#our first avenue of treatment

[cowboyjimkirk]

weird question probably, but has anyone tried benzodiazepines with their dog or other animal? how did it go? my veterinary behaviorist has brought it up a few times as an option for my pup, but i guess i’m wary of schedule iv drugs.

i’d ask on one of the Facebook dog pages i follow, but they seem to frown down on medication questions 🥺👉👈

[reasonsforhope]

"Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have made a critical breakthrough that promises better outcomes for pregnancies threatened with pre-eclampsia, a condition that arises due to insufficient blood flow to the placenta, resulting in high maternal blood pressure and restricted blood flow to the fetus.

Pre-eclampsia is one of the leading causes of stillbirths and prematurity worldwide, and it occurs in 3 to 5% of pregnancies. Without a cure, options for these patients only treat symptoms, such as taking blood pressure medication, being on bed rest, or delivering prematurely—regardless of the viability of their baby.

Making a decision to treat pre-eclampsia in any manner can be a moral conundrum, to balance many personal health decisions with long-standing impacts—and for Kelsey Swingle, a doctoral student in the UPenn bioengineering lab, these options are not enough.

In previous research, she conducted a successful proof-of-concept study that examined a library of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)—which are the delivery molecules that helped get the mRNA of the COVID vaccine into cells—and their ability to reach the placenta in pregnant mice.

In her latest study, published in Nature, Swingle examined 98 different LNPs and their ability to get to the placenta and decrease high blood pressure and increase vasodilation in pre-eclamptic pregnant mice.

Her work shows that the best LNP for the job was one that resulted in more than 100-fold greater mRNA delivery to the placenta in pregnant mice than an FDA-approved LNP formulation.

The drug worked.

“Our LNP was able to deliver an mRNA therapeutic that reduced maternal blood pressure through the end of gestation and improved fetal health and blood circulation in the placenta,” says Swingle.

“Additionally, at birth we saw an increase in litter weight of the pups, which indicates a healthy mom and healthy babies. I am very excited about this work and its current stage because it could offer a real treatment for pre-eclampsia in human patients in the very near future.”

While further developing this cure for pre-eclampsia and getting it to the market for human use is on the horizon for the research team, Swingle had to start from scratch to make this work possible. She first had to lay the groundwork to run experiments using pregnant mice and determine how to induce pre-eclampsia in this animal model, processes that are not as well studied.

But, by laying this groundwork, Swingle’s work has not only identified an avenue for curing pre-eclampsia, it also opens doors for research on LNP-mRNA therapeutics addressing other reproductive health challenges...

As Swingle thinks ahead for next steps in her research, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, she will also collaborate to further optimize the LNP to deliver the mRNA even more efficiently, as well as understanding the mechanisms of how it gets to the placenta, a question still not fully answered.

They are already in talks about creating a spin-off company and want to work on bringing this LNP-mRNA therapeutic to clinical trials and the market.

Swingle, who is currently finishing up her Ph.D. research, has not only successfully led this new series of studies advancing pre-eclampsia treatment at Penn, she has also inspired other early career researchers in the field as she continues to thrive while bringing women’s health into the spotlight."

-via Good News Network, December 15, 2024

[janecafe]

self-love pac: what should i heal in order to feel worthy?

uno - dos

tres - kwatro

this reading was based on the oracle cards. it not totally foretells the future outcome however everything is yet not set into the stone, the reader is advised to read at their own risk. we still have the rights to make our own dreams and faith. peace!

may these love messages guide you back home when you lose your way. <3

to book a personal paid reading here

©janecafe

˚⊱🍀⊰˚

₊˚ʚ 𝐔𝐍𝐎 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

be kind to yourself. imagine, what kind of treatment you expect from others- think that you are becoming successful. being successful is not only about taking actions right? it's also the way you think, the way you perceive life.

take an example of your daily playlist on your mobile, what you listen to is a very important matter in your life. it has a big impact on how you see the world. listen to those songs that talk about successes and improvements, remember you are what you are listening and visioning to.

i also think you need to practice self-compassion. if you have past mistakes, learn to forgive yourself and move on. well, you may need to understand that you have flaws. you are imperfect and everybody else too.

also, think of a fantasy and story. that your life is a fiction, that you are a fictional character and you are the main lead. it's helping you to project your emotions and imagine the things you want to see in reality. it's like avenue. it gives you freedom and power to feel good about yourself.

take this another example, think of yourself as a semicolon (;) it's a pause in a sentence that indicates it's not yet over. it's to remind you to continue rather than end , it's a lesson not to give up but to pursue to forward. if you are tired then you can relax for a while and go on to fight.

★ check the previous pac

₊˚ʚ 𝐃𝐎𝐒 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

you can cultivate your self-worth by addressing your emotional wounds. allow yourself to feel, to bottled up those emotions. acknowledge your feelings, learn from the experience, and give yourself permission to release any negative emotions or guilt.

learn to let go of what in order to make room for what's to come. forgive yourself and others, let go of that past and old story. release that guilt and shame you are feeling right now. it may be time to release a relationship that has run its course, a job that's lost its lister or a depleting commitment. remember that the past is over. kick-start the healing process by surrending all the judgement and hurt.

what's done is done. there's a room for improvement, when one area of our life falls apart, new opportunities fall into place. we never lack of opportunities remember that, it's up to you if you would grab it or leave it.

anyway, it's like you'd likely shrug it off, play it down or even reject when someone gives you a compliment. man, learn to accept compliments, a simple "thank you" will do. don't deny yourself and the giver, the opportunity to share in a moment of gratitude. exercise your self-esteem and soak it in, be that "superstar glow". think that compliments as a little confidence-building soul vitamins. remember, you are worthy of praise!

if you begin doing this your happiness and health will "thank you". 🌻💛

lastly, most of your cards talk about low self-esteem and regrets. it's not your fault to feel that way.

★ check the previous pac

₊˚ʚ 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

in this journey of self-love, the first thing that comes is to surround yourself with people that make you feel valued. if you have a little time, reflect. take this as an example, by doing it alone, by treating yourself alone or by going alone. just far away from the drama.

i also get here that you are insecure, for an example scenario; you don't have enough money to buy those expensive skincare and other beauty products. to tell you, you don't need those, just to feel accepted and keep up with the people's beauty standards. your entire body is precious and so, your existence. say no to toxins and yes to the healthiest as possible, you don't need expensive products of body care just to look and feel great, you are already worth effort.

stop complaining and comparing. you must stop comparing your physical appearance to others, remember that, apples don't compare themselves to oranges. stars don't compete with the other stars! because these natural things taught us there's room for us to all shine in this world, in this ever-expanding universe. so yeah, embrace your differences. feel good about yourself. bring that beast inside of you to the fullest expression of self forward. take this as another shot of an example, you are a successful businessman and it's normal that you have competitors, these people are wanted to be like you.

it also allows yourself to be a powerful individual. like allowing your potential to move forward, to be champion and so, others do the same and copied.

