#Quick Cash Canada

[simplycash123]

Need a quick cash boost before payday? We've got you covered! Our payday loans are fast, easy, and reliable. Apply online and get approved in minutes!

[car-title-loans-online]

Get Ahead with Prince Edward Island Car Title Loans: Borrow Against Your Car's Equity

Struggling to make ends meet? Our Prince Edward Island Car Title Loans provide a simple and effective solution to your financial woes. By leveraging the equity in your vehicle, you can borrow the cash you need without the hassle of credit checks or lengthy approval processes. Whether you have good credit, bad credit, or no credit history, we can help you secure a loan quickly and easily. Take control of your finances and get ahead with our convenient car title loans.

[esoteric-chaos]

Disability-Friendly Prosperity Magic

So let's face it, those who are disabled have a hard time with money in general, either from being unable to work or not having a steady, strong source of income. Sometimes we can monetize our hobbies, admittedly at a limited capacity (some less or more than others).

From our relationship with money, money mindsets, and income streams, it's hard. That's not to shame anyone, either. Some overspend to cope, while others are incredibly frugal.

In this post, I will review some resources, tips, and tricks for the struggling disabled witch.

The Mundane Before Magical

Step one is to make a budget and track your expenses. I'm serious. Sit down, look at where your money is going, and decide on a budget that you can realistically stick to. I use the 50/30/20 rule as a budget, which is 50% Needs, 30% Wants, and 20% Savings. However, I recently switched wants and savings around so I can save for a trip.

Now I do not want you to worry about a big fancy budget method. I don't want you to overthink it. Here is a resource (Canada, but it can be used in the USA) to start one. Focus on your needs like housing, utilities, basic clothing, food, etc. Then go into wants and entertainment, and finally, savings. I suggest you put any debt payoff into the needs category if you have any debt. You do not want a blow to your credit report.

Now do you have any financial goals? Going back to school? Debt payoff? A trip? Even a big medical trip coming up? Here is a resource (Canada, but it can be used in the USA) that can help you create a goal and a plan to pay this off.

Savings, please, your SAVINGS. It is vital to have an emergency fund. Job loss? Death? Vet bills? Children? Dentist? You better believe that piles up. It is recommended if you are single to have at least 3 months of income saved up, with a child and single at least 6 months. Married on two incomes, the same amount. Married with one income, it is recommended without children at least 6 months saved up and with children 9 months. It is vital you have the means to take care of yourself if an emergency strikes. It is never recommended that money be stopped from being put into these accounts.

If you are in debt, look at your debt relief options. Sometimes there are services out there that can advocate for you regarding debt. They will help you develop a plan, understand the relief options, sign documents with you, and develop a credit rebuilding program. These services are out there; even if they are paid, they can help you pay off some of your debt, especially credit card debt.

Educate yourself on investing, basic investing, and financial literacy, in stock markets and everything beyond. Know what kind of accounts you can hold and what could help you in your situation.

Need help applying for disability? Here's a resource for the USA (a lot can also be used for Canada).

The Magical

Upkeep a prosperity altar. Work with the spirit of money like you would any other spirit. Honour it, talk to it, venerate it. Money loves to be valued, moved, not wasted, and used in charity. Most importantly, money takes time. Money takes time to grow and build a relationship with.

This is the most important thing I've learned about money. It wants to be worked with. It's sitting there. It wants to help and aid you in ways that you need.

Work with this altar on Thursdays, incorporating the spirit of Jupiter. Jupiter rules over finances. Long steady finances, not quick finances. Jupiter rules over business, legal and all things finances. Jupiter is a slower-moving planet.

You can also incorporate the spirit of Mercury on Wednesdays along with your Jupiter workings. Mercury is a fast-moving planet, a planet for fast-moving money. However, you must build a long, steady form of finances over quick, easy cash (but sometimes you do need it right now).

You can create a money bowl and work with it on this altar, a Jupiter cashbox (I will make a future post on this), or a manifestation mirror box filled with petitions, sigils and your investment/banking information.

Fill your altar with greens and gold, imagery for wealth and abundance, pocket change, and anything else that symbolizes wealth.

Do not forget to leave offerings for your money altar. A simple glass of water can do but try to do more if you can.

Road opener workings or petition with an offering for the cross-road spirits who can unblock blockages in your way.

Final Take Away

I know this might not help everyone, but I sincerely hope this helps somebody. Financial literacy was not taught to everyone, nor were proper budgeting tips. I wanted to share what I've learned over the years as I believe it is vital information for some of the information I have collected.

Blessings

[robertmaxwellfx]

How cold does it have to be for my blood to freeze..smhw

I need more loyal people who wanna start making this cash "it's legit come and get your money" who else want

$10,000 real quick ? 8 88

💲💲 #Wisconsin #newyersey #california #toronto #alabama #alaska #detroit #chicago #columbus #miami #ontario #montreal #oregon #hawaii #newyork #florida #canada #kentucky #illinios #West Virginia

[museeeuuuum]

LONDON FRIENDS!

