agriculture (and other areas such as the Arctic). This research could severely influence our carbon capture goals and efforts needed for Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, as promised in The Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (Government of Canada, 2024).

Kinsky, G. (2023). Tractor moving forwards with histograms and data in the background. Unearthing the Potential of Agriculture in Carbon Sequestration. Agritask. Retrieved from https://start.agritask.com/blog/carbon-sequestration-in-agriculture/. 

I feel horrible guilt about climate change, habitat degradation, and the loss of biodiversity, which has made me feel obligated to help “save the planet” as it is partially my responsibility. For so many problems in the world, we think things are not our responsibility and that someone else more qualified or higher up-the-food-chain will come along and fix them, but this research seems perfect for me to tackle because I am very passionate about the issue and my entire undergrad lends itself to this research. 

Now you might be thinking “So what’s the problem? What is stopping you from pursuing this research?” 

I am in a constant debate between becoming a teacher and prioritizing raising children and starting a family young or if I should throw myself into academia by prioritizing research for the next several years. On the one hand, I would love to pour my entire heart and soul into raising children and being a nature interpreter for them and my students, on the other hand, I could devote all of my energy to the longevity of the planet which could benefit the entire world. Ethier way, I am very motivated as a nature interpreter to spread awareness about climate change and reverse the degradation we have done to the planet, intending to preserve a healthy planet for generations to come, because what type of world would we be bringing children into if we do not crack down and make changes now? 

This blog has been incredibly intimidating for me because of how deep the prompt is this week. I have completely rewritten his blog 2.5 times since Monday; it has sent me into crazy spirals doubting my entire life plan and rearranging my planned courses, I even set up a meeting with an academic advisor. So after a week of wrestling with my personal ethics and goals/responsibilities as a nature interpreter, I have realized that I cannot drive into a master's degree out of guilt and that I can feel satisfied with my contributions to helping the planet without compromising my life plan and other personal beliefs. Our textbook mentions the importance of teaching people that the individual behavior of everyone contributes to both the problems and solutions of climate change (Beck et al., 2018). The best approach for me to accomplish my goals and feel I have done my part is to use the skills I've developed as a nature interpreter in this class! I will encourage others to see the beauty in the planet and help them take action against climate change as a nature interpreter. I will help spread awareness about climate change through word-of-mouth and social media, be active in politics and talk to my municipal representatives/elected officials, lead the eco-club at the school I will be teaching at someday, and make eco-friendly household changes like investing in energy-efficient appliances, reducing water waste, having a garden, composting and shopping locally. I will do my part to tackle climate change by taking the powerful role of a nature interpreter and leading by example!

I would like to end by sharing my favourite family photo: three generations of my family (me, my sister, my mom, and my grandma). I love this photo because it represents the biggest motivator of my personal ethics: the prosperity of future generations. 

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

Government of Canada. (2024, February 2). Net-zero emissions by 2050. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/net-zero-emissions-2050.html

[kneedeepincynade]

The truth is more stubborn than Washington lies, and reality can not be distorted forever

The post is machine translated

Translation is at the bottom

The collective is on telegram

🇺🇸 Gli USA e i loro lacchè, tra cui l'Italia, hanno sempre promosso - negli anni - la disgustosa idea «Musulmano = terrorista», ma - per lo Xinjiang, si sono riscoperti "alfieri" dei diritti dei Musulmani, in funzione anti-Cinese 🤡

🇨🇳 Col desiderio di interferire negli affari interni e di voler balcanizzare la Cina, gli USA hanno artificialmente costruito il "Caso dello Xinjiang" - articoli con notizie non dimostrate, notizie scorrette o addirittura inventate di sana pianta, spacciandole per verità 🤮

🌸 Il Collettivo Shaoshan ha trattato questo argomento nel dettaglio, smentendo ogni menzogna anti-Cinese:

🌺 Master-Post sullo Xinjiang 🇨🇳

🤔 Cosa intende l'Occidente quando parla di "disgregazione" della Russia e di Separatismo anti-Cinese mascherato da Democrazia? 🇺🇸

😱 Queste notizie, inoltre, vengono «lanciate» agli utenti Occidentali da persone che non conosco niente della Cina, si spacciano per "esperti di Cina" ma non conoscono neanche una parola di Cinese, sono Asset dell'Impero USA. E le persone, in Occidente, dovrebbero fidarsi di loro? È ridicolo! 😡

⭐️ Il Compagno Liu scrive:

💬 «Chi inquadra la Cina dovrebbe almeno imparare un po' di Cinese, non solo affidarsi all'immaginazione. [...] Il canadese nel video si chiama Lyman Stone, ricercatore presso l'AEI e l'Institute for Family Studies, ed Ex-Economista presso il Dipartimento dell'Agricoltura degli USA, ed è abbastanza sicuro di poter cercare e acquistare su Taobao degli "schiavi uiguri"» 🤦‍♀️

🤔 Fermiamoci un attimo: ma come si fa a dire che si può comprare uno "schiavo uiguro" su un e-commerce?! Qui siamo al livello ridicolo della propaganda sulla DPRK, chi ci crede è un 没有救赎可能的白痴! 😂

💬 Tuttavia, «quando Carl Zha gli ha immediatamente chiesto di cercare e acquistare su Taobao uno schiavo uiguro, ha rifiutato (❗️), dicendo che non sapeva il Cinese e non poteva usare quindi la tastiera Cinese», per poi dire che forse non era Taobao, ma su «altri siti», in pratica è stato smascherato 🤡