★ check the previous pac

₊˚ʚ 𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐎 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

mmh, 'kay. alright for the last beautiful pile. fostering your self-compassion matters the most for this pile energy. in simpler the intention is, this reading tells you are loved and hugged the time you read this glorious message. it reminds you that you are precious as an individual.

well, make waves because it's time to rise out of your comfort zone or own complaints. it's like no matter what's happening in someone's life, i know there's a potential to rise above it. thriving or rising is one of the most powerful choices that a person can do. rise above little rockstar, rise out of your own slump or on your own potato chip bag.

what are you waiting for, my love? it's your turn to make a splash, to make a scene, to rock a few creaky boats. for example, you have a fear of having a boat trip, i understand that you were so afraid to fall, to get wet or even look foolish from people's view but the next time you take look, you did it, you face your fear. you suppressed one of your fears and that's it to sail the boat.

that's make a change, a change on your mind that you were once a great trailblazer and change-maker made waves.

i also see that you felt lost, lost in living, purpose and hope. your only purpose right now is much simpler and bigger than your vocation, mission or passion and all worthy devices in life but it's your current purpose is joy. it has nothing to do with how you make your living. it's about discovering, nurturing and celebrating who you truly are, who is the inner you and to know and loving yourself in a deepest level.

i also think you are a people pleaser, i just want you to know that it's okay to say "no" sometimes. it's like reconsidering your commitments. it seems like you piled so much on your plate that somehow little room was left for yourself. in fact, every "no" makes a perfect space for "yes".

your freedom is closer than you think, remember that the universe gives meaningful opportunities on the other hand of "no". identify what truly matters to you and graciously decline the rest. you are magnificent and radiant being so please don't give up.

★ check the previous pac

˚⊱🍀⊰˚

[honeyhaeya]

(💝)🖇 ༘ ⋆"Apology Accepted"

' ╰┈ "they say only fools fall in love. well, they must've been talking about us"

' .☘︎ ݁˖' '김민규 x gn!reader

🎧ྀི 'ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Honeymoon Avenue (Ariana Grande)

♫⋆₊˚ ﾟ. 'ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ genre / tags: husband!mingyu x gn!reader, angst (minor & resolved), fluff, marriage, slice of life ੈ✩‧₊˚warnings: mentions of divorce, arguments, silent treatment, mingyu snapping, and that's just about it. lmk if i missed smth ! – this has no smut ✩‧₊˚ wc: 999 – drabble ੈ♡ a/n: this fanfic is contrived for my beloved wife: @jjjjeonww ★ ly, always. i sosososo lovee ariana grande these days. oh, and taglists are open ! if you want to be tagged in my latest works, consider taking my created form :> (tap the underlined, it will redirect you to the forms) "we're gon' be lost if we continue to fight. honey, i know, yeah. we can find our way home" – highlight from honeymoon avenue ★

you and mingyu had a heated fight. to the point that neither of you noticed it getting bigger and how serious it became.

it started with something small — when mingyu forgot to water the flowers that the two of you had been trying to grow. he said he just forgot because he was busy and that he was still trying to adapt to the watering schedule.

you thought it was yet another excuse he was giving, until you brought up every single mistake he’d made over the past few days. one when he didn’t take the trash out. another when he used your soap and dropped it in the toilet.

and mingyu? he defended himself like his life depended on it, giving every reason he could for his mistakes.

until he couldn’t take it anymore. he snapped.

“you’re not perfect, are you? you’re noisy. just shut up.”

you didn’t expect it. neither did he. those words coming from his mouth — and he looked like he’d seen a ghost the moment he said them.

“w-wait, i didn’t mean that,” he stammered.

you just exhaled through your mouth and nodded. maybe he was right. and it hurt more than you thought it would.

you weren’t mad that he said the truth. you just had to shut up. give him space to breathe from your restlessness.

but mingyu thought the exact opposite.

he screwed up. that’s what he thought. the moment you entered your room, the soft shut of the door echoing, he imagined you bawling in tears. he saw the divorce papers right in front of his eyes.

mingyu bit his lower lip hard, trying to think of a way to fix this.

it had to be something grand. something that would drive you away from even thinking about a divorce.

if he had to apologize, he had to do it now.

mingyu grabbed his car keys and went straight to the nearest flower shop he could find. he bought a bouquet of your favorite flowers and a bunch of gardening tools to help grow the perfect one.

then he drove to the designer store to buy that bag you’d been eyeing every time you visited together. it was expensive, but it didn’t matter — not compared to the thought of losing you.

still not enough.

so he drove to the convenience store and bought all the ingredients you’d been craving for the past few days.

on the way home, his fingers tapped nervously against the steering wheel. his thoughts were in a frenzy.

as he entered the apartment, he looked around the living room. you were always there around this time. but not today. not in the kitchen either.

there was only one place you could be — the bedroom. of course. you were thinking about divorce.

he went to the kitchen before his spiraling thoughts could swallow him whole.

he chopped, sautéed, cooked. and after, he plated it all like a gourmet chef — as if offering you the whole damn world. the perfect dish. a glass of wine. then the bag and bouquet.

when he entered the room, you didn’t look at him — not at first. but your peripheral vision caught something strange. how the heck did he carry all of that?

your eyes widened a little as he approached.

he cooked the meal you’d been wanting. bought the bag you’d secretly been admiring. and the flowers — the reason this all started.

you looked at him, confused, but the corners of your lips tugged into a smile.

“mingyu, what is this?” you asked, now fully smiling.

when he saw the sparkle in your eyes, he felt like he was on cloud nine.

“this is me trying to get you back,” he replied, sweat still dripping from his forehead from running around all day.

you reached up and wiped it. “i’m sorry, baby,” he added, leaning into your touch.

he set the things on the bedside table and you just smiled.

“gyu, i didn’t ask for this,” you said, wrapping your arms around him, your head resting on his chest. “you were right. i just had to reflect on how i treated you.”

you felt his arms tighten around your waist.

“so... no divorce?” he asked, letting out a relieved sigh when you chuckled and hit him lightly.