I have a favour to ask.

In my research for an upcoming video I have hit a slight roadblock. I reached out to the British Library hoping to get a few copies of some records pertaining to Kedleston Hall and they were very quick and lovely in their replies, providing me with photographs of the finding aid. However, after seeing several records that I would love to stick my nose into and request digital copies of, I hit a roadblock. Late last year, the British Library was struck by a cyber-attack that has left them reeling and trying to recover, meaning that they could not accommodate my request for these records. As far as I have been able to tell, these records are still accessible in-person, however I am back in Canada and it's a bit of a commute.

I can finish this video WITHOUT these records, but as a dedicated researcher, I want to follow every rabbit hole as far as I can before admitting defeat. Which is why I thought I would put out the call here to see if anyone would be willing to go in-person to the reading room and snap some photos on their phone for me. I only need the photos to be clear enough to read and I have a little money set aside to throw a little cash to whomever would be willing to help me out.

I have attached images of the finding aid and underlined the bits I'd like in red. For further clarity:

Item 1: 1383 MSS Eur F 112/7333

Item 2: 1385 MSS Eur F 112/735

Item 3: 1355 MSS Eur F 112/705

Item 4: 1356 MSS Eur F 112/706

These items are from the Curzon Papers and are available through the Asian and African Studies Reference Services.

Here is some info on the reading rooms and how to access the collection:

https://www.bl.uk/research/#reading-rooms

You can email me at: museumschristeah@outlook.com if you are willing to help me out or comment below!

If this doesn't work, that is okay! If nothing else I got to tease you all with an upcoming project :)

[unhingedcanadianbacon]

I’m gay for a raccoon and the raccoon is just as gay as me send help

Okay���

So, I understand “hopping on the gravy train” is kind of cliche, but I promise I have a good reason for it!

…I guess I should start ‘Rambling on about it’ then!

(I’m so sorry, none of these puns were intentional, but they were too good to miss)

—So, Indigo Park;

what even I would’ve expected was another quick cash-grab game in the mascot-horror genre, turned out to be a game that managed to make me start binge-watching livestreams and video-essays about the game, it’s characters and its development on the whole,

Just like every other millennial and gen-z’er out there.

I know it’s absolutely normal for people to become invested in something so quick…

But it’s been a long time since I’ve felt so attached —so spoken to,

especially when I haven’t really been part of those big ‘band-wagon’ trends at all,

at least with the exception of forcing myself to watch shows with my friends —which again, I don’t do much of that either.

From what I understand, there are technically multiple small factors that have led me to become attached to this game.

But frankly, there all of really part of the one major reason why there’s just, that, ‘something’ —a “spark” if you will—that makes me click with a game for the first time in so many years that it physically hurts.

He’s the star of the show, the elephant in the room:

Rambley;

A cute, furry-raccoon —who likes trains!

Now, as anyone who knows anything about me will tell you, these two factors are inherently weaknesses in my mental psyche.

Why, you may ask? It’s simple!

Firstly, —I too— like trains.

Also, I come from Toronto, Canada — a city famously (or to some infamously) known for its love-hate relationship with its unofficial mascot: the trash pandas! They’re an animal which I got to know well over 13 years, 10 months and ~15 1/2 hours of being a Torontonian.

—Which leads me to the second-half of the other reasons I resonate so god-damn hard with the game, and Rambley in particular:

Isolation

It felt quite funny that the number of days that poor-old AI racoony’ spent alone in the abandoned park was almost exactly double that of the days I’ve been a ‘Quasi-Canadian’ living in the United States, with not much interaction with my family back “home”. I had a single trip back for the first time in multiple years.

—It brang back a lot of memories which so happened to be similar to the ideas mentioned during Rambley’s post-chase exposition.

That little break in his character just made my heart literally melt and shatter and implode all at the same time;

“A little heart-to-heart” as they say, but just.. the way he breaks and talks like a true person, things he isn’t sure about, didn’t know, shouldn’t have done, is painfully, gushingly personal somehow!

It’s also extra cool when he gets excited about restoring the park, as being a former (small) volunteer and hearing about railway preservation stories, you start to realize and appreciate just how much having that other person helping you means when fighting in these “David and Goliath”-esque battles to keep old or unloved things going when everything is telling you it’s impossible.

(Side note, the extra lines where Rambley showcases his sentience and lets you into the staff-only area after realizing Mollie is chasing you made me love him just that much more, and is also what makes me feel the game is just that extra bit special.)

Long story short (TL;DR):

The honesty, personality, and just general likeness of the characters hits very close to home for me,

if for no other reason than that I happen to have (in concept at least) similar experiences in terms of feeling (though thankfully not literally being) isolated from friends.

Cheers, Critters!

—A.

[paddedlittleparadise]

Solar Eclipse Info, 2024

Hey, over the last few weeks I've seen a lot of curiosity about the upcoming solar eclipse. Here's a quick roundup of some common questions and answers that might help!

