#learning center in vancouver

[mrssamtmworld]

English Tutoring Vancouver - mrssam.ca

If you are searching for English Tutoring in Vancouver? Tutoring Richmond creates a detailed sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic analysis of each child that will be done to gain insights into difficulties your child may have with processing the English language as a whole. The Richmond Learning center offers remedial linguistic tutoring and language planning for Richmond learners in grades K-12. Call (604) 710-4338 and For more detail visit our website.

[equallyshaw]

rose's relationship with her brothers + reactions to her coming out! | rutger x rose hughes au! ⚘ thoughts! ⚘ au masterlist.

rose + quinn: - that's his rosie posey - originated the nickname, posey after their parents called her rosie the first time - incredibly close as they both lived in BC for 4 years - growing up, he'd always make sure she played with them and always made sure the two others gave her time to learn the game - rose was his shadow growing up - always told her that she didn't need to play jack's position - a center - to make the positions even, like luke and quinn - also, he always said that if she gave up hockey nobody would be disappointed because there was a time she wanted to quit to be 'normal' at school - flied rose out during his time in vancouver that overlapped with hers, whenever she was able to come out. he also flew out to visit her and see her games at BC + her jr hockey club - she sends him all her poems, before she posts them to her poetry/spam account - always says if hockey doesn't work out, she should publish her works. - quinn is her passenger princess when they are together - always there to be a source for advice, and somebody for her to lean on - will belt out olivia rodrigo, any day of the week - since the moment she was born, he made jack promise they'd always be there for her and protect her. the two take their unspoken role very seriously

rose + jack: - tolerate eachother at best - just kidding but they do butt heads a lot because he doesn't always pick up on her sarcasm and thinks she is serious 100% which...it is typically 75% - nickname for rose is flower - jack is always done for spur of the moment ice cream trips and both have an adoration for brunch dates - when she told him that she was thinking of trying to go for the CHL because they had reached out and asked her and her team about joining the men's league, he was incredibly happy and excited for her. not to mention flattered she wanted his opinion, but ultimately she skipped the chl and headed for college- a year early - he is the easiest to make a meme out of, and will regularly post to her spam account (he can literally breathe, and one appears) - during summer camps growing up, rose would be his winger/forward. the two loved playing together and it meant both her brothers could be on the same line

rose + luke: - nickname for rose is lovie - after quinn, her and luke are closest because of their ages - their favorite season is summer because they all get to be together, and especially for these two, the two have always held a bond that nobody can touch - as a kid she used to play defence because she wanted to be like luke, and then realized she wasn't going to grow much more and shifted to winger/forward - coffee partners for life - at the lakehouse you'll probably find these two together. she'll be reading or writing, and he'll be napping either at her feet or right behind her. or nearby. - definitely a sunshine/black cat sibling duo - interchanging - both love drive around with country music blasting - because she hates golf, the brothers take her to mini golf during the summer which leads to a very heated game between the two young ones

their reactions to coming out as bisexual:

quinn: - incredibly grateful she came out to him first after asking for a plane ride to see him - gave her the absolute biggest hug and shed some tears now knowing how long she'd been holding it in and how much turmoil she went through - told her how proud he was of her and that he was proud to be her sister (cue the waterworks again!) - when she started going out with her ex girlfriend - publicly, he was so happy for her and was one of their biggest supporters in private and on social media

jack: - was incredibly proud of her for coming out to them - was happy that she could publicly be with her girlfriend at the time - gave her the biggest bear hug and said if anybody says something or treats you differently- they'd have to answer to him (all three) - because he is always down for a good time, he told her that if she wants to go to a pride parade - he wants to join her

luke: - was a tad bit hurt that she hadn't said anything to him earlier but got over it real quickly after realizing that it was her own journey and the decision to tell him whenever - the two had a long hug and then long talk about when she knew, how things came about with her ex and then like jack, had said he'll always be there to protect her if she needed him to - she told him that it was the hardest thing to keep from not only the whole family, but him because of the bond that they share (lots of tears were shed during their heart to heart)

ellen + jim: - more than accepting, welcoming and supportive - just like all their children, they want rosie to be happy - ellen could tell there was something on her daughters mind for sometime now, and is relieved to hear what it is - as soon as the words were shared, a minute passes before ellen is pulling her baby girl in her arms. - lots of tears were shed - jim was very quiet but nevertheless supportive and welcoming - he was overwhelmed but not in a bad way - gave her the biggest bear hug and forehead kiss - the next morning, rosie awoke to a small bouquet of hydrangeas, coffee + sandwich, and a card from jim - the card said everything he hadn't been able to share the night before, without crying. tells her how proud he is and that he is proud to have her as his daughter, and that he's always been proud of her. - when she tells the family that she has a girlfriend the same week, a beat doesn't pass before them wanting her to come visit them at the lake house and asking every question under the sun about them

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"In these circumstances, the commercial economy of the fur trade soon yielded to industrial economies focused on mining, forestry, and fishing. The first industrial mining (for coal) began on Vancouver Island in the early 1850s, the first sizeable industrial sawmill opened a few years later, and fish canning began on the Fraser River in 1870. From these beginnings, industrial economies reached into the interstices of British Columbia, establishing work camps close to the resource, and processing centers (canneries, sawmills, concentrating mills) at points of intersection of external and local transportation systems. As the years went by, these transportation systems expanded, bringing ever more land (resources) within reach of industrial capital. Each of these developments was a local instance of David Harvey's general point that the pace of time-space compressions after 1850 accelerated capital's "massive, long-term investment in the conquest of space" (Harvey 1989, 264) and its commodifications of nature. The very soil, Marx said in another context, was becoming "part and parcel of capital" (1967, pt. 8, ch. 27).

As Marx and, subsequently, others have noted, the spatial energy of capitalism works to deterritorialize people (that is, to detach them from prior bonds between people and place) and to reterritorialize them in relation to the requirements of capital (that is, to land conceived as resources and freed from the constraints of custom and to labor detached from land). For Marx the

wholesale expropriation of the agricultural population from the soil... created for the town industries the necessary supply of a 'free' and outlawed proletariat (1967, pt. 8, ch. 27).

For Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari (1977) - drawing on insights from psychoanalysis - capitalism may be thought of as a desiring machine, as a sort of territorial writing machine that functions to inscribe "the flows of desire upon the surface or body of the earth" (Thomas 1994, 171-72). In Henri Lefebvre's terms, it produces space in the image of its own relations of production (1991; Smith 1990, 90). For David Harvey it entails the "restless formation and reformation of geographical landscapes," and postpones the effects of its inherent contradictions by the conquest of space-capitalism's "spatial fix" (1982, ch. 13; 1985, 150, 156). In detail, positions differ; in general, it can hardly be doubted that in British Columbia industrial capitalism introduced new relationships between people and with land and that at the interface of the native and the nonnative, these relationships created total misunderstandings and powerful new axes of power that quickly detached native people from former lands. When a Tlingit chief was asked by a reserve commissioner about the work he did, he replied

I don't know how to work at anything. My father, grandfather, and uncle just taught me how to live, and I have always done what they told me-we learned this from our fathers and grandfathers and our uncles how to do the things among ourselves and we teach our children in the same way.

Two different worlds were facing each other, and one of them was fashioning very deliberate plans for the reallocation of land and the reordering of social relations. In 1875 the premier of British Columbia argued that the way to civilize native people was to bring them into the industrial workplace, there to learn the habits of thrift, time discipline, and materialism. Schools were secondary. The workplace was held to be the crucible of cultural change and, as such, the locus of what the premier depicted as a politics of altruism intended to bring native people up to the point where they could enter society as full, participating citizens. To draw them into the workplace, they had to be separated from land. Hence, in the premier's scheme of things, the small reserve, a space that could not yield a livelihood and would eject native labor toward the industrial workplace and, hence, toward civilization. Marx would have had no illusions about what was going on: native lives, he would have said, were being detached from their own means of production (from the land and the use value of their own labor on it) and were being transformed into free (unencumbered) wage laborers dependent on the social relations of capital. The social means of production and of subsistence were being converted into capital. Capital was benefiting doubly, acquiring access to land freed by small reserves and to cheap labor detached from land.

The reorientation of land and labor away from older customary uses had happened many times before, not only in earlier settler societies, but also in the British Isles and, somewhat later, in continental Europe. There, the centuries-long struggles over enclosure had been waged between many ordinary folk who sought to protect customary use rights to land and landlords who wanted to replace custom with private property rights and market economies. In the western highlands, tenants without formal contracts (the great majority) could be evicted "at will." Their former lands came to be managed by a few sheep farmers; their intricate local land uses were replaced by sheep pasture (Hunter 1976; Hornsby 1992, ch. 2). In Windsor Forest, a practical vernacular economy that had used the forest in innumerable local ways was slowly eaten away as the law increasingly favored notions of absolute property ownership, backed them up with hangings, and left less and less space for what E.P. Thompson calls "the messy complexities of coincident use-right" (1975, 241). Such developments were approximately reproduced in British Columbia, as a regime of exclusive property rights overrode a fisher-hunter-gatherer version of, in historian Jeanette Neeson's phrase, an "economy of multiple occupations" (1984, 138; Huitema, Osborne, and Ripmeester 2002). Even the rhetoric of dispossession - about lazy, filthy, improvident people who did not know how to use land properly - often sounded remarkably similar in locations thousands of miles apart (Pratt 1992, ch. 7). There was this difference: The argument against custom, multiple occupations, and the constraints of life worlds on the rights of property and the free play of the market became, in British Columbia, not an argument between different economies and classes (as it had been in Britain) but the more polarized, and characteristically racialized juxtaposition of civilization and savagery...