🌸 Iscriviti 👉 @collettivoshaoshan

🇺🇸 The USA and their lackeys, including Italy, have always promoted - over the years - the disgusting idea «Muslim = terrorist», but - for Xinjiang, they have rediscovered the "standard bearers" of Muslim rights, in an anti - Chinese 🤡

🇨🇳 With the desire to interfere in internal affairs and want to balkanize China, the US has artificially constructed the "Xinjiang Case" - articles with unproven news, incorrect news or even fabricated news, passing it off as the truth 🤮

🌸 The Shaoshan Collective covered this topic in detail, denying any anti-Chinese lie:

🌺 Xinjiang Master-Post 🇨🇳

🤔 What does the West mean when it talks about the "breakup" of Russia and anti-Chinese separatism masquerading as Democracy? 🇺🇸

😱 These news are also ′′ launched ′′ to Western users by people who don't know anything about China, posing as ′′ China experts ′′ but don't know a single word of Chinese, they are Assets of the US Empire. And should people in the West trust them? It's ridiculous! 😡

⭐️ Comrade Liu writes:

💬 «Those who frame China should at least learn a little Chinese, not just rely on the imagination. [...] The Canadian in the video is called Lyman Stone, a researcher at the AEI and the Institute for Family Studies, and Ex-Economist at the US Department of Agriculture, and he's pretty sure he can search and buy at Taobao of "Uyghur slaves"» 🤦‍♀️

🤔 Let's stop for a moment: how can you say that you can buy an "Uyghur slave" on an e-commerce?! Here we are at the ridiculous level of DPRK propaganda, whoever believes it is a 没有救赎可能的白痴! 😂

💬 However, "when Carl Zha immediately asked him to search for and buy a Uyghur slave on Taobao, he refused (❗️), saying he didn't know Chinese and therefore couldn't use the Chinese keyboard", to then say that maybe it wasn't Taobao, but on «other sites», it was basically exposed 🤡

🌸 Subscribe 👉 @collettivoshaoshan

[boy-with-the-demon-blood]

in doing research about our disorders we have stumbled across something that has absolutely BLOWN OUR COLLECTIVE MIND and thus feel the need to share it with you all. the information here is about ADHD and DID, but mostly ADHD. we found the article through a website about DID but most of what we are talking about is about ADHD

coming from did-research.org's section on comorbid disorders, we read the paragraph:

There is a growing body of research showing that ADHD can be caused, exacerbated, or mimicked by childhood maltreatment. Although ADHD is known to be strongly heritable, there is evidence that genetic vulnerability interacts with an adverse family environment to increase the risk of ADHD (Laucht et al., 2007). Among those with childhood-diagnosed ADHD, the majority will not meet full ADHD criteria in adulthood, but childhood adversity increases the likelihood of continuing symptoms (Fuller-Thomson et al., 2015). Child maltreatment is strongly associated with symptoms also found in ADHD, including inattention, impulsivity, difficulties managing anger, extreme passivity, peer rejection, poor academic functioning, and cognitive delays (Briscoe-Smith & Hinshaw, 2006; Guendelman et al., 2016), and childhood physical abuse is so strongly associated with ADHD that some studies have found that ADHD is more likely to result from physical abuse than any other disorder, including PTSD (Sugaya et al., 2013). Most notably, ADHD symptoms are conceptualized as one of the clusters of symptoms associated with developmental trauma disorder, a proposed diagnosis meant to capture the extremely wide-reaching effects of severe childhood neglect and abuse (D’Andrea et al., 2012).

(bold font added by me to increase readability because tumblr's font is not very wall-of-text friendly)

AND THE PHRASE "Among those with childhood-diagnosed ADHD, the majority will not meet full ADHD criteria in adulthood" WAS SO FUNDAMENTALLY LIKE. PARADIGM SHIFTING. THAT WE LOOKED AT THE ARTICLE CITED AND IT ONLY GETS WORSE FOR OUR PAST PERCEPTION OF ADHD.

This is the article cited.

This is a paragraph from the abstract of the article, so not even the actual research conducted yet, just the background.

Research has begun to demonstrate a relationship between ADHD and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing parental domestic violence. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, Ouyang, Fang, Mercy, Perou, and Grosse (2008) showed that adolescents with a history of childhood physical abuse had higher odds of self-reported symptoms of both inattentive and hyperactive subtypes of ADHD. Those with a history of sexual abuse also had significantly higher odds of the inattentive subtype, but not the hyperactive one. Another large study, this time using a representative sample of adult Canadians, found that those with a history of physical abuse had over six times higher odds of self-reporting a health professional diagnosis of ADHD (Fuller-Thomson, Mehta, & Valeo, 2014). Several smaller clinical studies have also linked ADHD to ACEs: Briscoe-Smith and Hinshaw (2006) found that a higher percentage of girls with ADHD reported any type of abuse than a matched comparison group. They also showed that most of the abuse occurred in the combination ADHD type as opposed to the inattentive type. Ford et al. (2000) revealed, among children and adolescents, that a history of physical or sexual maltreatment was associated with a diagnosis of ADHD. Finally, Biederman et al. (1995) found that children presenting with ADHD at a pediatric clinic disproportionately came from families who had experienced high levels of conflict.

