#professional networks in canada

[immigrantnetworks]

The Journey of Indian Immigration in Canada: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective

Indian immigration in Canada has a rich and diverse history, spanning over a century. This journey reflects not only the economic and political dynamics of both countries but also the enduring spirit of the Indian diaspora seeking new opportunities on foreign shores. This article delves into the historical and contemporary aspects of Indian immigration in Canada, shedding light on the challenges, contributions, and evolution of this vibrant community.

Historical Waves of Immigration

The roots of Indian immigration in Canada can be traced back to the late 19th century when a small number of Punjabi Sikh men arrived seeking economic prospects, often finding work in industries like lumber and agriculture. This marked the beginning of a relationship that would eventually lead to a significant Indian presence in the country. The early 20th century saw an influx of Indian immigrants, many of whom faced harsh working conditions and discriminatory laws.

Challenges and Discrimination

The history of Indian immigration in Canada is also marked by challenges and discrimination. The infamous "Continuous Journey Regulation" of 1908, enacted to restrict Indian immigration, required individuals to arrive in Canada by a continuous journey from their country of origin, a condition not applicable to European immigrants. This discriminatory policy led to the infamous Komagata Maru incident in 1914, where a ship carrying Indian passengers was denied entry, highlighting the racial bias of the time.

Contributions and Cultural Enrichment

Despite the hardships, the Indian immigrant community in Canada persevered and made significant contributions to various sectors. One notable area is agriculture, where Punjabi immigrants played a crucial role in transforming the agricultural landscape of British Columbia. Over time, Indian Canadians also excelled in academia, business, politics, and the arts, enriching the multicultural fabric of the nation.

Contemporary Landscape

In recent decades, Indian immigration in Canada has taken on a new complexion. While the historical ties between the two countries remain strong, the focus has shifted towards skilled migration. Canada's welcoming immigration policies and the growing demand for skilled professionals have attracted a diverse range of Indian talent, including IT professionals, healthcare workers, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

Economic Impact

The Indian diaspora has played a pivotal role in Canada's economy. Many Indian immigrants are highly educated and bring with them a wealth of skills and knowledge. This has contributed to Canada's competitiveness on the global stage. Additionally, the entrepreneurial spirit within the Indian community has led to the establishment of numerous businesses, creating jobs and driving innovation.

Cultural Integration

Cultural integration is another noteworthy aspect of Indian immigration in Canada. Over the years, Indian festivals, cuisine, and traditions have become an integral part of Canada's multicultural mosaic. Diwali, Holi, and Eid are celebrated with enthusiasm across the country. Indian restaurants and grocery stores are commonplace, offering a taste of home to the community and introducing Canadian residents to the rich diversity of Indian culture.

Challenges Today

Despite the progress, challenges persist. Some members of the Indian diaspora still face instances of racism and discrimination. Issues related to the recognition of foreign credentials and the struggle to maintain cultural identity within a rapidly changing environment also persist. Community organisations and advocacy groups continue to work towards addressing these challenges and fostering greater inclusivity.

The Bottom Line

The journey of Indian immigration in Canada is a testament to the resilience, perseverance, and contributions of a vibrant community. From the early struggles against discriminatory policies to the contemporary successes in various fields, Indian Canadians have left an indelible mark on the nation. As Canada continues to embrace diversity and multiculturalism, the Indian diaspora remains an integral part of the country's social, economic, and cultural fabric. The historical roots and modern aspirations of this community continue to shape the narrative of Indian immigration in Canada, creating a story of strength and triumph in the face of adversity.

[ethanpageallego]

@OfficialEGO: Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦

I’ll be delaying my celebration until Sunday, July 7th … the day I become @WWENXT Champion on Canadian soil.

[theastrohub]

what city you should live in based on your moon sign ⏾

astrology can help you make an informed decision for something as significant as where one will live. and especially if you are a more hedonistic person like myself, choosing a place to live with a focus on personal satisfaction is a guaranteed upgrade in quality of life. it also helps you narrow down what your true emotional needs are and live a life more in alignment with your truest self.

choosing what city to live in based on your moon sign helps an individual with emotional fulfillment, being able to create a sense of belonging, stress reduction, enhanced creativity and productivity, better romantic and platonic relationships, and so much more.

here are my thoughts on your ideal city based on your moon sign:

一

⏾ virgo moon 一

kobe, japan + washington, D.C. (USA) + zurich, switzerland

you likely prefer a clean, walkable city that is health-conscious. ideal cities have paved roads, a lack of industrial machines or well-regulated factories, and a structured, straightforward urban planning model. a city safe enough to raise babies and young children is your benchmark. you value a city that emphasizes logical aspects of life. air pollution and trash management are crucial, so you'd thrive in cities with high air quality indexes, like those mentioned above.

一

⏾ libra moon 一

florence, italy + brooklyn, new york + capetown, south africa + amsterdam, netherlands + paris, france

as one of my favorite moon signs, you truly appreciate beauty, harmony, and aesthetics in where and how you live. you love cultured cities with plenty of artistic experiences. perhaps you're an artist yourself, seeking communities where you can express that creativity. a city that offers a balance of cityscape, mountainscape, and access to bodies of water appeals to your sense of harmony. you’re drawn to colorful, multicultural environments where you can accumulate luxury goods.

一

⏾ scorpio moon 一

new orleans, louisiana + mumbai, india + providence, rhode island

this one is tricky because scorpio Moons are known for being extremely intense and private, which doesn't always translate to a livable city (think Bermuda Triangle). however, you likely value transformative experiences and a form of social power. you want to be in a city that matches your intensity—a place that might be politically involved, spiritually inclined, or even part of some controversy. communities where you can explore taboo subjects or rise within social hierarchies are ideal for you.

一

⏾ sagittarius moon 一

toronto, canada + prage, czech republic + krabi, thailand + dubai, UAE

as one of the more hedonistic moon signs, you crave freedom—to be, to do, to have, etc. you prefer cities with a lot of versatility for living, offering options like big homes, sprawling lofts, small cozy one-bedrooms, and everything in between. cultured and religious cities appeal to your belief system, which is crucial to you. You need a place where you can live your philosophies freely and have fun. a city with many opportunities for adventure and easy access to other exciting places is essential. think road trips, bungee jumping, scuba diving.

一

⏾ capricorn moon 一

london, england + manhattan, new york + melbourne, australia

one word: old-fashioned. capricorns are often seen as traditional, and there's a reason for that. as a capricorn moon, you value cities that operate like institutions—places that have stood the test of time without much change to their foundation. ambition and hard work are of utmost importance, so cities with a professional or hustle culture appeal to you. you are drawn to cities in countries with a strong identity or culture that gratify your sense of tradition. cities where you can network, accumulate wealth, and indulge in luxuries are your ideal.

一

⏾ aquarius moon 一

san francisco, california + rome, italy + new orleans, louisiana + portland, oregon

with pluto in aquarius, I anticipate more moves for aquarius moons, which is great because this is the most community-centered sign in my opinion. aquarius moons value living in cities where they can positively contribute, socialize, and build relationships based on shared interests. you are drawn to innovative, creative cities that are always ahead of trends. you also appreciate cities that are civically mindful and contribute to humanitarian efforts on both local and grand scales.

一

⏾ pisces moon 一

bali, indonesia + bora bora, french polynesia + rome, italy + paris, france

pisces moons are one of the moon signs that truly need to feel "drawn" to a place before visiting or residing there. emotional fulfillment, romance, and creativity are non-negotiable for pisces moons. because of this, beautiful, artistic cities with many opportunities to be near bodies of water are ideal. beach cities and honeymoon destinations are perfect for pisces Moons' empathic and sensitive nature. A city with a calm undercurrent is essential to satisfy your need for rest and peace.

一

⏾ aries moon 一

rome, italy + los angeles, california + tokyo, japan + cairo, egypt + mumbai, india

similar to capricorn moon, its cardinal sibling, aries moons need the opportunity to keep on the go wherever they live. For this reason, you're best suited to "cities that never sleep"—places where you can stay active, compete in major global industries, and reach newer heights. you're drawn to cities with fiery traditions and those that excel in national rankings. you also appreciate cities that are vocal about their value systems and embrace trends.

一

⏾ taurus moon 一

honolulu, hawaii + havana, cuba + las vegas, nevada + ibiza, spain + tokyo, japan

much like libra moons, venus-ruled moons love venus-ruled cities. taurus moons enjoy cities that are comfortable in every sense—materially, socially, politically, and aesthetically. you appreciate cities that are openly hedonistic—notorious vacation spots are actually great places for you to establish yourself. cities with strong tourism markets are good for your desire for material success as they are epicenters of culture and attract people from all walks of life.

