#with LiS it was Montreal Canadians who made it

[dreamieparadise]

Watching a movie review on tiktok and op went off about how "the dialouge was so strange" and it reminded me of when people complained about both Life Is Strange AND Persona 5 for that but both sounded completely normal to my ears???

Life Is Strange was especially weird bc they used the slang properly from what I've seen. I think ppl were just... being weird? But maybe it's because I am Canadian. Lol

Admittedly, though, I think my own wording can be odd to some, so maybe that's why I can't see the ~issue~?

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"The RCMP tried to place plants among the internees, false prisoners whose mission was to spy on the other internees. Patrick Lenihan reports that it happened twice, although this author has uncovered only one occasion. This involved a man who arrived from Montreal in March, 1942 named Paul-Henri Robert. Some of the French-Canadian internees knew Robert. Jean Bourget and Joseph Duchesne had known him in a Montreal group that defended the unemployed called Ouvriers Unis. His behaviour with this organization, always calling for violent demonstrations and confrontations with the police, led some of the internees to believe that he was an agent provocateur, working for the authorities. If Robert was sent to spy, he was not very effective for he even admitted that he had once been an RCMP officer, who had been mistakenly sent to Hull rather than Petawawa. Robert shared a cell with Jacques Villeneuve and described to his cell-mate the circumstances of his most recent arrest which led him to Hull. Robert claimed he had been arrested for making anti-British remarks while in a tavern. The story sounded strange, at least in the opinion of Bourget, Duchesne, Villeneuve, Rodolphe Majeau, and Roméo Duval, who wrote to Major Green on March 25, 1942, demanding that Green get rid of Robert since they believed he was a stool-pigeon, a spy, a plant. Green refused to acquiesce to the demands, maintaining that he had no idea who Robert was. The internees made life miserable for Robert, isolating him, and threatening to beat him. Was this an instance of the Hull internees being paranoid about someone they did not like from the outside world? Possibly, but when Major Green [camp commandant who liaised with the RCMP to report on internee conduct] was transferred to the POW camp for German soldiers at Bowmanville, near Oshawa, Ontario, on April 15, 1942, the very same day, Robert was transferred to Petawawa. The whole incident is unclear but shows, nevertheless, that the internees, at the very least, were concerned about spies among their ranks.

...

A phenomenon readily detectable was the censorship to which the internees were subjected. Letters from family were intercepted and delivered. Mention of news from the outside world, including actions being taken by lawyers on behalf of internees, was removed from letters. The internees were not allowed to use terms such as ‘anti-fascist’ to describe themselves, nor were they allowed to refer to Hull as a ‘concentration camp’. 

Censorship was a regular part of military life during the war. Soldiers were required to be circumspect in describing their whereabouts or activities, and their communications both to and from were subject to censorship. Applied to the internees, however, censorship was just one more limitation of their civil rights, which provided dubious military benefits, at best. Sometimes, correspondents of internees were objects of investigation; this was especially the case for soldiers who were sons of the internees.

According to a Cabinet order of May, 1940, the federal government was responsible for social assistance provided by municipalities to the families of internees, but this did not mean much if municipalities refused to provide this assistance, or if the amounts were too little. The trust companies working for the Trustee of Enemy Properties froze assets of the internees and their families. The internees were not permitted visits by their families, always an object of contestation by the internees. Nonetheless, Jenny Freed did lead a delegation of wives, who hitchhiked from Montreal to the Hull prison, and caused quite a commotion when the men were able to talk to the women, who were standing outside the prison walls. 

In October, 1941, the authorities began permitting conjugal visits to Hull. John McNeil’s  wife from Winnipeg was the first to visit her husband. In November, 1941, other visits followed, and they soon become typical, even if not too intimate since the visits were limited to thirty minutes in the presence of guards. Visits from others were also controlled, including even one official visit from the Premier of Quebec, Adélard Godbout.

Godbout was allowed to meet Colonel Sherwood, commandant of the Ottawa  region, and Major Green, during a visit in Hull in October, 1941. While Godbout was permitted to inspect the quarters of the guards, the Army did not allow Godbout, accompanied by local politicians from Hull, inside the prison to visit the internees’ quarters. His only contact with the internees that was permitted was listening to a few songs sung by a choral group of the internees."

- Michael Martin, The Red Patch: Political Imprisonment in Hull, Quebec during World War 2. Self-published, 2007. p 159-160

[littlemuoi]

WESSEXES' TOUR A TRIUMPH: PEI, Halifax, Montreal, St John's on Edward and Sophie's Itinerary by Scott Burke (2001)

Summer brought a Royal homecoming in the persons of Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex. A very happy Prince Edward Island tour was Sophie's first visit to the Canada, after which Edward and she proceeded to undertake further duties in Halifax and Montreal.

Touching down at Charlottetown Airport just after 3 pm on July 14, Their Royal Highnesses made their way to Province House where they were officially welcomed by the Lieutenant Governor, the Premier and the Solicitor General who was representing the Prime Minister. Crowds stood for some hours in the sun as they awaited the Royal couple, aware that it was Sophie's first official visit outside the British Isles. But HRH delighted those she met during the walkabout following the arrival ceremonies, seeming natural and relaxed in blue suit and matching accessories as she worked the crowds. I was delighted to be able to present her with a bouquet of flowers which HRH seemed happy to receive. As she signed the Golden Book, this keen Royal-watcher noticed that she shares a trait with her nephew Prince William: both are left-handed! But the ease and informality of the Royals were to prove typical of the entire trip: made possible by the down-to-earth nature of Edward, the charming and kind personality of his elegant wife and their joint fondness for a little light-hearted humour.

In his welcoming remarks, Premier Pat Binns observed that "The Crown remains a symbol of freedom and justice, and of our hopes for peace and dignity for all citizens. In reaffirming our support for the Monarchy, we are reaffirming our support for ideals, values and aspirations that it represents." After reorganizing his notes which wind had blown off the podium, Prince Edward replied with a very informal thank you. "Over the years," HRH observed, "Canada and Canadians have always been extremely kind to me, and I've always enjoyed the time I spent here. I am sure you will all extend the same hospitality to my bride. I am told you are not supposed to use the term after a year of marriage, but I can't really believe that it has been more than a year since I took that plunge. Time flies when you are enjoying yourself." After a brief tour of the Confederation Chamber, the couple returned to the Delta Prince Edward, their home during the stay, another name sake for the Prince. That evening, they attended a performance at the Fathers of Confederation Centre for the Arts, hosted by the Premier.

Saturday brought a full day of engagements for the Wessexes as they toured across the Province. Their first stop was the Rodd Brudenell River Resort. Emerging from their helicopter, the couple unveiled a plaque for the property's redevelopment. The ceremony complete, resort guests and some members of the public enjoyed a BBQ on the law with the Royals, which was followed by a brief tour via golf cart, the Prince at the wheel. I had a brief chance to speak to Edward ­ but felt nervous enough in doing so that when HRH asked me if I played golf I confusedly answered "yes" even though I had never tried the game!

The afternoon brought Edward and Sophie to a concert at St Mary's Church, Indian River. This was followed by a taste of PEI's most celebrated produce in the form of french fries at Irving-owned Cavendish Farms in Kensington. The Countess mischieviously confessed to feeling a little peckish and asked if she could have a chocolate milkshake to accompany the potatoes. At this point Edward stepped in and jokingly poked fun at her, warning her not to spoil her dinner! Later the Royals made a brief visit to Gateway Village. This lies at the entry of the Confederation Bridge which links the Island to New Brunswick.

Saturday evening brought the State Dinner for 604 invitees, hosted by the Canadian Government. The gala evening allowed the Countess to wear for the first time the tiara given her as a wedding present from The Queen. Solicitor General and Island MP Lawrence MacAulay who sat with Sophie at one of the round tables in the hotel ballroom stated that he was impressed with her thoughtfulness: "Quite simply she's a lady who wants to make things happen," he observed.

No rest came to Edward and Sophie on Sunday, as their busy day started with Matins at St Peter's Cathedral and a visit to historic All Souls Chapel. A large crowd gathered outside and joined the congregation in singing the Royal Anthem prior to a brief walkabout. Their Royal Highnesses then walked to Fanningbank where His Honour hosted a private luncheon in his home, members of the RCMP Musical Ride flanking the driveway. Around 2 pm they left to visit Confederation Birthplace Commemorative Park on the Charlottetown waterfront where TRH unveiled a small plaque and planted a rose bush, as well as visiting Lobster pound.

As the Royals walked through Confederation Park, they stopped to watch some child gymnasts, at which point Sophie said that she had also tried gymnastics while at school. They also encountered some interpretive guides costumed as Fathers of Confederation and speaking in English accents. The Prince asked a woman in the crowd if she spoke English; on receiving her positive answer he told here "Good, because those people over there need some serious help," to the laughter of the crowd. Martial arts and magic were also on offer in the Park, the Countess observing "I'm glad I didn't volunteer for that" in reaction to a rather distasteful trick involving the appearance of an undergarment from a spectator's cleavage!

Later on Sunday came the event which provided the original inspiration for the Wessexes' tour, the opening of the 39th Annual Canadian Branch Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. In his remarks after viewing some cultural performances, The Earl spoke about the Commonwealth and its parliamentary traditions: "It took us in Britain centuries to develop the Westminster style... is it really feasible to ask others to achieve the same in a matter of decades? It seems to work for us ­ just! But does that mean it works for everyone, and are we falling into the same trap as, say, the early religious missionaries? I don't pretend to have the answer, but sometimes I feel democracy is an evolutionary concept, a bit like growing up."

To conclude the PEI portion of their Canadian homecoming, the Earl and Countess visited the Prince Edward Battery where HRH climbed onto a large crane in order to lift cannon as symbol of the forthcoming restoration project. Later they attended a Fanningbank reception for the CPA delegates As the Royal couple departed for Montreal, I felt delighted to have had the opportunity of meeting TRH, and of hearing The Countess several times repeat how she hopes to return and see other parts of Canada.

Monday, July 17th brought a full day of activities for the Wessexes in Montreal: the Earl presented Gold Awards at a Reception for recipients of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Young Canadians Challenge held at The Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Lunchtime found the Royals aboard Shipshaw where they attended a fund-raising lunch for the Award's Charter for Business. And evening brought yet another event to support the Charter, a Dinner at the Headquarters of Power Corporation, controlled by the Desmarais family.

The final day of the Earl and Countess' Canadian sojourn involved two provinces. The morning found them at another Gold Standard ceremony for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. This event took place at Pier 21 in Halifax after the Wessexes had been received by the Lieutenant Governor. Her Honour subsequently hosted a Luncheon at Government House in support of the Business Charter. By evening the Royals had flown into St John's, where the tour's final Gold ceremony took place at Pius X Church. It was followed by a BBQ at Gonzaga High School, where TRH mingled with the young participants in the Challenge. By the time of their midnight flight to London, both Edward and Sophie must have reflected on the whirlwind nature of the latter part of their homecoming ­ and of the great welcome and positive media "spin" which greeted them everywhere they went

[voidpumpkin]

in contrast with the universities rejection of students protesting traditional council of Kahnawake has confirmed that students have the right to do so

Image description:

A letter that reads:

Five Nation Longhouse Confederacy

Kealabaka • People of, unsure to blurry to be made out

KAIINAWAKE KANIEN KEHA:KA NATION

Five days after the 4th Full Moon, April 28, 2024

We stand in support with all who are occupying to divest institutions of higher learning (mcgill university montreal) from israel's genocide upon the Palestinian Nation. In accord with the Two Row Wampum Peace Treaty, the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) People of the Five Nations LongHouse Confederacy, Kahnawake, Turtle Island, have observed the behaviour of the european for the last 500 hundred years. They persist in their systemic colonial genocidal wars upon our Mother Earth and all Original Peoples and our territories here in Turtle Island and abroad, including Palestine.