Moreover, in British Columbia, capital was far more attracted to the opportunities of native land than to the surplus value of native labor. In the early years, when labor was scarce, it sought native workers, but in the longer run, with its labor needs supplied otherwise (by Chinese workers contracted through labor brokers, by itinerant white loggers or miners), it was far more interested in unfettered access to resources. A bonanza of new resources awaited capital, and if native people who had always lived amid these resources could not be shipped away, they could be-indeed, had to be-detached from them. Their labor was useful for a time, but land in the form of fish, forests, and minerals was the prize, one not to be cluttered with native-use rights. From the perspective of capital, therefore, native people had to be dispossessed of their land. Otherwise, nature could hardly be developed. An industrial primary resource economy could hardly function.

In settler colonies, as Marx knew, the availability of agricultural land could turn wage laborers back into independent producers who worked for themselves instead of for capital (they vanished, Marx said, "from the labor market, but not into the workhouse") (1967, pt. 8, ch. 33). As such, they were unavailable to capital, and resisted its incursions, the source, Marx thought, of the prosperity and vitality of colonial societies. In British Columbia, where agricultural land was severely limited, many settlers were closely implicated with capital, although the objectives of the two were different and frequently antagonistic. Without the ready alternative of pioneer farming, many of them were wage laborers dependent on employment in the industrial labor market, yet often contending with capital in bitter strikes. Some of them sought to become capitalists. In M. A. Grainger's Woodsmen of the West, a short, vivid novel set in early modern British Columbia, the central character, Carter, wrestles with this opportunity. Carter had grown up on a rock farm in Nova Scotia, worked at various jobs across the continent, and fetched up in British Columbia at a time when, for a nominal fee, the government leased standing timber to small operators. He acquired a lease in a remote fjord and there, with a few men under towering glaciers at the edge of the world economy, attacked the forest. His chances were slight, but the land was his opportunity, his labor his means, and he threw himself at the forest with the intensity of Captain Ahab in pursuit of the white whale. There were many Carters.

But other immigrants did become something like Marx's independent producers. They had found a little land on the basis of which they hoped to get by, avoid the work relations of industrial capitalism, and leave their progeny more than they had known themselves. Their stories are poignant. A Czech peasant family, forced from home for want of land, finding its way to one of the coaltowns of southeastern British Columbia, and then, having accumulated a little cash from mining, homesteading in the province's arid interior. The homestead would consume a family's work while yielding a living of sorts from intermittent sales from a dry wheat farm and a large measure of domestic self-sufficiency-a farm just sustaining a family, providing a toe-hold in a new society, and a site of adaptation to it. Or, a young woman from a brick, working-class street in Derby, England, coming to British Columbia during the depression years before World War I, finding work up the coast in a railway hotel in Prince Rupert, quitting with five dollars to her name after a manager's amorous advances, traveling east as far as five dollars would take her on the second train out of Prince Rupert, working in a small frontier hotel, and eventually marrying a French Canadian farmer. There, in a northern British Columbian valley, in a context unlike any she could have imagined as a girl, she would raise a family and become a stalwart of a diverse local society in which no one was particularly well off. Such stories are at the heart of settler colonialism (Harris 1997, ch. 8).

The lives reflected in these stories, like the productions of capital, were sustained by land. Older regimes of custom had been broken, in most cases by enclosures or other displacements in the homeland several generations before emigration. Many settlers became property owners, holders of land in fee simple, beneficiaries of a landed opportunity that, previously, had been unobtainable. But use values had not given way entirely to exchange values, nor was labor entirely detached from land. Indeed, for all the work associated with it, the pioneer farm offered a temporary haven from capital. The family would be relatively autonomous (it would exploit itself). There would be no outside boss. Cultural assumptions about land as a source of security and family-centered independence; assumptions rooted in centuries of lives lived elsewhere seemed to have found a place of fulfillment. Often this was an illusion - the valleys of British Columbia are strewn with failed pioneer farms - but even illusions drew immigrants and occupied them with the land.

In short, and in a great variety of ways, British Columbia offered modest opportunities to ordinary people of limited means, opportunities that depended, directly or indirectly, on access to land. The wage laborer in the resource camp, as much as the pioneer farmer, depended on such access, as, indirectly, did the shopkeeper who relied on their custom.

In this respect, the interests of capital and settlers converged. For both, land was the opportunity at hand, an opportunity that gave settler colonialism its energy. Measured in relation to this opportunity, native people were superfluous. Worse, they were in the way, and, by one means or another, had to be removed. Patrick Wolfe is entirely correct in saying that "settler societies were (are) premised on the elimination of native societies," which, by occupying land of their ancestors, had got in the way (1999, 2). If, here and there, their labor was useful for a time, capital and settlers usually acquired labor by other means, and in so doing, facilitated the uninhibited construction of native people as redundant and expendable. In 1840 in Oxford, Herman Merivale, then a professor of political economy and later a permanent undersecretary at the Colonial Office, had concluded as much. He thought that the interests of settlers and native people were fundamentally opposed, and that if left to their own devices, settlers would launch wars of extermination. He knew what had been going on in some colonies - "wretched details of ferocity and treachery" - and considered that what he called the amalgamation (essentially, assimilation through acculturation and miscegenation) of native people into settler society to be the only possible solution (1928, lecture xviii). Merivale's motives were partly altruistic, yet assimilation as colonial practice was another means of eliminating "native" as a social category, as well as any land rights attached to it as, everywhere, settler colonialism would tend to do.

These different elements of what might be termed the foundational complex of settler colonial power were mutually reinforcing. When, in 1859, a first large sawmill was contemplated on the west coast of Vancouver Island, its manager purchased the land from the Crown and then, arriving at the intended mill site, dispersed its native inhabitants at the point of a cannon (Sproat 1868). He then worried somewhat about the proprieties of his actions, and talked with the chief, trying to convince him that, through contact with whites, his people would be civilized and improved. The chief would have none of it, but could stop neither the loggers nor the mill. The manager and his men had debated the issue of rights, concluding (in an approximation of Locke) that the chief and his people did not occupy the land in any civilized sense, that it lay in waste for want of labor, and that if labor were not brought to such land, then the worldwide progress of colonialism, which was "changing the whole surface of the earth," would come to a halt. Moreover, and whatever the rights or wrongs, they assumed, with unabashed self-interest, that colonists would keep what they had got: "this, without discussion, we on the west coast of Vancouver Island were all prepared to do." Capital was establishing itself at the edge of a forest within reach of the world economy, and, in so doing, was employing state sanctioned property rights, physical power, and cultural discourse in the service of interest."

- Cole Harris, “How Did Colonialism Dispossess? Comments from an Edge of Empire,” Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 94, No. 1 (Mar., 2004), p. 172-174.

[chase-prairie]

I'm guessing that as a graduate student you have read a zillion and one documents and books and papers and things in your field. Would it be outrageous to ask for recommendations/your favorites? I'm really interested in learning more about the history of Native land use and food systems in the midwest (which I suppose is a very long history, I'd be happy learning about any time period), prairie ecology, and the current outlook for native plants and pollinators (and conservation recommendations). Even one recc for each would be amazing. Feel free to postpone this ask if you're too busy! P.S. can't wait to read your dissertation.

This is a big ask, and I get a lot of these types of asks! In the future it'd be nice if people were more specific about their interests and not asking about general, huge topics. There's a level that you can and should be googling yourself! Many academic papers are online for free through sites like academia.edu and I'm not a search engine!

General answer if you're interested in this range of topics is Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass. She comes from the midwest and writes some on prairie and the book is all about Indigenous science stewardship.

Otherwise, the topics you're asking for don't have one single source that will tell you everything you're looking for. People make small studies of one community, one ecosystem, one plant. Whether it's ecology or ethnobotany, there's no one making compendiums of info, especially not in the midwest. That's why I do the work I do, but even what I do is imperfect. Be suspicious of anyone who/any text that claims to be comprehensive on a huge, complex subjects; they probably are bsing you.

Indigenous Land Mgmt:

Two good recent papers:

The subject of indigenous wild management is more intensely covered in California (M. Kat Anderson) and Vancouver (Nancy J. Turner). Those two authors are great for both nuts and bolts chat and philosophical perspectives about how people have lived in and altered and restored their ecosystems.

A compelling academic book on the subject is Roots of Our Renewal: Ethnobotany and Cherokee Environmental Governance by Clint Carroll, which is just as much about philosophy, knowledge production and protection and community building, as plants.