一

⏾ gemini moon 一

chicago, illinois + boston, massachusetts + cairo, egypt + lisbon, portugal

as a gemini moon, cities that are versatile, education-centered, and logical are appealing to you. you thrive in places where "everyone knows everyone" and socializing is a priority. cities known for their educational institutions and vibrant social life satisfy your need for variety and communication. cities with a strong tourist presence are also appealing, as you enjoy the ability to feel like a tourist in your own city at any time.

一

⏾ cancer moon 一

sydney, australia + niagara falls , new york + instanbul, turkey + berne, switzerland + mogadishu, somalia

cancer moons love domestic cities that are more feminine in nature. Like their sister sign capricorn, they strongly value traditions, both cultural and social, but in a softer manner. they prefer cities with a strong influence by women and things traditionally associated with women, like fashion, beauty, and the arts. cities with beaches and a strong luminary presence are essential, as they are the water-bearers of the zodiac. cities with a balance between domesticity and capitalism appeal to their need for material security and a good home. a city with a strong real estate market and that is ideal for newlyweds and families is also preferred.

一

⏾ leo moon 一

los angeles, california + miami, florida + mexico city, mexico + marrakesh, morocco + ibiza, spain

much like aquarius moons, the need to be around people is prominent with leo moons. leo moons value being in cities that honor appearance and aesthetics. being seen, being talked about, romance, and play are priority for a leo moon when moving. a city where they can explore artistic pursuits and new cultures. cities that promote health and wellness and image. cities with social hierarchies and strong social networks. cities that are "popular" with the whole world. also cities that are known for night-life and social life. cities where you can regularly rub elbows with important people and indulge in the grandiosities of life.

⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎

the moon in astrology is a gateway to a deeper understanding of one's desires, needs, and motivations which can help in making better-informed decisions on where to move or establish a life. I highly suggest you take this into consideration on your next trip or relocation.

thank you for reading 💋

@astrobaeza

for more: [ paidservices ₊ masterlist ₊ tips ]

[slyandthefamilybook]

since we now know that all those "my blog is safe for Jewish people" posts are bullshit, here are some Jewish organizations you can donate to if you actually want to prove you support Jews. put up or shut up

FIGHTING HUNGER

Masbia - Kosher soup kitchens in New York

MAZON - Practices and promotes a multifaceted approach to hunger relief, recognizing the importance of responding to hungry peoples' immediate need for nutrition and sustenance while also working to advance long-term solutions

Tomchei Shabbos - Provides food and other supplies so that poor Jews can celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays

FINANCIAL AID

Ahavas Yisrael - Providing aid for low-income Jews in Baltimore

Hebrew Free Loan Society - Provides interest-free loans to low-income Jews in New York and more

GLOBAL AID

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee - Offers aid to Jewish populations in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the Middle East through a network of social and community assistance programs. In addition, the JDC contributes millions of dollars in disaster relief and development assistance to non-Jewish communities

American Jewish World Service - Fighting poverty and advancing human rights around the world

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - Providing aid to immigrants and refugees around the world

Jewish World Watch - Dedicated to fighting genocides around the world

MEDICAL AID

Sharsheret - Support for cancer patients, especially breast cancer

SOCIAL SERVICES

The Aleph Institute - Provides support and supplies for Jews in prison and their families, and helps Jewish convicts reintegrate into society

Bet Tzedek - Free legal services in LA

Bikur Cholim - Providing support including kosher food for Jews who have been hospitalized in the US, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Israel

Blue Card Fund - Critical aid for holocaust survivors

Chai Lifeline - An org that's very close to my heart. They help families with members with disabilities in Baltimore

Chana - Support network for Jews in Baltimore facing domestic violence, sexual abuse, and elder abuse

Community Alliance for Jewish-Affiliated Cemetaries - Care of abandoned and at-risk Jewish cemetaries

Crown Heights Central Jewish Community Council - Provides services to community residents including assistance to the elderly, housing, employment and job training, youth services, and a food bank

Hands On Tzedakah - Supports essential safety-net programs addressing hunger, poverty, health care and disaster relief, as well as scholarship support to students in need

Hebrew Free Burial Association

Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services - Programs include early childhood and learning, children and adolescent services, mental health outpatient clinics for teenagers, people living with developmental disabilities, adults living with mental illness, domestic violence and preventive services, housing, Jewish community services, counseling, volunteering, and professional and leadership development

Jewish Caring Network - Providing aid for families facing serious illnesses

Jewish Family Service - Food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, refugee resettlement, chaplaincy, and disability services

Jewish Relief Agency - Serving low-income families in Philadelphia

Jewish Social Services Agency - Supporting people’s mental health, helping people with disabilities find meaningful jobs, caring for older adults so they can safely age at home, and offering dignity and comfort to hospice patients

Jewish Women's Foundation Metropolitan Chicago - Aiding Jewish women in Chicago

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty - Crisis intervention and family violence services, housing development funds, food programs, career services, and home services

Misaskim - Jewish death and burial services

Our Place - Mentoring troubled Jewish adolescents and to bring awareness of substance abuse to teens and children

Tiferes Golda - Special education for Jewish girls in Baltimore

Yachad - Support for Jews with disabilities

[grantmentis]

PWHL 2024-2025 Primer

It's that time of year again folks. PWHL starts on November 30th.

The sections of this primer are: What is the PWHL, Where can I watch, Rules/League Structure, Official league pages, journalists to follow, and an introduction to each team (what they did last year, who's on the team, notable players, you should root for them if you..)

What is the PWHL?

The Professional Women's Hockey League was created in 2023 and launched in January 2024. It is currently the sole professional women's hockey league in North America.

Heading into the 2024-2025 season, the PWHL has six teams: The Toronto Sceptres, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost, New York Sires, Montréal Victoire, and Ottawa Charge. Each team plays 30 regular season games per team. You can find the full season schedule here.

Where can I watch?

Disclaimer; We don't have an official 100% confirmation on the American and non-North American ones yet, just reports from journalists who I do deem trustworthy. I will edit any changes and highlight them in bold if necessary.

On Television/Streaming

Canadian fans will have games on TSN and its affiliates (such as TSN+) primarily, with select games on CBC and Prime video.

French broadcasts of Montreal games can be found on RDS (18), Radio-Canada (6) on ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV

Full streaming/television schedule for Canada

All fans not in Canada are available to stream on the PWHL Youtube regardless of location (so if you're "in market" there's no black outs like there is NHL games)

Last year regional games were held on: Bally Sports North in Minnesota, NESN/NESN+ in Boston, MSG/MSG+ in New York, Sportnet Pittsburgh has carried select games. Not 100% confirmed this will be the case last year. Even if your regional sports network carries it, however, you should be able to access it on Youtube in America

In Person

Toronto and New York (sort of) have new locations this year

Toronto Scepters play at Coca-Cola Coliseum

Ottawa Charge play at TD Place

Montréal Victoire play at Place Bell

Boston Fleet play at Tsongas Center (Lowell, MA)

Minnesota Frost play at Xcel Energy Center

New York Sirens will play at Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)

There are also many neutral site games this year including Detroit, Quebec City, Raleigh, Vancouver, Denver, Buffalo, St. Louis, and Seattle that you can read about here

What are the rules? The League Structures?

Who makes the playoffs and what do they look like?

Please keep in mind that with such a young league, it's possible this will be tinkered with.

Each game is worth three points: 3 for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime win, and 1 for an overtime loss

Last year, the PWHL had 4 of the 6 teams make the playoffs. The number one seed got to choose their opponent between the third and fourth seed.

All series were best of five series, the two semi finals and then the finals.

Rules

If you are an NHL fan looking to jump in, here are the differences in the PWHL. The rulebook is also here.

Bodychecking is allowed in the PWHL, so long as it is done in an attempt to play the puck or gain possession. While women's hockey has always been physical, bodychecking at this level is fairly new, the SDHL in Sweden started to allow it just in 2021 and then the PWHL last year, so refs and players are adjusting in how they're going to draw the line between legal and illegal. This is also not the case in international competition, so it is a little different than the olympics or worlds if you are used to watching those.

The PWHL has a "jailbreak rule" which means that if you are shorthanded and score, the penalty ends.

In shootouts, a player can go as many times as they'd like.

New this year is the "No Escape" rule where players of a penalized team are required to stay on the ice to start the penalty kill.

Coaches can challenge delay of game puck over glass penalties.

Hits to the head, headbutting, and grabbing an opponents helmet strap, throat protector, or hair is an automatic major penalty and game misconduct.

What are the official social media pages? Who are good people to follow?