Here, they were compelled into the Two Row Wampum Peace Treaty, obliging them to conduct themselves in a proper "Nation to Nation" human relation. However they lied since they first stepped foot here in Turtle Island. They created the so called indian act under which they kidnapped, raped, terrorized and murdered our native children in the british/nazi residential school concentration camps, with the express intent of "killing the Native out of our children" (General R.H. Pratt, so-called united-states. 1892, reaffirmed by Stephen Harper, prime minister, so-called canada, 2008).

Through britain's worldwide colonial infrastructure, "the indian act" policy was exported to South-Africa, renaming it "apartheid", committing the same genocide upon the Original Peoples of that territory. Through the same colonial infrastructure, the South-Africa apartheid was exported to israel, to genocide upon the Palestinian People, under the united nation's creation of the so-called state of israel.

We are happy to see that students within universities and colleges are occupying their campuses in solidarity with the massacred Palestinian children, women and men, to force their campus administration to divest from israel's genocide. Institutions of higher learning must not be invested in or connected to any genocide, war or military action, as they are supposed to engage students in higher levels of thought conducive to human evolution. Contrarily, any and all war or military actions are intrinsic with the most primitive and lower levels of human thought, hastening the devolution of humanity, in actions like what transpired in Kent state university in Ohio in 1969, where the national guard assassinated four people that were protesting against the vietnam war.

Therefore, in accordance with the Two Row Wampum Peace Treaty, we grant the full right to those who are occupying McGill and other campuses throughout Turtle Island to be upon the said lands, with the expressed intent of engaging their administrations to divest from the colonial genocide of israel upon the Palestinian People and from the war machine in general.

We encourage everyone to support these actions and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian People, within the spirit of the Two-Row Wampum Peace Treaty - be peace, do not let the despise of their hatred fool you. do not engage in any activity that plays their game, do not engage in any hostile action. Be Peace, as righteous holders of the Two Row Wampum Peace Treaty, wage Peace and not war. Be love, be comprehension, be a peaceful example of collective consciousness for the world to see and leam from, and a reflection of what the colonizing world has to do to correct countless generations of colonial wrongs.

On behalf of all the children that the canadian/american/european/israeli colonizers kidnapped. raped, terrorized and murdered around the world!

Skennen kowa Sewakwekon!

Great peace to all!

Stuart Myiow

Wolf Clan representative

Kanienkehaka Traditional Council

PO BOX 531, Kahnawake Mohawk territory

JOL 1B0

end image description

[seeminglyseph]

I’m looking at DAO mods and I feel like I kind of like… just wanna paint textures instead of playing the game. Or both. Like. I want to repaint the textures before I play the game. Which is a weird thing to want to do maybe.

Like my secret desire is actually to just rip all my favourite LIs from Dragon age and get their textures and reskin them.

Also give Solas that Sexy skull and braids and locks and concept design look he had because that was always always better than Egg. Idk who vetoed the concept design in exchange for none design all Egg but they were Incorrect. That was a Bad Decision. I get that yes technically he has freckles and a scar and a cleft chin and droopy eyes and details, yes, but. *but*. He could have been better. He could have been hotter. He could have been Great. The Best character des— no I can’t say that when The Iron Bull is in the same game and exists at the same time. That is in fact the sexiest best character design to ever be made. But Solas had to potential to be better in so many ways and ultimately DAI’s designers could not manage designing hair.

They just could not do it. It was too hard. That’s the conclusion I have come to. They also I think struggled badly when it came to skin textures because like look at the options they had in character creation, they strugggglllleeed. They couldn’t make hair and they couldn’t make skin. They suffered in game design and honestly I think probably EA hit them with crunch and low funding and BioWare was like “we were not equipped to jump into this triple A pool this fast this underfunded oh my god what the fuck what the fuck” and we’re seeing that again with DA4 and that’s why all the people EA would have to pay fairly is getting laid off.

BioWare is getting scapegoated by EA and it kinda breaks my heart as an Albertan because we got bought out and now I think our like. One gaming company is getting sold out and gonna go under and get sold so they can move it all somewhere else with fewer human rights protections (no unions or union protections) and people can say “BioWare did this” and it’s maybe a little more “EA did this to BioWare” and a whole lot of Albertans are Shit Outta Luck in the meantime. Because like, what happened in Montreal after Andromeda? Though Montreal as a Major Metropolitan City with a booming economy has more than a few gaming companies, Edmonton isn’t so big a city (still metropolitan but not nearly the scale of Montreal) and has. Uh. A serious need for jobs in the arts and entertainment industries. BioWare being located in Edmonton Alberta is kinda a Big Deal for Alberta. We need that company there for multiple reasons, in part just for the culture. It would be a big deal if it shut down.

Like I guess this is going a little off topic and deranged but like. Alberta needs BioWare. So like. Idk what solution there is in the end, but like… the people getting screwed over are the people here. And we need the company to stay here. And stay open, and start functioning properly. A lot of Californian Tech companies and Tech laws fucked Canada and Canadian workers, and this is kinda an expansion of that, and like. There’s shit a lot of people outside the bubble don’t know about but like.

Alberta needs industry. We can’t have everything shut their doors and move out and then have a bunch of people in wealthy metropolitan areas go “sucks to suck bro have you tried moving?” Like. We still need our companies and infrastructure and industries to. Function. Lotta us can’t afford to leave. We need this stuff to be here. We need BioWare and companies like this.

Despite what you may have heard, people live out here…

[popofventi]

VentiSongs | December 2022

December 2022 Playlist featuring new songs by Cristobal Tapia De Veer, Lissie, Carsie Blanton, Dilettante, Freja The Dragon, Peter Bjorn and John, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Pearla, Molly Payton, SSVU, Silversun Pickups, Butch Vig, Lecrae, Vistas, Petey, Sunglasses For Jaws, Max Styler, Notelle, Dobrawa Czocher, Elias Braun, Astrid Sky, Goodnight Texas, Florence + The Machine, Ethel Cain and Library Tapes

1 | “Renaissance (Main Title Theme) The White Lotus Season 2” | Cristobal Tapia De Veer

The hottest track at dance clubs and music festivals right now comes from a Canadian artist – and it’s not Kaytranada or deadmau5.

“Renaissance (Main Title Theme)” comes from Montreal’s Cristobal Tapia de Veer, who composed it for season two of the HBO series The White Lotus (available in Canada on Crave). It features the voice of Montreal's Stephanie Osorio holding a single note that Tapia de Veer sampled and played on a keyboard.

“It’s really unexpected,” Tapia de Veer, 49…continue reading…

2 | “Night Moves” | Lissie

This is track five from Lissie’s new record Carving Canyons and was the second single taken from the album.

3 | “Rich People” | Carsie Blanton

Carsie Blanton writes anthems for a world worth saving. Inspired by artists including Nina Simone and John Prine, Carsie delivers every song with an equal dose of moxie and mischief, bringing her audience together in joyful celebration of everything worth fighting for.

4 | “Keep Time” | Dilettante

'Dilettante' is an art-rock collective led by multi-instrumentalist Francesca Pidgeon and is based in Northern England. The group was born out of Francesca's fear of committing to a single line up, and is her rebound project after a long-term relationship with indie-jazz four piece ‘Kumiko’.

5 | “Closer” | Freja The Dragon, Peter Bjorn and John

Freja The Dragon is the alter ego of Stockholm native Freja Drakenberg. Since growing up, music has taken up most of her time and today she’s a skilled singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. After graduating from The Royal College of Music in Stockholm in 2016, Freja started assisting Björn Yttling (Peter Bjorn and John, Lykke Li, Primal Scream) in the studio, which led her to join Peter Bjorn and John as percussionist, guitarist and vocalist on the band’s Breakin' Point world tour. When she came back home, Freja and Björn started experimenting in his studio, which led to the embryo of something new, something that would become Freja The Dragon.

6 | “Blood Moon” | Josiah and the Bonnevilles

Josiah Leming is folk singer/songwriter and his audience is the Bonnevilles. He’s back with another great record 2022 and “Blood Moon” is my favorite track.

7 | “With” | Pearla

Pearla’s music radiates with indiscriminate awe. Whether it’s the befuddling depths of nature or the profoundly strange spark of a dreaming mind—she takes it all as equal magic. Her debut album is populated by eccentric creatures and quixotic scenes, her takes on mortality, intimacy, and personal freeness glowing with an air of mystique. 'Oh Glistening Onion, The Nighttime Is Coming' is a world unto itself and it’s out Feb 10th.

8 | “Ruins” | Molly Payton

New Zealand native, Moly Payton, is one of my favorite artists of ‘22. She’s been releasing new songs like the world’s about to burn since 2020. Maybe she’s onto something. “Ruins” is my favorite so far and the newest of the bunch.

9 | “David Lynch Has A Painting Made of Flies Eyes” | SSVU, Silversun Pickups, Butch Vig

Silversun Pickups have announced a digital release of their collaboration with producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig, which was previously only available as a vinyl single for this year’s Record Store Day Black Friday. 

The project, dubbed SSVU, consists of two new songs titled “David Lynch Has a Painting Made of Flies Eyes” and “Suzanne Ciani.”

10 | “My Head Feels Strange” | Vistas

Scottish rock band Vistas new single ‘My Head Feels Strange’ is the third single off their new EP ‘The Beautiful Nothing’, out in early January.

11 | “Spread The Opps” | Lecrae

Lecrae Devaughn Moore (aka Lecrae) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.

The first single from Church Clothes 4, “Spread The Opps,” acknowledges the opposition and stands steadfast despite it. “I’ve been running for so long from the opposition. Since I was a kid, there were enemies, both physical and spiritual, that were trying to destroy me. I decided to stop running. This song, “Spread The Opps,” is me knowing that even in the valley of death, God is with me. He’s scattering the opposition.”

12 | “Move My Feet” | Max Styler, Notelle

“Move My Feet” is a collaboration between Californian artist Max Styler and previously featured Notelle. It’s a track rising up the electronic dance charts for apparent reasons.

13 | “Lean Into Life” | Petey

Peter Martin, known professionally as Petey, is a musician and social media personality from Detroit, Michigan.

14 | “Twister” | Carsie Blanton

Carson Amanda "Carsie" Blanton (born July 22, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia, who performs on guitar. Blanton has released eight studio albums and three EPs, all with a "pay what you please" pricing strategy. Blanton wrote "My true calling as an artist is to share…What I actually want to do is make beautiful music and then give it to everyone, regardless of what they give me back."

15 | “Cat Psychosis” | Sunglasses For Jaws

London duo Sunglasses For Jaws are back with another new stunning track titled “Cat Psychosis” .

16 | “Prayers” | Dobrawa Czocher

Polish cellist Dobrawa Czocher is back on Ventipop. Previously featured her songs “There Will Be Hope” and “Con Moto” with Hania Rani.

17 | “Southbound” | Elias Braun, Astrid Sky

A peaceful and calm piano tune for focus and concentration. A collaboration from Astrid Sky and Elias Braun called “Southbound”.

18 | “Jane, Come Down From Your Room” | Goodnight, Texas

Goodnight, Texas is a tough-to-define storytelling folk rock band whose strength lies in unexpected sweet spots. “Jane Come Down From Your Room” is actually a song I’ve been listening to since October of last year. I think I intentionally kept putting off featuring the track because oftentimes, it’s the songs I am considering that I listen to the most often.