Prairie Conservation Practices:

Like I said above, currently published stuff is about very specific interactions and focuses, like a particular pollinator group in a particular plant. What you're looking for, a generalist summary of the field, doesn't really exist.

If you're looking for plant lists and how-tos Tallgrass Restoration Handbook or the Tallgrass Prairie Center Guide. Do not go for Ben Voigt. If you're looking for a general conceptual entry to Midwest conservation/restoration, there's Ecological Restoration in the Midwest

If you're looking for general recommendations for free, Xerces.org is the resource for bee-friendly landscaping and planting.

If you live near a University or Arboretum or Botanic Garden, this is the kind of thing where you should just browse the shelves near the books I've recommended! Chances are you have free access to the libraries, if not the ability to check the books out yourself!

[ihazyourkitty]

Orcas, at the Utah Natural History Museum

The Utah Natural History Museum recently opened an exhibition on orcas. It’s really good, and I highly recommend it if any of you have the chance to go. I wish I had taken more pictures.

The display covers a lot of topics, e.g. natural their natural history, pod/ecotype dynamics, neural anatomy, echolocation, significance to indigenous cultures, conservation, etc. They had a life sized model of Ruffles, and even highlighted how it was discovered that Ruffles was unrelated to Granny! Oh, and some of their models even had a few rake marks on them. Loved that attention to detail.

The section on orcas and indigenous cultures was fascinating! Indigenous voices really took center stage there and I learned a lot about just how significant orcas are to many Pacific Northwest tribes.

It was very immersive and well done!

The overarching theme was our shared history and future with orcas. So not only was it just a bunch of facts about the animals, but it progressed through time, highlighting our changing perceptions of them. They briefly talked about Moby Doll, Skana, Namu, Keiko, Tokitae, Morgan and Tilikum. There were some (debatable) inaccuracies about Tokitae, but I do appreciate how they acknowledged Keiko’s release attempt didn’t work. They showed various orca themed memorabilia from the 60’s onward, which was cool.

They also pulled no punches in talking about the plight of wild orcas like the SRKW’s. They went into a lot of details about PCB’s, plastic pollution, Chinook salmon, boat noise, etc. It was heart wrenching and very well done.

And naturally…. yes Blackfish and the general anti captivity movement were highlighted. This was fine, the museum’s intent was to show how public perception progressed, and it wasn’t so much that they themselves took a side. It was just…. unfortunate the glaring blind spot it left.

There was some mention of the work trainers have to do to take care of their orcas, including some memorabilia from the Vancouver aquarium. But was kind of a blip where if you blink, you’ll likely miss it.

They mentioned the important work museums and labs do for research, as simply observing them in the wild can’t give us all the details we need….. but nothing about the research done at accredited marine parks, aside from just how public display changed how we used to fear orcas. Sealand of the Pacific was highlighted in one corner, with people like Steve Huxter* appearing in video. Comparatively, SeaWorld was barely mentioned in passing on the plaque about Tilikum, which I found odd.

My guess is that this was a combination of not wanting to piss off certain donors or contributors to the exhibit given how hot this topic is, and/or simply the lack of contributions from places besides Vancouver aquarium. Perhaps there were too many PR, bureaucratic hoops to jump through. Perhaps all of the above. Curating museum displays is a complicated thing.

I suppose if nothing else, this is true to how our history has progressed here. One side has come to dominate the public narrative, while the other has just clammed up. The biggest mistake SeaWorld and the larger zoological community made in the wake of Blackfish was to just stick their heads in the sand, hide behind their PR departments, and hope the controversy would just go away. Well, it didn’t. And the less we tell our stories, the more they win. They’ve done the work of cultivating media connections and media training. We haven’t.

This, like many other things, has the unintended side effect of erasing women from the picture. They mentioned Tilikum briefly, but said nothing of Dawn or the Dawn Brancheau Foundation (then again, they may not have gotten permission to do that).

Most marine mammal trainers are women, some of whom have gone on to make important contributions to the science of animal welfare, behavior and training…. do they deserve to be remembered only as anonymous pretty faces in wetsuits? Actually, I don’t remember them ever explicitly citing Ingrid Visser, Naomi Rose, or Lori Marino for that matter, not even in the areas about field research or orca brain MRI’s. There’s plenty to criticize about their anti-captivity lobbying to be sure, but they have made some key contributions to scientific literature. So it’s odd they wouldn’t even be mentioned by name given both that and their place in the anti-captivity movement.

Alas. I am not a museum curator, and while I disagree with Blackfish et al., I do think the museum handled the topic very well overall. It is good to be exposed to different points of view, and the truth is that there are valid points to be made about the ethics of orcas in captivity. So how do we go forward from here? Do orcas deserve special legal protections as non human persons? That was a question left open to the interpretation of the viewer, even if slanted somewhat in one direction. I love it when displays can pull that off.

Or at least, they handled it well except for when they talked about Morgan. I am pretty sure that the Free Morgan Foundation was not only the sole contributor to that part of the display, but was given a huge amount of editorial leeway in what little information was provided. The rhetoric in the writing alone was a dramatic departure from how the rest of the exhibit was handled.

So. Many. Problems with this!

First of all, Loro Parque is not connected with SeaWorld. They’ve had a business relationship in the past in that SeaWorld gave them some orcas on a breeding loan, and then eventually transferred ownership of said animals completely to Loro Parque. Their veterinarians and trainers have networked/collaborated with one another in the past. But that’s it. That is the extent of their relationship. That is not the same thing as being “connected.” They are not affiliated with one another. They are two completely different parks owned by two completely different companies. This is such an important legal distinction, how do you get this wrong!?

There are no international regulations that ban orca breeding. Some countries or localities have banned it, but this is not universal. The part about Morgan not being allowed to breed was misleading. When SeaWorld ended their breeding program, they still owned the male orcas at Loro Parque. As such, they were not allowed to breed them until ownership was transferred. SeaWorld never claimed ownership of Morgan.

There’s no mention of Morgan being deaf, which is one of the key reasons why she can’t be released. This was confirmed by multiple third party studies, including the US Navy. Cases brought by the Free Morgan Foundation to multiple courts to have her released have each been dismissed.

And as for scientists supposedly discovering multiple fake orca “rescues” ….I’m sorry, which orcas are they referring to? With exception of the Russian Whale Jail and some facilities in China and Japan, marine parks have not been collecting orcas from the wild for decades. Most orcas alive today in Western parks were born in captivity. We know which orcas are which, where they are housed, and where they came from. Morgan was an exceptional case. So what in the world are they even talking about here!?

Further, marine parks are not the ones who decide whether or not an orca is releasable. Government agencies do.

Orcas rake each other in the wild and in captivity. It can happen from aggression and also from rough play. This is normal behavior. The following is an actual peer reviewed study on the social interactions among the orcas at Loro Parque. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C13&q=Loro+parque+orca+communication&oq=loro#d=gs_qabs&t=1731592546318&u=%23p%3DHSC5vZFo3tcJ

Just. So many problems here! Who wrote this!? Seriously, I was able to handle the rest of the anti-cap stuff there up until that point. I had to really bite my tongue to keep myself from getting on a soapbox with my friend in public. Oh well. It was only a very, very small part of the exhibit at least.

(*I’ve actually had a few online conversations with Steve Huxter. While I disagree with him on a lot of things relating to wild vs captive orcas, I do think he’s a genuinely nice guy whose heart is in the right place. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have been there when Keltie Byrne was killed).

[thatssosussex]

At Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex spent time with students, veterans and IG25 competitors as part of a school-based initiative designed to shift perceptions of service members, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

The event showcased a comprehensive set of lesson plans, which will be made available online to school districts across the country. These lessons, tailored for elementary, middle, and high school students, are centered around the themes of recovery, resilience, and the incredible journey of those who participate in the Invictus Games.

During the event, students from 8 to 18 participated in hands-on activities designed to engage students in discussions about the Invictus Games and the importance of perseverance and mental health. The Duke of Sussex spent time with each class, engaging with the students and listening to their thoughts as they learned about the transformative power of sport and community. Following the classroom sessions, The Duke addressed the students, teachers, and participants with a few heartfelt remarks, emphasizing the connection between the lessons they had just learned and the journey of recovery that so many Invictus athletes embody.

In a moment of true excitement, the students were then surprised with a special announcement: they would each receive tickets for themselves and a family member to attend the Invictus Games 2025 Opening Ceremonies – a gesture that not only celebrated their participation but also gave them the opportunity to witness firsthand the remarkable spirit of the Games. (11/18/14)

[butch-with-a-deep-voice]

I've realized something the last few days. I've never experienced big city queer culture. Most Canadian cities are notoriously small compared to metropolis sized centers like San Francisco, Washington, London, New York, Toronto or Vancouver aside of course. While the city I'm in is in fact a city, we're in that weird "big town, small city" micro-cosm of feeling like a big queer community up until you realize it really isn't.