Official league pages:

PWHL: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

There's also a unofficial bluesky bot that re-posts all of the PWHL X content

Sceptres: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Fleet: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Victoire: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Frost: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Sirens: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

Charge: Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok / Youtube / Website

News and Journalists:

This is not a comprehensive list, just a starter pack! feel free to add any recommendations in the comments.

Kyle Cushman: Works for the score, covers the whole league (as well as some nhl), keeps public statistical information. The Score author page / Twitter / Bluesky

The Ice Garden: Long time women's hockey publication. I'd also recommend going through their contributor/author page and following them individually! Website / Twitter / Bluesky

Hailey Salvian: Long time reporter for the Athletic for women's hockey Twitter

Kenzie Lalonde: TSN reporter based in Montreal covering PWHL among others, also does play by play Twitter

Rick Menning: Local reporter for the Sirens Twitter

Kelsea Durham: Local reporter for the Boston Fleet for Inside the Rink Linktree

Christine Roger: French-Canadian reporter, who posts in French, mainly about Montreal Twitter

PWHL Report: Content aggregator for if you don't want to follow a bunch individually and really the only one i've seen post stuff to Instagram Twitter / Instagram

Who are the Boston Fleet?

The Boston Fleet were last years runner up in the league.

Their roster can be viewed here, with updates to be expected in the next few days as training camp cuts and contract being signed, the waiver period starting for teams to sign players that got cut from other teams training camps, and final rosters are made.

Notable players: Hilary Knight (captain), Aerin Frankel (Star goalie), Alina Müller (Swiss hockey star), Hannah Bilka (first round pick this last draft.)

You should root for this team if: You like defense-first hockey, strong New England college hockey connections, rooting for the youngest ice hockey player to win an olympic medal (Alina Müller), a player who got a custom outfit for pride night (Jamie Lee Rattray), Jewish hockey icons (Aerin Fankel), and players who are also podcasters and make a lot of tiktoks (Lexi Adzija and Taylor Girard)

Who are the Montréal Victoire?

The Montréal Victoire finished second in the standings last year, where

Live roster viewable here with expected updates the next few days

Notable players: Marie Philip-Poulin, Laura Stacey, Erin Ambrose, Ann-Renée Desbiens (all four are long time Team Canada legends), Lina Ljungblom (young Swedish superstar), Mikyla Grant Mentis and Kennedy Marchmand (both former PHF MVPs)

You should root for this team if: You love two way defensive minded centers, rooting for the league favorite, star players who are married to each other (Poulin and Stacey), short defenders (5'1 Amanda Boulier and 5'2 Cayla Barnes), post game victory dances, I dont even know how to describe this but heres grant mentis and Lásková watching golf i have to put it here

Who are the Toronto Sceptres?

The Sceptres were the first place team in the PWHL last year.

Roster here, once again will change this week

Notable players: Natalie Spooner (league MVP and long time team Canada player), Sarah Nurse (Olympic record holder for points and top scorer), Julia Gosling (first round pick), CJ Jackson (backup goaltender, social media darling, and LGBT activist), Renata Fast (top defender for both PWHL and Team Canada)

You should root for this team if you: love all the Team Canada players who grew up outside Quebec and also the coaches (all but three players are Canadian and many have played internationally for Canada, the coaching/management also largely from team canada and shares stylistic similarities), are interested in Nursey Nights (Sarah Nurse's collaboration with Black Girl Hockey Club during Toronto Sceptres games!), want to root for the other league favorites, love noted pancake enthusiasts (Kali Flanagan), or if you're more on the savory side, love a hot dog enthusiast (CJ)

Who are the Ottawa Charge?

The Ottawa Charge finished fifth in the league last season

Roster here with updates to come

Notable players: Brianne Jenner (team Canada and captain of Ottawa), Emily Clark (top scorer), Kateřina Mrázová (top scorer and Czech national team icon), Danielle Serdachny (second overall pick), Ronja Savolainen (Finnish national team mainstay and SDHL icon)

You should root for this team if you: Have an interest in Czech players (Mrázová, Vanišová, Tejralová), you like podcasting players (but gay this time), enjoy a team that regularly updates their youtube channel and does a fan fest and has some of the best player created content, like a team that is not afraid to make bold roster moves

Who are the Minnesota Frost?

The Minnesota Frost are your inaugural PWHL champions!

Here is a live, updating roster

Notable players: Kendall Coyne (Captain, Team USA), Taylor Heise (last years #1 overall pick and one of the leagues scorer), Grace Zumwinkle (also a top scorer), Nicole Hensley (star goalie and also Team USA starting goaltender typically), Michela Cava (extensive experience as top player in PHF, SDHL, and Russia.)

You should root for this team if you: Have a lot of midwest pride and like teams in the WCHA, value speed when watching hockey, like players with unconventional paths to stardom (Hensley, who played at Lindenwood in college and made team USA only after college finished), want to root for the ultimate playoff sicko (Michela Cava, who has 4 championships across four leagues, two finals MVPs, and is over a point per game combining all playoffs), like franchise cornerstones who are besties and call each other 'the dog to their cat" and vice versa (Heise and Zumwinkle)

Who are the New York Sirens?

The New York Sirens finished last in the PWHL last year

Roster with updates to come

Notable players: Abby Roque, Alex Carpenter (both team usa and PWHL top scorers), Corinne Schroeder (had the best goaltending season in PHF history in 2023 and followed it up by having one of the best PWHL seasons despite a tough workload), Sarah Fillier (first overall pick this year, team Canada star), Maja Nylén Persson (round two pick, SDHL best defender of the year last year, team Sweden's #1 defender), Noora Tulus (finnish national team star and one of the best SDHL players of all time.)

You should root for this team if you: want to see a team really build itself up from the ground floor, as theres a lot of roster turnover this year and a new coaching staff, with a lot of exciting draftees. like a team that has a little more physicality/grit. want to maximize the number of crossovers with other professional sports teams possible, like the nickname pizza rats. Want to enjoy some of the best mic'd up content (Roque)

[joysmercer]

okay I’m so curious about the short fic you posted yesterday

can I ask how in this universe nina dies? And does eddie too?

(it’s mask of anubis on main btw)

ooh fun questions!! i was hoping someone would ask cuz i couldn't figure out how to work it in. also i added way too much info that you didnt ask for so now it's under the cut :D

first of all, this au is a much darker take on how i think nina's life "actually" played out – I think she'll always have random spirits coming up to her etc, but in this au, it's pretty constant and can get very dangerous very quickly. on the flip side, she sees a lot more fame for her "irl" work than she does "in canon" (see below).

somewhat ironically (given how guarded nina becomes from the constant barrage of gods forcing her to do things), she makes her living off of writing movies about her experiences. i think she does this in canon too, but here she really throws herself into it, almost like a form of therapy since there isn't really any professional she can process things with, you know? she eats, sleeps, breathes her craft – whenever she has downtime, she's writing, editing, networking to get her words out there. she's so fast and so talented with it that she graduates university in three years with honors, by which time the chosen one (season 1) has already been picked up by a major company and has started filming; she wins her first oscar two years later, and the next two each year after that.

(actually, all four scripts got picked up at the same time, which is why the turnaround was so quick – but they didn't announce the sequels until after the oscars because at that point she was a relatively unknown person)

(also i know this isn't how these things work irl but just work with me here. maybe she called in a favor from a random god and had things sped along idk)

anyway, the point im trying to make is that she spends her whole life balancing what she wants to do (her work) with what she has to do (paragon shit) and has a weird sense of self-worth as a result (she knows she's good at what she does, but wants to hide it from the world at the same time (out of fear). she hates that she needs others to keep her safe and refuses to believe they're doing it out of kindness, even though she also knows that they genuinely love her. it's weird) (also she and fabian make up sometime during their uni years so all is good there)

anyway, they (amber + KT) set up a rota of all ex-sibuna members (+ willow as she learns about it pretty quickly post-grad) to spend time in the states for a couple months out of the year each. this essentially made sure there was always 1 other person on the mission with her and 2 people nearby who knew where they were going, should things go wrong and they need rescuing or something. but for small/random tasks, nina would just do those alone.

her last mission (that fabian alludes to) had taken months to complete: three formerly-benign ghosts had been "turned" by a magician up in canada, released from the underworld, and, driven mad by the magic (and confusion of being back in the real world), had started a series of freak thunderstorms across the american midwest. together with jerome, she had to figure out how they got released, stop the magician, construct the device necessary to trap the spirits and send them back, and use said device to stop the storms. the effort had completely exhausted her (so much so that she – making headlines – decided to take a step back on touchstone production, instead of hanging out on set like she did for the other three)