“no, dummy,” you said with a smile. “where’d you get that thought? that didn’t even cross my mind. i just... i had to know my wrongs. you’re right. i’m not perfect, and i don’t have the right to belittle you just because you make mistakes.”

you leaned back to look at him.

“i’m the one who should be sorry,” you said, locking eyes with him.

and in that moment, mingyu’s breath hitched.

“i’m so lucky to have you,” you whispered, before leaning in to kiss him.

mingyu literally melted.

when you pulled away, you grabbed a spoonful of the food he cooked and shoved it in your mouth. the next thing he knew, you were feeding him too.

“you’re crazy — this bag is expensive,” you said, hitting his arm, your mouth still half-full. you looked at the bag on your lap like you still couldn’t believe it was yours.

“don’t talk when your mouth is full,” mingyu scolded, and you hummed, finally swallowing.

then mingyu smiled.

“i don’t want to lose you,” he said, handing you the bouquet.

you smiled back. “stupid... i won’t ever try to even leave,” you replied, looking like you were on the verge of crying and laughing at the same time.

the two of you looked like teenagers in love again.

then mingyu tackled you, tickling your most ticklish spots. you were giggling, trying to kick him away, and suddenly everything was just... the way it always had been.

“apology accepted,” mingyu whispered, leaning back to look at your flushed face and glowing smile.

how could he not forgive you?

honestly, it didn’t even matter anymore whose fault it was.

then, he kissed you. quiet, unhurried, and passionate.

a/n: thankyou for reading !! i honestly can't thank y'all enough for the 700+ followers i got ㅠㅠ road to 1k followers, babies ! loveyall mwa, kisses, xoxo, sincerely yours, aeya.

taglist: @gyuhao365 @kpoplover-19 @archivistworld @smiileflower @kpoppiesofinternet

[fatehbaz]

"interpreting the doctor as passively evil is an interesting character experiment"

at first, thought this was going to be like analysis and/or advice about when you're disabled, chronically ill, trans and you are seeking help and trying to be respected and taken seriously during a doctor's appointment.

by remaining cautious, discreet, maybe sometimes reserved, to carefully study based on their responses and demeanor whether or not the doctor might be safe. to determine whether the doctor might have biases, might be judgemental or dismissive.

advice about how it might behoove you to try a little thought experiment or exercise. when meeting a new doctor for the first time, to act as if there was always the possibility that the doctor might be less than helpful. maybe not actively spiteful or malicious. just potentially passively harmful. in the same way that you might be careful about what you say on the record when talking to an insurance agent or a hiring director or prospective new academic adviser. doesn't mean the doctor in your thought experiment must be "a bad person." maybe they are actually spiteful, though. complex personhood. y'know, like you don't want to frame other people as fundamentally "evil," but be aware that they can enact "evil" even if they're well-meaning.

because in that doctor's office, so many of us have been dismissed or rejected, labelled as catastrophists or irresponsible or confused autogynephiles or scheming drug-seekers or ne'er-do-wells or incapable of making autonomous decisions. casting us as people who brought on our own suffering. with doctor's notes in medical records haunting you for years afterward, abused by health insurance companies who cite those notes as justifications for continued abandonment and the imposition of dread-inducing life-long debt. controlling your fate, limiting possibilities, dictating your access to further treatment or resources. and a doctor can set it all in motion, maybe if their upbringing or wealth or the setting of their education or their current social world has insulated them against knowledge of the realities of people beneath and beyond them.

control of the scariest sort: authority figure of "care" turned captor, like a bad teacher or abusive workplace manager or unkind parent. making you feel discouraged to open up or seek help through some institutions or avenues. your heart learns to guard itself, in defense. you wither, and you might find that you close yourself even to your friends, and to the world. the suffering entrenches and expands.

it wasn't until i got to the fourth line in the paragraph that i realized this was actually about doctor who.

[dreamerwriternstargazer]

Some evenings a cup of relaxing night time tea, cheesecake and a good book can truly make a world of difference

I read chapters 16-22 today of Anne of The Island. I’m terribly sorry @batrachised but I can’t help but read fast it’s a Montgomery book it’s far too enthralling 🥰

One of the biggest things that always throws me every time I read it is the introduction of Rusty the cat and how Anne is quite disgusted by him. Being someone who saw herself in Anne from a very young age, and ever since has often forgot she and Anne are not one and the same, it always shocks me to read how 1. She is very indifferent towards him/disapproving, as she’s not naturally an animal person. I, as an animal person, and not having seen Anne express any strong feelings towards animals in earlier books, am completely bewildered as I assume she would of course welcome any animal as I would.

This chapter quickly grows more disconcerting because of the very casually callous proposal of chloroforming him to get rid of him, and yes I’m aware people in previous historical periods and especially country folk as Anne and her friends are are more accustomed to pragmatic treatment of animals, as they talk about how they can’t drown him like a kitten. It makes sense, especially for Anne, who grew up on a farm and was aware of the realities of life and understood the necessity of slaughter, that they could talk so casually about it, however LM still does carefully illustrate how cruel it is. From Anne feeling guilty and exclaiming that she “feels like a murderess” to Aunt Jamesina pointing out that killing kittens can be a necessity, otherwise “the world would be overrun (with cats)” but to kill a full grown cat is wrong, LM does deliver a fairly progressive view on animal treatment for the time period as far as I’m aware. Or perhaps this is one of those cases where her writing reflects the actual social reality of the time period; that yes perhaps by and large animals were dismissed and treated thoughtlessly by society, with little care given to their lives and only treated well when convenient to owners, but that doesn’t mean that was truly the standard or considered morally upright. I feel like even their method of killing him, with Phil reassuring Anne that “he won’t suffer” and mentioning that “it’s the most humane way” does convey that it wasn’t exactly considered an easy, entirely ethical act either, that naturally despite societal expectations there has always been some inherent understanding of compassion and morality within individuals, because if there wasn’t, how did we progress in the first place?

Along these same lines, Gilbert Blythe is considered one of the unconventionally (for his time period) green flag love interests of classic literature, because again he doesn’t fit our perceptions or historical evidence of the wider social norms of men back then; he’s supportive of Anne and her education and career, treats her as an equal, meets her on her interests even if he doesn’t always fully understand and respects and admires her. You would be hard pressed to find a man like this today, let alone in a time when there were more legally and socially acceptable avenues for sexism. However, he is represented in LM’s work, and while it’s fantasy there’s a strong basis of reality in her books, at the very least it was a fantasy within reach, that she had the capability of imagining and fleshing out. It’s true across her books too, the romantic interests are often completely captivating due to how brilliantly and beautifully they are written, truly the romantic heroes a girl may dream of. So something that strikes me about LM’s work is while it might have been… moralistic and not entirely genuine to what she desired to write, it certainly didn’t conform or have its characters conform to wider, social messages of the time.