We currently only have like. 3 gay bars, and one of them has lowkey been rejected by the community for pandering to rainbow washing and it's rampant ableism/micro-transphobia. The other is incredibly loud and packed all the time, and the third just feels a little sticky at all times. We don't have dedicated lesbian spaces. The bars we do have, only one is accessible. We don't really have alcohol free queer spaces. Usually our events are so dominated by white people that BIPOC queers just don't show up, and I feel alone as an indigenous person.

Just about every dyke I know in this city at this point complains about having slept with eachother by 3 person proxy at the very least. I can't go out without risking running into an ex, or a friend of an ex. Every Non-monoganous person here has heard of or met "that one guy" in the poly community because word just gets around like that in a smaller space (he loves the reputation don't worry). Every trans femme has at one point or another has a well meaning Gen X cishet person ask us if we know a certain trans woman that championed trans rights like 30+ years ago (it doesn't help that I actually had dinner with her once a year as a kid).

We've also had people used to big city culture come here and comment on the fact that our culture is amazing because of this unique position. Our Pride Parade isn't a party. It's still actively a protest, it's still a march to remind the conservative government that wants to take our rights away that we will fight them tooth and nail. Every big city queer who attends our Pride has said so to me. It's a point of well, pride for me. But, I want to see their party. I want to see what guaranteed diverse community feels like.

As a baby queer I thought my city's queer culture would never cease to show me new things, but as time goes on I realized its small. Being single, I've realized how not tied down I am. I'm free to go wherever really, within financial limitations. I want to travel. I want to go to big cities. I want to engage in big big queer communities abroad. Learn what their experiences are. How their local history shaped their slang, titles, identities, and social networks. I want to expand how I love my queer self and community by seeing how others love their queer selves and community.

[mariacallous]

Even as missiles fall on Ukraine and troops brace for a Russian spring offensive from the east, Kyiv is looking west. The U.S. congressional fight over aid to Ukraine, entangled as it is with border policy and presidential politics, has become a matter of survival for 43 million Ukrainians. In more than two years of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not broken Ukrainian will. Abandonment by the United States could achieve what Putin never has.

This month, I made a 1300-mile trip around Ukraine as part of a delegation hosted by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We visited Kyiv and Odesa as well as Dnipro, Kharkiv, and other places farther east. The situation on the ground is changing, and U.S. political leaders should understand the enormous stakes. Those now debating the fate of assistance to Ukraine are deliberating over the fate of Ukraine itself.

The first thing that strikes a visitor to wartime in Ukraine is how remarkably normal life seems in many areas. Normal, that is, until the signs of war creep in—gradually and then suddenly.

Odesa’s elegantly beautiful theater remains open, and operas and shows go on. (Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco and Franco Alfano and Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot played a few days after our visit.) Yet the city was under an air alert as we arrived, and a walk along the seaside promenade revealed coiled barbed wire at each staircase.

In a mostly unheralded success, Ukraine has cleared the Black Sea coast of Russian warships—despite having a tiny navy with no warships of its own—and now exports grain from Odesa at near prewar levels. Ships load grain and skirt the coast as they head west, staying away from Russian predation. Outside the city, soldiers man roadside checkpoints to examine the papers of draft-age men.

In a town that we visited in Kherson Oblast, which suffered under Russian occupation until late 2022, virtually every building was damaged. Missile strikes, mortar fire, and machine guns took a serious toll. Many inhabitants fled the fighting, joining either the 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees outside the country or the 3.7 million displaced inside it. UNHCR and other aid agencies are assisting those who remained and others who have returned. Some never will.

We met one man in the town who stayed through it all. “It’s like you see on TV in America,” he said. “You know when there’s a hurricane and someone says, ‘It’s my home, I’m not leaving?’ That was me.”

The biggest problem, he said, were soldiers from the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, the puppet governments set up in the regions by Moscow. Often drunk, the soldiers looted houses, hassled people, and carted home everything they could. A local official said that Russian troops had established multiple torture centers during the occupation.

The man’s son, a tall 15-year-old with a grin and the taciturn bearing of a teenage boy, described life before and after the Russians came. Did he miss the way things were before the war? Yes, he said: “Some of my acquaintances have passed away.”

Downtown Dnipro could pass for Vancouver or Boston, with its illuminated streets, pedestrian areas, fine restaurants, and high-end boutiques. Couples dine, families stroll at night, and the stores are stocked. Yet the war wasn’t far away during our visit; an air alert awakened us early in the morning. As our phone alerts went off and air raid sirens sounded, we headed to the shelter. Russia launched more than 60 drones and missiles at Ukraine that day, some of which made it to Kyiv. The attack set a large apartment building on fire in the capital and killed four people. Two days later, we would visit this site, where the rebuilding had already begun.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has emerged as an epicenter of recent Russian military activity. Most students there are relegated to online learning, since their schools lack the shelters necessary to protect against air attacks. More than 2,000 children go to class underground in subway stations. We visited one of these subway schools, watching fourth graders solve math problems and work on projects. Play areas took up space at the backs of classrooms. I wish members of the U.S. Congress could see the effects of Russia’s two-year war on the country and witness Ukrainian resilience in the face of relentless attack.

Ukrainians are resilient but not invincible. They see bombed-out buildings, awaken to air alert sirens each night, and feel Moscow’s newfound confidence on the battlefield. They know that last year’s counteroffensive produced few gains, and that Avdiivka’s recent fall marks Russia’s first significant territorial gain since May 2023. Diminishing supplies of ammunition and other Western-provided weapons have made the war more difficult and more costly in terms of Ukrainian lives.

Yet most wish to fight on. Polls show a small but growing number of Ukrainians wishing to trade land for peace, if such an outcome is possible. The majority wish to continue the fight. They watched Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson and saw the Russian president’s insistence on their country’s historic artificiality. They know, from the atrocities that have occurred in Bucha and elsewhere, what Russian occupation might mean. They see the war as a fight for survival.

Ukrainians also know, however, that they cannot keep it up alone. They quietly observe that European aid (generous though it is) won’t be sufficient, either. In Kyiv, officials follow every twist and turn of the $60 billion earmarked for Ukraine in a proposed supplemental aid package from the United States. It’s a large amount of money, equivalent to roughly 7 percent of the U.S. Defense Department’s annual budget, and combines military, humanitarian, and budget support. Ukraine’s future turns greatly on it.

U.S. missile defense currently protects Ukrainian cities, and officials worry about the violence that Russia will unleash if U.S. interceptors stop arriving. Front-line Ukrainian troops are running out of ammunition, and declining access to military equipment could allow Russia to take more territory. Even factoring in the latest European aid package, Ukrainian officials (and those at the U.S. Treasury Department) project empty government coffers within months, rendering them unable to pay worker salaries or pensions. Their fallback plan is to print more money, fully understanding the disastrous hyperinflation such a move would produce.

In the meantime, U.S. humanitarian aid provides food, shelter, medical care, and other support for a traumatized population that nevertheless wishes to carry on.

Beyond material support, my visit made clear that the psychological effect of global solidarity, especially from the United States, remains vital. In conversations with everyone, from the top of government to citizens living just miles from the front lines, there was one message: Please stay with us—we can’t do this alone. U.S. abandonment would be devastating.

There is a lot of trouble in the world today, some of it far closer to home for Washington than places such as Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kherson. A poll conducted in February by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Ipsos found that a majority of Americans continue to support helping Ukraine, as do majorities in both houses of Congress. Yet two years in, and after billions of aid has already been delivered, Americans might reasonably ask why more, and why now.

Calls to defend the rules-based international order tend to provoke eye-rolling derision these days. So too do descriptions of the United States’ indispensability in the face of global problems. Yet the prohibition against forcible conquest stands at the heart of the postwar global order. Putin’s violation of that taboo—if ultimately successful—would augur a new and more dangerous era. The United States, unfashionable though it may be to observe, is indispensable in resisting it.

Ultimately, Ukraine is fighting a shift from order to the law of the jungle, where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. In a world awash with trouble, and with huge demands on U.S. resources, the stakes in Ukraine remain very high—and perhaps unique. The alternative to continued Western support is not an indefinite stalemate or frozen conflict. It is a potential Russian victory.

This is the context in which today’s debate should take place. It’s clear on the ground: Ukrainian will to resist aggression is remarkable, but it remains inextricably linked to U.S. support and solidarity. If the United States abandons Ukraine, then the West may well accomplish the very thing that Putin has thus far found impossible.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Hallmark Movie News Roundup

Hallmark Orders Jason Bourque’s ‘A Reason For the Season’

A new Hallmark movie about the magic of generosity, gratitude, and community is in the works! The network has ordered the drama TV movie ‘A Reason For the Season’ with Jason Bourque at the helm. The project’s filming is slated to begin on June 17, 2024, in Lower Mainland, British Columbia.

The television film follows the journey of a woman who must return to her quaint hometown to claim her inheritance. The stipulation? She must repay a group of locals for their kindness to her mother on the night of her birth. As she reconnects with her roots, she learns about her family’s past and discovers the heartwarming community whose generosity helped her mother through a tough time.