(again, bold font added by me)

and i don't know enough about the categorization of developmental disorders and trauma disorders to really make this judgement but my brain semi-jokingly said "so when are we going to start classifying (adult) adhd as a trauma disorder" because like. the majority of people who i know that were diagnosed as kids violently hated being on medication and now don't use it, but every adult or late-teen-diagnosed person i know is endlessly grateful for medication. this is just personal experience, and i haven't made specific notes of it, but over half of my cousins (i have 30, so at least 15) have been diagnosed with adhd at some point or another, and they follow this pattern as well. the ones diagnosed past the age of like 16 or so have stayed on medication and we have talked about how much it has helped us, and the ones diagnosed as children look at us like we have three heads when we say we want to be on medication.

idk i just want to know you guys' thoughts! can be personal experience or professional knowledge, sorry that the second article is behind a paywall, i'm at university rn so i have access to it if you want me to like send you a pdf of it.

[mismagieus]

The Nature of Borderline Personality Disorder’s Concerningly High Comorbidity Rate with Substance Use Disorder

Background

The research that will be conducted is in regards to borderline personality disorder and its comorbid relationship with substance use disorder. An alarming number of individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder also experience substance use frequent enough to present significant issue in their day-to-day functioning, which often results in a comorbid diagnosis of substance use disorder. Approximately 78% of adults with borderline personality disorder (henceforth noted as “BPD” in this proposal) develop a substance use disorder or addiction at some time in their lives, according to research conducted by the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). We will take a closer look at what causes the relationship between BPD and using substances, the insurmountable grief of BPD that so commonly pervades these individuals’ lives, other contributing symptoms, and what role childhood and upbringing have in determining whether or not someone with BPD will develop substance use disorder.

Research Question

Why are individuals with BPD so prone to self-medicating with substance, and how can this be avoided or treated? What can others do to support a loved one with BPD and comorbid substance use disorder?

Subtopics To Be Investigated

The subtopics that will be discussed in this paper are as follows: emotional dysregulation, distress intolerance, impulsivity, suicidality, upbringing (particularly childhood trauma), physical health complications such as chronic pain, and the stress-induced quasi-psychotic symptoms that sometimes occur in BPD.

Summary of Preliminary Findings

The sources for this paper are as follows: National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, The Clinical Journal of Pain, Wikipedia, Science Direct: Journal of Affective Disorders, and ResearchGate. The National Library of Medicine is the world’s largest biomedical library and institution of research on medical and health-related topics. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal originally published by the Canadian Psychiatric Association. In January of 2015, it changed publishers to SAGE Journals. Covering all aspects of psychiatry, this journal aims to educate and inform. The Clinical Journal of Pain is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, covering research on all aspects of pain management. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that relies heavily on userbase submissions, cataloguing thousands upon thousands of topics. It remains heavily accurate (despite much criticism) due to the moderation system put in place to prevent article vandalism. Science Direct is a website that provides access to a large bibliographic database of scientific and medical publications of the Dutch publisher Elsevier. And finally, ResearchGate is a European social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. I am certain that the information found in these sources will provide the basis for a detailed discussion of borderline personality disorder and the high propensity for development of comorbid substance use disorder. All sources are in the form of webpages.

Rationale for Research

The reader can hopefully gain some valuable insight into borderline personality disorder, what causes the high comorbidity rate with substance use disorder, what can be done to prevent it or treat it, and how to support a loved one who struggles with both disorders (or each disorder separately). It is my intention that the reader walk away with a new sense of understanding on this topic.

Works Cited

Kienast, Thorsten, et al. “Borderline Personality Disorder and Comorbid Addiction: Epidemiology and Treatment.” Deutsches Arzteblatt International, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Apr. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4010862/.

Links, Paul, et al. “Borderline Personality Disorder and Substance Abuse: Consequences of Comorbidity.” The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, SAGE Journals, Feb. 1995, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/070674379504000105.

McWilliams, Lachlan & Higgins, Kristen. “Associations Between Pain Conditions and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.” The Clinical Journal of Pain, Lippincott Journals, June 2013, https://journals.lww.com/clinicalpain/abstract/2013/06000/associations_between_pain_conditions_and.9.aspx.

“Management of Borderline Personality Disorder.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Oct. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_of_borderline_personality_disorder.

Mattingley, Sophie, et al. “Distress Tolerance across Substance Use, Eating, and Borderline Personality Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Affective Disorders, Elsevier, 2 Jan. 2022, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032721014439.

Lubman, Dan, et al. “Managing Borderline Personality Disorder and Substance Use: An Integrated Approach” ResearchGate, PubMed, Australian Family Physician, June 2011, www.researchgate.net/publication/51203543_Managing_borderline_personality_disorder_and_substance_use_An_integrated_approach.

...Just sharing this with y'all for no reason, as it's already been graded lol. It's a topic I'm passionate about obviously. And don't roll your eyes at the inclusion of Wikipedia, because my professor said he's okay with it and even encouraged us to use it for this research paper. He even made us participate in a group discussion post on why Wikipedia is reliable. My academic writing needs improvement, but hey, at least this is a start.

[hsenvs3000w23]

Privilege in Nature Interpretation : Blog 3

My working definition of privilege is an advantage that is given to a certain group. This definition applies to nature interpretation because privilege often gives a group an upper hand at overcoming barriers. The absence of privilege can make it harder for people to enjoy nature interpretation or create more barriers for those that have no privileges. After some more research I found that privilege can be a combination of five things… It is a special advantage, it is granted not earned, it is an entitlement related to status, it is exercised for its benefit and excludes others, and privilege is a status that the person possessing it is not aware of (Black & Stone, 2005).