1. Da fuk is a solar eclipse, anyway?

The Moon goes in front of the Sun. Because they look about the same size from Earth - a very cool coincidence! - when they line up just right the entire disk of the Sun gets covered up, making it a total eclipse. On April 8, 2024, this only happens in a narrow band of North America: a thin ribbon stretching from Mexico to Canada, traced out by the Moon's shadow.

In most places, the Moon will be a bit too high or too low to cover the Sun right; here folks will only get to see a partial eclipse. Partial eclipses are kinda cool, but nothing like a total eclipse.

2. Hey – If the Sun is covered, won’t it get dark?

Yes and no. The Sun is stupidly bright, so even when most of it's covered, daylight doesn't look super different. Even during the last fifteen minutes or so before it's 100% covered, the light only gradually begins to dim. It's only once the Sun is entirely covered – what we call "totality" – that it really gets dark. (Not dark like midnight, but about as dark as twilight.) Also, because the Moon's shadow is constantly moving, this bit of darkness only lasts a few minutes, depending on where exactly you are.

3. Why are people telling me to wear eclipse glasses? Is it some stupid cash grab? Or are eclipses weirdly dangerous?

Eclipses themselves are not dangerous. The Sun is, though – because like I said, it's stupidly bright! The reason why scientists warn people about hurting their eyes during an eclipse is because that’s basically the only time millions of people will try staring directly into a giant dazzling ball of gas.

So YES - anytime even a tiny bit of the Sun is visible, use eclipse glasses or some other verified, proper filter to save your poor retinas. They’re the only ones you have! Only if and when the Sun is COMPLETELY covered should you take a look without a filter.

NOTE: Filters are even more necessary if you're using binoculars or a telescope! These things work by collecting and concentrating light, so when pointed at the Sun without a filter, the beam of light coming out of the eyepieces can literally melt holes through plastic. I've seen it myself. So please… use a dang filter, okay?

4. Da heck is that white stuff around the sun in the pictures? Do I need glasses to look at THAT?

That's the corona – the Sun's searingly hot outer atmosphere. Because the Sun is stupidly bright (besides being a deadly laser) the corona is usually invisible to us. So, yep – total solar eclipses are the only time you and I ordinarily get to see it!

And nope, the corona is pretty dim and totally safe to look at without glasses. Just DON'T get so focused staring at it that you forget to put your eclipse glasses back on when totality ends!

5. How rare are these things, anyway? And why?

As it moves through the sky, the Moon circles past the Sun literally every 29.5 days – it's just that usually it's too high or low to cover even a bit of it. Globally, solar eclipses do happen pretty frequently: about every 18 months on average. But because the Earth is a big place, they might occur anywhere: the south Pacific, Africa, even Antarctica. On top of that, the odds that you specifically will be somewhere in that thin band of totality is pretty darn rare. As far as North America goes, the last total solar eclipse was nearly seven years ago, in 2017. For the next one in North America? You'll have to wait until 2045.

6. Why are people so excited?

As someone who got to experience totality in 2017 (that's my own pic above), it's tough to explain. Many people, even folks who aren't particularly spiritual, have likened totality to a religious experience. There's something chillingly cool about standing still and feeling the sun slowly dim as the Moon's shadow sweeps toward you. It's a cosmic motion as inexorable as fate, and no one – not you, not the pope, not even Bruce Willis – can stop it.

Once totality hits, the temperature typically drops a few degrees. Wind sometimes picks up or dies down because of the temperature drop. Birds and other animals freak the heck out. The brighter stars come out, midday be damned. All around the horizon glows a 360-degree "sunset"… while overhead it's like the Sun has died and left us puny humanoids staring up open-mouthed at its ghostly shell.

THAT's why totality is a big deal. And why I, along with literally millions of others, will try my level best to go see it. All the while hoping like heck that it's not cloudy.

–––

To read a more in-depth and super-useful guide, check out NASA's official site. Great American Eclipse also has a lot of sweet resources and maps. And feel free to reply with any other questions!

[rreskk]

HEADCANONS: Michael and Trevor (upbringings)

TW: -Mentions of abuse -Sexual, suggestive content

HEADCANONS: Michael Townley’s background (but make it extremely specific).

-He has Russian blood in him from ancestors (mothers side), and Italian blood (father’s side).

-Spent most of his summers round his grandparents to escape his parents abuse and fighting. There was an arcade near his grandparents so he’d sneak out to try and beat the records during night.

-Had a fake ID at 13 (to buy cigarettes and booze).

-Lost his virginity at 16 (thanks to his soccer talents at school, attracting many girls).

-Michael had a fake driving licence at 15 (he never learnt how to drive – hence his lack of driving skills), but he definitely got arrested multiple times before the age of 18 due to speeding.

-Worked part-time as a grocery stocker but got fired when he was caught stealing food.

-After that, he worked as a paperboy but got fired again for stealing cash from the residences he was delivering to.

-He moved out at 18 (after he dropped out of school) and travelled across the West, robbing people to earn quick cash.

-Doesn’t have any contact with parents after moving out.

-Used to recruit high-school friends for small robberies.