Click this LINK for more

Hallmark’s A Dad For Christmas Has Begun Filming in Vancouver

Cameras are ready to roll in Vancouver for the upcoming Hallmark production, ‘A Dad For Christmas.’ Jason Bourque is set to direct this forthcoming venture. The plot revolves around a 12-year-old Sunshine Scout who takes it upon herself to find a new romantic partner for her mother. Her target? The attractive owner of a nearby bakery. Vancouver, the Canadian entertainment hub, has hosted previous Hallmark projects like ‘Hope at Christmas’ and ‘Love, Lights, Hanukkah!’

Click this LINK for more.

Hallmark Orders 12 Clues of Christmas; Starts Filming in Vancouver in June

’12 Clues of Christmas,�� an upcoming Hallmark production, is all set to begin filming in Vancouver in June. Lucie Guest is on directorial duties for this forthcoming venture. Stephanie Sourapas and Tom McCurrie are behind the script.

The plot revolves around Avery and Lewis Plum, proprietors of a struggling candy store and grappling with marital discord on the brink of their fifth anniversary, as they embark on a transformative journey when Avery orchestrates a Christmas treasure hunt contest in bustling Chicago to reignite their fading connection. Despite initial apprehensions, Lewis joins in, hoping to mend their fraying relationship bonds. However, the unexpected appearance of Avery’s charismatic ex-boyfriend, Wes, introduces a new layer of tension, challenging the couple’s resolve. As they navigate the contest’s challenges and confront unresolved emotions, Avery and Lewis rediscover the essence of their love. Yet, miscommunications with Wes and a denied loan application amplify their struggles, compelling them to stake their hopes on winning the competition to save their beloved Sugar Plums store from closure. Through adversity, conflicts, and surprising revelations, Avery and Lewis emerge victorious, not only securing their business’s future but also reigniting the flame of their enduring love, reaffirming their commitment to each other amidst the trials of life.

Click this LINK for more.

Hallmark’s Engaged To Be Murdered Starts Filming in Vancouver This Month

The filming of Hallmark’s upcoming TV movie ‘Engaged To Be Murdered’ will start in Vancouver, British Columbia, this month. David I. Strasser is directing this murder mystery based on a script by Katherine Wagner. The plot centers on a murder in a small town, where a local advice columnist, privy to the town’s secrets, attempts to aid the investigation but clashes with the police detective handling the case.

Click this LINK for more.

Hallmark’s ‘Autumn’s Gift’ Begins Filming in British Columbia

The filming of Hallmark’s ‘Autumn’s Gift’ will begin on April 29 in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. Mike Rohl is directing the movie, starring Ashley Williams and Hrothgar Mathews. The plot revolves around a woman struggling to get along with her difficult neighbors after moving to a new condo in Pittsburgh. Her life takes a turn when she meets the handsome building supervisor.

Click this LINK for more.

Hallmark Orders The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie Adaptation

Lolly Blanchard and her Aunt Gert are set to be reimagined soon! Hallmark has ordered a telefilm adaptation of Rachel Linden’s novel ‘The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie.’ The project’s shooting will start on June 3 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The heartwarming book has a fantastical twist and perfectly fits the Hallmark style of storytelling. Van Evera is the banner behind the TV movie.

The plot revolves around 34-year-old Lolly Blanchard, who finds herself at a crossroads in life. While running her family’s struggling diner, she grapples with unfulfilled dreams and lingering regrets. Her dreams of opening her own cafe are in tatters, and her dad won’t even let her make changes at the family diner. She regrets breaking up with her boyfriend, Rory Shaw, the only man she ever loved.

However, as the narrative progresses, Lolly’s eccentric Aunt Gert gifts her with three magical lemon drops, and her world is turned upside down. With each drop, she is transported to alternate realities where her dreams have come true—a bustling café of her own, a day spent with her late mother, and a reunion with her first love, Rory Shaw. As Lolly lives through these possibilities, she is presented with one final droplet, allowing her to make any of them her reality.

Click this LINK for more.

Hallmark Orders ‘My Dreams of You’; Starts Filming in Ottawa

A new, fantastical Hallmark romance has already started shooting! Crown Media’s ‘My Dreams of You’ is being filmed in Ottawa, Ontario. The project’s shooting began on the 13th of this month and is set to be wrapped by June 3, 2024.

The film will introduce us to the magical, ethereal dimension of Dream Land, where dream associates are assigned people for whom they build dreamscapes. These dreamscapes are made from the people’s memories before they fall asleep. The dream associate assigned to Grace McIntyre, a struggling writer, accidentally shows her the man of her dreams, a charming musician, Michael. The blunder can have serious ripple effects through the fabric of time if the two meet. Therefore, the responsible dream associate must ensure that the pair remains separated.

Click this LINK for more.

[ingek73]

In Canada, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Remind the World of Their Impact

As an Invictus Games alumni tells T&C, the Sussexes make you “feel seen and heard.”

BY EMILY BURACKPUBLISHED: FEB 17, 2024 10:00 AM EST

GETTY IMAGES; DESIGN BY MICHAEL STILLWELL

Ever since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, drama and public discourse surrounding the couple have ebbed and flowed, from their sit-down interview with Oprah, to Harry’s memoir, Spare, to their attendance at King Charles’s coronation. But over the three days they spent this past week in British Columbia, the world was reminded of the power the couple has for bringing attention to causes that matter to them.

And there’s no cause that’s nearer and dearer to Prince Harry’s heart than the Invictus Games. “These last few days have been very, very special,” he said at the visit’s penultimate event, which was held at a local community center. “Every single one of you inspire me, and you inspire us, every single day.”

KARWAI TANG

The Duke and Duchess at Whistler Sliding Centre on day two of their three-day trip.

Throughout their packed itinerary in Whistler, Squamish, and Vancouver, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent time meeting with the wounded and injured veterans who were learning winter adaptive sports ahead of next year’s Invictus Games, as well as with members of local First Nations communities. Wherever they went, it was typically Prince Harry who deviated from the meticulously planned timetable. When they were scheduled to spend 15 minutes on Whistler-Blackcomb mountain meeting with the athletes, they took 45, because Harry had to speak with everyone (and try out sit skiing). One skeleton run at Whistler Sliding Centre quickly turned into multiple, because the Duke of Sussex just had to go again.

As Mike Bourgeois, an Invictus Games alumni who spent time with them on this trip told T&C, “You’ve got a timetable, and we’re in that timetable, standing by ready to go and leap into action. And the first veteran that Harry is able to catch their eyes—the schedule is just out the window. He’s devoted to getting down on his knees and looking an athlete in the eyes and asking about how their experience is,” he says.

Bourgeois, who competed with Team Canada at the Invictus Games at the Hague, was back—along with his wife, Lori—to serve as an ambassador for the Games at the One Year to Go events this week. “We’re nobody,” he says with a self-deprecating smile, “just one of a thousand people that work to support the foundation and the Invictus Games. But the Duke remembers us. If you’ve met [Prince Harry], and you’ve interacted and you’ve talked about your experience as a veteran, he remembers—a year or two years later, you just pick up the conversation, which is pretty astonishing.”

He continues, “Yes, they’re briefed on a daily basis about who they interact with. But the nuances in the conversation, you can’t fake that. The best way I can describe what the impact is of their involvement is: You feel like you’re seen and heard. You’re not lost in the woods, you're not insignificant.”

KARWAI TANG//GETTY IMAGES

Bourgeois stands with Meghan as she borrows his phone to snap a photo of Harry. Lori stands at right (in a matching Invictus Games beanie).

Harry and Meghan’s ability to keep their attention focused on the cause was all the more notable given recent criticism of the couple. After a story published in the Telegraph this week suggested that the Sussexes had “three days to prove they can behave,” their spokesperson issued a statement to the Mirror: “We’ve heard time and time again that certain opportunities are make or break for the couple. They’re still here. They’re still working and pursuing what they believe in, despite constantly being challenged and criticized. This couple will not be broken.” And in an interview with Good Morning America, Prince Harry did not dwell on any family conflict. He spoke briefly about his father, King Charles, saying, “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”

The Sussexes’ dedication to their work was evident throughout their time in Canada this week, and Prince Harry was clearly in his element amongst fellow veterans. “We are talking about the royals, there’s a lot of protocol involved,” Bourgeois says. “But when you get into fellow veteran environments, it's like: We’re his people and he’s our people. A little bit of the armor can be shed when you're together because it’s a safe space.”

For Major Joanna Labonté, who competed in the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf with Team Canada last year, the support that Meghan and Harry bring to the wounded and injured veteran community is powerful. “Considering my injury, for a long time, I felt very powerless and invisible,” she told T&C. “I feel like they’re shining a light on us—the military members who have struggled, who have felt a lot of uncertainty in our future. And they're saying ‘Your journey is just beginning, it’s not over. Yes, you’re releasing from the military, but you’re just beginning this brand new phase of your life. And you matter.’”

Labonté continues, “We really genuinely feel like we matter to that lovely couple. Healing through sport is something significant—I've seen it in myself, in my teammates. It's the real deal.”