19 | “Morning Elvis - Live At Denver Ball Arena” | Florence + The Machine, Ethel Cain

Florence and the Machine recruit rising singer-songwriter Ethel Cain for a new rendition of “Morning Elvis,” the closing track from the band’s 2022 LP. Cain’s AMERICAN TEENAGER is one of my favorite albums of the year. I’ve previously featured Cain several times this year.

20 |“Velvet Ice” | Library Tapes

Swedish minimalist composer David Wenngren specializes in soft, evocative miniatures and his beautiful “Velvet Ice” closes out the twenty song playlists on Ventipop for 2022.

-xxx-

[sassyfrassboss]

MM being BFFs with the Trudeaus was always so funny to me. The Trudeaus aren't Toronto crowd they are Montreal crowd. Two different worlds it is. One is English Canada crowd and one is French Canada crowd. Also Trudeaus never lived in Toronto at all. They were in Montreal and Ottawa. Again worlds away from Toronto lifestyle. No way she was bffs with Sophie.

Trudeaus are good friends with Mulroneys. So I'm not saying it's not possible for them to have some kind of relationship, but absolutely not bffs. I can't explain the French Canada- English Canada nuances and layers here properly. But the Trudeaus are French Canadians and they don't give their soul over to the Toronto crowd.

It's cool! My co-worker is from Toronto and she explained it all to me since we have an office in Montreal. I also dated a guy from Montreal who once explained Canada to me...although I wasn't paying that much attention because his accent was HOT AS HELL!

I think Meghan could have met anyone at that point and made it out as if they were BFF's and she was the executor of their estate and guardian of their kids...

Girl knows how to spin a web of lies off of a single grain of truth.

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/2X2MXow #

After making her screen debut in 1989, Sandra Oh has enjoyed a remarkable career in both film and television. Although the versatile talent and 12-time Emmy nominated actress is best known for her iconic roles as Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy and Eve Polastri on Killing Eve, Oh has also worked with some of the finest movie directors, including Alexander Payne, Steven Soderbergh, Mina Shum, John Cameron Mitchell, and more.

RELATED: Killing Eve – 10 Best Quotes From The Show

As fans continue to enjoy Oh’s new hit Netflix sitcom The Chair, it’s worth recollecting her best movie moments for those who want to see more of the talented actress on the big screen.

10 Defendor (2009): 6.8

Peter Stebbings’ dark offbeat superhero comedy Defendor stars Oh as Dr. Ellen Park, a psychiatrist who gives hilarious facial and verbal reactions to the outlandish story relayed to her by Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson), an ordinary man moonlighting as a vigilante crime fighter.

Cut from the same genre-bucking, irreverent cloth as James Gunn’s Super, once Arthur confesses his secret life to Dr. Park, she convinces the judge to go easy on him and allow him to continue his heroic activity. When tragedy strikes, Oh shows how much heartfelt pathos she can portray by attending a touching ceremony for her patient.

9 Under The Tuscan Sun (2003): 6.8

Written and directed by the late Audrey Wells, Under the Tuscan Sun is a delightfully uplifting rom-com about Frances (Diane Lane), a writer who ups and leaves her life in San Francisco to live in Tuscany after discovering her husband’s infidelity. Oh plays Patti, Frances’ best friend who encourages her to travel to Italy.

RELATED: Sandra Oh – 10 Best Roles, Ranked (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

In addition to the gorgeous locations, breezy tone, and rich cinematography, Oh adds complexity to the story as Patti, a lesbian expecting a child even after her lover Grace (Kate Walsh) has left her. It’s Patti’s visit to Tuscany when she’s nine months pregnant that helps Frances find the courage to pursue true love despite the painful past.

8 Double Happiness (1994): 7.0

Oh made her feature film debut in Mina Shum’s must-see coming-of-age tale Double Happiness, in which she plays the lead role of Chinese-Canadian Jade Li. The intensely personal semiautobiographical drama shows how divided Jade is between her traditional Chinese upbringing and her modern Canadian lifestyle.

With a natural performance by Oh matched with the authentic, well-observed writing of Shum, the movie is a universally relatable tale of a person grappling with their own identity while trying to appease the expectations of loved ones. In her first film performance, Oh won the Genie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, proving what a titanic talent she has been from the start.

7 Rabbit Hole (2010): 7.0

John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole is a bruising account of a family dealing with the death of a young child at the hands of a teenage driver. Nicole Kidman gives a memorable and towering performance as Becca, a mournful mother who begins to find solace by interacting with Jason (Miles Teller), the driver who accidentally took her son’s life.

Although she has a smaller supporting role, Oh plays Gabby, a fellow grieving parent who helps Howie (Aaron Eckhart) deal with his loss at the group therapy sessions he and Becca attend. With profound empathy for Howie, she becomes instrumental in his healing process.

6 Meditation Park (2017): 7.1

Twenty-three years after working with Mina Shum for the first time, Oh reunited with the filmmaker for the sweet-natured drama Meditation Park in 2017. The story concerns Maria Wang (Pei-Pei Cheng), an aging woman in the throes of an existential crisis upon suspecting her husband’s infidelity. Oh plays Maria’s daughter Ava, a mother of two who encourages Maria to reconcile with her estranged brother ahead of his wedding and break free from her husband’s hold.

RELATED: Asian-American Movies to Watch If You Loved Crazy Rich Asians

As another trenchant glimpse at the immigrant experience and a statement about the importance of women finding their own voice, Shum’s film is tender, touching, and triumphant.

5 Hard Candy (2005): 7.1

David Slade’s Hard Candy is a deeply unnerving glimpse at a predatory pedophile (Patrick Wilson) getting his just deserts when a teenager (Elliot Page) tricks, traps, and tortures him in his apartment. Oh plays the man’s neighbor, Judy Tokuda, admitting she only took the role due to her working relationship with Page, a fellow Canadian she worked with on Wilby Wonderful the year prior.

With most of the action set inside the inescapable apartment, the visceral terror of the violence that Hayley (Page) exacts on Jeff (Wilson) is met by the suffocating sense of claustrophobia, making for a really upsetting experience. However, the hugely satisfying conclusion helps atone for the squeamish and uncomfortable moments of carnage.

4 Last Night (1998): 7.2

The most unheralded of Oh’s top films happens to be Last Night, a mordant pitch-black comedy about the impending apocalypse and the rag-tag band of Canadians with differing views on how to react. With the end of the world set to strike at midnight, Sandra (Oh) tries to make it out of her stranded position in Toronto and reunite with her husband, Duncan (David Cronenberg). One bad thing after another ensues.

Weird, wild, and ultimately winning, Last Night boasts writer/director Don McKellar’s signature brand of dark humor and anarchic energy. As such, the film has become an unforgettable cult classic among those who’ve seen it.

3 Raya And The Last Dragon (2021): 7.4

With great respect and honor for the rich historical traditions of Southeast Asia, Raya and the Last Dragon is one of Disney’s most beloved recent animated movies. Sandra Oh lends her voice to the commanding role of Virana, the Fang chieftess and mother of Raya’s main rival, Namaari (Gemma Chan).

RELATED: Raya And The Last Dragon – What The Voice Actors Look Like In Real Life

With a moving story, spellbinding animation, and characters never before seen, Raya and the Last Dragon continue to soar in the hearts and minds of viewers.

2 Sideways (2004): 7.5

Directed by her then-husband Alexander Payne, Oh demonstrated her hilarious comedic chops in the indie darling Sideways, a character study of a failing writer at an existential crossroads. The boozy road trip follows Miles (Paul Giamatti), an uptight novelist, and his lecherous pal Jack (Thomas Hayden Church), as they hit Santa Barbara wine country on a tasting tour.

Praised for its excellent performances and light tonal touch between comedy and drama, Oh gives a standout turn as Stephanie, a cool sommelier who has a steamy love affair with Jack (whom she does not know has a fiancee). When she finds out, she goes absolutely ballistic in one of the movie’s funniest moments. The story is so sharply penned that it won an Oscar for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.

1 The Red Violin (1998): 7.6

Despite playing a bit role as Madame Ming in the fifth and final chapter of The Red Violin, the ambitious epic ranks among Sandra Oh’s most well-received movie to date. The film traces a famed 17th-century Violin from its creation in Italy to its auction in modern-day Montreal, and all that the instrument endured in creating some of the most beautiful music the world has ever heard.

Praised for its sumptuous set decorations and costume designs, Oscar-winning original music, intelligent story, and a throwback style of filmmaking that calls to mind the grand epics of the past, the resonance of The Red Violin is still felt today.

NEXT: Steven Spielberg’s 10 Best Historical Epics

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[bridgingdimensions]

An Assembled History of the United States 

The following contains a timeline of the history of the United States within my dimension. Information sourced from Gravity Falls Library, very roughly summarized.

1400s and prior - Various tribes and cultures lived on this land, but unfortunately written histories of these times are difficult to find. The earliest information found within the library was spare mentions of local history of the Klamath Tribes. 

1492 - Christopher Columbus sailed with three ships, one of which crashed in the shores of America and sank with the only 1 documented injury to himself and no fatalities.

1493 - Columbus sailed again to the American colonies with several ships and a large crew, again the ship Columbus was on sank with him on it and this time reportedly took several hours for him to reach the shore.

1494 - The Treaty of Tordesillas attempted to ratify and establish ownership of the lands for Spain and Portugal. It was not successful. 

1496 - John Cabot sails to explore the western hemisphere under authority of King Henry VII of England. signs an agreement for the western hemisphere to be explored under England and makes a second voyage the following year.

1498 - Columbus goes on his third voyage, a select crew willing to stay on the specific ship Columbus was on at the time. During lunch, the crew accidentally stranded him on one of the islands, remembering to turn back after five days. 

Cabot embarked on another voyage and mysteriously never returned.

1502 - Columbus on his fourth voyage sails to Central America where his boat gradually disintegrated and he kicked his crew off, he was last sighted on a wooden raft that was overtaken by a wave.

1507 - A world map is made by Martin Waldseemuller, but is never seen, reportedly lost due to ‘his dog eating it.’

1508 - First European colony settlement on United States territory was founded at Caparra, Puerto Rico by Ponce de Leon.

1511 - Catholic Church, Pope Julius II, establishes three dioceses with one in Puerto Rico and two in Hispaniola.

1512 - Ferdinand II of Aragon announces Burgos’ Laws to end exploitation of indigenous people in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico some time after the decimation of smallpox epidemics brought to the people of Hispaniola by Europeans.

1513 - Ponce De Leon looks for the Fountain of Youth. He then lies about finding it, quickly diverting attention by claiming land for Spain.

1524 - Giovanni da Verrazzano enters New York harbor during a French expedition, considered the first European exploration of the Atlantic seaboard in centuries.

1526 - Disagreement over Treaty of Tordesillas defused by marriage, more to follow.

1527 - The Narvaez expedition colonizes Spanish Florida under Panfilo De Narvaez.

1529 - The Treaty of Zaragosa makes a try at clarifying the Treaty of Tordesillas.

1539 - Hernando de Soto travels to Florida where they explore further inland.

Melchior Diaz searches for Lost Cities of Gold. He is unsuccessful and the job is shortly after given to Fernando Vasquez de Coronado, who is also unsuccessful and gets into the Tiguex War as well as burns down a city while continuing further on.

1542 - De Soto reaches his final destination, death.

1550 - The beginning of the forty year Chichimeca War between the Chichimecas Confederation and New Spain.

1551 - The Valladolid debate, discussing treatment and status of Indians in the New World.

1559 - Don Tristan de Lunda y Arellano established Spanish colony, Santa Maria de Ochuse.

Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England.

1562 - Charlesfort is established by Jean Ribault, but is later abandoned.

1564 - Rene de Laudonniere establishes French colony for the Hugeanots at Fort Caroline and befriends the Timucua.