Before this unit I never considered the role privilege plays in nature interpretation. However, after reading the course content and reflecting on my past I discovered privilege has a strong impact on nature interpretation. To start off this post I want to reflect on the role privilege has played in my past regarding nature interpretation.  My interest in nature has been present since I was a child. I spent my entire life growing up at my cottage, which I recognize is a huge privilege already. Having the opportunity to spend time outdoors with my family in such a beautiful location is not something that everyone gets to experience. I think this is like camping with my family. My parents had to put in their time and effort into taking me on outdoor trips as a kid. They spent their time and money on enforcing time spent in nature on several occasions. I recognize that there is a lot of children that did not get to experience this.  

Another privilege I recognize I have is being in university and taking classes that allow me to further my future in nature interpretation. My parents have helped me mentally and financially get to where I am today. University is an expense that I would not be able to afford if my parents didn’t help me prepare for. My savings are all thanks to past summer jobs that I could not have gotten without some help from my parents. For example, in high school I worked at Canadian Tire and my parents had to drive me to and from my shifts. In more recent jobs, my parents have helped me prepare for interviews.  I am aware a lot of students don’t have as much help from their parents that I do, and this gives me an advantage. The fact that I am in my final year of university, taking this specific course in nature interpretation is a massive advantage that so many people do not have. I am sure there are several people who want to work in a career in nature interpretation but unfortunately face a disadvantage in the work force because they did not attend university.

Lastly, I think a privilege that relates to nature interpretation is the fact that I am young and healthy. I am completely capable of participating in nature programs if I want to. A reason why some people cannot participate in nature interpretation programs could be that they want to participate, but encounter boundaries like physical impediments, such as people with physical disabilities or even the elderly population (Beck et al., 2018).

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

Black, L. L., & Stone, D. (2005). Expanding the Definition of Privilege: The Concept of Social Privilege. JOURNAL OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING AND DEVELOPMENT, 33(4), 243–255. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2005.tb00020.x  

[maenvs3000w23]

Unit 9

Hi Everyone, 

It has been difficult to think of something that would excite me and my classmates. I do have a passion for health and welling being, so I wanted to pick a topic in that realm. 

I find it very interesting that plants can be used for medicinal purposes. More specifically, cannabis plants can be used to treat multiple medical conditions. I have recently done research for a NEUR*4000 course that looked at the effects of cannabis on schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a very interesting and complex disorder. Research has proven that antipsychotics that are prescribed to individuals with schizophrenia are ineffective. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is a naturally occurring and primary component in cannabis plants (Koleza et al., 2020). CBD differs from THC as it does not elicit psychomimetic effects, making it the non-psychoactive component in Cannabis Sativa (Boggs et al., 2018). In individuals with schizophrenia, the effects of THC can trigger amplified psychotic episodes, provoking relapse (Koleza et al., 2020). However, studies have been conducted to determine the possible therapeutic effects of CBD due to its antipsychotic profile (Peres et al., 2018). Multiple studies have proven that CBD reduces psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia (McGuire et al., 2018). 

Another way that nature is used to alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia is through interactions with animals. Currently, I am working in Caledon at a Ranch that houses individuals with schizophrenia. The ranch is not only home to the clients but some farm animals as well. There are 2 miniature ponies, 3 alpacas, 2 sheep, 5 goats, 16 chickens, and 3 peacocks. The ranch sits on 23 acres of land. The animals provide comfort and responsibility to the client. There is also a community garden on the property. The clients on the ranch and in the community learn to care for the animals and community gardens. The program aims to teach life skills to the clients. 

What other medical conditions could be treated or benefit from CBD? Research has shown that CBD can be used to ease chronic or neuropathic pain (Rapin et al., 2021). Furthermore, mental health conditions like anxiety and depression can be treated with CBD (Rapin et al., 2021). Findings have shown that CBD is effective when individuals experience moderate to severe symptoms (Rapin et al., 2021). 

I find it so amazing how nature can be used to help individuals with mental health issues and improve well-being. It is not a very nature-isc view but nature is involved to some level. 

I look forward to reading your blog post and find out what in nature interest you!

Thank you, 

Makayla 

Boggs, D. L., Surti, T., Gupta, A., Gupta, S., Niciu, M., Pittman, B., Schnakenberg Martin, A. M., Thurnauer, H., Davies, A., D’Souza, D. C., & Ranganathan, M. (2018). The effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on cognition and symptoms in outpatients with chronic schizophrenia a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychopharmacolog

Kozela, E., Krawczyk, M., Kos, T., Juknat, A., Vogel, Z., & Popik, P. (2020). Cannabidiol improves cognitive impairment and reverses cortical transcriptional changes induced by ketamine, in schizophrenia-like model in rats. Molecular Neurobiology, 57(3), 1733-1747.

McGuire, P., Robson, P., Cubala, W. J., Vasile, D., Morrison, P. D., Barron, R., ... & Wright, S. (2018). Cannabidiol (CBD) as an adjunctive therapy in schizophrenia: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(3), 225-231.

 Rapin, L., Gamaoun, R., El Hage, C., Arboleda, M. F., & Prosk, E. (2021). Cannabidiol use and effectiveness: real-world evidence from a Canadian medical cannabis clinic. Journal of Cannabis Research, 3(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-021-00078-w

[danglovely]

Regrading Taskmaster: S03 E03 Little polythene grief cave.