It’s such a small thing, the Rusty plotline, but I feel like it’s a microcosm of why LM’s work feels surprising and nuanced on every read. You don’t forget you’re reading into the past, but at the same time the past is as human and real to you as the present is, Avonlea is not some bygone era of history, it is alive and bustling and full of compassion and ambition and dreams and anger and love and conflict and discrimination and neighbourly kindness.

It’s real

[d-criss-news]

Ruben V. Nepales: Farewell and thanks for the delicious Filipino food and best of all, for the scintillating conversations, Lem Balagot!

Lemuel “Lem” Lorenzana Balagot

May 3, 1951 - October 17, 2024

We lost a Filipino cuisine pioneer in America and owner of the long-running and everyone's favorite, L A Rose Cafe.

So many memories.

When Darren Criss and his mom organized an intimate breakfast gathering the morning after the 2019 Golden Globes, where else did the mother-son have it but at Darren's favorite LA Pinoy restaurant?

Serendipitously, Darren won the Globe for "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" the night before (becoming the first Filipino American to win a Golden Globe) so it was an extra special celebration over Lem's yummy Pinoy breakfast fare.

When the Globes held a press conference with Paris Hilton, we heard that she loved Filipino food in her Manila visits. So we thought of Lem to cater the event. Paris loved the food so much that she asked to have photos with Lem and his staff.

Janet Susan Rodriguez Nepales and I are also glad that our girls got to know Lem this year. Nikki Bianca Nicole and Ella Rafaella Angelica met Lem when he catered our housewarming in the Valley but they were too young to remember him.

In more recent times, Nikki and Ella got to know Lem as they dined at LA Rose Cafe. Lem sat down with our family when we had lunch at LA Rose before we headed to a wedding mass in summer this year.

Some of Lem's endearing qualities were his affability, wit, humor and intelligence. Our conversations with him were as satisfying as his lunch and dinner staples. We brought Hollywood friends and colleagues to his Fountain Ave. cafe.

Last time we ate at LA Rose, we brought a visiting friend Evita Wise to dinner with our family. Janet and I just told the staff to give our love and hugs to him since he was upstairs, resting from a treatment. The day after, he called to say thanks and ask how the food and service was.

About three weeks before Lem passed away, we had a long phone conversation about many topics, from the recent earthquakes to his health condition. From out of the blue, he spontaneously said some very kind words to Janet and me which we will always treasure.

Paalam, Lem. We will miss you. We will always remember you. Hugs and sincerest sympathies to Lem's partner, Rai, and Lem's family.

LA Rose Cafe will remain open -- if you have not been there, try it one of these days. And to all of Lem's regular patrons and friends, let's keep LA Rose Cafe jumping in loving memory of and in tribute to the wonderful human being Len was.

******

From the family:

An open casket viewing will be held on November 6 from 10 am to 8 pm, followed by a closed casket visitation on November 7 from 10 am to 8 pm at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 9 at 9:00 am at the Church of the Recessional, also at Forest Lawn Glendale with a reception at LA Rose to follow at 12 pm. The family requests that flowers be delivered to Forest Lawn Glendale, located at 1712 S. Glendale Avenue, Glendale, California 91205.

[keywestwildlifecenter]

Just rescued this weak, underweight, and dehydrated first-year Brown Pelican. The Pelican was walking on Maloney Avenue, Stock Island. We were able to make the rescue and transport the patient to our clinic. Rehablitative care has begun with fluids and treatment for a high parasite count administered. www.keywestwildlifecenter.org

[littlemisssquiggles]

I think the casting director for Kamen Rider Gavv made a huge mistake with Yusuke Hino

Ya’ll casted Yusuke Hino as Hanto Karakida/Kamen Rider Valen who is the secondary Rider to Kamen Rider Gavv.

You made him the SECONDARY RIDER … when clearly this actor has the chops to be the lead.

Cause after today’s episode, I can firmly says that Yusuke Hino has the acting prowess to play a lead a Kamen Rider series of his own.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Hidekazu Chinen who plays Shouma/Kamen Rider Gavv and I think he’s a terrific actor as well. But these past episodes of this past arc have truly highlighted how great of an emotional actor that Yusuke Hino is.

I said it last week and I’m saying it again --- the guy is really good at embodying the raw emotions of the character he’s playing and make you as the audience feel for said character. Similar to Shouma, I don’t think I could picture any other actor being Hanto and say wholeheartedly that Yusuke was born to play Hanto or at least a character like Hanto.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Hidekazu Chinen who plays Shouma/Kamen Rider Gavv and I think he’s a terrific actor as well. But these past episodes of this past arc have truly highlighted how great of an emotional actor that Yusuke Hino is.

As the meme would say, home boy acted like the landlord showed up at his doorstep and told him that he’d be evicted if he didn’t act his ass off in Episode 28 of Gavv. Rent was due and Yusuke Hino delivered on the money!

I said it last week and I’m saying it again --- the guy is really good at embodying the raw emotions of the character he’s playing and make you as the audience feel for said character. Similar to Shouma, I don’t think I could picture any other actor being Hanto and I say wholeheartedly that Yusuke was born to play Hanto or at least a character like Hanto.

For what it’s worth, I hope Yusuke get’s the Kouhei Takeda treatment.

I know most Kamen Rider Build stans know him mainly as Kamen Rider Grease. But real ones like me remember him from Kamen Rider Kiva.

He was Otoya Kurenai a.k.a the father of our main rider --- Wataru Kurenai (Kamen Rider Kiva). And given the story of Kiva was divided between the events of the past following Otoyo and the present following Wataru, you can almost say that Otoya was somewhat simultaneously the protagonist and deuteragonist of Kiva.

That being said, my point is that Kouhei Takeda is an example of a main actor from a past KR season returning to play a new character/rider in a future series.

This is something that I’m hoping for Yusuke Hino. Don’t know how the showrunners will swing it. But if Yusuke is up to it, it would be great to see him return to reprise a leading role in another Rider series for the future. Even crazier if he returns to play the lead Rider in a future Rider series when he was a secondary Rider for Gavv.

If not for Kamen Rider, then I would love to see Yusuke play the lead role in some kind of future action series even if it’s not toku. Like I said, the guy definitely has chops. So I hope Gavv will be a stepping stone to much greater avenues for him moving forward.