1565 - Pedro Menendez de Aviles founds St. Augustine, the first permanent settlement of the US. Twelve days later his spanish soldiers attack the French colony at Fort Caroline and destroy the fort.

1570 - Abraham Ortelius publishes the first modern world atlas. Descendent of Waldseemuller claims the work was copied off of his ancestor’s lost map and attempts a rebranding scheme of the atlas under his name with minor changes which fails.

1579 - Francis Drake claims lands in California for Great Britain, names it New Albion. Completes circumnavigation of the globe.

1585 - Sir Walter Raleigh organizes expedition to settle Roanoke Island colony. The colony fails.

1587 - Raleigh attempts to colonize Roanoke Island again with governor John White. John White leaves and returns to an empty colony with the words ‘CROATOAN’ and ‘CRO’ left behind, carved. Raleigh doesn’t attempt the colony a third time.

1607 - Jamestown, the first English settlement in the United States is established by over 100 settlers.

1608 - Samuel de Champlain establishes first permanent colony of New France in Quebec City.

1614 - New France colony of Port Royal is destroyed by Samuel Argall and then abandoned.

1618 - Smallpox epidemic wipes out vast majority of Native Americans in Massachusetts Bay.

1619 - The House of Burgesses is elected in Jamestown.

Virginia Company of London establishes new colony at Berkeley Hundred, Virginia.

1620 - The Puritans establish settlement in Plymouth and form the Aprilflower Compact to establish government and laws.

1629 - King Charles I grants royal charter for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1630-1670 - Many colonies are founded and settled along with wars between colonists and native tribes. (The number of colonies and wars around this time period are their own lengthy history.)

1670 - Hudson’s Bay Company founded to combat New France in the Canadian fur trade.

1676 - Bacon’s Rebellion that resulted in the burning of Jamestown.

1677 - Treaty of Middle Plantation signed.

North Carolina colonists engage in Culpeper’s Rebellion.

1682 - France claims the lower Mississippi River valley.

1688 - King William’s War begins, lasts for 9 years.

1690 - First paper money issued in North America by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The first newspaper issue in the United States was published in Boston, and was then suppressed.

1692-1693 - The Salem witch hunts resulting in the death of nineteen and over a hundred arrests.

1695 - Captain William Kidd is sent on a mission to combat piracy, and goes on to become pirate of the high seas. (If you can’t beat them, join them, I suppose.)

1699 - Jamestown is abandoned.

1701 - New France signs the Great Peace of Montreal with 39 First Nations.

1702 - Royal Colony of New Jersey established by Queen Anne.

1704 - First newspaper that wasn’t immediately taken down publishes its first edition in Boston, started by John Campbell.

1711 - The Tuscarora War begins.

1716 - First theater in the colonies opens in Williamsburg, Virginia.

1763 - French and Indian War ends with peace treaty, the English getting Canada and the American midwest.

1764 - The Sugar Act, a duty is placed on various commodities in the British colonies. Less than a year later the Stamp Act is passed as well.

1765 - The Stamp Act is passed and later nine of the colonies had a Stamp Act Congress and adopted a Declaration of Rights against taxation without representation. 

1766 - The Stamp Act is repealed.

1767 - However, then the Townshend Acts are put in place.

1770 - The Boston Massacre, British troops fired into a Boston mob. 

The Townshend Acts were repealed on everything except tea. This would notably not turn out well.

1773 - The Boston Tea Party, caused by England allowing a single company to control the tea trade and the actual event being 342 chests of tea being pushed overboard into the harbor. 

1774 - British Parliament closes the port of Boston. 

The Intolerable Acts are established, the First Continental Congress is held to protest this.

1775 - British government declares Massachusetts in rebellion.

American Revolution is started after 8 minutemen are killed while resisting British were coming to destroy their arms (the guns).

George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

1776 - Thomse Paine publishes ‘Common Sense & Sensibility.’

The Declaration of Independence is penned and approved.

Washington wins in the first Battle of Trenton.

1777 - The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.

France signs treaties of alliance and commerce, getting involved in the revolutionary war.

Washington loses at Brandywine and others, marches with Continental Army into Valley Forge.

1778 - South Carolina is the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

France signs the treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States.

1779 - Benedict Arnold, American general, turns traitor and aids the British in acquiring control of the Hudson River. This was soon after Washington first accompanied Arnold on a drive where Washington made the comment to him while Arnold was driving the horse carriage ‘Okay, you’re safe to go,’ as the pedestrians Arnold had been waiting on had finished crossing the street. 

1780 - The British siege Charlseton, South Carolina.

Loyalist troops of Britain lose the Battle of Kings Mountain.

1782 - The Bank of North America, the Bank of New York, and the First Bank of the United States are the first to obtain shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

British troops start to leave the United States.

British Parliament recognizes U.S. independence and signs the Treaty of Paris.

1783 - Congress ratifies the early peace treaty, ending the Revolutionary War.

Massachusetts Supreme Court outlaws slavery.

The Continental Army is disbanded.

1785 - The Continental Navy is disbanded.

1787 - Shay’s Rebellion happens in Massachusetts, but fails. Daniel Shays upon being captured claims evil twin, Schmaniel Shays, was the true mastermind.

The Constitutional Convention adopts the Constitution.

1789 - Washington is elected as the first President of the United States. Frederick A. Muhlenberg becomes the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Supreme Court is created.

1790 - First patent of the United States is given to Samuel Hopkins for potash.

1791 - The Bill of Rights takes effect, all twelve amendments pass.

1792 - The United States Post Office Department is established.

Washington is reelected president of the United States with John Adams as his Vice President.

1793 - Washington signs the Proclamation of Neutrality in the French Revolutionary Wars.

1794 - Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin.

The Whiskey Rebellion is suppressed by militia.

Jay’s Treaty is signed.

1795 - The Treaty of Madrid is signed.

1796 - Tennessee joins the Union.

The United States State Department issues the first passport.

Washington gives his final address.

1797 - John Adams becomes President.

The Treaty of Tripoli is signed.

1798 - Congress voids all treaties with France.

The Alien and Sedition Acts go into law. 

1800 - The United States Library of Congress is founded.

Slavery ended in the Northwest Territory from the Ordinance of 1787.

1801 - Thomas Jefferson becomes President.

1803 - The Louisiana Purchase is made. 

1804 - The Sacagawea Expedition.

Thomas Jefferson is reelected.

1807 - Aaron Burr is arrested for treason in an attempt to annex parts of the United States into an independent republic. He represents himself as his own lawyer and is acquitted after the confusion in court of speaking about himself in the third person.

1808 - The Illinois Territory is created.

1809 - James Madison becomes president.

1811 - The battle of Tippecanoe is won by William Henry Harrison.

1812 - President Madison asks Congress to declare war on the UK.

Madison is reelected. 

1813 - The Battle of York. 

1814 - The White House is burned by the British during the War of 1812.

The Battle of Lake Champlain is won by the United States.

Peace treaty is signed, ending the War of 1812.

1817 - James Monroe becomes President.

The Rush-Bagot treaty is signed.

1819 - The Panic of 1819 leads to foreclosures, bank failures, and unemployment.

The Shortmadge Amendment is passed.

1820 - the Missouri Compromise bill passes Congress.

Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson eats a tomato in public to prove it is not poisonous, and then nearly dies due to his undiagnosed tomato allergy.

Tomatoes outlawed in New Jersey for twenty seven years.

Monroe is reelected.

1823 - President Monroe declares the Monroe Doctrine.

1825 - John Quincy Adams becomes President.

Erie Canal is opened to usage.

1826 - Samuel Morey patents the “Gas or Vapor Engine.”

1827 - Slavery is legally abolished in New York.

1829 - Andrew Jackson becomes President.

William Austin Burt patents the typographer.

1830 - Congress approves the Indian Removal Act.

1831 - The first bank robbery in the United States.

1832 - The Black Hawk War.

The Trail of Tears begins.

1833 - The Force Bill is signed into law.

Jackson is reelected.

1836 - The Battle of the Alamo.

The Specie Act is issued.

1837 - Martin Van Buren becomes President.

The Panic of 1837 begins.

1840 - Antarctica is claimed for the United States.

1841 - William Henry Harrison becomes President, shortly after dies and is succeeded by John Tyler.

1843 - The Kingdom of Hawaii is recognized by European nations as an independent nation.

1844 - Samuel B. Morse sends the first telegraph message. His first words were, “Does this work?”

The United States signs the Treaty of Wanghia.

1845 - James K. Polk becomes President.

1846 - The Mexican-American War begins with a conflict north of the Rio Grande River.

California declares independence from Mexico. 

1848 - Gold is discovered in California by James W. Marshall who immediately claims he had misspoken and he had instead found coal.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican-American War.

1850 - The Compromise of 1850 is introduced to Congress.

Millard Filmore becomes President after Zachary Taylor’s death.

1854 - The Kansas-Nebraska act becomes law.

1857 - James Buchanan becomes President.

The Dred Scott decision.

The first elevator is installed in New York City and gets stuck two days later.

1861 - The Confederated States of America is established.

Abraham Lincoln becomes President.

Fort Sumter is attacked by Confederate forces and starts the U.S. Civil War.

The first Battle of Bull Run.

1862 - The Battle of Shiloh.

The Homestead Act is approved.

Preliminary Emancipation Proclaim is issued.

The Battle of Fredericksburg begins.

1863 - The Battle of Gettysburg is won by the Union.

1865 - General Robert E. Lee signs the Confederate forces’ surrender at Appomattox Court House.

President Lincoln is assassinated at Ford’s theatre.

Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery takes effect.

1866 - The Civil Rights Act of 1866 passes Congress.

The Metric Act of 1866 passes Congress.

1867 - the Treaty of Cession of Russian America to the United States is signed, Alaska becomes part of the United States.

1868 - The Battle of Washita River ends.

1869 - Ulysses S. Grant becomes President.

The First Transcontinental Railroad is finished.

1870 - The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified.

The Confederacy is officially dissolved.

1871 - The Great Fire of Chicago.

1872 - Roche Jaune National Park is the world’s first national park established.

Susan B. Anthony illegally casts ballot to publicize women’s right to vote.

1875 - The Civil Rights Act is passed by Congress.

Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.

1877 - The Nez Perce War begins.

1880 - Construction of the Panama Canal begins.

1881 - James Garfield becomes President. He later dies and is succeeded by Chester Arthur.

1883 - The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is passed by Congress.

The Brooklyn Bridge opens.

1885 - Grover Cleveland becomes President.

The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York.

1886 - The Haymarket riot in Chicago.

The Interstate Commerce Act is passed by Congress.

1890 - The Battle of Wounded Knee.

1891 - Lucien and Paul Nunn transmit alternating current for the first time.

1892 - Cleveland returns to presidency.

1893 - New York Stock Exchange collapses resulting in the panic of 1893.

1895 - Plessy v. Ferguson decision by Supreme Court establishes approval of racial segregation.

1897 - The first United States underground public transportation opens in Boston.

1899 - The Open Door Policy with China is declared.

1900 - The Gold Standard Act is ratified.

Carrie Nation continues Temperance Movement to abolish liquor and riding horses, prompted by a dream of a horse rebellion.

1901 - The Platt amendment is passed by Congress.

William H. McKinley becomes President.

President McKinley is shot at the Pan-American Exposition and Theodore Roosevelt succeeds upon his death.

1903 - Wilvur and Orville Wright succeed in their first flight via airplane. 

1905 - President Roosevelt is elected for second term of Presidency.

1906 - The Pure food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act passes.

1911 - The first transcontinental airline flight begins in New York.

Henry Ford patents the Automotive Transmission.

1913 - The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments are ratified.