-Once got arrested after being recognised during a night-out.

-Was on house arrest a lot.

  HEADCANONS: Trevor Philip’s background (but make it extremely specific).

-His mother originated from England and migrated to Canada (where she met his father).

-Persuaded his mother to let him go to theatre classes but got kicked out after fighting another student for being the main star.

-Trevor’s mum used to hookup with his teachers, so he’d skip classes just to avoid seeing their faces out of disgust and anger.

-Used to steal his mothers cigarettes when he was 14.

-Couldn’t remember when he lost his virginity.

-Him and his brother, Ryan, were constantly known as the “The Philips” to their neighbourhood growing up.

-Never had a part-time job.

-He moved out at in his early 20s (after being kicked out for “being useless), but also to join the air force.

-He was homeless for a few weeks after his discharge.

-Trevor used to sneak into festivals and music gigs to sell drugs for easy money.

-Most of his late 20s, he was in prison.

[tepehkwi]

yes it's true that a not insignificant number of white vegans can be way too comfortable referring to indigenous people as "barbaric" or "evil" for eating meat, like the iñupiat who get a disproportionate amount of anti-indigenous racist hate (mostly from non-vegan pearl-clutchers btw) for literally no other reason than their necessity-contingent bowhead whale slaughter, which feeds villages for months (and if you've never lived in alaska or northern canada then you have no idea just how much the groceries cost up there) since growing most plant-based foods can be difficult without special equipment, and won't sustain you very well at all during cold months when your body is burning calories just to stay warm. so yeah, sure, the insistence from some vocal-minority white vegans and white conservationist fearmongers becomes not only grating but also fucking racist when all they do is complain about how "meat-eating is barbaric" just by virtue of it being food you have to kill and slaughter, completely ignoring the inherent violence of indigenous lands being taken away from our tribes and used as farmland for monoculture cash crops and beef and hog cafos, or the fishing resources being taken from us, or our waters being poisoned by nitrates from fertilizer and livestock waste runoff.

the way too many anti-vegans cling to the "uh, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism~!" idea of meat eating and lose sight of, like, actual facts deeply annoys me. industrial meat and dairy farming, industrial fishing operations, beef-and-pork-centric agriculture, and corporate agriculture in general have been decimating indigenous lands and waters and anti-vegans don't care.

yes, you absolutely need to keep bashing PETA. yes plastic-based leather and wool alternatives are contributing to material waste and pollution. but that's not... a "vegan" thing? it's a marketing tactic to make people feel favorably about their products. like, do you honestly think fast fashion companies selling plastic leather are all run by vegans, trying to fulfill a vegan agenda, or trying to appease vegans as if vegans are the people they specifically design clothes for when vegans make up such a small percentage of the global consumer population? no. obviously not. they're trying to make a quick buck at the expense of our health as inhabitants of this planet.

"there are some racist white vegans with fucked up ecofascist beliefs" and "yeah actually it seems like we need to do something about our consumption" are two things which are both true, please remember that.

[samiabadilah]

Financing GreenBlade Lawn Care: Exploring Future Financial Sources

Starting GreenBlade Lawn Care with $50 has been exciting. As we plan to expand, we need more funding. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) article, “4 factors that could affect financing your start-up,” helps us understand our options.

Personal Investment and Bootstrapping

Reinvesting profits (bootstrapping) is great for early stages but might limit quick growth.

Angel Investors

Angel investors are individuals who fund start-ups in exchange for ownership equity or convertible debt. They offer:

Experience and Mentorship: Valuable guidance for business decisions.

Network Connections: Access to potential customers and partners.

Flexible Terms: More flexible than traditional lenders.

We’d have to give up some equity for their investment.

Bank Loans

Bank loans are another option. We need to consider:

Creditworthiness: Good credit and a solid business plan are essential.

Collateral: Banks often require assets to secure the loan.

Repayment Terms: We must ensure our cash flow can handle repayments and interest.

Government Grants and Subsidies

Government grants and subsidies offer non-repayable funds, especially for businesses with goals like ours:

Non-Repayable Funds: No need to repay, preserving cash flow.

Support for Sustainable Practices: Aligns with our eco-friendly mission.

Application Process: Competitive and time-consuming but worthwhile.

Factors to Consider

BDC highlights four factors affecting financing:

Industry Risk: Lawn care is stable but seasonal and weather-dependent.

Market Potential: Strong growth projections attract investors and lenders.

Business Plan: A comprehensive plan with strategy and financial projections is crucial.

Management Team: Skilled management increases credibility and funding chances.

By exploring these options and considering these factors, we can secure the necessary funding to grow GreenBlade Lawn Care and bring our eco-friendly services to more customers.