(that's why tor is the way it is. with her dropping off of the face of the earth, someone decided – while she couldn't argue against it – to absolutely slash the budget, which lead to a mess of a story (screenplay is the only oscar it wins)

nina's death (as alluded to in the article) really seemed out-of-the-blue. basically, she was on a mission – alone – that suddenly and very unexpectedly turned dangerous. but when she was found (by KT and amber together) it looked like she just collapsed at home – there was no indication of any foul play or anything, really, of how she died.

also alluded to in the article, but a lot (but not all) of KT's "investigative journaling" was her covering up the consequences of nina's missions with theories that would make sense to the general public. nina's last request of her was to halt any investigation into her death prematurely as she knew things would unravel pretty quickly otherwise

joy's role in nina's life was mainly to book her for enough public-facing events/etc so that people wouldn't question where she was when she "disappeared" for a month or two, as well as act as her social media manager/"source close to her" to tabloids during extended absences so people continue to think she's okay. this was especially important given nina's monumental rise to fame (and as a screenplay writer, at that! usually it's the actors/directors who get most of it!) and her relatively young age, which meant she got herself a fandom very quickly…and we all know what the rumor-spreading capabilities of stan twitter are like. there were quite a few times nina came back from a mission to find several "new" pics on her instagram or that shes going viral for something she doesn't "remember" saying lskdjf

amber's role was to media-train the hell out of nina so she never gives any indication that a) there's an element of truth in her work; b) she lives a double life; and c) weird things keep happening in the cities she happens to frequent (eg random buildings falling, artifacts disappearing, etc). we all know this girl can't lie to save her life…amber is nothing but a miracle-worker in that regard lol

as for eddie – his death is basically the reason things are so awful, now. he actually dies at the end of tor, and not only does osiris himself blame nina for it (using "logic" that can rival senkhara's in s2), but it also leaves nina terrified since she no longer has a protector – something all the other gods/spirits quickly take advantage of (threats/blackmail/etc) for the first few years, by which time word of her willingness to do anything spreads and she can't get rid of the constant requests. it doesn't help that his death also proved to them that nina (like her counterpart) can, and will, sacrifice herself to save the world, if it came down to it, making her the perfect pawn in a lot of schemes.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Isn't the "Meghan is such a foodie" thing from her Cory days? I remember reading (in Revenge by TBower) that it really annoyed Cory when she started doing that. People who knew her said she took all the talking points from his personality as a professional, avant garde celeb chef and made it her own. Even his signature recipes.

Then back in her Trever days, she went in and on about the craft of movie making and being an insider. Allegedly Trever is a really out going personality, loves to network and is quite slick/glib. People have also said he is super confident, laid back, know-it-all type who is good at his work. So she took that from his personality, learnt the ropes of networking and enterpreneurship from him and launch Tig.

From Jessica, she learnt the ropes of high-end, trust fund baby lifestyle. Used all get contacts and social accumen of knowing the right people, getting in the right circles and curating an 'instagram aspirational' lifestyle (at least superficially) and became a wannabe lifestyle guru.

I won't say she somehow glommed onto Catherine and took pieces of her personality to make her own. I think all of her past cosplays and successful grifting made her believe that she was a better copy of the people she was copying. She measured her success by the print and media coverage she got and from what she made people believe she was. So, she thought being a better Catherine than Catherine herself was easy. And she got mad when she couldn't hack it.

And she couldn't have it because she couldn't control the media coverage. Her PR was limited in face of how much people saw her live, in action at various events. Especially the events she didn't think we're important.

Behind closed doors she could convince Harry that she was a better royal than born royals because he is just dumb that way. If you criticised the people he doesn't like he will love you and that's what she did. But also, the biggest factor in her failure is garty himself.

Had he not been the way he is - with his own issues and grievances and entitlement and resentments and nasty reptilian nature- then she would have successfully become the best royal to ever royal. She would have stayed in the BRF, did her Hollywood thing, been half in/out, made money merching and the brf would have just covered it up for her.

I do think she hadn't counted on Harry having his own 'Hollywood Harry' dreams.

I don't think Harry had Hollywood dreams. His dream appears to have been "British aristo in the US," where literally everything he had in the UK, he had in the US. He had no interest in Hollywood other than using them as replacements for the British aristo circuit he left behind in London. And if you look at everything he's done here in the US, that's pretty much what he's done. Minus the military uniform, Diana-like worship, and Cambridge-like popularity.

Whereas Meghan's dream was legitimately the Hollywood dream - writing, producing, acting like George Clooney or influencing like Gwyneth Paltrow or grifting like the Kardashians. She didn't want the life she had in the UK back here in the US. She wanted the life she had in Canada but with UK finances and here in the US.

And neither was willing to budge on what they wanted. That's the core root (or rot, I suppose) of why they're always failing. There's no compromise about what they want or what they're going to do.

(Contrast that with William and Kate, who have a shared plan built on compromise.)

[fursasaida]

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to kindly request your assistance in sharing a GoFundMe link with your network of contacts.

I am Israa, a civil engineer from Gaza, currently residing with my parents and brother, Ahmed. My sister, Mary, has two young children, Ahmed (one year old) and Carmel (three years old), while my brother, Alaa, has three children: Tala, Younis, and Sara.

Unfortunately, the situation in Gaza is dire, and we live in constant fear for our lives and safety. My father, who is 69 years old and suffers from heart disease, requires medication and a healthy diet, which are scarce resources in our region.

In an effort to alleviate our circumstances and reunite with my brother, Mohammed, who has been living abroad for the past six years, we have created a fundraising link to facilitate our evacuation from Gaza.

I kindly request your support in sharing this link within your professional network. Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a significant difference in our quest for a safer and more stable future.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best regards,

Israa

https://gofund.me/345e1bc0

Of course! I am so sorry for all your family is going through, and I hope for your father's good health and all of your safety.

Israa and her family are fundraising to eventually join Muhammad in Canada; for now, while Rafah is closed, donations support their survival until leaving is possible. They have received only 26 donations in three months. Here is their campaign.

[forbadorb]

So um...

Things are fucked

My state will be safe longer than most, but I don't trust them to stand up for trans people long term. My passport is being processed right now, I even paid for the expedited processing. Unfortunately, if I can't stay until May, it's unlikely that I'll be able to graduate from community college like I planned, let alone transfer to a four year college to study astronomy professionally. It's possible I could take some winter classes but those are condensed from 16 weeks to 3 and I can barely keep up with the normal pace.

I'm also very nearly broke. Credit cards could carry me for a while but the interest and destruction of my credit score would hurt pretty bad. I don't really know what to do anymore. Applying to foreign universities isn't much of an option because of the sheer cost and I have no marketable skills yet. If I do have to leave, I'm leaving a lot of professional networking I've finally learned how to do, not to mention the first actual friends I've ever had and my boyfriend. I honestly don't know how to cope with this.

The only idea I have right now is possibly selling prints or something? It wouldn't be much but it could be a little extra income. I was hoping to get into that when I had better equipment but if y'all are interested, let me know. Everything helps. All of my money is going to savings at this point. I have a kofi too:

ko-fi.com/forbadorb

With my passport I can at least go to Canada or Europe on a tourist visa for a few months at a time but wouldn't have the option of working. Hopefully I could study elsewhere long term, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Thanks for reading this ramble, I'm just trying to keep from shutting down at this point.

[leaves-lilies-and-esther]

Teaching primary school children about sexual abuse may help them to tell an adult if they have been abused themselves, according to the results of comprehensive new research. Using data from 24 separate trials involving almost 6,000 children around the world, researchers found that pupils who are taught at school about preventing sexual abuse through games, books and songs are more likely than others to report their own experiences of abuse.

The findings, which were published on Thursday, show that among children who did not receive any teaching about sexual abuse, four in 1,000 disclosed some form of sex abuse. Among those who were taught about it at school, the figure went up to 14 per 1,000.

Children who receive teaching on the subject also seem better equipped to deal with potentially dangerous situations, with those who participated in the education programmes more likely than other children to try to protect themselves in a simulated abuse scenario in which they were asked to leave school with a stranger.

Whether such school-based programmes actually reduce the incidence of abuse is still unclear, however, and the review’s authors have called for more research to build on their findings.

The report concludes: “Even if successful in only a small proportion of situations, given the prevalence of child sexual abuse, it is possible that the skills and knowledge learned in prevention programmes may be of assistance to a considerable number of children.”

The quality and availability of sex education in England’s schools has been under scrutiny in recent months, with a report by MPs on Westminster’s education committee calling for it to be mandatory to help safeguard young people from abuse. As this study shows, however, in certain countries primary-age children are already taught how to recognise, react to and report abuse situations through school-based programmes designed to prevent sexual abuse.