Not just him, but the whole Gavv main cast to be honest. Zoning in on both of our lead two Riders, I hope to see more from these two --- Hidekazu Chinen and Yusuke Hino --- moving forward.

Even if Gavv was their first big break, I hope it doesn’t stop there. I hope the two move onto bigger amazing projects (and possibly even be brought back for future KR spinoffs).

~LMS (2025)

[firstofficerwiggles]

Wiggles!!

Congratulations on your milestone! You deserve every single one of your followers, love 🧡

I don’t have a request cause I don’t wanna bother 🥺 but I just wanted to say how incredibly proud I am of you and your writing. You are so talented and so sweet, I’m really happy I got to meet you 🙏🏼

Thank you so so much! This is so very sweet, I'm very happy to know you too. So I know you weren’t requesting anything, but as one of my dearest friends on here and as someone who has supported my writing from the start, I wanted to write something for you too. Buckle up though because this one is going to make you cry…

My darling,

I have no way of knowing whether or not you will receive this message, but I know that it is necessary for me to try. I am certain that you think I am deceased, because it seemed highly improbable that anyone could survive a fall from that height. However, it appeared that fortune was on my side as I did not fall to the bottom of the chasm, but rather to a large ledge. I sustained only a broken arm and minor bruising. Nonetheless, my luck only went so far as I was found by a squad of stormtroopers. They have brought me to what I believe is a secret, experimental medical facility. My injuries have all healed now, and physically I am back in peak condition. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my mind. The researcher here is experimenting with a new machine that is designed to manipulate the mind and create false memories. While at first, I was spared the typical effects that I saw in my fellow captured troopers, I can tell that the supposed ‘treatments’ are beginning to have an effect on me. I have memories and emotions that are not congruent with what I know to be true. I confess that at times I do not know if what I remember about an event is accurate. There is one constant that I cling to, my memories of you. I know that the memories of our love and our time together are real. When I picture your beautiful face and remember the touch of your soft lips against mine, I know that I have known joy. Even now as I write to you, it is the memory of your voice telling me that you believe in me, that you care for me, and that you will always love me that is keeping me from giving in completely to this mental manipulation. I am trying to escape and considering all avenues to succeed in fleeing from this hell. Every night as I sit in my cold cell I tell myself that I will find my way back to you. I will never stop trying to get to you. You are my guiding force and the key to my sanity. I hope that this message reaches you and I hope you will know that I am alive and that I still love you. I will always love you. 

With all my heart,

Tech

[jonathanbrandisarchive]

Jon’s Home Away From Home: The Sequel

Since setting up camp in the Sunshine State to work on seaQuest DSV, Jon Brandis has ventured from his hotel home in search of amusement. Here, Jon’s mom, Mary, tells BOP’s Cathee what her son does for Florida fun!

BOP, 1994

Cathee: Last month, you told us Jon would rather play pool than swim in a pool.

Mary: Yeah, there is a billiard parlor that is right around the corner [from our hotel]. But it's not walking distance; he has to drive to it.

Cathee: Is Jon still driving the car the seaQuest people loaned him?

Mary: Yeah. A gold Toyota Camry, brand-new. He has been driving around, getting to know the area. He is finding his way around, which is surprising. It was a brand-new area, so we got maps, and he asked me to write out directions on little 3x5 cards to things like malls and the movie theater, to and from the studio and [the video store]. He carries them in his car, but I knew that once he did it a couple times, he wouldn't need them.

Cathee: So I take it that Jon the movie buff has been seeing some movies?

Mary: One of the first things that he did when we got here was go and find the nearest video store so he could sign up and start renting movies! And he found a really nice movie theater complex. He has gone to the movies with me, or he goes with his dad [Greg, when he's visiting from Los Angeles]. I don't know if they've gone to the movies together, but Jon has been hanging out with Ted Raimi and Marco Sanchez from the show. He has gotten a lot closer with the returning cast members, like Roy Scheider, Don Franklin, Ted and Marco. And, of course, Darwin!

Cathee: Has Jon made other friends in Florida?

Mary: Yeah, he's met some people in production. There are some young people working in the production office, so he'll go get a coffee and just sit there and talk to them.

Cathee: Are there any cool coffee houses nearby?

Mary: That is one of the things that he misses, that they don't have a lot of. That and the vintage shops. Jon really misses [coffee houses] and Venice Beach and [the shops on] Melrose Avenue.

Cathee: So where does he go instead?

Mary: He's been to Disney World and Epcot Center and the Disney Studios. Jon has gone to Disney World three times already. He does the voice [of Mozenrath, the evil wizard] on the Aladdin cartoon for Disney so, well, they take him around to anything he wants to go on, and he loves it. It is nice that he gets that special treatment and all they ask is that he pose for a couple of pictures. Oh, he also hangs out at the Hard Rock Cafe. He has been there several times. It is right on the Universal lot. There's also a Sea World that Jon's been to with one of his friends. He's also been to the new Planet Hollywood restaurant.

Cathee: Well, it sounds like there's enough to keep Jon entertained!

Thanks again for all the details, Mary.

[alpaca-clouds]

Biopunk is super interesting

You know what? I will now do a "rambling about punk genre stuff other than Solarpunk" Saturday think. Because I feel like it and because the punk genre are super interesting as a concept. So I want to explore this a bit further.

I kinda grew up with the entire punk-genre thing. Literally. As a kid I got into Cyberpunk when I was like... 12. So, I always had an interest in the genre. That I ended up playing Shadowrun hence was not a bis surprise. (Maybe I will talk about that a bit more one day...) And it was through Shadowrun, that I got interested in one of the subsubgenre of Cyberpunk: Biopunk.

Fun fact: Outside of fanfiction this is the one bit of Cyberpunk that I have actually written quite a bit about. And I just think it is interesting.

Now, to catch everyone up to speed: Biopunk usually (though not necessarily) is set in a Cyberpunk world, but instead or additionally to cyberware, there is gen-modifications happening. And this of course brings new and interesting avenues to explore with it.

See. One idea in this regard that gets played with a lot in Shadowrun, but also other Cyberpunk media, is the entire idea of "cyber psychopathy". Basically, a "ship of theseus" thing. If you replace too much of the human, the human looses their humanity and might do bad things. In comes bioware and goes like: "Sure this, we do not replace the human body, we just alter it." Basically, GMO for the human body.

Now, a while ago I talked about how gene tech is nobody's enemy as it is. BUT... gen tech currently suffers from the issue of people copyrighting gene sequences. Going so far as "you cannot use you non-genemodified harvest as seeds next year, because it has been pollinated with pollen from other gene modified stuff".