[redlettermediathings]

It finally happened! The day that we received a package from Breen was the best day since the pandemic started. The slim package that arrived in our mailbox was like a little slice of heaven sent to us from above. A simple mailer that held the truth of which we sought. Cinema. Kino. Joy. I looked at the package, my brow sweating with anticipation. I pursed my lips as I often do in the delicious moments before sipping an ice cold beer. This was just as good. Maybe better. The mailer was that of a simple man. It wasn’t a fancy mailer. It wasn’t padded nor did it have a design on it. In fact, the mailer the DVD arrived in was a cut up cereal box held together with duct tape. I smiled and whispered to myself, “That’s the cup of a carpenter…”. It was here. We received the new Neil Breen film. Was this a Blu-ray? No. This was a DVD-R burned on a computer. I smelled the disc and the jewel case. It smelled like 2003. I cried at the beauty of the whole embarrassing ordeal. It was like a hug from an old friend who had long since passed. A friend you never wanted to see again or allow to hug you. In my hand I held the new Neil Breen film. I couldn’t wait to show the guys! I called Colin from Canada and told him to run to RLM HQ right quick to watch the film with us. He said, “oh, I’ve already seen it. It’s terrible.” And I called him a poutine-slurping, caesar-sipping canuck fuck and told him to get down here to Wisconsin right quick. He responded by saying, “I’ve got work and I’m watching my elderly neighbors diabetic cats and…” I just cut him off. I said, “Look you fucking prick, I have it. Let’s watch it!" So he did come down, albeit unwillingly. What are Neil Breen films? They are moopies made by a man who is the weirdest man to ever live. He’s the perfect oblivious filmmaker. Never getting better or evolving, only getting worse and more lazy and more old and more grandpa jeans. Neil Breen’s films are always about a loner man that has special skills or knowledge above all other humans. There is often a babe involved in his films, although the sexuality is awkwardly placed and seems forced. The women usually look incredibly uncomfortable at the notion of being in love or even attracted to Neil Breen. Likewise, any romance on his part seems obligatory. I guess the thought is that a movie needs “romance” so he must add “romance” But he’s no James Bond! Since this was Breen, we assumed this was worthy of a Best of the Worst™ Spotlight™ episode. It couldn’t simply be lumped into a regular three movie episode. Boy, were we fucking wrong. This pile of trash couldn’t have been more disappointing. Breen has gone too far this time with the green screens! Who does he think he is!?! Peter Jackson? George Lucas? James Cameron?!? I mean, sure you can use a green screen sometimes… if you’re making a fucking Avengers movie!!! But come on! Literally every background, outdoor location, and room is a stock image. A flat shot without movement. I can say that at the very least in some shots he created a foreground mask to make characters integrated into the frame by putting them behind objects, but really? While the story sucks, the acting is bad, it’s boring and shitty, it’s still a Neil Breen film and we have to love it as if it was our own cross-eyed inbred baby with no limbs. Anyways, while I have you here, I own a timeshare in the Cayman Islands. It’s in a nice part of town, but it’s basically a 1.6 million dollar shack. One of the owners killed himself recently and now I’m stuck with paying his part due to a legal snafu. I don’t quite understand it, but my lawyer Phillip Gorlon (no relation) tells me it’ll cost me more in legal fees to get out of this timeshare than to just keep it. I tells him that I’m strapped for cash at the moment, what with the cost of eggs, covid tests, etc… so my question to you is: Do you think Neil Breen might want to shoot his next film in the Cayman Islands?

[justforbooks]

Gordon Lightfoot, the singer and songwriter, who has died aged 84, became one of Canada’s best loved musical figures, winning 16 of his homeland’s Juno awards. He scored eight Top 5 albums in Canada during the 1970s (including the 1975 compilation Gord’s Gold), four of them reaching No 1, and Sundown (1974) topping both the Canadian and the US chart.

He was held in huge esteem and amassed an impressive track record of having his songs covered by many of the leading artists of his era. The melancholy and lonesome Early Mornin’ Rain would become one of his signature compositions, covered by many artists including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Paul Weller. Dylan, who would perform various Lightfoot songs in his own concerts, commented: “I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like. Every time I hear a song of his, it’s like I wish it would last forever.” Marty Robbins took Lightfoot’s Ribbon of Darkness to the top of the US Country chart in 1965, Harry Belafonte delivered a dramatic rendition of Oh, Linda, and Peter, Paul and Mary had a US Top 30 hit with For Lovin’ Me.

If You Could Read My Mind became his most celebrated song, a plangent meditation on the breakup of his marriage to his first wife, Brita Ingegerd Olaisson; they later divorced. His own version reached No 1 in Canada and No 5 in the US – his other chart-topping singles were Sundown, also a US No 1, and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – but the song went on to spawn more than 100 cover versions by such luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash, Olivia Newton-John, Glen Campbell, Liza Minnelli and Herb Alpert. “It was a kind of unrequited love song, partly due to love’s rollercoaster,” Lightfoot reflected.

If his personal life fuelled his art, he suffered for it too. In the early 70s his relationship with the backing singer Cathy Smith caused him a great deal of anguish – “men were drawn to her, and she used to make me jealous,” he confessed – but also prompted the writing of Sundown (when Smith was out partying without him) and Rainy Day People, a US Top 30 hit. Smith was later jailed for administering the cocaine and heroin mixture that killed John Belushi at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood in 1982.