*Score changes in parenthesis.

Prize Task: Best battery-operated item.

No one brings in the obvious thing, which is somewhat relieving. Dave's white noise generator has a sweet story associated with it and I'm surprised it didn't do better. Last place should have gone to Sara who brings in her iPhone. It might be technically the correct answer but it's not an imaginative showing. Similar lack of creativity with Al bringing in Wall-E. Paul brings in light up dreadlocks, which contains the traditional amount of confusion associated with everything Paul does. Rob's toilet seat light makes your toilet look like an alien abduction and I love it.

Al: 2 (0) Dave: 4 (+3) Paul: 3 (-1) Rob: 5 (0) Sara: 1 (-2)

VT 01: Fill this egg cup with your own sweat. Most sweat wins.

Rob had to do accents and doesn't get a bonus point for it. He could've gotten around it by just not talking. Even Al doesn't believe urine is sweat. Like the tears task, the question is whether you need to produce a single drop of sweat to avoid disqualification. I'd say in most cases no . . . except if you do what Al did. Sara's purchase of sweat was clever.

Al: DQ Dave: 3 Paul: 5 Rob: 2 Sara: 4

VT 02: Make the best domino rally.

Paul really earned this win. His rally looked difficult to set up, it was interesting to watch, and it has the air of impressiveness. Al 's doesn't work but was still somehow better than Sara, who had a story. Both the story and the rally were kind of sad.

Rob gets third but I'm not sure this should actually qualify. The people aren't actually knocking each other over but using the shove a signal to fall. Sara and Al failing sort of saves him in this case. Dave just had a traditional rally which was good enough for second in this case.

Al: 2 (+1) Dave: 4 (0) Paul: 5 (0) Rob: 3 (0) Sara: 1 (0)

Studio Task: Buy a gift for the Taskmaster. Here is £20.

Rob should have won this one. A footstool for the throne is so cool that it would take a tattoo to defeat it. Dave's was good and Greg seemed legitimately happy about the research he did about Wem. I didn't get "the last Rolo" thing until I looked up that this was the tagline for Rolos for awhile. One page of a script for Man Down is almost definitely going to be just a cast list and the first setting only, but it still should have beaten Twister. A board game is something you buy if you need something last second.

Al: 3 (0) Dave: 4 (-1) Paul: 1 (-1) Rob: 5 (+1) Sara: 2 (+1)

VT 03: Make the best flag meal.

Cooking 101: A meal should have a protein, a vegetable element, and a starch element. For the "flag" portion, there's a question on if it should be close to your chosen flag, or any flag (the Paul problem).

Sara's Canadian flag looked accurate, but is basically a really bad desert. Al's Union Jack was stunning, but also just rice. Rice is a staple food that is about as close to a meal as one food can get. Dave's Jolly Rodger falls in between Sara and Al appearance-wise, but he cooked an actual meal with all three elements.

Rob's Nisshoki wasn't ambitious, wasn't accurate, wasn't a meal, and didn't taste good. Paul barely sneaks past him just because it constitutes a meal.

Al: 3 (+1) Dave: 5 (0) Paul: 2 (-2) Rob: 1 (0) Sara: 4 (+1)

Live Task: Anchor these balloons using only bread.

No issues here. Sara developed a technique and she won because of it.

Al: 1 Dave: 3 Paul: 2 Rob: 4 Sara: 5

Final

Al: 11 (+2) Dave: 23 (+2) Paul: 18 (-4) Rob: 16 (-3) Sara: 17 (0)

Paul's gift and meal were over scored, so I deny him is only episode win, which is too bad.

[goddamnwebcomics]

AI vs. Human: Spinnerette

There is a lot of scare regarding AI lately, and for a good reason. There is a lot of fear that AI art will one day replace actual humans in producing art, leading everything to become more generic than before and replacing thousands of jobs.

But nobody ever asks the question, what if you pit a human who can’t write for his life against an AI? This is what we’re discovering in the very first episode of AI vs. Human, an on-going series where a powerful AI, that being OpenAI, tries to rewrite all the webcomics we know and hate. Do they make more sense? Do they become better? Do they drop all the entertainment factor as they become more generic?

I will rank it based on two factors, decency and riffiness. If it makes better decisions than human writer, it gets decency points, if the plot sounds entertaining, it gets riffing points. If AI is generic (which is to be expected) it does less in riffiness points, but depending on the situation it does better on decency points.

The very first human AI will take on is Kraw of Spinnerette fame, can AI write a better, more sensible story?

I fed the AI names and profiles of every Spinnerette character. Let’s see what it does.

Issue 1:

Issue 1 of Spinnerette begins with Heather Brown, a grad student at Ohio Research University, accidentally stumbling into Dr. Lambha's new prototype genetic infusion chamber. The machine infuses her with spider-like superpowers, including six arms, super strength, and the ability to shoot webbing from her spine. Heather struggles to come to terms with her new abilities and how they will impact her daily life.

Meanwhile, a group of villains, including Colonel Glass and Dr. Universe, are plotting to steal the genetic infusion chamber for their own nefarious purposes. Heather, now going by the superhero name Spinnerette, must learn to control her powers and stop the villains from getting their hands on the machine.

Throughout the issue, Spinnerette also meets other superheroes, including Mecha Maid, Tiger, and the Canadian superhero team consisting of Green Gable, Werewolf of London, and Katt O'Nine Tails. Along the way, she also has to deal with the disapproving General Evescroft, who believes independent superheroes are a threat to national security.