What would that mean for a human?

The possibilities for gene tech in medicine would be endless. Cure cancer. Cure all sorts of genetic diseases. Cure stuff that would kill you in real life. And do not even give up parts of your body.

But what if you cannot pay? With Cyberware you can still say: "Fuck it, have your stupid cyber arm back." And give up your arm. But with gene tech... Well, looks like you belong to the company now!

And of course, even more than normal Cyberpunk, this genre is also ripe to explore for the human relation to disabilities. Because, yeah, imagine gene tech could fix all disabilities. What would it do to the way humanity treats disabled people? Are your forced to be cured? And if so... Does your cured body then belong to the company?

So many interesting questions to explore.

The Biopunk stuff I wrote basically featured the set up of "the company" (that also was the state) offering parents of children, that would probably not be born alive or if born alive would die within the first two years of their life, to cure them. For free. And while they were on it, they gave the embryos all sorts of gene treatments, turning them into basically a different species alltogether. But when the revolution came... Welp, the company sat down: "Looks like we own you. Time to be our soldiers."

So... Yeah. Interesting concepts to explore here.

[triptychgrip]

Impact of figure skating politics on post-canon Yuri!!! on Ice

So, even aside from the rampant doping, I think many people are familiar with how the politics within the sport of figure skating really suck -- whether that's in terms of how skating federations meddle with their athletes' careers in ways these athletes clearly don't want or don't even know about, the way regulatory bodies -- the International Skating Union (ISU), and its various Commissions -- can and do remain silent when it comes to speaking out on abuse or corruption, or the complete shit-show of bias within judging, sometimes on a ludicrously visible level.

After all, this is a sport where a judge that showed clear bias at the PyeongChang Olympics was not only invited back to judge at the Beijing Games, but was given the position of being the technical controller!

Sheer madness...

It makes sense why Yuri!!! on Ice didn't delve into this stuff in a 12 episode season b/c the reality is: it's a major bummer.

But I work in public policy and am a social justice researcher whose career focuses on institutional change. So I often find myself asking the question "what would cause institutions/people/movements -- especially with a lot of history and influence behind them -- to change for the better, whether by 'force' (public outcry, insider advocacy, etc.) or their own volition?" It's a question I started thinking about a lot almost as soon as I got into Yuri!!! on Ice a few years back, and specifically, thought about in a post-canon context.

Some of the politics-related questions that surfaced for me, included:

-When Viktor returns to skating, how would his federation (the FFKKR) choose to treat his absence? Would they, perhaps, "make an example" of him at the Rostelecom Cup, purposely underscoring his performances? Or, would they have "given up" on him, trying to focus all of their attention/resources on Yurio's obvious rising star potential?

-Further, would they (with tacit or explicit media support) take a negative stance regarding his and Yuuri's highly public relationship -- perceiving Viktor's romance as a "threat" to his ability to return to the field as strong and focused as before -- or would they choose to ignore it, altogether?

-How would Yurio's growth spurt (which is hinted at in canon) impact the FFKKR's treatment of Viktor if the former is no longer able to put out the kind of performance that he did at the Barcelona Grand Prix Final? Or if Georgi retires from the field?

-How would skaters that wish to skate independently of corrupt federations -- something that is currently not possible under the way the ISU is structured with 'member nations' -- navigate their careers, and what avenues would they have at their disposal to avoid burn-out from the shitstorm of pervasive corruption?

-How would politics affect our favorite characters at an event as globally visible as the PyeongChang Olympic Games, and in its aftermath? (I say this with the caveat that I generally write yoi fic w/ the premise that it took place during the first half of the 2016 skating season, though there is no way to pinpoint the actual season).

All of these questions kept circling about in my head, and I felt highly motivated to begin writing a multichapter, post-canon "future fic". Specifically, a fic that would tell the story of married Yuuri/Viktor at the 2022 Olympic Games, but jumping back in time at various points over the previous five years to showcase how a particular scandal -- other than doping -- at the 2018 PyeongChang Games has "followed them" throughout the years (and has deeply impacted the sport/our other favorite characters).

This fic turned into a series called "Gold's On The Inside, Elevated My Feet", which currently is at 293K total words, and is being updated 1-2 times per month.

I know a lot of people aren't into long, novel-length works, especially if they're WIPs, but if you, like me, are fascinated by some of the real-world issues that might impact Yuuri/Viktor/Yurio and others post-canon, I hope you'll consider checking my work out.

I've included a spoiler-free excerpt from Chapter 11 of part 1 of the series, below, that I feel hints at the politics while encapsulating the Viktuuri fluff, friendship antics, and overall supportive themes that I've tried to weave into my stories.

I hope it piques your interest and encourages you to check the series out, or my other Yuri!!! on Ice fics!

---------

“First of all, how the hell would you have even managed to contact me from all the way over in the Kiss and Cry?” Phichit went on. “Did they imagine you had waved a wand to send a carrier pigeon flying through Gangneung Ice Arena to land directly on my head ? After which, it would peck an intimidating message in Morse code straight onto my scalp?”

Yuuri was now hiccuping giggles, and he was pleased to see that he’d begun to wipe a profuse quantity of tears from his cheeks.

When his best friend had told him that he wanted to hear all the nitty-gritty details of his International Court of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) hearing, Phichit had definitely had some misgivings; Yuuri and Viktor had flown to Lausanne for their own proceedings directly after the latter’s retirement party in Milan, and given what they’d told him about each brutally long-winded 4 hour session, he’d known fun things were not in store for him.

“But Yuuri without his glasses on can be very intimidating…very sexily intimdating,” Viktor said with a grin, prompting a playful slap on the arm from his fiance; thanks to Yuuri’s thirsty fans, the hashtag #Yuuri’sNearsightedSexySquintTally had become a staple on the competition circuit, and both he and Viktor had taken to alluding to the phrase as much as possible.

“Yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what permanent-frown-dude-arbitrator was referring to,” Yuuri responded, sarcastically, “my nefariously sexy squinting that so very clearly spelled out that Phichit better file a claim, or else.”

He and Viktor both laughed, and he shared a few more snippets from his hearing before conversation moved along to discussion around the other Olympics claimants’ hearings.

“Oh my god, just imagine Christophe during his,” Yuuri said, before giving Makkachin a kiss, right to the top of her fuzzy head.

The poodle was splayed out across both of her dog-dad’s laps, taking up much of the bench directly in front of the rink boards at Hasetsu’s Ice Castle. After their hearing, the couple had flown to St. Petersburg, spending just a few days there to get Makka and Meni and do a round of cursory packing. They’d then taken off for Japan where they planned to stay until mid-June, which was the beginning of the rainy season.