Born in Orillia, Ontario, Lightfoot was the son of Gordon Lightfoot Sr and Jessie (nee Trill), who ran a laundry service. Jessie was quick to spot her son’s musical potential, and by the time he was 10 he was singing in public. As a boy soprano, he sang in local oratorio productions and in the church choir, and performed at music festivals. Aged 12, he appeared at Massey Hall, Toronto, after winning a singing competition. In his teens he learned to play the piano, drums and folk guitar, and was also a gifted track and field athlete.

At 18 he went to Westlake College of Modern Music in Los Angeles, where he studied orchestration and music theory. He left California for Toronto to launch himself on a musical career, working as a bank clerk to help pay the rent.

He was a member of the Singin’ Swingin’ Eight, who appeared on the Country Hoedown TV show, and played folk music in coffee houses. His first commercial recordings were released in 1962. His own composition, This Is My Song, which he performed with his singing partner Terry Whelan, appeared on the live recording Two Tones at the Village Corner, and several months later he released (Remember Me) I’m The One, another original though somewhat middle-of-the-road song, billed as Gord Lightfoot. It reached No 3 on Toronto’s CHUM radio chart. A follow-up, It’s Too Late, He Wins/Negotiations, took him to 27 on the CHUM chart.

Falling under the influence of the up-and-coming Dylan and a fellow Canadian singer-songwriter, Ian Tyson, Lightfoot began developing a more poetic, folk-style sound. In 1963 he travelled to Europe, putting in a stint as host on BBC TV’s Country and Western Show.

On his return to Canada in 1964, his reputation received a major boost when his songs Early Mornin’ Rain and For Lovin’ Me were both recorded by Ian and Sylvia Tyson and Peter, Paul and Mary. He signed a deal with Albert Grossman, the influential manager of Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, and released his debut album, Lightfoot!, in January 1966. This was for the United Artists label, but it was when he switched to the Warner Bros label Reprise at the start of the 70s that his career took off. His first Reprise release, Sit Down Young Stranger, reached No 12 in both Canada and the US, kicking off his spectacular run of 70s success.

His sales tailed off in the 80s, though he was constantly in demand as a live performer, and he enjoyed some belated chart success with the album Harmony (2004), which reached No 13 in Canada. However, the demands of the touring lifestyle found him dependent on whisky and pills. He would undertake arduous sailing and canoeing trips to dry out, and in 1982 finally gave up alcohol and took up daily gym workouts.

He survived a number of medical emergencies. In 1972 he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. In 2002 he almost died from a ruptured aneurysm in his abdominal aorta, and four years later suffered a minor stroke that temporarily impaired his guitar-playing. In 2019 he suffered a hematoma in his left leg, requiring surgery.

Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1997 he received the governor general’s performing arts award, and he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2003. In 2012 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

His second marriage, to Elizabeth Moon, ended in divorce, and he then married Kim Hasse in 2014. She survives him, along with his six children, Fred and Ingrid from his first marriage, Gaylen and Eric from relationships between his first two marriages, and Miles and Meredith from his second.

🔔 Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr, singer and songwriter, born 17 November 1938; died 1 May 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[mwananchicreditbest]

Mwananchi Credit Highlights the Importance of Teaching Financial Literacy In Schools

How many times have we read numerous newspaper articles about children who squandered their inheritance money or how they trusted quick “get rich” schemes and was dubbed out of it? Again, how many times have we seen an employee who worked tirelessly for 30+ years and went on retirement, only to splurge away their pension pay-outs and suffer in their old age? Better yet, how many young people currently employed are living from paycheck to paycheck with debts overwhelming them, credit cards here, over-drafts there, revolving loans, the list is endless. The most common reason is that many heirs, pensioners or even the young workforce are simply inexperienced at handling money.

A million dollars can be put to so much good use. However, once it is spent recklessly, it can no longer produce income. Isn’t it amazing that we all completed high school knowing algebra, the scientific table, and the human anatomy, but not how to open a bank account, how to file a tax return, the importance of having funeral covers or even something as simple as budgeting and saving?

The current education system is slow to teach simple money management habits/techniques to children growing up. Most young people will graduate from universities or start new businesses with no financial foundation. As a society we lack basic financial literacy thus teaching financial literacy in schools is critical in passing on general wealth.

Financial attitudes and habits begin to mold at a very young age. It is extremely important to expose children to how to use money wisely and to smart financial decision making. School curriculum can range from budgeting and cash flows so that young people understand the concept of ‘money in, money out’ and how that will impact them in the long term.

Our young people need to know how loans work, how interests are charged on these loans and how it can impact their financial situation over the long run. Notwithstanding the above, the importance of retirement planning the power of putting a little bit of money away today and where that can land you in the future, are all critical. By teaching financial literacy in schools, we can change the narrative from poverty to debt-free lifestyle, from inheritance money being a “curse” to a gift.