The findings are the result of a Cochrane review of data from trials of prevention programmes in the US, Canada, China, Germany, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey. Cochrane is a highly regarded, not-for-profit global network of researchers and professionals that carries out systematic reviews of the best available health research.

Schools used a variety of methods to educate children about sexual abuse, including films, plays, songs, puppets, books and games. The children, who were almost all of primary-school age, were taught about safety rules, body ownership and who to tell. The report’s authors said there was little evidence that children who took part were worried or in any way adversely affected.

In one American school, children took part in a one-hour Stop programme (stop, tell someone, own your body, protect yourself) taught through role-play; in Germany, children watched a live performance called (No) Child’s Play, and in Turkey there were four hour-long sessions based on a programme called Good Touch, Bad Touch.

Globally it is estimated that at least one in 10 girls and one in 20 boys experience some form of sexual abuse in childhood. Those who have been abused are more susceptible to depression, eating disorders, suicidal behaviour and drug and alcohol problems in later life.

“This review supports the need to inform and protect children against sexual abuse,” said the Cochrane report’s lead author, Kerryann Walsh, of Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. “But ongoing research is needed to evaluate school-based prevention programmes, and to investigate the links between participation and the actual prevention of child sexual abuse. To really know whether these programmes are working, we need to see larger studies with follow-up all the way to adulthood.”

The study also indicated that the programmes were effective in increasing kids’ lasting knowledge of sexual abuse, with children remembering much of what they had been taught six months later. But the authors also said it was difficult to prove the children had learned the skills that would necessarily translate to a real-life future scenario involving abuse.

Walsh said: “Even if a child demonstrates that they know how to behave in a certain scenario, it doesn’t mean they will behave the same in a real situation where there is potential for abuse. Tests cannot mimic real abuse situations very well. For example, we know that most sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known to the child, whereas in the test situations, unfamiliar actors or research assistants were used.”

[devleader]

I'm not going to debate the "engineer" part of the "software engineer" title but... Some people aren't aware there are restrictions around this title depending on where in the world you work! When I was in Canada, "engineer" was classified as a licensed profession that required: - An education from an accredited university - An ethics exam - Accumulated working hours signed off by an engineer - Yearly dues to the governing body of engineers Literally -- you could not call yourself a "software engineer" and there are many cases of the governing engineering body going to companies to tell them to adjust their job titles. We were allowed to say we were "doing work in the field of software engineering", but we could not claim we were engineers unless we met the conditions I listed above. Tough love, eh? So by Canadian standards, I'm still not a "professional" to this day. - I never accumulated the hours under another engineer - I never wrote my ethics exam I only had the schooling as part of my experience. All of this just to let people know that there are different perspectives to take -- even when we're all talking about the same things and using the same words. Are you a professional software engineer in Canada? Has anything changed since I've been there? (How about that iron ring?!) ---- 📨 Sign up for my email newsletter! 🗣️ Share with your network! #Engineering #Programming #SoftwareDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering

[miru-has-thoughts]

How To Watch Professional Wrestling (2023)

Hello people of earth, Jupiter, and wrestling Tumblr! I’ve seen many posts here asking about where to watch professional wrestling. After a few weeks of research and speaking with my buddies who work for various television networks, and those who navigate the interwebs, I have compiled a list on where you can watch your favorite wrestlers without breaking the bank in this economy!

I’ll first talk about the legal ways. 

WWE (for those in the states)

-For those in the states, to watch WWE live, you can get traditional cable, satellite or a streaming service with live tv that includes the USA network. (Fox is a free channel so every live tv service has Fox). I would suggest Youtube TV b/c you get a lot of bang for your buck, but it can be expensive if you do not watch a lot of channels. The other alternative is sling tv, which if I remember is much cheaper than YTTV (about $40). 

-Regular Hulu offers Raw and Smackdown, but it’s available next day.

-The other place you can get your WWE content is Peacock, though the problem is there is no live content and the episodes are uploaded after a month. Peacock is only useful for PLEs and to watch the back catalog of WWE ($5.99/month).

-There is an option to livestream the USA Network on their app and website HOWEVER, you do need a TV provider to access so it defeats the purpose. 

*What I will say is this option is useful for those who live in the West, have cable/streaming service and want to watch Raw live.

WWE (International)

-Most countries have the WWE Network but it is very similar to Peacock in that there is no live content

* This is b/c of broadcasting rights with other stations that stops WWE from putting Raw and Smackdown up straight away like the PPVs 

-WWE also has deals with broadcasting channels around the world, but they more or less work similarly to Peacock.

SO, for the U.S folks, the best way to watch WWE legally and for cheap would be to purchase Sling TV and Peacock to get the full experience that will run you ~$45-55/month.

International folks would benefit from getting a VPN and doing the same (Sling + Peacock)

….

AEW (stateside)

-Again the best way to watch AEW is cable/live TV. The best options here would be Youtube TV and Sling. 

-There is a TBS app, but like the USA Network app, you need a subscription to cable/live tv, and honestly the app lags and is very faulty. Would not recommend. 

-For PPVs, you can purchase from traditional cable providers/satellite ($50/PPV)

-The other one is Bleacher Report (Ditto).

-You can also watch at certain Bar/Restaurants and Movie Theaters which could be a cheaper alternative to buying the PPV, though not every place in the U.S offers this, so make sure you check with your local Dave & Busters, Tom’s Watch Bar, and movie theaters.

(AEW International)

-Now we are in murky waters as AEW has given the rights to a few apps for different parts of the world (besides watching it by cable)

-Canada has TSN, Latin America is getting stuck with ViX, others have DAZN, and the rest are still on Fite TV.

-All these options have faults. TSN is expensive with cable and if you want to watch Collision you need the TSN app and that’s expensive as well. 

-ViX, while the cheapest option of all mentioned, is a joke of an app. Those that have used it reported it’s difficult to find AEW on the app. You HAVE to watch it live as there is no VOD, no back catalog, and the commentary is only in Spanish.There is also no PiP, in fact they don’t even air the fight when they throw to commercial, it just goes to a “we’ll be right back screen”.

-DAZN is expensive, misses shows, starts late, and is buggy. It’s also inflated with commercials before, after and in the middle of the show and the video quality is garbage.

-For anyone with Fite, you get the live stream but you have to wait 30 days for the VOD. Though you do have access to the back catalog.

*This is due to AEW’s deals with the streaming platforms above.

-Fite UK really is the old faithful as you can pay for AEW+ to watch live, get  VOD next day, have access to the back catalog and no PiP.

-PPVs can be purchased and watched through traditional satellite/cable provider

-YouTube (Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, France, UK, South Korea)

-PPV.com (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK and Ireland)

-SKY Germany

-SKY Italia

-DAZN (UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Bulgaria)

-You can also buy through Fite (pretty much anyone)

…

Ok, so now you have all this info but you still don’t know what’s best for you? I would say if you want to watch both WWE + AEW, go with the live TV option. If you just want AEW, get yourself a VPN and go with Fite UK. This applies to Americans and International folks!

For PPV, the best option is Fite as when you purchase it, you have it for life and can replay it as much as you want. You also have the luxury of being able to watch on 2 devices simultaneously, so if you can’t fork out the money for a PPV, perhaps buddy up with someone, pay half and watch together on separate devices. 

-PPVs on UK fite are £13.99 each (about $16 American) and fite NZ are $20 American.

*If you cannot afford a VPN, the two free VPNs I recommend are Proton VPN and Urban VPN.

OK so now you have the legal ways of watching wrestling, but now you’re probably saying, “but Jei! This is great and all, but I don’t have money!”. Well my friend, this is where I give you a lifejacket and show you how to navigate the deep waters of the interwebs, and by the time you finish reading this, you will know how to be a damn great pirate!

-What you will DEFINITELY need is a good ad blocker 

-International folks, use a VPN that can connect to a US server.

Websites that have live streams, back catalog, PPVs, and wrestling from many promotions:

- Wrestling Network

- Wrestling Live

- PWrestling

- Watch Wrestling

- All Wrestling

- Watch Wrestling 24

- Watch Wrestling Up

*a lot of these have pesky ads you have to deal with and sometimes streams break in between, but since it’s free… Well, beggars can’t be choosers. Some will ask you to sign up, they are not asking for money, but if you are not comfortable sharing info, choose another site.

-Also while searching some of these sites, I came across a list from a website called Techlazy, and a person named Nagama Ansari compiled a list with more sites and gives an overview on sites I mentioned and others. I’ll link it here.

Well folks, if you made it this far, congratulations on successfully being able to navigate legal and pirated waters. In all seriousness, if you made it this far, I want to thank you for finding this helpful. I recently came back into the wrestling fold and the people in this community have been nothing but positive and friendly both in person and in real life. The best way I can give back to all of you is by using my knowledge working in television and journalism as well as using my network to help make it easier for all of you to enjoy what we love without worrying about paying a fortune to watch what you want.