Issue 1 sets up the world of Spinnerette and introduces the main characters, their powers, and their relationships with each other. It also establishes the ongoing conflict between Spinnerette and the villains who seek to exploit her

The original issue didn’t have any other characters besides Spinny, Sahira, and Not-Gendo/Dr. Lambha (I legit didn’t learn his actual name until when I started doing research for this). AI, on the other hand, in usual AI fashion, rushes and introduces EVERYBODY in Issue 1. The way how it’s written makes me think AI-Spinnerette’s issues are longer than the actual Spinnerette issues which is fine by me because part of the reason issue format sucks is because it’s so short and nothing gets developed. Still, I get introducing Tiger and Mecha Maid and the villains, but fucking Canadian Superfucks and General Generic??? That pushes up riffability scale up a bit and decency scale down a bit. Also, the ass is changed into spine so, lol. Heather is also struggling between her daily life and her superhero life. Even AI-Spinnerette rips off Empowered!

Issue 2:

Issue 2 of Spinnerette picks up where the first issue left off, with Spinnerette still struggling to control her newfound powers. She continues to train with Dr. Lambha, who is impressed by her progress, but warns her that she must be careful not to reveal her identity to anyone.

Meanwhile, Mecha Maid discovers that her suit's headband is causing her ALS to progress faster than ever before. She begins to worry that she won't have much time left to live, and considers retiring from superhero work altogether.

Spinnerette also encounters a new villain, Evil Spinnerette, who claims to have created the superhero name before Heather did. Evil Spinnerette has transformed herself into an avatar of the spider queen Lolth using magic and instructions from Dungeons & Dragons books.

As Spinnerette battles Evil Spinnerette, she also has to deal with the unwanted attention of General Evescroft. The general is convinced that Spinnerette is a threat to national security and tries to capture her, but Spinnerette manages to evade him for the time being.

Issue 2 further develops the characters and their relationships, while introducing new threats and challenges for Spinnerette to face. It also touches on the theme of mortality with Mecha Maid's worsening condition, and sets the stage for future conflicts with the introduction of Evil Spinnerette

Not-Gendo, instead of being a background character who stops being relevant after Colonel Glass arc, becomes Heather’s mentor??? I have to admit that’s pretty unexpected, especially since the doctor is at the very bottom of the list of characters, and AI usually prioritises the ones at the top of the list. I kinda wish Not-Gendo played a bigger role in the comic as having a non-super be super’s mentor would be an interesting idea, and you know, it would SUBVERT THINGS.

Also, another plus, Mecha Maid’s ALS is relevant early on and she is considering retirement from Superheroing altogether! The AI remembers these big risks better than Kraw does! That gives it many decency points.

Evil Spinnerette then arrives into the story much like in the main comic, although last chapter introduced Legion of Doom as our baddies. Never mind, AI likes to drop entire plot elements as much as Kraw does. Also, General Generic playing a bigger role in the series is a plus in my book, because he is kinda undeveloped character anyway in the original comic. Being more of an active villain rather than Universe’s nemesis and GUBBERMENT BAD type guy works a lot better. I do wonder if AI is planning to introduce his more noble qualities though...

By the way, if AI says “this issue will develop blah blah blah” I won’t count it as it’s Show Don’t Tell, AI likes to brag how intelligent and totally not evil it is, and I won’t fall for it’s bullshit. It’s got a good track record for now, but it’s still AI.

Issue 3:

Issue 3 of Spinnerette begins with Spinnerette and Mecha Maid trying to track down Colonel Glass, who killed Mecha Maid's adoptive mother, White Heron. They discover that Glass has teamed up with Dr. Universe, and they're planning to use the stolen genetic infusion chamber to create an army of genetically enhanced soldiers.

Spinnerette and Mecha Maid infiltrate Glass and Universe's base but are quickly captured. They manage to escape with the help of Greta Gravity, Dr. Universe's assistant who has a change of heart after realizing the true extent of her boss's evil plans.

As the heroes battle Glass and Universe's army of enhanced soldiers, Mecha Maid's suit malfunctions due to her worsening condition. Spinnerette is forced to step up and fight on her own, utilizing her spider powers to their fullest extent.

In the end, Spinnerette manages to destroy the genetic infusion chamber, thwarting Glass and Universe's plan. Mecha Maid decides to retire from superhero work to focus on her health, and Spinnerette reflects on the sacrifices that come with being a superhero.

Issue 3 brings the ongoing conflict with Colonel Glass and Dr. Universe to a head, while introducing new characters and challenges for Spinnerette to face. It also touches on themes of mortality

Jesus, the usual universal trope of dragged webcomic pacing is subverted by AI who rushes things at the speed of a locomotive. Colonel Glass working with Dr. Universe is completely impossible in the main timeline, AI doesn’t even take their ideological differences into account. That takes away decency points.

Also, I’ve been using AI for a while and it’s obsessed with “genetically enhanced soldiers” idea. I wonder what that foreshadows hmm. But then this comic earns a plus for doing something that Kraw should’ve done a long time ago, redeem Greta. We also get Mecha Maid getting malfunctioned, forcing Spinny to fight the soldiers herself. God, the Main Spinnerette would fucking die in that situation.

However, now the AI Spinnerette is way too competent and thus unrelatable. But we get something interesting, Mecha Maid retires which causes Spinny to not think superheroing is all fun. I can’t believe AI has more common sense than fucking Kraw.