“We really genuinely feel like we matter to that lovely couple.”

Every Invictus Games participant that T&C spoke with this week said a version of the same thing: The games have changed their life, for the better, and Prince Harry and Meghan are a notable part of that. “The Invictus Games have gone a long way helping my recovery—they have helped me mentally, physically and emotionally,” Peacemaker Azuegbulam, a competitor from Nigeria, says. “Before, I was worried [about] how to cope with my life with the new condition that I’m [in].” (Azuegbulam lost his left leg when his army unit came under fire.) But when he got to the Invictus Games, he says, “It makes me feel good. It makes me feel loved.” Prince Harry later spoke about Azuegbulam, calling him, “quite remarkable.”

JEREMY ALLEN

Chief Sparrow is second from left, at the Hillcrest Community Centre.

This week, too, wasn’t just about the Invictus Games community, but about the First Nations that the 2025 Games are partnered with. At a wheelchair curling event of the week, Chief Wayne Sparrow of the Musqueam First Nation and Wilson Williams of Squamish Nation gave a traditional welcome, and land acknowledgement (a message acknowledging original Indigenous inhabitants of the land who have often been displaced). When Harry spoke, he shared, “Thank you to the four First Nations for allowing us to be on your territory.” He and Meghan also spent time with First Nations communities this week, at the Squamish Líl̓wat cultural center, and Mount Currie Community Centre.

“When we met the Duke, he said, ‘I want to learn more about reconciliation,’” Chief Sparrow tells T&C. “That meant a lot to me: The very first time I met him, for him to [say] he wants to learn and then [ask] how we can move forward together—that is something that I brought back to my community. That’s all part of the reconciliation and the wrongdoings of what happened. We can’t dwell on the past. We have to move forward, as a society.”

ANDREW CHIN//GETTY IMAGES

Meghan and Harry take a photo with an athlete.

After the final event concluded at Hillcrest Community Centre, Prince Harry came up to the small group of reporters, including myself, that had been at every event of the week. He thanked us, joked about the cold, and despite his antipathy towards the press in the past, it was clear there was genuine appreciation for the media attention on the Invictus Games.

In that moment, it was hard not to think of Princess Diana. Harry’s warmth, and his ability to make those around him feel seen, is directly reminiscent of his mother—as is his ability to use his spotlight to highlight the causes that matter most to him. In just 72 hours, the impact of Harry and Meghan became clear.

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the Invictus Games, and next year’s event will be its seventh edition. In Prince Harry’s remarks closing the week, he spoke directly to the Invictus competitors, saying, “I know how much you love to serve. In many instances, you live to serve.” He finished with a promise, outlining the duty both he and Meghan feel to the community. “We will continue to serve,” he said, “and to inspire people up, down, around the country and around the world.”

[asexual-fandom-queen]

My Canadian 9-1-1 Spin-Off Dreams

Okay so this post has reminded me that I have a whole Canadian 9-1-1 spin-off plotted and ready to go, so I'm gonna scream about it here in case anyone cares

It's called 9-1-1 True North obviously (the lyrics in the Canadian national anthem refer to Canada as the "true north, strong and free" and since they went the nickname route with Lonestar, I think True North tracks)

It's set in Vancouver, primarily because if Hollywood is gonna film fucking half their shows there, the least they could do is set something in the actual city! Also, as far as Canadian winters go, it's on the milder side, so they can do one or two snow episodes a season without needing to make it their entire personality. They have the ocean for water emergencies, they're on a faultline for earthquake drama (even if they don't actually feel most of the earthquakes they get like California does), and BC unfortunately also has a terrible wildfire season.

And that's just on the natural disaster front! Vancouver as a city has a lot of interesting social issues to bring in that human element 9-1-1 likes so much. Vancouver's Downtown East Side is often referred to as "Canada's poorest postal code." The city has an incredibly deep socioeconomic divide that exacerbates an ongoing housing and cost of living crisis. It is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada, an estimated 55% of its residents are non-white, and Indigenous folks have called the Vancouver area home for over 10,000 years, specifically members of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

Since I've sold you on location, let me line up some vague character profiles to get invested in (bearing in mind, it's gonna feel a bit like the intro to Lonestar where it's just a Diversity Carousel, but I promise, they're actually fleshed out and 3-dimensional in the show, this is just the pitch)

DETS Social Worker Girl. She's a late 20-something with a brand new MSW working at a not-for-profit in the Downtown East Side. Her whole thing is harm reduction and de-escalation and finding ways to help without involving the police. She's got a heart of gold, but also grew up upper-middle-class and has a bit of a White Savior thing going on the show absolutely gets to call her on, and a big part of her arc is learning to be of service without centering herself as the hero.

The Crystal Highway Of Metro Vancouver. If you've watched the Canadian medical drama Skymed (which if you're a 9-1-1 fan who hasn't, get on that immediately) you're familiar with Crys's whole archetype. An Indigenous character who isn't just Indigenous but who the narrative also deeply respects by allowing their Indigenous identity to be a core aspect of who they are. I see his character struggling a bit with that "foot in two worlds" feeling. He brushes elbows with DETS Social Worker on various calls, and their budding romance gets to be the Buck/Abby slash TK/Carlos romantic backbone, at least of the first season.

Every Buck Needs An Eddie (And Vice Versa). Because what's an ensemble cast procedural without a Work Bestie dynamic? Buck and Eddie. Chim and Hen. Paul and Marjan. You get it. He's first-generation Indian Canadian, he's a bit of a goof, a sweet sunshine child. Also, since Vancouver is very much Canada's Portland, I don't think it's off the table for him, 9-1-1's Crystal Highway, and DETS Social Worker to end up getting poly with it in later seasons. (Also, I think in the hands of a respectful writing team who ensure their characters are fully fleshed out and not just tokenized representation to tick boxes, a running gag of "not that kind of Indian" between the Work Besties could land)

Disabled Dispatcher Rights. Which I'm a bit surprised neither the OG 9-1-1 or Lonestar has done. 9-1-1 as a franchise does a lot to ensure diversity in its cast, but I think it's time network TV really steps it up with better disability rep. Like Bobby in Trackers proves (and like Felicity Smoak could have proved if the writers hadn't magically fixed her spinal injury) you can be a badass from a desk and contribute just as much to the success of the team, thank you very much.

Firehouse Mom Who Is Tired And Gay. And so butch. So, so butch. Please, ABC I'm begging you. One butch woman on my screen. You can do it. I know you can. We've had Bobby, and we've had Owen, but it's time for a Lady Cap. And while I'm not saying you have to cast Jane Lynch... I just think you should think about it.

In short, the next 9-1-1 should be set in Vancouver, and if I can get just 10 minutes alone in a room with Tim Minear, I think he'll see the vision...

[mostlysignssomeportents]

KPMG audits the nursing homes it advises on how to beat audits

Tomorrow (May 10), I’m in VANCOUVER for a keynote at the Open Source Summit and a book event for Red Team Blues at Heritage Hall and on Thurs (May 11), I’m in CALGARY for Wordfest.

Auditors are capitalism’s lubricants, who keep the gears of finance capital smoothly a-whirl, allowing investors to move their money in and out of companies without having to go pore over their books and walk through their facilities. Without auditors, the gears of capitalism would grind themselves to dust:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/18/ink-stained-wretches/#countless

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/09/dingo-babysitter/#maybe-the-dingos-ate-your-nan

Unfortunately for capitalism, auditing is irredeemably broken. The Big Four auditors (PWC, EY, Deloitte and KPMG) have merged to monopoly, becoming “too big to fail” and “too big to jail.” These four gigantic firms have spun up fantastically lucrative “consulting” divisions that advise companies on how to cheat on their audits and attain incredible (paper) gains. The work of these “consultants” is worth far more than the accounting and auditing jobs the companies do, and the weaker the audits are, the more profitable the consulting is:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/04/aaronsw/#crooked-ref

This crisis has been a long time brewing. Back in 2001, the accounting/consulting giant Arthur Andersen was at the center of Enron’s fraud, which lit $11B in shareholder capital on fire. Enron had been making everyday people angry for years, engineering rolling blackouts and incredible energy-price gouging, but no one cares about working peoples’ complaints. By contrast, stealing $11B from rich people was something the authorities couldn’t ignore. They gave Andersen the death penalty, trying to teach the surviving accounting firms a lesson about what happens when you fuck with plutes.

But those other firms learned the wrong lesson: the collapse of Andersen was so disruptive that it soon became clear that the authorities would never take another giant consulting firm down, no matter how egregious its conduct was. They doubled down on crime, and then doubled down again.