Also, I am one of thousands of people getting screwed over by television monopolies and streaming services, so this is my petty way to get back at them! 

[boxboxblog]

In Depth: Why Europe?

This post is a response to an ask about why F1 driver all eventually must live in Europe to start their careers, and the locations of feeder series. I hope you enjoy!

To start out, you must understand how motorsports began The first races were only centered around Europe (most starting in France) and stayed that way for many years. Cars were much more prevalent in European countries at the time and they held more wealth at this time in history, which allowed them to create a culture around the sport other countries did not have. Series like F1, WEC, and Rally were all started in Europe leading off from this, and to this day all major motorsports are based in European countries. Europe today is the central hub for networking, training, and racing.

When racing started to spread out into the rest of the world (go-karting was invented in the US), branches of low-level series were developed for other countries. They often were not treated (and still aren't) with as much reverence as European series due to their lack of history, and also due to the fact that the major series, like F1, were purely based in Europe. This created a culture where drivers from non-European countries who show extreme promise were sent to compete in European series in order to gain more attention and have better opportunities. Which created even more of a sense that European series were the next level compared to other countries series. In Europe there was also more of a deep culture around racing. There were more training opportunities, better facilities, more sponsorship opportunities, and a clear path to the big leagues. Other countries drivers came for these things, as they believed their careers would grow there more than at home.

But you also hear about European racers sometimes moving country. Well, that is because there are certain countries where a majority of races are held or where big-name teams/series are based out of. For example, Red Bull is out of England, so any driver in their program usually moves there. Another example is that the UK has one of the most well-respected karting series in the world, so often drivers will move their to compete. It all comes down to where success is most readily available. It also sometimes has to do with finances. Motorsports are expensive on their own, but if a driver has to constantly fly to other places it can add up. This is why you see a lot of F1 drivers live in Monaco, which is pretty central to other countries and so is easy to travel from.

As for feeder series, all the major ones are based out of Europe. There are versions of high-level feeder series in other countries (Canada has their own F4 series, as does Argentina, Chile, etc.) but the main feeder series that people really think about are European based. The most well known F4, F3, and F2 series are the European series, and usually drivers use other countries ones as a springboard to get into the Euro series. It is the same for karting.

But I digress. Simply, Europe is the center of high-level motorsport and so any driver with hopes of professionals series success will go there to reap the benefits of the deeply rooted motorsport culture.

Hope this answered your questions!

Cheers,

-B

[thepassionthatunitesusall]

PWHL Broadcast Info:

CBC, TSN, and Sportsnet to split games in Canada, with most being available on traditional cable

Montreal games will have French broadcast options with RDS, Radio Canada, and ICI TOU.TV

MSG Networks to broadcast all New York games

NESN to broadcast all Boston games

All games will be streamed on the league’s YouTube channel and available outside of Canada

Agreement with regional networks to add out of market games on a case-by-case basis

Other partners may be announced at a later date

[grantmentis]

2024 PWHL BROADCAST SCHEDULE SUMMARY:

PWHL season opener will be available to Canadian viewers live on CBC, TSN, and Sportsnet national television feeds, streamed on CBC Gem, ca, the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, TSN.ca, the TSN app, and Sportsnet+. French-language coverage will appear on ICI TOU.TV.

PWHL season opener is available to United States regional TV viewers with MSG Networks and NESN.

All subsequent PWHL regular-season games are available to Canadian viewers on coverage divided across TSN, CBC, and Sportsnet which includes linear television and streaming on TSN+, CBC Gem, ca, the CBC Sports app, and Sportsnet+. Additional games will be announced pending NHL and AHL playoff schedules.

French-language coverage of all Montreal games will be split between RDS and Radio-Canada, ICI TOU.TV.

MSG Networks will be the home of all 24 PWHL New York games.

NESN will be the home of all 24 PWHL Boston games for fans in New England, excluding Fairfield County. Fans in New England can watch on NESN or stream on the NESN 360 app by logging in with their TV provider or purchasing a direct subscription.

League agreements with regional networks allow out-of-market distribution including the potential for games to be added on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and other networks on a case-by-case basis.

All PWHL games will be streamed on the league’s YouTube channel and available outside of Canada.

The league may announce additional broadcast partners throughout the season.

EDIT: Bally Sports North has also been added as a partner for PWHL Minnesota games

[hezuart]

Why did you switch from animation to reviews? Also, do you still plan on doing CGI like you mentioned multiple times?

oH BOY..... you may need to sit down for this one

So it all started back in 2012. I was around 14 years old and just saw Rise of the Guardians and Wreck it Ralph. The stories, the characters, the world-building, the animation... now I never really went to movie theaters as a kid, but as a teen I started going and I instantly fell in love.

I went to community college for a few years and made some amazing friends. Loved some of my teachers and we participated in fun events like the 24-hour challenge and Campus Movie Fest. I had gotten in the top picks for Campus Movie Fest at some point and was supposed to go to the Cannes Film Festival in France to showcase my short film, but then the pandemic hit and it got canceled indefinitely.

So get this, for community college, I got a certification in 3D Animation and Video Game development. It's basically an AA degree but without general ed. (Why do you need general ed to get a degree in something? Math and PE have nothing to do with Animation. College is ridiculous. People have to pay you more simply because you were forced to spend more money in college. Wild.) Out of the 20 classes I had taken to get this certification, only 3 of those courses were hands-on 3D animation. And only one of those courses was hands-on video game development and I dropped out of that class because it was PC only and I only had a Mac at the time. I applied to the class without realizing it was accommodating only to PCs. So even my certification is barely reaching the basics for the title of it, but I did take another online course or two for 3D animation which I have a different certification for.

Now even with my 3D animation, I was never taught the physics engine. I was never taught hair or cloth simulation, but I do have modeling, rigging, animating, and texturing experience. For gaming, I have very little experience. I've only modeled things and found my way around Unity, but otherwise, I suck at coding. I hate coding with a passion. Making a video game without coding isn't really possible.

Now, when the pandemic hit, a lot of things were shutting down. I had no idea where I wanted to go next. People kept asking me where I was going for my higher education, but I kept getting warned not to waste money on college if you're trying to become an artist, especially at University. It's a money pit, and competition is so high, you're not guaranteed a job, you're just gonna be in debt. Even colleges like Cal Arts, who charge over $1K per class, I've been told are a "Pay to get in" kind of place. Where the money is used to nab professionals from their work to teach students or talk about their company or programs, and through that, you get a bigger chance to get your foot in the door because you know someone. I've unfortunately been told that's the more realistic way to get into animation: networking. If you're a shy introvert who doesn't know any famous people, you need to be extremely talented and unique to stand out to get the chance of being noticed. I don't really want to suck up to people nor do I want to waste thousands of dollars and 5 more years on college that I may not even need (let alone be able to afford) especially if there are online classes that may be even more valuable.

Now after I got out of college and started applying a few places, I discovered a LOT of unfortunate information.

Most animation these days is done overseas. South Korea, India, Japan, and Canada are the big ones.

Invader Zim, Steven Universe, Miraculous Ladybug, The Simpsons, OK KO, Star vs the Forces of Evil, Kipo and the Age of the Wonder Beasts, Adventure Time, Twelve Forever, and the Powerpuff Girls Reboot were animated in South Korea. The Ghost and Molly Mcgee is animated in Canada.

(The first four seasons of the Simpsons were animated in America until it switched to South Korea and India.)

2D traditional animation is no longer viable. Puppetry is the industry standard because it's the cheapest. Luckily, Toon Boom Harmony has allowed us to push the boundaries of 2D puppetry. Puppetry these days, if done well, can look really great, like Tangled the Series, but if you don't have Toon Boom Harmony, you're probably not gonna be hired.

Not even all 3D is made in the USA. If it's Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar, then it's usually USA. But streaming service movies, like Sea Beast, Kid Cosmic, The Willoughbys, and Klaus, while they claim to be a "Netflix Original" that "Netflix Animation" animated, that's a lie. Klaus was animated by Yowza! Animation in Canada. The Willoughbys: Bron Animation, Canada. Kid Cosmic: Mercury Filmworks, Canada. Sea Beast: Sony Pictures Image Works, Canada. (X)

Go Go Cory Carson is written and storyboarded in America, but the animation is shipped out to be done in France. Sonic Boom is also French Animated.

Even Sony Pictures? Open Season, Surf's Up, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, SMurfs, Hotel Transylvania, Over the Moon, The Angry Birds Movie, Sea Beast? Sony Pictures Imageworks is based in Canada. They're doing all the animation for them. It's not animated in America, it's merely funded by them.