Issue 4:

Issue 4 of Spinnerette begins with Heather struggling to balance her superhero life with her personal life, as she tries to maintain a relationship with her boyfriend, Dave. Meanwhile, the Canadian superhero team, Green Gable, Werewolf of London, and Katt O'Nine Tails, come to Ohio to ask Spinnerette for her help in stopping Captain Alberta, a former member of their team who has turned evil.

Spinnerette agrees to help, and the team sets out to track down Captain Alberta. Along the way, they encounter Minerva, a Cerberus and guardian of Hell, who has been fired from her job and has joined forces with Captain Alberta.

As the heroes battle Minerva and Captain Alberta, Heather's personal life becomes even more complicated when Dave discovers her secret superhero identity. He initially reacts negatively, but eventually comes around and offers his support.

In the end, Spinnerette and the Canadian team manage to defeat Minerva and Captain Alberta, with Heather realizing that she needs to find a better balance between her personal life and superhero responsibilities.

Issue 4 continues to develop the characters and their relationships, while introducing new challenges and conflicts for Spinnerette to face. It also touches on themes of identity, trust, and finding balance in one's life.

Well, AI just cucked Damien/Fonzie completely and replaced her with a new guy, DAVE. I guess Spinny dumped Mecha Maid after she retired, harsh? I think I forgot to mention that Spinny and Mecha Maid love eachother which is why it did this, but I like to think the AI is a homophobe.

I guess Dave is the most generic generic white boy imaginable with no personality, which means it’s AI’s self-insert! You nasty computer, you.

Anyways, Captain Alberta is the bad guy of this story, and Minerva is actually working with him as opposed to being part of the Canadian superheroes. And DAVE LEARNS THAT HEATHER IS SPINNY. What? Did Spinny bring him to Canada or what? Maybe Heather in AI Spinnerette is also an idiot after all.

They beat the bad guys and more Show Don’t Tell happens. This was pretty average.

Issue 5:

In issue 5 of Spinnerette, Heather's personal life becomes even more complicated when Sahira, her roommate and confidante, discovers her superhero identity. Sahira is initially shocked but quickly becomes excited about the prospect of helping Heather with her superhero work.

Meanwhile, Spinnerette and the Canadian superhero team are called upon to investigate a strange energy signature emanating from a nearby lake. They discover that the energy is being generated by a group of aliens, who are planning to invade Earth.

Spinnerette and the Canadian team are able to stop the aliens, but not before one of them manages to escape and make its way to Ohio. The alien possesses the body of Dr. Lambha, and Spinnerette must team up with Greta Gravity to stop the alien from causing havoc in the city.

As Spinnerette and Greta battle the alien, Heather's personal life takes another hit when she discovers that Dave has been cheating on her. She confronts him, but ultimately decides to focus on her superhero work instead.

In the end, Spinnerette and Greta manage to defeat the alien, and Heather reflects on the sacrifices she has made for her superhero identity.

Issue 5 introduces new threats and challenges for Spinnerette to face, while further developing the characters and their relationships.

Well damn, Issue 5 and only then we introduce Sahira, who behaves completely different from the real Sahira, I guess the AI Sahira is the same as P.C. Dimbleby’s Redesigned Sahira, which drops a ton of decency points.

Now we get aliens, and they possess Not-Gendo, and Greta Gravity plays a major role which is nice. And then Spinny learns DAVE IS CHEATING ON HER. I like that all these big reveals are implied to come to her in the middle of a fight. I like to imagine everything just stops as Spinny is crying about Dave cheating on her. I guess Dave banged Mecha Maid.

AI somehow proceeded to portray their self-insert as flawed, which is more than I can say for Kraw.

Issue 6:

Issue 6 of Spinnerette begins with Heather receiving an invitation to join the Legion of Canadian Superheroes. Despite her initial reluctance, she agrees to join the team and travels to Canada to meet the other members.

While in Canada, Spinnerette and the team are called upon to stop a giant, mutated beaver that is wreaking havoc on a nearby town. They discover that the beaver was created by Dr. Universe, who has been working with a group of rogue scientists to create mutant animals.

Spinnerette and the Canadian team are able to stop Dr. Universe and his team, but not before Dr. Universe manages to escape. Heather also learns that Sahira has been keeping a secret from her - she is actually a superhero herself, known as the Crimson Crusader.

Back in Ohio, Heather tries to navigate her complicated personal life, including her strained relationship with Dave and her growing feelings for Tiger. She also has to deal with the unwanted attention of General Evescroft, who continues to view her as a threat to national security.

In the end, Spinnerette reflects on the sacrifices she has made for her superhero identity and contemplates her future with the Canadian team.

Spinny joins the Canadian Superheroes. I guess it makes sense since she’s been teaming up with them for every chapter now.

And then we get giant mutated animals, shockingly not made by WereQuakko Sisters but Dr. Universe. I guess Universe is not an objectivist in AI Spinnerette but just a generic mad scientist type. He also has a group of minions now, I like to think they’re all tiny clones of him.

Then SPINNY LEARNS SAHIRA IS ALSO A SUPERHERO. This reminds me of that one chapter where Sahira used Mr. Webby plush to become Spinny-like and save a school bus of children from that weird anarchist dude, I can’t believe I’ve forgotten it because I think that chapter may have been the most decent thing in all of Spinnerette. Crimson Cruiser is already creative than most names Kraw has come up with, like “Mary Sue Megaton”.