It’s hard to pick a winner in the Big Four Accounting Firm Corruption Olympics, but KPMG is a strong contender, with a long history of just being monumentally inept and wrong. Back when Enron was unspooling, KPMG devoted itself to threatening people who linked to its website “without a license to do so”:

https://web.archive.org/web/20020207141547/http://chris.raettig.org/email/jnl00040.html

A couple years later, they declared war on wifi, trying to convince normies that wireless networks were an existential risk to human civilization:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2885339.stm

But there’s not much money in wifi scare stories or licenses to link. KPMG are good dialectical materialists, devoted to money over ideology, and boy did they figure out some wild ways to make money. For one thing, they figured out that they could get more accountants certified by cheating…on ethics exams:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-kpmg-cheating-scandal-was-much-more-widespread-than-originally-thought-2019-06-18

KPMG’s top managers bribed regulators to give them the answer-sheets for ethics exams. What did they bribe those public employees with? Jobs at KPMG:

https://www.pogo.org/investigation/2020/01/how-accountants-took-washingtons-revolving-door-to-a-criminal-extreme

There’s hardly a month that goes by without another KPMG scandal somewhere in the world, with enormous monetary and social fallout. During the lockdowns, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government outsourced the creation and maintenance of ArriveCAN (a contact tracing app for people who entered Canada) to a grifter called GC Strategies, who billed millions for their services. GC Strategies didn’t do any work — instead, they paid KPMG $1,000-$1,500 day to hire freelancers to build the app. The app itself was a catastrophic failure, and that failure didn’t just embarrass the government — it also failed to protect Canadians during a once-in-a-century global pandemic. KPMG raked off a 30% commission:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/31/mckinsey-and-canada/#comment-dit-beltway-bandits-en-canadien

In the USA, KPMG helped Microsoft work up a radioactively illegal tax-evasion scheme. Microsoft poured the millions it saved by cheating on its taxes into dark-money operations that lobbied to defund the IRS so that KPMG and Microsoft could cook up even more illegal tax-evasion schemes:

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-irs-decided-to-get-tough-against-microsoft-microsoft-got-tougher

But KPMG doesn’t content itself with screwing over everyday people and rotting our democratic institutions — it also engages in the dangerous business of helping billionaires steal from millionaires. KPMG was the auditor that signed off on the scam “oil company” Miller Energy Partners, a fraud that operated for years thanks to KPMG’s rubber-stamp on its crooked books:

https://www.desmog.com/2021/06/03/miller-energy-kpmg-auditors-oil-fraud/

The company was run by serial fraudsters with long rapsheets for stealing millions. They staffed their C-suite with executives from disgraced companies that had been busted for running Ponzi schemes, issuing press releases praising those execs’ “proven track records in raising capital.” KPMG ignored every red flag, ignored the hundreds of millions in fraud on the books — and when the whole thing came crashing down, the responsible KPMG partner kept his job for years, until retiring with a full and fat pension.

More recently, KPMG made millions by confidently certifying the stability of a large regional bank, assuring investors and depositors that it was managing its risk and could be trusted. The name of the client that KPMG was so bullish on will be familiar to you: Silicon Valley Bank:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/kpmg-faces-scrutiny-for-audits-of-svb-and-signature-bank-42dc49dd

KPMG epitomizes the idea of Too Big To Fail and Too Big to Jail. Despite being at the center of virtually every major finance scandal, it continues to thrive and grow. Remember the Carillion bust, in which billions went up in smoke and swathes of privatized government services vanished overnight? Not only did KPMG sign off on fraudulent Carillion books, but it escaped fines for doing so — and got paid to help administer Carillion’s bankruptcy:

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/uk-watchdog-fines-kpmg-24-mln-over-carillion-regenersis-audits-2022-07-25/

Despite this, KPMG continues to find willing buyers for its services. After all, when the sector is dominated by four giant, lavishly corrupt firms, there’s not much choice in the matter:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/29/great-andersens-ghost/#mene-mene-bezzle

This is bad news for the investor class, of course, but it’s even worse news for the people who rely on the services that KPMG certifies, even as it helps grifters destroy them. Every kind of business relies on audits, from transit to aviation to day-care to eldercare.

Here’s a scary one for you: in Australia, the job of auditing residential eldercare homes’ compliance with safety and anti-abuse rules has been outsourced to KPMG. While KPMG earns a mid-sized fortune from these audits, it earns far more advising the owners of residential aged care homes on how to beat those audits:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/04/firm-performing-australian-aged-care-audit-also-charging-providers-for-expertise

KPMG says that the division that ensures the safety and dignity of elderly people is firewalled off from the division that advises companies on how to spend as little as possible on that safety and dignity — but KPMG also went to great lengths to keep the fact that it was selling services to both sides a secret.

Once the secret got out, an anonymous KPMG spokesmonster said, “When considering a request to perform an audit, we undertake a detailed process to ensure the engagement is free of conflicts.”

It’s hypothetically possible that this is true, but anyone who believes anything KPMG says is a sucker. The company’s rap-sheet goes back decades. This is, after all, a company that cheated on its ethics exams.

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[Image ID: Two business-suited male figures seen side on; each has a bomb for a head, and each is holding a lit lighter that has ignited the other's fuse. Each bomb is wearing a green accountant's eyeshade. In the background is a fiery mushroom cloud. They wear KPMG logos on their lapels.]

Image:

Vectorportal.com (modified) https://vectorportal.com/vector/business-deal-illustration/23215

CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Inspired by an illustration by Matt Kenyon for the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/07184d86-81cf-11e2-b050-00144feabdc0

[divingsportscanada]

WHY LEARN TO SCUBA DIVE IN COLD WATER ?

For those looking to take their PADI Open Water certification (https://www.divingsports.com/products/padi-open-water), you might be asking if learning to dive in Vancouver, BC is worth it? Cold water diving can be intimidating for some people but it is definitely worth the challenge. Vancouver has some great scuba diving, and the diving on Vancouver Island is some of the best in the world!

Getting scuba certified by taking your PADI Open Water course in Vancouver will actually benefit you in a few ways. First of all if you live in BC, you will be more easily be able to access the incredible diving we have right in our backyard. Most of the open water lessons and training we do are right in Vancouver and North Vancouver, and you can access the dive sites from shore! There are of course boat dives and trips we organise, but after certification you will have the ability to rent gear and go diving with a dive buddy. It will also open you up to drysuit training and experience so you will know what to expect the next time you want to get in the cold water!

We always say that if you can dive in cold water, you can dive anywhere in the world. The reason we say that is because usually the conditions and the equipment are a little more challenging than in warm water, and because of that we take extra care to meet our high training standards throughout all scuba lessons to create the best scuba divers. Divers who become comfortable scuba diving in Vancouver will find conditions in most other parts of the world easy by comparison.

When you start your PADI Open Water course or SDI Scuba lessons with Diving Sports, you will have lots of time in the pool and in the ocean to master your scuba diving skills. There is eLearning material sent directly from PADI to start as soon as you sign up for the course. We will make sure you are comfortable with the theory before going diving at one of our local dive sites in Howe Sound. One of the reasons people choose to learn to scuba dive in Vancouver is because they don’t have to spend all that time on vacation learning the basics of diving; they can just get out and go diving! So not only do you save valuable time when visiting warmer dive destinations, but you will also go with more dive experience which will make you more comfortable and make your dives even more enjoyable.

Our dive shop is located right in the center of Vancouver on main street so we are easily accessible from all over! We also know that travel around the area isn’t easy for everyone so we include transportation to and from pools and dive sites for those who need it. We also offer Discover Scuba Diving at Diving Sports for anyone who wants to try Scuba Diving before the PADI Open Water Course. This Try Dive is one evening lesson to experience scuba diving before committing to a full course.

We also have a diving club in Vancouver through our dive shop and Whatsapp so scuba divers and freedivers of all experience can connect and get out fun diving! When you do the PADI Open Water Course with our dive shop in Vancouver, you will become a part of our community and receive special offers on training, lessons, trips, and more!

If you want to know more about how much scuba diving costs in BC, or how to start your PADI Open Water Course, CONTACT US either online or in our store! You can speak with any of our experienced instructors and we will be happy to help you get started! Check out our website for the next course dates https://www.divingsports.com/

[twinfools]

Hey I really hate sending anon asks because I believe in transparency and honesty especially with the internet giving some anonymity already but I'm not ready to share this with anyone, even almost everyone I'm close with. I'm considering phalloplasty as a- um- genderfuck and I have some questions about it.

I'm in Canada and I'm not sure where and how you accessed your surgery so it might be different. I wanted to know if you need to have glansplasty (I think that's what you called it) and vaginectomy (i almost definitely spelled this wrong😅) to have phallo. This might be a silly question because there's lots of ways to do most surgeries but it seems like in Canada the surgeons require it either because they don't know how else to do it or they just don't want to. Which brings me to my next question.

Are surgeons typically non binary friendly? I haven't had an issue with top surgeons so far but I'm nervous that this will be gatekept differently. There's a weird uptick in stigmatization of pursuing transition goals from within my local nonbinary community and I no longer identify as nonbinary because of it and there's been stigma from within transition support groups towards nonbinary people but it's died down recently.

I'm anxious about this impacting the way surgeons interact with me as well as reaching out and asking questions from my peers. Do you have any advice or insight on where to start? Thank you for reading this far and I hope this comes off as kind and respectful.