I should also clarify: I only want to participate in stylized animated media. I don't want to do CGI for hyper-realistic films, which eliminates most of the animation jobs out there these days. It's just not my thing. The insane amount of details and uncanny valley are just so unappealing, I can't do it.

The closest animation studios are still far away. Most companies are located in LA. I'm over 7+ hours away from there. LA also has a high poverty rate, terrible air quality, is overcrowded, and is just generally not a good place to live, especially if you're low middle class. You're not gonna survive there.

Pixar is located in Emeryville, a few minutes north of San Fransisco city. Emeryville is the most crime-ridden city in that area. They tell you not to walk home alone at night. You're more likely to get robbed there than anywhere else according to the population ratio there. There are a lot of gangs that hide up there, and there's a lot of poverty there, even outside of San Fransisco. It's basically a trash pit. Not an ideal place to live, and commuting through 3-hour SF city traffic is also not gonna work. (X)

I have also been informed some people who work at Pixar are petty that the interns use their facility. Pixar has a heated pool, soccer field, gymnasium, and a few other nice things on their property. I was informed there was a person or two who got mad that an intern was using their basketball court.... when the intern was on break. As though they weren't part of Pixar, as though they had no right to touch the property. Apparently, they also used to make the interns push around little tea carts to serve refreshments as a way to "talk to the fellow animators" to probably get them interacting, but hearing that the interns were basically chored with butler duty to bother the animators hard at work seems like such a forced thing. That makes me uncomfortable. Of course, the person who told me these stories has been working with Pixar for over a decade or two now, so things could be very different as the years went on. Pixar itself on the inside of the animator building is gorgeous. They all decorate their office spaces in crazy ways, it looks like a movie set. But they have a bar and "whiskey club". They're apparently allowed to drink at work and have often had parties that got a little out of hand. There's also an old chain smoker room where the founders used to play poker and spy on people outside of their room with hidden cameras; I've even been inside. I don't think they use it anymore, though I'm not totally sure. Some of this info was fascinating, but the drinking made me uncomfortable. I kinda want to work with sober people here.

The sex ratio in the animation industry is also interesting and unfavorable. 70% of the animation and art school ratio is women, but only 34% of the actual animation workforce is women. 34% female to 66% male. More women study animation than men, but more men get hired and hold positions than women. Animation, ironically, has always been a male-dominated workplace. This unfortunately contributes to the "you have to know someone" or "be rich" to get-in situation. Men know a lot more men and not as many women. So the 30 to 40-year-old guys hire the other guys they know rather than a young poor girl with a passion. This makes it even more difficult for me to get in. (X)

20th Century, Netflix Animation, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Bento Box, Vanguard Animation, Universal Studios, Titmouse, 6 Point Harness, ShadowMachine- all LA / South California.

There are a few places I could apply to, but what they do, I just don't care for. Niantic(Pokemon Go), Lucasfilm(Effects), Whiteboard Animation(Marketing), Sharpeyeanimation (Marketing), EA games (Mass Effect, Battlefield, Dragon Age 2, all those hyper-realistic war, sports, or fantasy games.)

So whether it's outside of the USA or within the USA, I need to move. I don't have the money for that yet.

Just find a company that does remote work, right? It should be easy, especially in pandemic times! Wrong. Most animation companies don't permit remote work. It's probably a security issue. But I've done research on this. The only big animation company I've found (so far) that allows remote work (or is HIRING for remote work) is Mainframe Studios in Canada. They have a 3D animation job list, and I guess they focus on animating Barbie movies(???). (X) But that's about it. And even if you're a remote worker, there's a high likely hood you still need a Visa to be allowed to work for a company belonging to another country. So that's a whole other legal process to deal with.

Disney is becoming a huge corporate monopoly over American animation. They bought Blue Sky only to kill them off. (Disney also just recently laid off 7,000 people due to their stock price drop and failed movies they released the past year with deliberately bad marketing for political reasons. (X) Disney also bought Pixar and is pushing for sequels because weird or bad, sequels and terrible live actions make them a LOT of money. Did you know Disney's terrible Lion King CGI remake is amongst the top 10 highest-grossing movies ever made? It's criminal. (X)

Because Disney is such a big name in the USA, there's a huge association of animation = children's media, which is not true. Animation at the Oscars also has its own category, when it's not a genre, is a medium. Disney often wins at the Oscars too because no one sees the other animations. Granted, Disney has an insane marketing budget in comparison, but it's clear no one cares to seek out animation outside of heavy CGI live-action these days. No small-time studios, no limited releases, no anime. The fact that Disney also now OWNS the Oscars is SUS as hell. (The fact that Disney-owned ABC threatened the Oscars, forcing them to cut 8 categories or else there wouldn't be a show that year is wild. There isn't even an oscar for stuntmen. What the fuck, Hollywood?) (X)

Dreamworks nearly went bankrupt and sold itself to Comcast back in 2013. Comcast also owns Illumination. Dreamworks has been focusing on making bad tv show adaptions of their IPs. So yes people, Jack would sooner meet the Minions than meet Elsa. Disney is the biggest corporate monopoly, but it's definitely not the only one. The animation industry in America is snuffing out its competition by buying it out for itself. It's insane the kind of power they have.

Competition is HIGH. Because of this, the only ways to get in? If you're rich or you know someone. Pixar gets over 3,000 intern applications every summer. Less than 100 are seen by actual hiring managers. The most interns Pixar has ever taken in a single year were 12. The least they ever took in a single year was two. A 12 to 3,000 ratio is not favorable. That's a 3% chance to get into a big-shot animation company.

And again, because remote work isn't permissible to new hires, you need to live in the area to commute to the campuses. This is one of the reasons why LA is so crowded.

If you get into an animation company purely remote and maybe even for a different country? You are the luckiest person alive.

Programs are expensive. The animation industry is very strict on what programs they use. The industry standard for 2D puppetry is Toon Boom Harmony; the industry standard for 3D animation is Maya, and the industry standard for video game development isn't as clear but Unity is one of them.

Some of these programs are free, as long as you are a student. If you are attending college or a certain online program, you can use your school-issued email through them to apply to get the program for free for about a year. Otherwise, if you're using it to make your own animations solo?

Autodesk Maya: $225 a month or $1,785 a year (X)

and guess what? Maya removed its free render service. Arnold is now built in by default, however, if you want to BATCH render (Meaning render a full scene or several slides) it will slap it's ugly watermark over it.

Fun fact, this very rendered watermark can be seen accidentally in a single frame for the Kingdom Hearts Frozen cutscene

Well, you need to batch render if you're trying to animate so let's see what Arnold costs- $50 monthly to $380 annually.... are you kidding me?! The rendering PLUG-IN BUNDLED TO MAYA COSTS MORE TO USE THAN THE OWN PROGRAM?! (X)

Now, there are other rendering plug-ins you can probably use with Maya. But they all have their ups and downs and their own costs as well. (X) Pixar's Renderman is $595 per license. I can't seem to get info on Octane. V-ray solo is $39 monthly while premium is around $60 monthly.

Now there IS Blender, an alternative to Maya. It is free and I have it. That is ideal to work in for people like me. I tried it a while back, but I hated the interface windows. It was hard to work on it when you can't close them properly. It's possible they've fixed this in an update, but I haven't touched the program in over three years so I wouldn't know. It's different from Maya a little, so it has ups and downs in comparison too. But Blender is a savior to 3D artists everywhere.

Toon Boom Harmony isn't as bad but still high: Lowest price is $27 monthly / $220 annual and the highest is $124 monthly / $1,100 annual (X)

Unity has a basic version that is free, but Unity Plus is $399 yearly while Unity Pro is $2,040 (X)

So some programs are clearly more viable than others. But imagine you're trying to model, texture, rig, animate, simulate, and render a short film all by yourself in Maya. That's gonna take you over a year or two, and you'll have several thousand dollars out of your pocket by the time your free trial ends. And might I say, for an industry-standard program, Maya sucks. It's almost unusable without those plug-ins for not only rendering but also for the models to even be able to SELECT their BONE rigs.

Do you want to practice on your own when school is out of session? Fuck you! Fuck subscription services! Welcome to capitalist hell, baby!

Again, using Blender is more viable, but you're still going to be basically doing everything yourself. That's gonna take years. Do you have the patience for that? Do I?