Then Spinny gets back home and she’s starting to have feelings for Tiger??? A middle-aged man with kids? Yeah no no no. You’re not remaking Console Girl just yet. And also General Generic returns to the story, but doesn’t do much besides repeat himself.

Issue 7:

Issue 7 of Spinnerette begins with Heather adjusting to her new role on the Canadian superhero team. She continues to struggle with her personal life, including her complicated relationship with Tiger and her growing feelings for Green Gable.

Meanwhile, a new threat emerges when a group of villains, led by the mysterious and powerful Professor Mangler, begins wreaking havoc on Ohio. Spinnerette and the Canadian team travel to Ohio to stop the villains, but they quickly discover that Mangler has a personal vendetta against Spinnerette.

As Spinnerette battles Mangler and his team, she also has to deal with the unwanted attention of General Evescroft, who continues to view her as a threat to national security. In the end, Spinnerette and the Canadian team manage to stop the villains, but not before Spinnerette suffers a serious injury.

Issue 7 introduces new threats and challenges for Spinnerette to face, while further developing the characters and their relationships. It also sets the stage for future conflicts with Professor Mangler and the ongoing tension between Spinnerette and General Evescroft.

WHAT? How many freaking relationships is Spinny gonna get herself into? Does she want to build a harem like Zack’s? I don’t know how old Green Gable is, but falling in love with a crossdresser must be better than falling in love with a middle-aged divorced man.

And AI creates another OC, “Professor Mangler”. Once again names are more creative than Kraw’s, the braingenius who came up with a character named “Doctor Proctor”. We then learn Professor Mangler has personal vendetta against Spinny so I guess he is kind of an Adrastea type “REVENGEEEEEE” character. Pass.

General Generic also gets involved and Spinny gets injured. There are so many “future conflicts” AI Spinny has bigger rogues gallery than the actual Spinny at this point!

And here is the last issue for now.

Issue 8:

Issue 8 of Spinnerette begins with Heather recovering from her injury and reflecting on the toll that her superhero identity has taken on her personal life. She tries to focus on her relationship with Tiger, but their relationship continues to be complicated by their conflicting priorities.

Meanwhile, Spinnerette and the Canadian team are called upon to investigate a mysterious energy source in the Arctic. They discover that the source is a group of aliens who are planning to invade Earth.

As Spinnerette and the Canadian team battle the aliens, they are joined by Mecha Maid, who has returned to superhero work with a new suit that is designed to slow the progression of her ALS. Together, they are able to stop the aliens, but not before Mecha Maid sacrifices herself to save Spinnerette.

In the end, Spinnerette mourns the loss of Mecha Maid and reflects on the sacrifices that come with being a superhero. She also realizes that she needs to find a better balance between her personal life and her superhero responsibilities.

Issue 8 brings the ongoing conflict with the aliens to a close, while introducing new challenges and conflicts for Spinnerette to face. It also touches on themes of sacrifice, mortality, and finding balance in one's life.

Yeah, the duo has conflicting priorities like the fact they’re both DIFFERENT AGES. Should’ve dumped him for Gable in the last chapter. Is Tiger a groomer?

And we get aliens again, the AI ran out of ideas a long time ago although we have established so many “future conflicts”. Do they at least look different? No? Whatever.

Then we get a plot twist, Mecha Maid is back with a suit that can slow down her ALS. Kinda disappointed but maybe they can get together now? Oh, no. Mecha Maid dies. Doop de whoop.

How many times has Spinny now tried to find balance? AI is naturally starting to repeat itself. At least the aliens fucked off but knowing AI they’ll return in the next chapter with a mutant beaver.

So that was AI’s vision of Spinnerette. Well, I liked how AI handled Mecha Maid more than Kraw, but also she only appeared in the story for like 4 issues before getting killed off, so we really never got to bond with her problem like in main comic.

Spinny herself is rather generic and hypercompetent, she’s probably more like her inspiration in Empowered. She has to work forever to find “balance” in one’s life and also she has a horrible love life. I know the exploitative romance between Mecha Maid and Spinny in the main comic is not perfect, but AI Spinny exposed her identity to Dave in a situation that was completely preventable, then Dave cheated on her, then Tiger started grooming Spinny and Spinny would rather bang the crossdresser. AI Spinny is a whole different kind of a wreck.

A lot of the complex characters in the stories were gentrified. Dr. Universe is a generic bad guy who creates mutant beavers and who’d join forces with opposite ideologies for the evulhz. Sahira is a supportive roommate of Spinnerette who is also a superheroine, and Canadian Superheroes...are there.

The biggest winners of the AI were Greta Gravity who dumped Universe and became a good guy like she should have a long time ago, General Evescroft who played a major role throughout the series, lurking in the shadows before managing to injure Spinny, and Dr. Lambha who acted as a mentor to Spinnerette and even got possessed at one point. Interestingly enough I also fed Super MILF, Ben Franklin and Sarah Nicole to the AI and it did nothing with them, but I guess it would’ve used them eventually.

I feel that Kraw’s Spinnerette is chaotic but early years of Spinnerette are way better than what the comic would later become, AI Spinnerette is predictable and generic and aside from some common sense decisions does nothing to make the world more interesting, and the most riffable aspect is Spinny’s bad love life. The final rating for AI Spinnerette is 3/10 in Decency and 5/10 in Riffability, meaning that Kraw wins this round.

But how would AI fare against Kraw in the world of Monster Girls? But that’s a battle for another day.