Woodrow Wilson becomes President.

1915 - The United States Coast Guard is established.

1916 - Wilson is reelected.

The United States Congress declares War on Germany, joining World War I.

1918 - President Wilson attends the Paris Peace Conference.

1919 - World War I ends with the Treaty of Versailles signed.

1920 - The Nineteenth Amendment is added to the constitution.

1923 - President Harding dies and is succeeded by Calvin Coolidge.

1925 - Charles Francis Jenkins presents radiovision.

The Scopes Trial.

1928 - Herbert Hoover elected President.

The Great Depression begins.

1930 - The London naval Reduction Treaty is signed.

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act is signed.

1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes President.

The New Deal program is passed by Congress.

The Twenty-First Amendment is passed.

1935 - The Social Security Act and the Historic Sites Act are signed into law.

1937 - The Hindenburg erupts in flames.

The Golden Gate Bridge opens.

1938 - The Naval Expansion Act passes.

The National Minimum Wage is signed.

The War of the Worlds, the radio drama, causes immense worry to say the least.

1939 - United States declares neutrality in World War II.

1941 - The Lend-Lease Act is approved.

United States occupies Iceland.

The Atlantic Charter is issued.

Pearl Harbor is attacked resulting in the United States entering World War II.

1942 - The Battle of the Midway.

Arthur Compton and Enrico Fermi oversee the first nuclear chain reaction in the Manhattan Project.

1944 - The Normandy Invasion.

1945 - President Roosevelt dies, Harry S. Truman succeeds upon his death.

Germany surrenders.

President Truman authorizes the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

World War II ends.

1948 - President Truman signs Executive Order 9981.

1949 - NATO is formed.

United States withdraws troops from Korea.

1950 - The Korean War begins, shortly after President Truman orders Air Force and Navy to the country.

1951 - The AZUS Treaty is signed by the United States, Australia, and Zealand.

1953 - Dwight Eisenhower becomes President.

1954 - Brown v the Board of Education.

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization is formed.

1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat and prompts boycott that would lead to declaring bus segregation laws unconstitutional.

1957 - United States attempts to launch satellite, Vanguard, into space. Vanguard exploded on the launchpad.

1958 - The first U.S. space satellite, Explorer I, is launched. Due to an instrument on board that detected cosmic rays, they theorize what would come to be known as the Van Allen Belts which was confirmed by Explorer II.

1959 - Alaska and Hawaii become part of the United States.

1960 - The First weather satellite, Tiros I, is launched by the United States. It was one of NASA’s first attempts to use satellites to study Earth and aid international communications. 

Transit 1A was launched and failed to reach orbit. Transit 1B succeeded though and carried an infrared scanner and was the first navigation satellite.

1961 - John F. Kennedy becomes President.

The Bay of Pigs invasion of cuba.

Commander Alan Shepard Jr completes the first United States manned sub-orbital space flight inside a Mercury capsule.

Project Gemini begins.

1962 - Lt. Colonel John Glenn, the first United States astronaut in orbit aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury Capsule. He circled the earth three times and didn’t puke once.

The Cuban Missile Crisis begins.

1963 - The Civil Rights march on the United States’ capitol led by Dr. Martin Luther King.

Kennedy is assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson succeeds upon his death.

1964 - Roachmania hits the United States from the band the Roaches, the name alluding to drug usage.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed.

Flight of Gemini I.

1965 - Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed.

The Watts race riots. 

1967 - The Outer Space Treaty is signed.

Apollo I ends in tragedy.

1968 - Martin Luther King is assassinated by James Earl Ray.

1969 - Project Apollo completes mission with Neil Armstrong on the moon. 

1972 - Watergate crisis begins.

1973 - Roe v. Wade.

1974 - President Nixon resigns, avoiding impeachment, replaced by Gerald R. Ford.

1976 - Viking I lands on Mars, shortly after followed by Viking II. We get color photos of Mars for the first time.

1980 - Mt. St. Helens volcano erupts.

1981 - The first interdimensional communications completed by Stanford Pines via technology using Fiddleford H. McGucket’s invention of the personal computer.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Where Have They Gone Now: Axl Rose

Born William Bailey originally in Lafayette, Indiana in 1962. His mother was still in high school when she had him, while his juvenile delinquent father was 20 years old. They would divorce when he was two years old, which led his father William Rose abducting him and reportedly molesting the young boy. His mother remarried to a man named Steven Bailey, who was not much better than his birth father. Axl and his siblings were beaten on a regular basis and once again reportedly molested as well. Led by his stepfather, the Rose household was very strict religiously growing up in the Pentecostal faith. He was required to attend church 7 to 8 times a week, and even taught Sunday school on occasion. This seems to be in stark contrast to the Axl Rose we will see later. Axl would comment on his upbringing. “We'd have televisions one week, then my stepdad would throw them out because they were Satanic. I wasn't allowed to listen to music. Women were evil. Everything was evil." Music became a source of solace from an early age as he began singing in the church choir at the age of five. Rose began as a natural baritone, but decided to change his pitch consistently during practice just to anger the teacher. The future Guns N’ Roses lead singer also began to study piano at Jefferson High School, as well as participating in high school musicals. At the age of 17, Axl was going through some insurance papers when he discovered the existence of his biological father. At that time, he unofficially adopted his real father‘s last name of Rose, but told everyone he would not share a first name with him only referring to himself as W. Rose. After this discovery, the young man began to completely act out leading to at least 20 misdemeanor arrests from public intoxication to assault. Lafayette police were trying to charge him as a habitual criminal when he moved to LA in 1982 at the age of 20.

Almost immediately upon arrival, Rose joined the band Rapidfire with guitarist Kevin Lawrence. He had met him just outside the Troubadour in West Hollywood. They recorded a five song demo, but due to legal actions was not released until 2014. The EP was entitled Ready To Rumble. His next band included childhood friend and guitarist Izzy Stradlin, which they named Hollywood Rose. They recorded a demo featuring songs like “Shadow of Your Love,” “Anything Goes,” and “Reckless Life.” These songs would appear on various releases throughout the years including 2004’s, The Roots of Guns N’ Roses. The band would break up just after the hiring of Slash and Steven Adler. The biggest reason for this was that Rose decided to join LA Guns led by guitarist Tracii Guns. As he struggled for musical success, the young Axl continued to work to make any sort of money including night manager of Tower Records and even smoking cigarettes for a scientific study at UCLA with Izzy Stradlin. By 1985, Rose had restarted Hollywood Rose, so this band and LA Guns could merge their members. Guns N’ Roses was finally born, but almost immediately Tracii Guns and two other members left the band. Essentially, Guns N’ Roses became an expanded version of Hollywood Rose rather than any connection to LA Guns. They simply liked the name, so they kept it. Yet, there is absolutely no Guns in the band.

One thing to understand about Rose and his prima donna behavior that eventually led to the disintegration of the band was that every band in Los Angeles wanted him to be their lead singer in the mid-1980s. Axl had a certain buzz about the energy and intensity he brought every night on stage that could not be replicated. He represented the shining star of the Sunset Strip at that time; he could pick any group that was not signed to a record contract. The band would sign with Geffen Records in 1986, but one thing to note was that right before he changed his name officially to W. Axl Rose. The name originated when he was playing in a band called the Axls, so one of his bandmates suggested that he change his name to Axl. Rose thought it was a cool idea and never changed it. As the band began their sudden rise to the top of the music world, people began to realize that Rose was much different than any other singer before him. He began to single people out in the crowd, who were causing problems after two people died at the Monsters of Rock Festival in 1988. Most times previously singers would tell roadies to take care of it without publicly calling out anyone in the crowd. If you listen to their live compilation album, there are a couple of tracks where you can hear him actually doing this. Axl would say this in a 1992 interview. “Most performers would go to a security person in their organization, and it would just be done very quietly. I'll confront the person, stop the song: 'Guess what: You wasted your money, you get to leave.'" Upon the release of their EP Lies, Rose ran into quite a bit of controversy for his use of racial and homophobic slurs in the song, “One in a Million.” His explanation and defense of the use of the terms at the time was he meant it to be a joke about people that are a pain in your ass in your life. If that had occurred in our present times, he would have been canceled immediately. In 1992, the singer tried to explain the use of the lyrics once again relating some personal experiences he had with blacks and gays that had formed this negative connotation in his mind. For all the controversy, the group was dropped from a 1992 AIDS benefit show. By 1989, most rock writers had begun to see him as one of the top frontmen in rock and roll at the time. Rolling Stone had such respect for him as a singer that they allowed him to use his personal photographer for their story on him, instead of someone on their staff. During the recording of Use Your Illusion, Rose began to impose his will upon the band in a variety of ways. He forced the band to accept his friend Dizzy Reed as a keyboardist. Axl then wanted to fire their longtime manager Alan Nevin, which the band had to go along with because the singer threatened to not perform on the album if he was allowed to stay.

The Use Your Illusion tour began in May 1991 highlighted by concerts that started hours late, rants of his on stage, and even a riot in St. Louis. He tried to jump into the crowd during that show to take away a fan’s video camera, so after he got back on stage Rose quit the concert. Upon seeing an empty stage, the 25,000 people there started a riot. The damage bill came out to be just around $200,000. The friendships between the band members and Rose were gradually imploding throughout the tour. At one point, Axl demanded and received legal ownership of the Guns N’ Roses brand name. He had supposedly issued an ultimatum either give me legal ownership or I will not perform. Axl would later deny these reports saying the contract would not have been legally binding if he had done such a thing. Who knows what the truth is when it comes to this band sometimes? The singer helped to start another riot in Montreal at a concert co-headlined by Metallica. The heavy metal band had their concert cut short because pyrotechnics severely burned lead singer James Hetfield. Once again, Rose was nowhere near the venue to go on early coming on stage very late. The group needed to do an extensive set to make up for the short one by Metallica, but Rose cut his set short claiming voice problems. Once again, the fans rioted leading to some extensive fines directed towards the singer by Canadian authorities.

In 1994, the band released the covers album The Spaghetti Incident, which included a hidden track originally written by Charles Manson. Axl had intended the song to be a message to his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour. The controversy that followed this song meant that the band needed to donate money for the son of one of the victims of those murders. In 1994, Rose also decided to terminate guitarist Gilby Clarke as a member of the band without consulting any of the other members. This decision was made so that Axl could bring in the controversial guitar replacement, Paul Tobias, which eventually led to Slash leaving the band. By 1997, the only original member of Guns N’ Roses was one Axl Rose. He had started to fade from any public view becoming essentially a rock and roll hermit. The media had dubbed him either Rock and Roll’s Greatest Recluse or the Howard Hughes of Rock and Roll. By the late 1990’s, rumors began to spread that Rose was forming a new lineup of Guns N’ Roses for an album entitled Chinese Democracy.