Glansplasty is aesthetic and would be optional. Have you seen surgery photos of phallo before glandplasty? Dr. Crane (the surgeon I went to) has photos on his website and it might be a good idea to get a sense of what phallo without glansplasty looks like if you’re unsure! Vaginectomy isn’t an absolute requirement but may be required in some cases (for example, some surgeons will require vaginectomy if you are getting urethral lengthening due to risk of complications— again this varies surgeon to surgeon and even person to person based on body habitus).

If you are in Canada your funded pathway for surgery will be specific to your province. BC and the Yukon access through a surgery center in Vancouver and the rest of the country accesses through GRS Montreal. Ontario residents are able to access out of country or through Montreal. I’m speaking broadly of course but hopefully this paints a bit of a general picture.

I think among surgeons there is a growing recognition of non binary/gender diverse access to surgery. Of course I can’t say whether you will have an affirming experience with a surgeon but I’ve certainly seen an increase in folks who are not binary trans accessing phallo/meta and folks accessing only parts of a procedure or some components and not others (ie: no vaginectomy is increasingly common, no UL, etc). It may be reassuring to look at a surgeon’s website/surgery center’s website and see what language they use to refer to procedures and folks who access them. Of course this doesn’t promise or predict actual competency in supporting non binary folks however it may be a starting point.

It may be helpful to go into your surgery consult with a list of things you want from surgery and things you don’t. It may be the case that there are trade offs that cannot be avoided but in that case your surgeon can help identify what is possible and what might get you closest to your goal.

In terms of community, have you joined any phallo specific peer groups? There are a number on Facebook. They are often highly secure because of the vulnerability of information on there but I’ve found these communities to be by far the best place to learn more about phallo— I’d be happy to share names of groups over DM. I’m binary identified so that has certainly impacted my experience however I know that non binary folks are part of these groups and have seen folks post and engage in dialogue about their experiences. Again I’m sorry I can’t guarantee a positive experience, its terrible to fear how you may be treated based on your identity, you should not have to navigate that. I can say from my personal experiences phallo-specific groups have by far been the most affirming and helpful spaces for me.

[nothorses]

From the same article:

And the one linked there on the fire in Portland:

Apparently ballot boxes typically have fire suppression systems to prevent this sort of thing, and the only reason Vancouver ballots were lost entirely is because the fire suppression system just happened to fail.

The fire suppression on the box in Portland worked, and even the three damaged ballots were intact enough that they can identify, contact, and get replacement ballots to those three voters.

Just to say that this sucks, but it's not a reason to panic or feel hopeless.

imo it's also exactly why folks need to vote; both of these states have a long history of more conservative rural populations feeling very strongly about the fact that the progressive urban population centers outweigh their votes in every state and federal election, and there are movements- again, in both states (as well as Northern CA)- to divide these states and split off from urban population centers to form new, majority-conservative states.

In Eastern WA, the "state of Liberty" movement has culminated in actual proposed bills and support from local Republican government officials. When I learned about it in high school, the understanding I took from it was that Republicans adding a brand new, deep red state would essentially cancel out some blue electoral college points in national elections. Gerrymandering! (I'm sure they also just want to not be living in blue states though 🤷‍♂️)

Washington and Oregon are both consistently blue nowadays, but votes in progressive population centers like Portland, and nearby progressive cities like Vancouver WA, are the whole reason why.

Like... to give you a sense of all this, here's a map of Washington and Oregon's 2020 presidential election results, with the relevant cities approx. marked:

They are two little blue islands in a sea of red, literally just across a bridge from each other (which is why this is being investigated as one crime instead of two):

Anyway. Point being I do not doubt this was interference from some Republican weirdo, personally. There's a lot on the line for them right now, they are desperate, and it's important to remember that even in "deep blue" states, you really do still need to vote.

they're burning ballots in the US now btw. in case you wanted to know where things are at.

Edit: to clarify, locations mentioned are Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. This news story does not involve Canada.

Important info: Context: Dropbox location was Fisher's Landing Transit Center near Southeast 162nd Avenue Hundreds of ballots lost, voters should contact the Clark Auditor ASAP Clark Auditor contact info: clark.wa.gov/auditor Can confirm your ballot was received on: vote.wa.gov

[stellaphlebotomist]

Open Your Career Potential: Top Phlebotomy Training Programs in Vancouver, WA

Unlock Your⁤ Career⁣ Potential: Top Phlebotomy Training Programs in Vancouver, WA

If you’re looking to ⁤embark on a rewarding‌ healthcare career, phlebotomy might be the​ perfect‌ fit⁤ for you. phlebotomists play a crucial‌ role in ‌the medical field by drawing blood samples for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. In this‌ thorough guide, we’ll explore the top phlebotomy⁤ training programs in ‌Vancouver,⁢ WA, that can ‌definitely help you⁢ unlock your career potential.

The Importance of Phlebotomy ‌Training

Phlebotomy is more than just blood⁢ collection;⁢ it’s a ⁢skill that requires precision, knowledge, and ‌empathy. Proper training ensures that phlebotomists not only perform their duties accurately‌ but also maintain a safe and comfortable environment for patients.

Benefits of Becoming a‌ Phlebotomist

High Demand: The healthcare industry is growing,leading​ to an increasing need for skilled phlebotomists.

Short Training Period: Most⁢ phlebotomy programs are relatively short, allowing you to start your career sooner.

Variety of Workplaces: Phlebotomists are​ needed in hospitals, clinics, blood donation centers, and laboratories.

Job Stability: The demand for healthcare professionals, including phlebotomists, is expected to ⁣grow substantially in the coming years.

Top Phlebotomy Training Programs in Vancouver, WA

Now that you’ve seen the benefits let’s explore some of the top phlebotomy training programs available in Vancouver, WA:

Training Program

Duration

Certification

Estimated Cost

Concorde‌ Career​ College

4 months

National certification

$3,800

Penn Foster

Self-paced⁤ (approx. 6 months)

National certification

$1,200

Clark‌ College

1 semester

Washington State certification

$2,500

Evergreen State College

8 weeks

National certification

$1,500

1. Concorde Career College

Concorde Career College offers a comprehensive phlebotomy program that includes hands-on training and theory courses. students will learn about anatomy, blood collection techniques, and patient care. The program is designed to prepare students for the national certification exam and ensure they meet industry ⁤standards.

2. Penn Foster

Penn ‍Foster’s self-paced online phlebotomy program ⁢allows students to learn ⁢at their own⁢ pace. This program covers essential⁣ topics, including blood​ collection procedures and safety ‍protocols. After completion, students can take the national certification exam, opening doors to‌ various job opportunities.

3.​ Clark College

Clark College provides an affordable, ⁣semester-long phlebotomy program offering in-depth classroom instruction ‍and practical experience. Students will learn how to⁤ perform venipunctures and​ micro-collection techniques. This program ⁢also prepares graduates for Washington State certification.

4. Evergreen State ‌college

Evergreen State​ College offers⁢ an accelerated phlebotomy training program designed for individuals looking to ⁤enter the⁤ workforce quickly. The program includes both ⁤theoretical knowledge and practical, hands-on experience, making it an ⁢excellent option for beginners.

Practical Tips for Success in Phlebotomy ⁢Training

Embarking⁣ on your⁣ phlebotomy training can be both exciting and challenging. Hear are some practical tips to help you succeed:

Stay Organized: Keep track of your coursework,assignments,and importent deadlines.

Practice regularly: Gain hands-on experience wherever possible, whether through lab sessions or internships.

Network: Connect with instructors and fellow students⁢ as they can provide valuable support and job opportunities.

Prepare for Certification: ​ Invest time in studying for your certification ‍exam—use‌ study guides and practice ‍tests to reinforce your learning.

Real-Life ​Experiences: Stories ⁤from⁢ Phlebotomy ​Professionals

To inspire you further, let’s share a‌ couple of firsthand experiences from individuals ‌who have gone through phlebotomy training in⁢ Vancouver:

Case Study 1: Emily’s Journey

Emily ‍completed her training⁢ at Clark College and found a job at a local hospital within a ⁣month of graduation. She⁣ credits the ‍comprehensive curriculum and ‌experienced instructors for her success. “They prepared me not ​just for the job, ‍but for the emotional aspects of working with patients,” ​she says.

Case‌ Study 2: Mark’s Transformation

Mark was previously working in retail but decided to pursue a new career in healthcare.‌ After completing the online ‌program at Penn Foster, ⁢he was amazed⁤ at how quickly he secured a position at a blood donation facility.”It was the best ‍decision I ever made,”‍ he shares, smiling.

Conclusion

Phlebotomy is a fulfilling career choice that offers stability, variety, and the chance to make a difference in people’s lives. The training⁣ programs⁣ available in Vancouver, WA, provide the foundation you need⁤ to succeed in this vital‍ healthcare role. By choosing the right program and staying dedicated, you can unlock⁢ your career potential and become a skilled phlebotomist.

Ready to take the first step? Explore the various​ phlebotomy training⁤ options in vancouver, WA, ⁣and start your journey today!

https://phlebotomytechnicianprogram.org/open-your-career-potential-top-phlebotomy-training-programs-in-vancouver-wa/