Even from afar, Phichit had been able to keep tabs on Yuuri thanks to Nishigori Yuuko. After thoroughly bonding with her at Viktor’s retirement party – after all, a willingness to drunkenly act out the unhinged plot of The King and the Skater 3: Because Time Loops Are A Thing tended to solidify people in Phichit’s mind as lifelong friends – she had been messaging him through Instagram as well as contributing heavily in the “Yuuri Support Squad” chat.

Soon enough, he’d be able to keep tabs on him in-person, as his own trip to Hasetsu was just three weeks away.

“He’d be all: ‘And then, my esteemed arbitrators, I got distracted from calculating Yuuri’s grade-of-execution, because my eyes were too busy lingering on his delectably muscled thighs as he came out of his triple-lutz, triple-toe combo’,” Viktor said, in a deliberately put-upon Swiss accent, while lasciviously licking his lips.

Phichit barked out a laugh while Yuuri grinned at him.

“Are you sure you aren’t just verbalizing the thoughts you wish you could have expressed during your hearing?” he asked his fiance.

Viktor gasped, theatrically, and clutched Meni even more closely to his chest before responding.

“I would never think such a thing! I’ve become an expert at admiring your beautiful thighs while simultaneously calculating your GOE,” he said, sounding proud. “As any good coach should be.”

[kamsspice]

note: i wrote this two years ago and it’s been collecting dust in my drafts since. thought to share it because why not. feel free to agree or disagree but i am fond of luke and his psyche

um, here's a little impromptu, mad informal analysis of luke skywalker and his motivations of building the jedi order , his flaws which we need to embrace and why yes, i kinda like his TLJ characterisation. This is kinda long so yeah

so first thing's first, using a bit of psychology, the enneagram personality theory is an interesting framework that divides people by their core motivation and helps understand behaviour as a result. in writing, it can be used as a helpful guide to understand the basic goals of characters and as such, how they may react in certain scenarios based off their broader personality.

As a disclaimer, I'm not one for these sort of frameworks normally when it's used as an astrology-adjacent explanation for everyone's every single action. That's not what this is for, at least that's not how I'm referring to it in this context. These frameworks exist as a guide to understand things already intrinsic to us, putting scientific evidence and theory to paper so we as humans can make sense of ourselves and use it in treatment. It's like a meta-analysis of the human behaviour.

That aside, lemme get into it.

So, Luke, to me, is a type 1 personality - the perfectionist.

Morgan Alexander and Brent Schnipke (2020) categorises this as:

Principled, conscientious, organized, responsible, and committed. Concerned with improvement, morality, desire to perfect themselves and their surroundings. Seen as detail oriented, hypercritical, and judgmental. Struggle with an "inner critic," repressed anger, impatience, and a sense that nothing is good enough.

I have bolded the ones that I think are quite relevant to Luke based off of what I remember from the OT and the ST, and it helps explain his behaviour and his actions.

An argument for the Perfectionist

Luke has always sought for better in everything. From the movies, Luke in ANH wanted to leave tatooine because he thought it to be limiting, he wanted to be in better places and he was determined to get out of Tatooine through any avenues he had available. In ESB, he is impatient with his Jedi training, he has a lot of anger towards Vader and the other Empire lot (understandably). Here's the important thing, though: in ROTJ, he actively seeks good in his father, Vader, even going so far to abandon his only means of defense and leave redemption into Vader's hands. This loveable protagonist always sought better in everything.

And this is because of his circumstances. Luke had no family beyond his aunt and uncle; he didn't know his parents, he was quite lonely. All his life he had shit. Luke's early life from childhood into early adulthood mirrored that of a typical working class, impoverished family, living on the fringes of society in a shitty neighbourhood. In The Relationship of Socio-Economic Status and Agression to the Competitive Behaviour of Children, it is concluded that children from a low socio-economic status were more competitive than their upper middle class counterparts (McKee & Leader, 1955).

So, you may be asking, "What's this with competition? I thought Luke was a perfectionist?" Well, you see, perfectionism is inherently competitive. You are competing with previous iterations of existing things and striving to improve. I don't have a reference for that but you get my point here.

So, our fave farmboy, we have established is living on the fringes - has been his whole life, he's strapped for options and his best bet is being a pilot because good for him he's good at that and the academy needs people to join.

The Original Trilogy

ANH establishes Luke's background and his sort of rags to riches growth, going from small town farm boy to hero of the Rebellion.

Let us not forget that his only family got torched, though, and that's hella important.

The perfectionist "seeks to perfect themselves and their surroundings". At their unhealthiest, they are impatient and hypercritical of themselves and others. This is where cunty Bespin fatigues ESB Luke enters.

Being unable to save his only known family, Luke has in some way failed his resonsibilty of looking out for them. And as such, that may be perceived as a flaw on his part. Therefore, Luke's perfectionism is what fuels his impatience to be a saviour in ESB. We've all seen that film - Luke is a bit of an arrogant twat (affectionate) and gets himself in tricky scenarios out of his depth, nearly dying a good few times. He's impatient with his training and that impatience drives him to try and rush the process of becoming a proper Jedi with his training with Yoda and for noble reasons, runs off to save his friends, in line with the morality, responsibility, and principled elements of this personality.

I'm not gonna list off every event in this movie and neatly match it up to the traits of a type 1 personality, but what I will highlight is how the Vader reveal re-emphasises his personality.

In a basic sense, type 1's main goal is to be as good as one can be and by extention so should the world around them. But what happens when you, the boy who's been trying to live the philosphy of a good Jedi and being a freedom fighter against the Empire find out your daddy is the second biggest bad of the entire galaxy? Crazy, innit?

The type 1's generalised biggest fear is "to be bad or corrupt" (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020). I don't know about you, but finding out your father is responsible for genocides upon genocides and public enemy number 1 in your militia's eyes must be a mad ting. So, how does Luke respond?

Luke sees this again as another problem to solve. He takes the pacifist route, not killing his dad but helping him get redeemed at least in Luke's eyes. That is to cut a long story short. Luke didn't abandon any of his core personality, but what did happen was he managed to be more patient, less judgemental and encouraging of others in a good way.

But how does that fair with Disney's sequel trilogy

The Sequel Trilogy

Right off the bat I'll say I am not a huge fan of these movies, but thankfully that has all to do with the backdrop of the First Order, Kylo Ren and the BTEC Rebellion, notsomuch Luke, hence why I'll be talking about TLJ only.