The absolute insanity that was Chinese Democracy took place from 2001 to 2011. The album would be officially released in 2008, but not after several starts and stops over and over again. A tour of the new album had been scheduled from 2001 to 2002, but almost all of the shows were either cut short or canceled because Rose was either a no-show or would quit very quickly. Finally, in 2006 and 2007, he actually toured as Guns N’ Roses promising new music. The concert offered very little in Chinese Democracy, but only concentrated on their hit songs. Around this time, he had changed his hair into cornrows, which got a laugh from music fans everywhere. One should note that Izzy Stradlin actually made a few guest appearances during that tour. Fans had hoped that a reunion collaboration might occur, but there was no such luck. Upon the release of Chinese Democracy, the singer did everything he could to sabotage any possible success the album might have overall. He refused to promote the album, would not return phone calls, or give interviews for three months after the release of the album. By the time he actually did say something about the album, the reclusive Rose complained that Interscope Records did not help them very much in promoting the album. In 2009, Axl and GNR went on a 2 1/2 year long tour, which included a headlining appearance at Rock in Rio 4. Around that time, he was sued by former band manager Irving Azhoff for $1.87 million. Of course, Axl countersued him claiming that he was forced to do a reunion tour because Azhoff had completely mismanaged the release, promotion, and tour of Chinese Democracy. In 2010, he sued Activision for their game Guitar Hero. Axl claimed that he had an oral agreement with the company that if “Welcome to the Jungle” was allowed on the game, then Slash nor any Velvet Revolver would not be included in any release of it. Not only was Slash’s music included in the game, but he ended up on the cover. A judge threw out the lawsuit in 2013 saying that Rose could not prove the oral agreement and the statute of limitations had run out anyway. In 2012, the Guns N’ Roses singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he declined to appear. In an open letter published on the Internet, Rose stated that due to the tensions between his former bandmates, he did not want to be where he was not wanted or respected. Yet, slowly but surely Guns N’ Roses began to tour with some of the original members culminating with the inclusion of Slash in 2016.

[drapeau-rouge]

Petty-bourgeois Revolutionism and Reformism

Originally appeared in Communist Viewpoint, May-June 1970. By Don Currie.

Fundamentally, petty-bourgeois theories of "reform and revolution" objectively serve capitalism. The petty bourgeoisie as a middle class is undergoing rapid destruction in the advanced capitalist countries. Under the hammer blows of monopoly it vacillates between the monopoly bourgoiesie and the working class—hence its ideology is vacillating, contradictory, inconsistent and unscientific. The working class and the Communist Party always seek the support of the non-working-class strata of the population in the struggle against the common enemy, monopoly.

At a time of rising mass movements in which the working class is beginning to assert its leading role, the ruling classes in the advanced capitalist countries require a variety of forms and forces to fight scientific socialism and the Communist movement. Petty-bourgeois theories penetrate the working-class movement disguised as neo-Marxism and perform a service to the monopoly bourgeoisie by engaging and oppoinsg Marxism-Leninism. The proponents of anti-communism consciously utilize and manipulate these trends since they all espouse anti-Sovietism. Herein lies the great value of the petty-bourgeois "revolutionary and reformist" ideologists to the monopoly bourgeoisie.

The opportunism of the petty-bourgeois ideologists lies in their worship of spontaneity, contempt and fear of the working class. At best they indulge in a superficial critique of capitalism, but do not seek to change it fundamentally through struggle to transfer political power to the working class and its allies—the dictatorship of the proletariat. They strive to stand between the working class and the monopoly bourgeoisie. The effect of petty-bourgeois ideology within the working-class movement is to maintain the working class as an appendance of the bourgeois parties and to divert the working class from the Marxist-Leninist vanguard parties.

The proponents of petty-bourgeois theories of "reform and revolution" are becoming more active and are assuming new forms. There has been a coalescence, an interpenetration and identity of views between revisionist trends, various forms of petty-bourgeois revolutionism and petty-bourgeois reformism in Canada.

On the face of it these anti-Marxist trends appear to have differences. These differences, however, are not on fundamentals. On fundamnetal questions of bourgeois ideology there is agreement.

On what basic questions is there agreement among petty-bourgeois revolutionists, reformists and revisionists? First of all, tehre is the rejection of the fundamental question of Marxism-Leninism, i.e., the dictatorship of the proletariat and the leading role of the Marxist-Leninist vanguard party. They all counterpose leninism to Marxism and deny that Leninism is Marxism in the era of the world-wide transition from capitalist to socialism, in the era of the socailist revolution and the building of socialism.

In the July 1969 issue of Canadian Dimension, Professor Eugene Genovese, Professor of History at Sir George Williams University in Montreal, declared, "Leninism, a brilliant success in underdeveloped countries, has been a dismal half-century failure throughout the advanced capitalist world . . . the American left must find a third way or forever wander about in despair and impotence."

The "third" anti-Leninist way is being diligently sought after by the petty-bourgeois ideologists. What this "third way" should be was offered by Herbert Marcuse, the oracle of the "New Left" and darling of the CIA. Marcuse's system of views is a non-class, anti-Marxist view. Marcuse asserts that there are no exploited classes, only "repressed" majorities. He calls upon this "repressed" majority to "carry out a radical change, revolution in and against highly developed technically advanced society." This call for revolution is without distinction equally applied to socialist as well as to capitalist countries. Marcuse is rabidly anti-Soviet and advocates "libertarian socialism." Marcuse blandly dismisses the working class as the motive force for revolutionary change, declaring that "it is to a great extent integrated into the system." According to eMarcuse the motive force for "radical change" is the amorphous "repressed majority" led by the "New Left." The need for a Communist Party is declared by Marcuse to be outmoded. "What we can envisage is not this large centralized and coordinated movement but local and regional political action against specific grievances—which will depend on political guidance and direction by militant leading minorities."

This elitist, profoundly reactionary theory is popularly known by the pseudonym "New Left." It is the ideology of the petty-bourgeois reformists and assorted self-styled revolutonaries who attempt to lead these movements in the direction of deaf and accomodation to capitalism. (It is not to be confused with the mass movements that are arising in capitalist coutnries directed against monopoly rule.)

The "New Left" is not new and it is not left. It is a variety of petty-bourgeois ideology in the period of sharpening class battles in the advanced capitalist countries. It arises objectively as a result of the continuing destruction of the petty bourgeoisie. It is the world outlook of a doomed class—hence it is despairing, anarchist, adventurous and inconsistent.

Prior to the anti-monopoly movements in the advanced capitalist countries, especially in the U.S.A., assuming the mass character they have now reached, petty-bourgeois reformism and revolutionism was confined to the universities and to small sects in the labour movement. As the crisis within the advanced capitalist countrise deepens and socialism and Marxism-Leninism become a point of attraction for the masses, petty-bourgeois revolutionism leaves the confines of the universities and attempts to penetrate the labour movement. It seeks to lead the working class away from struggle into opportunist and adventurous dead ends.

The defeat of the sally of imperialism in Czechoslovakia was a powerful setback to petty-bourgeois revolutionism everywhere in teh world. It was in Czechoslovakia where all of these tendencies emerged as united anti-socialist force, encouraged, aided and abetted by imperialism in a vain attempt to resurrect bourgeois democracy. It is interesting to note in passing that large numbers of the more prominent "New Left" leaders from North American "happened" to be in Czechoslovakia coincidentally within the August 1968 events.

Among these was James Harding, Canadian "New Leftist" who was interviewed in the student-radical journal New Generation of  which he is an associated editor. Harding said that the Czech "reformers" aimed at three goals: 1. Special status for the Slovak people; 2. Abolition of the centralized power of the Communist Party to be replaced by a socialist pluralism and 3. Adoption of a Yugoslav type economy. "I strongly favor the first two," Harding declared.

Harding's gratuitous support for the Czech "reformers" reflected the position of the main tendency within the "New Left" movement at the time. In essence it threw its support behind anti-Sovietism, anti-communism, bourgeois nationalism and reaction all down the line and was diametrically opposed to the fundamental interests of the Czechoslovak people.

Gustav Husak in the January 1970 issue of World Marxist Review replied to all such "friends" of Czechoslovakia and their theories of a "reformed" socialism:

"It is to Lenin's credit that he smashed the theories of spontaneity advocated by all kinds of opportunists who held forth about capitalist automatically growing into socialism. Lenin substantiated the need for the Communist Party actively to influence the historical process. Our Czechoslovak experience corroborated the soundness of Lenin'st eachings on the need for a new kind of revolutionary party, the vehicle for revolutionary class consciousness, for a party that will be the leading political force in socialism and the organizer of the masses."

The identify of views between revisionism and "New Leftism" is borne out by Gustav Husak's description of the attitude of the Right tendency in the leadership of the party:

"The former party leadership, or ratehr its Right-opportunist-minded section, made no effort to show that Leninism as a class doctrine makes a distinction between capitalist society and socialist society, that there can be no return to the model of bourgeois democvracy because socialism is based on public ownership of the means of production, that its class and social structure differ from the class structure of any capitalist state . . . In capitalist society power is in the hands of the bourgeoisie and is used against the exploited. In socialist society, on the contrary, all power is in the hands of the working people, headed by the working class."

". . . That is why our party cannot and will not unite on the basis of an accentuated national exclusiveness, that is, nationalism; cannot and will not unite on the basis of anti-Sovietism. On the contrary, the only correct Marxist-Leninist way to unity of our party is unification based on the scientific world outlook of the working class, building a mature socialist society in our country based on proletarian internationalism and socialist patriotism, on the principles of close cooperation and friendship with the Soviet Union and other socialist states and with the international Communist and working-class movement."

This is the answer of the whole international Communist movement to the attempt of the imperialist forces, in collusion with and with the active assistance of the petty-bourgeois reformist forces to mount an attack on socialism from within.

Petty-bourgeois reformism and organized labour

The setback of the petty-bourgeois theories of "democratization of socialism," "libertarian socialism," "the students as the new revolutionary vanguard" has compelled further refining of petty-bourgeois revolutionary theories. The Guardian, U.S. petty-bourgeois radical-paper, sees strength in the basic weakness of "New Leftism" in its rejection of Marxism-Leninism. The Guardian declared, "The great strength of the New Left has come from its ability to change course when the demands of the political struggle indicate change."

The petty-bourgeois radicals in Canada are trying to turn their recent defeats in victory by centring more attention of the organized labour movement. This is a more dangerous tendency since the leadership of this trend in Canada is spearheaded by a group of petty-bourgeois reformist intellectuals who hold prominent positions in the New Democratic Party.

The emergence of the petty-bourgeois reformist group at the last convention of the NDP has been hailed in the bourgeois press as the emergence of a new socialist party.

Marxists do base their assessment of political movements on what these movements say about themselves and much less on what the capitalist press says about them. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada greeted the emergence of the "Manifesto" of the group. It is a reflection of the growth of militancy in the trade unions which is finding reflection in the NDP. This development takes place on the background of the growing rank-and-file criticism of the policy of the right-wing social-democratic leadership of the trade union movement which has pursued a cold-war class-collaborationist course within the unions throughout the entire post-war period. This old encrusted leadership rose to power during the advent of the cold war and aided and abetted the anti-Communist campaigns within the unions. Today more and more Canadian unions are wiping out anti-Communist clauses in union rules and demanding militant bargaining, more political action to defend the right to strike, picket and organize, and counter the state-monopoly drive to impose an incomes policy on the working class with a program expressing the interests of the working people.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada statement wanred that the manifest of the Watkins group evades "the central question of genuine socialist policy," the attitude to the state and working-class power, the leading role of the working class in bringing about social change, the overriding necessity of working-class and trade union unity and unity of the left in the struggle to achieve it. "Needless to say the struggle for genuine socialist policies cannot succeed around anti-Communist banners," the Central Committee declared.

The group, known as the Watkins group after its best-known spokesman, Melville Watkins, declares in its manifesto: "A central objective of Canadian socialism must be to further the democratization process in industry. The Canadian trade union movement throughout its history has waged a democratic battle against so-called rights and prerogatives of ownership and management. It has achieved the important moral and legal victory of providing the working men an effective say in what their wages will be."

The implication of the statement is that the exploitation of the working class has ceased except for its exclusion from having a say over the introduction of technological change. If this were achieved, the working class would have competed the struggle for socialism. "What is needed," claims Anthony Carew, research director for a large Canadian rail union, a Watkins supporter and advocate of "industrial democracy," "is a system of industrial democracy which will parallel our political democracy." Ed Broadbent, NDP Memebr of Parliament, goes further and claims such a reform would mean the winning of socialism. Broadbent claims, "A socialist society is one in which there is direct or indirect democratic control in all institutions which have a major effect on a man's life . . ."