Furthermore, we can pass on generational wealth by enabling our young people to make informed decisions. In this digital and social media era, we find that our young people take out a personal loans today just to finance a trip to Paris or California and only to realize that upon their return, they must start repaying this loan with a very high interest rate for four years. Just to take out another loan to offset that and find themselves in a pool of financial difficulty.

I know that many might argue that if you are a high school teenager, you most likely don’t have much money, you don’t have access to credit, you don’t have a job- so is there really any point in teaching such a youngster about savings, investing, taxes or budgeting? However, many of us were taught religious, moral education and life skills in school and that shaped us in many ways for life. We learned basic principles of respect, sharing, caring and discovering our identity. Another subject that was introduced in recent years was entrepreneurship because it uses developing real world skills that will help learners lead exceptional lives in a rapidly changing world by teaching children to think outside the box.

Many western countries have introduced Financial Literacy in their school curriculum examples of these countries are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden just to name a few.

Our current school curriculum equips children how to be great doctors and individuals with great business skills. Since the children of today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, financial literacy will equip them with the skills they will need to become financially literate adults. In the end their future and that of our country Kenya is depending on it.

Mwananchi credit is the leading Microfinance company in Kenya providing log book loans and other secured emergency loans, Mwananchi Credit is at the forefront in championing for financial literacy good finance planning for individuals and SMEs.

Welcome to Mwananchi credit, Investor in people

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Article by Gitonga Muriithi, Head of Commercial, Mwananchi Credit

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb:

“Game show antics, idiots in love, and a healthy dose of steam…this book is everything I want in a romance novel!” —Alison Cochrun, author of The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once for Me Ready. Set. Faux. Holden James picked the worst time to have a meltdown. His chance to audition for his favorite game show, Madcap Market, should have been a moment of triumph—a glorious, loving homage to his adored mom, who died six years ago. Instead, he’s destroying the minibar in a grim Los Angeles hotel room…recently dumped, partnerless and sliding into misery. But at least the hotel service is sublime. It even comes with an unfairly fit and sexy (smart-ass) concierge who arrives at the door with pizza, Monopoly and deliciously distracting forearms. All Holden knows about Leo Min is that he’s beautiful and unexpectedly sympathetic, and the chemistry between them is beyond. Maybe it’s even enough to convince everyone, including the show’s casting directors, that they’re a real couple. All they’d have to do is crush the competition, win the huge cash prize and all of Holden’s problems—his broken heart, his buried grief, his complete lack of money and direction—will be fixed. Of course, reality doesn’t quite work out that way. But love is an entirely different game… From showing up to glowing up, these characters are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way.

Review:

A game show to win, a fake boyfriend, and two guys falling in love. Holden James is about to ask his longtime boyfriend to join him in an audition for his favorite game show, Madcap Market, except his boyfriend dumps him and kicks him out... leading to Holden having a bit of a meltdown and destroying the minibar in a Los Angeles Hotel. Yet what Holden never expects is that the very hot concierge offers to grab pizza with him and maybe even a kiss. Cue, Leo Min, a gorgeous, funny guy who somehow worms his way into Holden's heart. Holden and Leo connect and when Leo gets fired, Holden asks him to be his partner in Madcap Market. The cash prize would help him and Holden would get the chance to be on the show he loved to share with his mom who had passed away. They both agree that they have enough chemistry to be a fake couple for the show... yet its beginning to feel very real. To his ultimate surprise, Holden discovers that his ex, who had dumped him and disliked the show, is now a contestant of the show and he wants to get revenge against Holden. Holden and Leo are now trying to win a competition but also figure out the very real feelings between them. This was a cute and steamy read featuring a game show. It was fun and overall a good time. Holden and Leo were a cute couple and this was a fast and easy read. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a quick steamy cute rom com.

*Thanks Netgalley and HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada), Afterglow Books by Harlequin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[magpies-gold]

I attempted to order a couple of shirts and tarot card packs from Welcome to Night Vale because yes, I’ve gotten back on that bullshit again - I’m back up to 2016 and listening to it on my walks to work, which functions about as well as a cup of coffee to wake me up, let me tell you.

In hindsight, I should have known that box would be cursed. It’s Night Vale.

If you enjoy long tumbles down several flights of stairs, read on.

It started innocently enough. I ordered and remembered during checkout that oh yeah. I’m going to Spokane at the end of the month. And I’m in Canada. There’s a good chance it’ll be a little slow to get here and the arrival time might be while I’m away. Okee doke. Work address it is. DHL eCommerce usually turns into Canada Post and Canada Post does a daily delivery to our front door, where my whole department is located. If it looks like it’ll happen during my vacation, I’ll just tell my co-workers to watch for it. Easy pease.

Time passes. My box clambers across the US to the border.

Hurdle Number One: You owe duty fees! announces my tracking app. Check your email to pay. :D This is in the morning on my way to work, less than a week out from my trip.