I also know folks don't like how Luke was a prick in this film but sorry, I somewhat disagree. Mind you, I have qualms with the ending but that's more of a personal bias. So, anyways:

Luke having that lapse of judgement and pulling his saber on his nephew was cringe but lowkey it makes sense if you consider everything about him. He has been through a shit ton of loss and is desperate to maintain the good that he and his friends have built for the galaxy. In that lapse of judgement, you can understand why he briefly considered it. He's getting older, he's not in his physical prime. Should a Darth Vader rip off come to exist again, could he have the ability to talk them out of it before shit gets bad? As such, he briefly considered killing off Ben, because that unhealthy part of his personality got the better of him.

And once again, just like back on Tatooine, Luke lost his home and his new family of young Jedi. Once again, he has failed people around him by not preventing their deaths. The good he managed to bring to the galaxy was temporary and soon, the galaxy was in yet another war.

Here's where things start to change though.

Perfectionist personalities may opine that nothing is adequate enough (Alexander & Schnipke, 2020). We certainly see Luke mirror those attitudes when Rey goes to him to train. Here, the perfectionist Luke has given up. Luke has reached his flop era and refuses to engage in any improvement because every attempt of doing good has led to worse outcomes. And this is where the mould of the enneagram model begins to crack.

You could argue that Luke would take an active role in trying to make things good again, but shit like ambition, trauma, relationships may take a part in shaping once's personality, in particular events that transition the individual into another status, known as "critical life events" (Vries, et. al, 2021). Luke is riddled with those - fatherless and motherless from birth, cooked up aunty and uncle so he's got no familiar family, Obi-Wan killed so no warm mentor, oopsie his Dad's a maniac so he's the son of the worst man in the galaxy, Yoda dies so he's now the last Jedi. And now, uh oh, his nephew of all people decides to play fascist because uncle happened to raise a lightsaber at him, so he's the world's worst uncle TM and he's no longer the leader of a new generation of Jedi cos they were all killed too.

Luke lives a life of L after Ls and with each event reaffirms this idea that Luke isn't good enough or he did something wrong. And these events impact one's perception of their mindset. The individual mindset is one's implicit belief about how changeable their personal qualities are, split into two categories: the growth mindset and the fixed mindset (Dweck, 1999). The fixed mindset is the idea that one can't change who they are (Dweck, 2012).

See, the interesting thing about personality is that it can take on many shapes while remaining largely the same. Luke was in his money baller growth mindset era during the OT, because a growth mindset perfectionist believes that there's more to be done and one's personal qualities can change. He believed he could be better so he acted accordingly.

n individual’s mindset refers to the implicit belief about the malleability of personal attributes.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Slightly old news, but proof that Covid is still here and still a concern

Also preserved on our archive

Thanks to the person who sent me the link to this story!

By Emma Convey

Nova Scotia Health is introducing new masking requirements for visitors and health-care workers in provincial hospitals.

Beginning Thursday, masking will be required in ambulatory and inpatient care areas.

“Anybody who is in clinical area in the hospital’s inpatient units and clinics where we are providing direct patient care. We will still have masks available at entrances, but we won't be making people put them on just yet in the common areas, cafeterias, elevators, those sorts of places,” said Doctor Shelly McNeil, senior medical director for Nova Scotia Health(opens in a new tab).

McNeil says the idea of implementing these changes now is to get ahead of the spread of respiratory illnesses that come along with colder weather.

“We sort of monitor several different ways to see how many respiratory viruses are in the community. We can look at the number of people presenting or care for respiratory illnesses. We can look at the number of people hospitalized with respiratory infections, people getting tests or treatments for respiratory infections," said McNeil.

"It's usually around this time of year when we see an upswing in that, and we have been seeing that very consistently in Nova Scotia and given that we are looking to reduce the risk inside of hospitals as early as possible."

Dr. John Gillis, an emergency room doctor at Dartmouth General Hospital in Dartmouth, N.S., says he has seen many patients experiencing these illnesses already this year.

“We are starting to see more cases of respiratory illness, Covid is certainly still out there, RSV is out there, influenza and other viruses and colds as we are heading into the bad season and we are seeing a fair bit of it now,” said Gillis.

IWK Health Centre(opens in a new tab) is also reinstating masking rules.

In a statement to CTV Atlantic, IWK said it is seeing an increase in local viral respiratory illnesses, and they are implementing masking requirements to protect their patients, families, support persons, staff and physicians starting Oct. 1. Masks will be required in inpatient units at IWK Health Centre on University Avenue, the emergency department, early labour assessment unit and any ambulatory care interactions.

Although this may be new to Nova Scotia, this is not the first Maritime province to reintroduce these rules.

Horizon Health Network in New Brunswick reintroduced masking(opens in a new tab) for all health-care workers, patients, social visitors, and support workers in all patient facing and clinical areas on Sept. 3.

Some community members feel this change is crucial in Nova Scotia as well. Local resident Shannon Jack explained her views on the importance of masks.

“I think people everywhere, not just in hospitals, should wear a mask now that it's fall. The coronavirus is still around, and masks should be made mandatory again," said Jack

Others feel it's important to have a choice as well.

“It's a lot easier to comply as best as you can than be the rebellious person. But then again, free will always accommodates for people's differences of choice," Neria Atwine.

As the cold and flu season begins, doctors say if you feel sick, stay home. If you must go out when you aren’t feeling well, wear a mask to avoid passing it on to others. They also recommend people get their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations when they become available.

[beardedmrbean]

A Macy's employee in Stockton was shot while trying to stop a shoplifting incident, the retailer said on Wednesday.

The employee was a member of the store's asset protection department, according to Orlando Veras, a spokesperson for Macy's.

Stockton Police Department officials said the incident occurred at about 12:37 p.m. at the store in Sherwood Place, which is located in the 5200 block of Pacific Avenue. Officers who responded to a report of the shooting found the employee, who was identified as a 32-year-old man, in the shopping center's parking lot with a gunshot wound to his leg.

Police said first responders took the employee to a local hospital for treatment of what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries. The employee was discharged from the hospital the same day.

There have been no arrests in connection with the daytime shooting. Police said they are searching for two white men who fled the scene before officers arrived.

"The safety of our customers and colleagues is Macy’s top priority," Veras said, adding that the retailer is fully cooperating with the police department's investigation.

The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents in Stockton.

As of March, the city has reported 770 violent incidents this year, including seven homicides, 17 forcible rapes, 189 robberies, and 557 aggravated assaults. The number of violent incidents in the city rose by 9.1% from February to March, according to police data.