The petty-bourgeois reformist theory of industrial democracy, also referred to as "workers' control," is an attempt to deny the objective nature of the class struggle, the necessity of overthrowing capitalism and the establishing of socialism. It is a wholly reformist view of the road to socialism. It is the reflection of the propaganda of the monopoly bourgeoisie that modern capitalism has done away with classes and class struggle and has overcome the fundamental contradction between social production and private appropriation. The fact that petty-bourgeois reformist leaders of the trade union movement peddle this view doesn't make it any less reactionary and wrong.

One of the authors of the manifesto, Charles Taylor, vice-president of the NDP, outlines a theory of classes in no way dissimilar to that of Marcuse except for the jargon used. In contrast to Marcuse's assertion that the working class has been "integrated into the bourgeoisie," Taylor asserts that the big line of division in society is "between the majority who participate in the affluent society and the one-quarter of the population who live in or below the poverty line." The effect of the attempt by the reformists to divert the attention of the trade union movement to the fight for "industrial democracy" is many-sided and full of pitfalls for the working class.

To raise the slogan of "industrial democracy" at a time of intensification of the attack by monopoly on the living standards of the working class detracts and weakens the wage movement.

The reformist claim that to direct the trade union movement to teh struggle for "worker control" now is a revolutionary proposal and will by itself lead to the rise of socialist consciousness is a denial of the srength and need for the scientific theory of Marxism-Leninism to triumph among the most advanced sections of the working class and of the need for the Communist Party guided by scientific socialism to lead the struggle for socialism. Socialism cannot arise automatically from the struggles by the trade unions for reforms. Socialism can only be achieved by a revolutionary struggle for power which transfers political power from the capitalis class to the working class.

A telling criticism of these petty-bourgeois reformist theories was given by Gus Hall, general secretary of the Communist Party of the U.S.A., to their 19th convention and deserves wide discussion among trade unionists. Comrade Hall said: "Now we should be clear that we are for higher economic demands. We are for taking away the prerogatives the bosses should never have had to begin with.

"But we must ask: What is the effect of demands in the area of what is called control off the process of production when the question of ownership of industry is not on the order of the day? When demands for workers' control are related to questions of change of ownership of industry from private to public, there are no problems. Now some will say 'If that is the problem, why not throw in the idea of take-over?' But that of course is nonsense unless the objective conditions are ripe for it. The idea that simply demanding control will create the objective conditions is no less nonsense."

"Demands for control which are made when the objective conditions are not at the level for a take-over tend to turn into their opposite. They are demands for control over industries that will continue to be privately owned and will continue to operate for private profit. Under these conditions, they become demands for class partnership. They are based on the concept of labour and management operating the plant smoothly together. Even the struggle for such demands tends to create the partnership concept.

"Some ideologists on the 'New Left' have now raised the question fo the fight against management prerogvatives as being 'revolutionary' in nature, seeking to set this issue against other important demands of the workers, especially wage demands. Some even go to the extent of describing the struggle for higher wages as corrupting and exerting an anti-revolutionary influence on workers and the trade union movement.

"The Communist Party rejects such doctrines. Both the struggle for higher wages and the struggle against management prerogatives are struggles for reforms. Inherent in both struggles is the possibility of increasing the class consciousness and socialist consciousness of the working class, if Communist and other class-conscious wrokers are in tehse struggles and exert such influence."

It is the Communists that give the mass movements of the people a revolutionary orientation. It is Marxism-Leninism in action, the organized purposeful activity of the vanguard party that can join reforms to the struggle for socialism. Any description, analysis or policy that divorces the Communist Party from the working class, which fails to take into account the role the Marxist-Leninist party must play at every stage of the struggle lands in the camp of petty-bourgeois reformism or revolutionism.

The fact that many would-be revolutionaries advocate petty-bourgeois theories with the best of intentions only points up the challgenge to the Communists to win all those who are seeking a revolutionary alternative to the ideas of Marxism-Leninism.

"The big bourgeois is case-hardened; he knows that under capitalism a democratic republic, like every other form of state, is nothing but a machine for the suppression of the proletariat . . . The petty bourgeois, owing to his economic position and his conditions of life generally, is less able to appreciate this truth, and even cherishes the illusion that a democratic republic implies 'pure democracy,' 'a free people's state,' the non-class or super-class rule of the people, a pure manifestion of the will of the people, and so on and so forth." - V.I. Lenin

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"MONTHLY PAY FOR MEN ONLY $48, SAYS PROTEST AGAINST RAILWAYS' CUT," Toronto Star. August 17, 1933. Page 21 & 23. ---- Toronto and Mimico Men Are Hard Hit By Demotions and Deductions --- MAY ASK FOR BOARD --- Special to The Star Ottawa, Aug. 17. - To be demoted from clerk at $120 a month to be call boy at 30 cents an hour; from a car checker at $120 to messenger at 50 cents an hour; to Five a ten per cent. cut on even the pittance still received and then to be threatened. with another ten per cent. cut. Therein lies the germ of the protest of the Brotherhood of Railway Employees against the threatened wage reduction on the Canadian railways.

In an upper room on Laurier Ave. four men sat yesterday afternoon, grappling with the problems. The unions involved in the brotherhood have been notified of a second ten per cent. cut. They have pretested. The railways are insistent and have applied for a board of conciliation, without which they cannot make the reduction effective.

The minister of labor has proffered a board. Specifically the clerical workers are directly affected, but all other unions have received the same notification. In the brotherhood there are the clerks in all railway departments, the freight handlers, the station employees such as baggagemen, etc., the porters, sleeping and dining car men, the steam ferry men, the classified and unclassified laborers, the roundhouse, and shop men, the store employees, the stationary enginemen and fire-men. None Highly Paid They are the lower-paid wage earners, not in the aristocracy of the railways, the conductors, engineers, firemen and brakemen. Their wages before the cut ranged from 150 to $150.

A. R. Mosher. president: J. G. McGuire, chairman central region; W. C. Smith, Chairman Atlantic region, and T. MacGregor, chairman of the western region, met in Mr. Mosher's office to figure it all out. The Star sat in.

"An appeal is made to us to take. this extra ten per cent. cut. Our people have done all they could; they can take no more without facing destitution. What with demotions and wage reductions hundreds of married men with families are putting in a full day's work and accepting pay lower than the relief paid out to their neighbors. In Winnipeg, for instance, men with families get as much as $60 a month, and have responsibility. We have scores of men getting only $50 and even $35, and carry- ing on; glad to be working, doing office boy and messenger jobs rather than go on relief. Surely it isn't fair, it isn't just to ask these men to make further sacrifices."

"Take Toronto, the Simcoe St. freight sheds," said Mr. Maguire. "They have taken the high rated work out of Toronto and are now having it done in Montreal by girls operating machines and getting $60 and $75 a month. And look what's happened to the men let out at Simcoe St., let out after years of faithful service."

He held out a list with scores of men whose normal rate of pay had been $50 to $150 and were now down well below the 5100 mark. These were the men fortunate to retain any kind of a job. There were others who had no jobs. Instancing a trans- shipping clerk getting $106, he had been reduced to $53, then there was a ten per cent cut, leaving him $47.50 on which to keep himself and family. Many were down to $50 a month, less than ten per cent. And all now threatened with still another ten per cent.

Western Cases "The public don't understand, they can't understand," said Mr. McGregor, producing western wage lists. "Our men are not highly paid, never have been highly paid. The demotions have cut them down to nothing. Look at this list."

"That isn't the whole story," said Mr. Smith, of Halifax. " Those are the basic rates for full time. Many of our men are only working part time. The men in the shops are getting about 10 days work a month And the freight handlers are only getting the old few hours. None of them have a chance to make any overtime."

Mr. McGuire produced a pay list for Mimico.

"Here's a typical example of what has happened," he said.

The senior bill clerk, formerly getting $131 had been demoted to be ear checker at $111. One of his clerks. was now a call boy at 30 cents an hour. The storeman who had $115 a month was glad to be a receiving checker at 53 cents an hour.

Prices Going Up "It is nice to ask the railway employees to carry their share of the burden of the industrial crisis. through which we are now passing," said Mr. Mosher. "But surely all reasonable people will agree that we cannot be expected to carry any mare. Is it right to ask men getting only $18.38 a month to take a further seduction of 10 per cent."

Will Go To Courts Senator James H. Murdock, vice-president of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, the organization of conductors, enginemen, firemen and brakemen, intimated that so far as they concerned they were prepared to go to the courts to sustain their refusal of the second ten per cent. cut and to claim compensation for the first cut.

"We claim that there has been legally taken from the men 10 per cent. of the basic wage rates as from February 1, up to and including March and April, and 20 per cent. of the basic rates from May 1 to the present," the senator said. "These monies were deducted without any agreement being in force between the companies and the railway unions. other than that continuing in force the base wage rate."

"An agreement is an agreement," the senator said. "We have had in effect 21 schedules affecting the various railway organizations. In those schedules were embodied rules and rates constituted by agreement be tween the men and the companies.

"On Feb. 4, 1932, we agreed to a reduction of 10 per cent. from the basic rates to be effective until Jan.. 1, 1931. The undertaking was also. agreed upon that prior to Jan. 31, 1933, we would get together and try to reach an agreement which would obtain after the expiration of the preceding one. That was not done. "The only agreement between the companies and the employees which existed on Feb. 1. 1933, was that of the basie wage rates, In spite of that the reductions of 10 per cent. continued to the end of April, and in May these deductions were increased by another 10 per cent.

"We have been advised that we can collect these money which, we aim, have been deducted in contravention of the agreement. This we propose to do, and instructions have been issued to that effect."

[atlanticcanada]

Flag on the play: Maritime CFL fans still await ticket refund

Just a few years ago, excitement for a possible Canadian Football League expansion into the Maritimes was riding a historic high.

But now, with talk of CFL expansion stalled, some fans that put down a deposit on season tickets are asking how, and when, they will get a refund.

Kerwin Hynes was one of more than 6,000 fans that showed his support for a possible CFL franchise in Halifax by making a deposit on season tickets more than three years ago.

"It was $50 per ticket," said Hynes. "So a $100 Ticketmaster purchase secured you a deposit on two season tickets."

As of January 2019, Schooner Sports and Entertainment, the group heading the effort to bring a team to the Maritimes, said they had sold more 6,000 season ticket deposits.

Pre-pandemic, the Halifax Regional Municipality pledged $20 million for a new stadium, and the CFL sold out a regular season game dubbed ‘Touchdown Atlantic’, scheduled to be played July 25 at Saint Mary’s University’s Huskies Stadium.

But that game, the entire 2020 CFL season and stadium funding were cancelled because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and any talk of CFL expansion has gone silent.

Now, Hynes and some other fans that made a deposit to support a season ticket drive say they want their money back.

In a statement, Schooner Sports and Entertainment spokesperson David Wallace said:

"Anyone who wishes to receive a refund can do so through the Ticketmaster service/platform. SSE does agree that it's not completely clear what process a fan should follow to ensure they receive their refund, so they will be working with Ticketmaster to ensure this process is clarified and made easier for any fans wishing to receive their refund at this time."

Ticketmaster's policy states the refund responsibility lies with the event organizer, which would be Schooner Sports and Entertainment.

Hynes said he is not alone in wondering if fans will be refunded.

"My co-worker actually sent me her receipt with her $100 from Ticketmaster," said Hynes. "It was dated 2018."

Some fans are still holding out hope that Halifax could one day have its own team.

"I am looking forward to seeing Halifax, the way I look at Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and even Winnipeg," said football fan and CFL blogger Frank Stanisci.