I do. No email. I check junk, I refresh, I squint at time stamps. I scour their page for links. I think “Don’t they usually either send a letter after delivery or just demand cash at the door?” But this has all the indications that I have to pay now or it’ll be sent back. Exception. Held for payment. I am stupid and obsess over this while walking to work, listening to Night Vale with half an ear and having to rewind Cecil because my brain is occupied. I nearly get run over by a bicycle and it’s coincidentally ridden by a co-worker. He comments that I look especially unhinged today. He’s right. I keep plugging away trying to solve the labyrinthine maze that is DHL’s customer service department.

My tracking number doesn’t work in any of the Help Me boxes. The chat bot doesn’t know what a duty fee is. It finally barfs out a phone number. That’ll work. I pray it’s not a robot on the other end and continue to work.

While waiting for the kettle to heat up on my break I take a quick spin outside with my phone to call customer service.

To my briefly pleasant surprise, the wait on hold is less than five minutes and it is, in fact, a pleasant human voice on the other end. The conversation is quick “Didn’t get the email.” “Junk mail?” “Nope, nothing.” “You can wait until it’s delivered by Canada Post and pay then.” “This really looks like it’s being held, though…” “It should still go through but otherwise I have an email for you.” “You can’t like… transfer me?” “No. Just email and they’ll resend the instructions.”

Labyrinthine!

An ambulance blares by. I wince. I also have no pen. Uh. Speaker phone, apologies for the traffic noises, and frantic tapping into my Notes app while cursing autocorrect. The email is cryptic and long but I get it written down. Thanks, g’bye.

For the record, once I sent the email, things went smoothly. It worked. They resent the email, I paid the whopping $12, and then my tracking updated to say it would continue on to me. Whew. Good. I await the Canada Post tracking number.

Hurdle Number Two: This is where the package started mutating, I’m sure. A Canada Post tracking number appears!

…. and then an Intelcom tracking number appears.

And then my DHL original tracking number duplicates itself saying it’s being sent back to the states? But the original one is still on its way to me… How did my box become at least three boxes?

I blink a few times and just… track them all to see what’s going to happen.

At this point I’ve got to leave for Spokane so I just ask my co-workers to keep an eye out and I leave it up to the fates.

Canada Post never budged. Nothing happened. The duplicate DHL package did move, and eventually returned all the way back to the sender. I don’t know what that was to this day. The Intelcom package identified itself as coming my way with a little email and a link to add delivery instructions and so I thought “You. You are the real one. Found you.” I know Intelcom delivers on weekends and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone and this has started to get to where I don’t want to leave any details up to chance, and so in every instruction box I can find, I note that it’s a business address, give the hours, and the times we’re open. Please deliver to reception. On weekdays. Please.

I once again give it up to the fates and enjoy my weekend.

Hurdle Number Four: Intelcom is Jared, age 19, who never learned how to read. On Sunday morning, the final day of Mysterium, on what is a long weekend in Canada because of Canada Day on the 1st, I get a happy little email.

Package delivered!

….

How.

I open the email. I scroll down. There’s a photo. Of my box.

On the lawn.

Outside an obvious office, smack dab in the middle of a three day weekend, beside a street that harbours half the city’s traffic.

A safe location, they say.

A safe location.

The same way that a toddler on the train tracks is in a safe location. Certainly!

And I am in another country.

I make a noise that startled all thee cats in our friend’s house.

My co-workers are heroes. I thankfully have my supervisor’s cell number and she actually checks her phone, unlike me. She knew about the box. I send her the photo and just “Those absolute MAD LADS. Heeeeeeelp!”

By sheer luck another co-worker was not out of town on that glorious warm weekend and was able to swing by and rescue my box.

I enjoy the last day of the convention with a slight eye twitch.

Finally … I get home. I go back to work. I retrieve my hard earned box. Finally! I don’t open it at work. I carry it home. Whatever. It’s in my hands now and I’m going to enjoy opening it. I go the long way to meet my boyfriend at his work and then we go back to our abode.

We talk about the box adventure. We laugh about it. We both decide that Friday would be a good day to wear our new shirts. It’s going to be great.

At home we plunk it down. Tim gets a knife. He opens it.

He blinks.

What?

Um, he says.

Oh no.

And I look over his shoulder…. and I don’t see shirts. Or cards. I see…

Sleep masks. Sleep masks in fancy plastic boxes all neatly tucked together. They’ve got a sea creature on ‘em.

My box has mutated into someone’s fuckin’ Manta Sleep order. My box has escaped. My box has fled and framed an innocent bystander for its crimes. We got the wrong man, boys!

And I swear I can just about hear Cecil narrating this whole thing if I listen really, really hard.

It’s a three part tragedy. One of the shirts I wanted is out of print now. I contacted support and they offered me my pick of any others in its place, which was nice. Thank you Lucid John, that is quite a name. I paid customs fees and probably will again on box two, but such is the way.

And I think I lost a part of my soul there. Maybe that’s what was in the mystery third tracking number.

Basically if anyone in the world finds where the fuck my Night Vale shit went, could you send it home? I’ll trade you some sleep masks.

They’ve got a sea creature on ‘em.

And be careful when ordering from Night Vale.

[animehouse-moe]

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