Because of the pandemic, movies aren't even hitting theaters anymore. They're going straight to streaming services. Streaming services of which, gain sole rights to and can take media off their platforms at any time without warning. Thanks, Discovery+ ! Does everyone remember the HBO Max Animation & DC purge? It could happen to other streaming services too. Piracy will save the future of animation at this point. (X)

And again, Streaming services like Netflix will purchase films and claim they made them by slapping their logo over it; but no, they either bought the distribution rights or produced them through funding and maybe storyboarding. Often times from a Canadian film studio. (Link again X)

Even stop motion companies like LAIKA are losing money and may have to shut down or be bought out in the future, especially considering how much work and money they put into their films vs. how much money they actually make. (X)

All of this? Naturally made me fall into a depression. My god, the layers of hopelessness. My animation and modeling is pretty average too. I'm decent. I can maybe make a good shot. But I can't blow people away like James Baxter can. I mean, I shouldn't compare myself to people. If I worked really hard, maybe I could get into a good company. But again, I have to move! A part of me gave up. I don't really do 3D animation anymore, though part of me misses it.

I still 2D animate. I'm trying to make a short film and though my college friends who were working on it with me have given up, I have done my best to keep going. Even if it has been produced at a snail's pace for the past three years, I still intend to finish this animation. It's gonna be beautiful when it comes out, and it will be a wonderful portfolio piece regardless.

So with nothing else to do and no other kind of job experience really under my belt(plus my family is prone to covid so getting a job in the pandemic was just kind of out of the question) I decided to go to youtube. I heard some people can make a little money on there, but the truth is I had actually wanted to become a youtuber for a few years prior. I've always looked up to animators and reviewers on youtube, I've loved the stories they tell and their incredibly detailed analysis essays on movies, tv series, books, etc. I wanted to be one of them. I wasn't sure exactly what I'd do, so I just followed the Youtube Partnership program set up which took a few months, and then jumped in! I found I only had the time to upload once every month or two. I had a ton of audio issues and I'm not outputting at the proper 1920 x 1080 quality that I should be doing either. It's a huge learning process that I still haven't perfected, but I'm taking notes to try and get better.

Even though Youtube is fun, I only make $300 a month, and that isn't even consistent. With patreon, I make maybe another $80 or $100 on top of that, so overall $400 a month average. That's really nice and pretty cool! But it's not enough to survive.

Now I work part-time at a coffee shop. My mental health is a lot better and I love my coworkers. I make roughly $400 a week in comparison to the $400 a month. It's still not enough to live off of (the cheapest rent around is over $1,000 a month, not ) and it's still a temporary job in the long run. I intend to work here for maybe another two years to save up money.

But what do I do now?

Am I welcome in animation spaces anymore?

As a critic of popular media, it could be likely that they could fire me or deny my application because of my critique of their past films or tv series. They could see my youtube persona and assume I'm a raging untrustworthy nitpick instead of a passionate, kind person.

Vivziepop's Spindlehorse company? What Viv was doing was a dream. I was so inspired by her. She made her own company, made a super successful pilot, and was even creating more jobs for traditional, high-quality animation. However, for Hazbin Hotel, she required more funding, which is why she sold it off to A24, who now has corporate say in the show. A24 is known for letting creators be more lenient, but otherwise, Viv won't have full control over it anymore unless she managed to get them to sign something over to her; but with the rumors of her being kicked off season 1? I don't know anymore.

Her own company Spindlehorse; they rely on youtube revenue and/or merch sales to fund Helluva Boss. That's a tricky business practice, but it's kept them afloat so far.

However, Spindlehorse is hiring a lot of people as of late. This could be a bad sign; that people might be leaving the company due to potential mistreatment or unhappiness. With the way the show is going, I don't really want to be part of that company regardless, but maybe before season 2 of Helluva Boss, I would have considered applying. Had I made any critique videos prior, there's no way they'd accept me. "Aren't you that one YouTuber that said my writing is bad for season 2 episode 2?" And you expect me to hire you?" Like yeah, that application process would go down well. Not. By critiquing artists' work, some of them are very sensitive. I'd be kicked out for a lot of things, when really, we artists should be critiquing each other all the time, trying to improve. That's how the writer's room always is, ahaha... hours of fighting goes down in those meetings. It's intense, but fun.

But yeah, it's such a shame. Even small companies need to sell out to corporate to survive. Either that or be HEAVILY crowd-funded, which again, can be a slippery slope.

I see a ton of small projects on Twitter looking to hire people, or looking to become a big studio to release a pilot or game. I've joined a few of them, but most are unpaid because of COURSE they are, and then these projects?? Just don't go anywhere. Because it's unpaid. Because we can't afford to work on a project for free. IRL comes first. Some of these projects seem so great but they don't go anywhere, and it's hard to have faith in start-up studios anymore. (Game creators might have a chance, but tv series or films? Good luck, folks.)

At that point, should I just make my own company? I don't have the money or knowledge for such a thing! It's insanely expensive to start a business and get licensing. So much paperwork, so much everything! And the USA Government is so behind in understanding technology. If you want to create a remote business and/or copyright something, you're still required to put an advertisement in a local newspaper about it, even if your business isn't selling to locals. 💀 The number of fees and ridiculous legal hoops you need to jump through... it's a ridiculous waste of time and money. But you need to do it. The question is, am I willing to do it? Am I willing to tackle such an insane thing by myself?

I want to keep my internet persona and IRL persona separate, but can I? I value having a private, quieter life away from the screen. I worry about getting doxxed one day because of the nature of the internet. I worry about people finding my IRL resumes or profiles for work I want to do outside of youtube for security's sake. My art style is unique and very recognizable. I don't have a lot of private art that is worthy of being in a portfolio. But for absolute safety, I'd need to password-protect my websites or portfolios so the public doesn't have free access to them; only companies I'm applying to. But at that point, does password-protecting my resume and portfolio make it less likely I'd be hired due to the inconvenience? Due to the private, hard-to-find nature of my work? Being a YouTuber with great story skills and art skills with a fanbase could be a big plus to getting hired somewhere, but it could also be a horrible disadvantage that would get me fired. It's a double-edged sword that I cannot work around and I don't know what to do.

I've considered the video game industry, but even that isn't ideal. A lot of the indie ones I adore aren't made in the USA. Gris and Monster Camp were made in Spain. Ori and the Blind Forest: Austria. Hollow Knight: Australia. Little Nightmares and Raft: Sweden. LIMBO & INSIDE: Denmark. Outlast, Don't Starve, Spirit Farer, Bendy and the Ink Machine: Canada.

SuperGiant Games did Hades, Transistor and Bastion and is located in SF, but they're not hiring. Janimation, a multi-media company located in Texas isn't hiring. Frederator in New York isn't hiring.

I don't want to work for a studio that does nothing but first-person shooters or sports games. If I want to get into the gaming industry, I probably need to crowdfund and make a company to make a game myself.

If I make my own game, which I've wanted to do for a long time now and still want to... I can't code. I guess I could try to hire someone that could? But a game to the extent I want... I'd need to start small. I'd need to practice. It's several years of work. Will it even be worth it? I don't think I can do it alone. I'd need crowdfunding and workers; which again, here comes the "make my own studio" issue...

Do I even want to animate anymore? I prefer traditional animation in comparison to puppetry. I prefer 2D animation to 3D animation simply because it is more accessible. But even then, I'm finding myself drawn more and more to writing, storyboarding, and character design. If I were a 3D animator, this is mostly what I'd be working with all day: Naked models in an empty room. I'd do none of the physics simulation or texturing or lighting.

Animating naked & bald people all day... I don't know... 3D Animation kind of lost its appeal. You only work on such a small portion of a film, you almost never have the bigger picture. You won't see the final result until the film is done. As an animator, you're almost kept in the dark. Maybe that's how they want it anyway, since leaks are a huge issue they keep quiet under strict NDA.

But yeah, anyway... I'm an artistic digital generalist. I can do almost anything. 3D animation, storyboarding, writing, photo editing, illustration, rendering, modeling and so much more. It's hard to choose what you really want to be in this industry. I feel like Barry Benson dfklgjdflkjg

I don't know what I'm gonna do anymore. There's gotta be a solution to this but I just can't figure it out. I don't want to give up my youtube channel so I can be an animator. I don't want to give up a safer, quiet countryside house to be able to survive financially. Am I even willing or able to move countries? Is my career more important than friends and family?

I think I'm thinking too much about everything. I should start small. Move less than an hour away first and move in with roommates to get a feel for independence instead of jumping into it immediately. Get a job at a small time company, maybe not for what I want at first, but it'll get me some experience and maybe I'll learn some things along the way to understand where I can go next. Take it slow and don't panic too much over trying to be a young big shot. Take things one day at a time? That's my current goal, I suppose.

So you know... to answer your question... why did I switch to youtube for a current career? Because of a classic existential & career crisis in my 20s. Will I ever go back to 3D animation? Maybe. Maybe one day.