Hynes said he still supports the idea of CFL expansion to the region.

"I would be more than happy to keep my money where it is," said Hynes, who added since CFL expansion seems to be a long shot, he would like his have his refund.

Wallace says he is keen to connect with Ticketmaster, and clarify how the refund process works.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3bJLurm

[kayla1993-world]

As governor-general, Julie Payette presented one of the country's most prestigious civilian honours to hundreds of accomplished Canadians. Now, an advisory council is thinking about taking her own Order of Canada away.

The 11-member Advisory Council for the Order of Canada, led by Chief Justice Richard Wagner — who took over as governor-general for six months after Payette stepped down — is considering whether or not to terminate Payette's appointment to the Order of Canada, according to CBC News.

Only seven people have ever been expelled from the Order of Canada in its more than 50-year history — and no one has ever been dropped from the order due to allegations of harassment — says Rideau Hall.

"Never has a Governor-General been stripped of honour. It's as simple as that," said Michael Jackson, president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada at Massey College in Toronto. "There is a long process and due process has to take place. If it happens, it will be absolutely unprecedented."

Rideau Hall received a request to revoke Payette's Order of Canada from a member of the public shortly after Payette's resignation six months ago. The criticism complaint came after an external review found Payette had presided over a "toxic" and "poisonous" workplace that drove many employees to quit Rideau Hall or go on sick leave.

Vancouver welder and public sector employee Giovanni Cormano told CBC News he filed the request to drop Payette from the Order of Canada. In his letter to Rideau Hall, he wrote that "Julie Payette has undermined the Order of Canada and what it stands for."

"For her to retain this honour would tarnish the achievements of Tommy Douglas, Margaret Atwood, Terry Fox, Kim Campbell, Leonard Cohen and Rick Hansen, to name a few," Cormano wrote in his letter dated Jan. 31, obtained by CBC News.

Cormano hasn't worked for Payette but argued in his letter that her alleged pattern of mistreating staff at Rideau Hall, the Montreal Science Centre and the Canadian Olympic Committee undermines the credibility of the honour.

Citing confidentiality rules, Rideau Hall will not say if it is received other formal requests to eject Payette from the Order of Canada. According to the regulations, the Order of Canada is a gift of the Crown and can be revoked if an individual is convicted of a criminal offence or engages in conduct that "constitutes a significant departure from generally-recognized standards of public behaviour which is seen to undermine the credibility, integrity or relevance of the order, or detracts from the original grounds upon which the appointment was based."

Any Canadian can file a request to drop someone from the Order of Canada. If the deputy secretary of honours at Rideau Hall concludes that there may be reasonable grounds for revoking the honour, the complaint is sent to the advisory council, which makes a recommendation to the Governor-General. The process can take more than a year. The Governor General's office told Cormano it is taking his request seriously, according to an email viewed by CBC News.

In an email to Cormano on June 4, retired Brig.-Gen. Marc Thériault, deputy secretary of honours, wrote, "The reputation of the Canadian Honours System lies at the core of our job." "I certify that the procedure is proceeding as planned... Your request may take many months to be reviewed... you will be notified in writing if your request is denied at any point along the process."

According to Rideau Hall's website, Julie Payette was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2010 for being a "source of inspiration and exceptional international advocate for Canadian engineering." Payette was the first Canadian to board the International Space Station and spent over 611 hours in space as an astronaut.

In 2017, the Queen named Payette an Extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada to recognize her appointment as governor general.

The Queen released Payette from her viceregal role on Jan. 22 in response to a request from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. When asked for comment on the request to drop her from the Order of Canada, a spokesperson for Payette declined to comment.

"Right now, her focus is on personal issues and applauding Canada's athletes at the Tokyo Olympics," wrote Lise Boyer, an agent at JP Communications. "Mary Simon's appointment as GG should also rightfully be at the forefront of public attention and Madame Payette has no wish to disrupt that."

[jepleurs-icry]

My Life, My Mess, My Legacy Part 3

This chapter is perhaps the hardest to write because of how much I invested in this relationship.

Having had two previous relationships that went sour, I was much more aware of how this person behaved. Not just what he said, but how they acted.  In a way, I was leery of getting into another relationship. In fact, I went back to the singles dances once a month and joined a mixed soft ball league .  A fun league to enjoy a sport and make new friends. A social person I am not.  I am introverted, have way too much "empathy" and I am not a person who is well liked for some reason.  Why? I don't know; it was like that in school. People didn't know me, but they had a judgement of me.  Being unpopular was a way of life.  I really did not care. I had a lot of pride in me.  This was because "our" natural family had been split apart, and we were made fun of at school.  My pride came from my thinking that my family did nothing wrong except be poor.  It wasn't my fault.  It was something that we had no control over. So, to continue on, this pride made me tough, indifferent to what others thought of me.  I did not care.  If they could not take the time to talk to me, or want to be friends, even though I tried, I let it go and observed others but always from afar. The bullshit that people say to each other, boasting and bragging and back stabbing made me stronger.  I didn't want to be like them.  I grew up always observing others.  And I heard a lot of things that people would say, and totally behave another way. So, I enjoyed playing softball, that summer, it was fun! I was not an "A" player, more like a "C" player. But it was fun! But, it was at a singles dance one night, my girlfriend and I were doing a line dance, and I could see this man standing near the bar, but kinda off to the side a little.  He kept staring at me nearly all night. Time went on for awhile, and a few months passed some more, and the next dance I went too, I did not see that man at all.  I kinda forgot about him. I saw him playing on another softball team that summer or spring.  1995 I believe.  My girlfriend would come and watch the games sometimes and she knew I was a tad lonely, so she called out to this man and said something to him.  I think she told him he had a nice ass.  He laughed. I ignored him, as most of the guys there were looking to meet someone or they already had their significant other. At the next singles dance, he was there, and my girlfriend told him he could come sit with us.  But I said no, the seat next to mine was taken.  Although it wasn't; I wasn't prepared to have a jackass sit next to me all night. But, it turned out he seemed to be a nice guy, loved to talk and laugh.  He did talk a lot.  He told me he was a recovering alcoholic and was sober for about 6 months.  He was an alcoholic all his life and had learned it from his Dad. I was very careful, as drinking was not something I wanted in my life, although I did drink on weekends like at a dance or a dinner party.  He would talk and talk.  About, how going to AA had helped him so much. He had a better understanding of how to work out problems without using alcohol.   He had amends to make as well, with his children, family members, co-workers, etc.  He wanted to be a better person. It took me 2 months before we had our first kiss.  He would come over to my place in the evening and we would have ice tea outside.  And, he would talk about his life.  All of it.  I listened to every story he had to say about his family, his Mother and Father, brothers, his ex-wife, his children, his disease (alcohol). Eventually after about one year, the next softball season came upon us and we joined the same team.  He became a popular and was well liked by all.  Especially the ladies. the guys were jealous of him.  He liked to brag about his sport's skills, and about his AA recovery.  That was fine, but hearing it all the time it becomes an Ah-ha moment. Without having good problem solving skills in life, a person does not know how to find solutions to their everyday challenges.  An alcoholic cannot find a way to resolution, therefore drinking is the solution. Eventually we

became a couple.  Slowly, we talked and got to know each other.  I was not sure I liked everything about him.  He used to "spit".  I told him to stop that and use a kleenex, it was gross! He used to swear, which I hated, I asked him to stop doing that too.  This was his old alcoholic behavior talking.,.,  Gradually those things went away.  He worked on himself.  I was proud of him, but still cautious. He was a smoker, and I was not.  He never smoked around me, but he said he was willing to quit, (and I know that's really hard).  He went on the patch at first it helps you to quit.  But he cheated. He would smoke with the patch. Finally after a few months he said he manged to quit for good.  Or so he said. The patch helped him not get the cravings. One day, he was out at the mall, we were living together by then, it had been a year, so I was good with us living together.  That day, I decided to go to the mall to the get something at the drug store.  The mall had a food court and he would meet his AA buddies there, have coffee, and do lotto scratch tickets. When I got to the mall, I finished my shopping and was at the cash and saw him sitting with one of his buddies, doing a scratch ticket and smoking! So much for telling me he quit!  He lied.... I hated liars.  I went over and confronted him.  I was calm, but shaking inside.  I told him I didn't like liars and I didn't want to see him again.  I walked back to my apartment. I don't remember if it was the same day or the next day in the early evening he knocked on my door.  He said he was sorry he lied.  I couldn't help what else he lied about.  He asked me to forgive him and would really quit smoking and never lie to me again. That was not true.  There were many times, he lied about things.  I think it had to do with being so used to lying to his family about his drinking and hiding things, it was second nature to him. But...I was tired of being alone.  I enjoyed his company. I had grown fond of him so I gave him a 2nd chance. Eventually, we took a trip to Kelowna, BC to visit some friends that lived there.  We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast.  We fell in love with this small town. Later the following year, we decided to move out there because we thought it was beautiful.  So that August, we moved to Kelowna in 1997. I found part time work at the Real Canadian Super Store, and he was on disability for his back, since he had had a couple of surgeries on his back.  When we moved to Kelowna we had to quit our jobs, but for him he pretended to have back issues so he could get long term disability for 2 years. I got tired of him not working and being home all day.  He started whining about things because he had no car, as I was using it to go to work.  We moved to Richmond the following year, cause I wanted to work full time and in Kelowna full time jobs that pay well are scarce.  After we moved, he was still on disability. He could not find work.... He still lied about things.  During that year in  1999, he found a job being a sales rep for an artificial plant company, that would sell plants to restaurants, or commercial offices. One day he took me by surprise, he said he went to the GM dealer to buy a used van so he could carry the plastic plants around in it, as these plants were quite large.  But I really didn't want to be in debt for a van, which meant another 320.00$ a month. In the long run, no one would buy any plastic plants so he never made a sale. But, we still had the van to pay for.  After 2 years his disability ran out, and there was no more money coming in from his side. In the year 2000, in the month of July, he sat me down in the kitchen and told me we had to move back to Montreal, since he could not find a job in BC. I was devastated. He also said we had to file for bankruptcy because he could not pay rent or insurance any more.  He had zero money coming in.  We were married by then, back in Kelowna we had the Minister come to our house and we had a very small wedding in our living room. So, I would be dragged into bankruptcy too.  He

told me he would take the van and drive back to Montreal with two of our dogs.  I would fly down in a couple of weeks with the other small dog. It was a very difficult period.  I had to give my convertible back to the bank as we could not afford to keep both vehicles.  I was furious, I resented him and what we would have to go through.  I had never been a person who had bad credit. Once he was in Montreal he found a place for us to live, and he did find work almost right away.  We went to a solvency company and declared bankruptcy.  I was ashamed, humiliated, angry and embarrassed all at the same time.  I blamed my husband for having to put us through this. It was easy for me to find a job a couple of weeks after, we moved back to Montreal.  Between the two of us we wanted to rebuild our lives, so we started to invest in RRSP'S.  In 2 years we had enough for a down payment and moved to the suburbs of the suburbs. It was a really nice house, with an outdoor pool, a huge yard, and a Master bedroom downstairs with a private bathroom.  I loved it and we were happy for awhile. After about 6 months of being in the house, my husband became depressed.  His boss was "grinding" him, and there was conflict at work.  This made him grumble about everything he had to do around the house.  He lost interest in me. I encouraged him to write up a new resume, and start looking for another job.  So he did that and within 2 months he found something else, and quit the job he had. His behavior around me did not improve.  I felt him pull away.  Not sure if it was the depression or he just got tired of me.  It was 9 years we were together.  He felt broken, tired. We ended up selling our house and moving back to the West Island to be closer to our work.  The relationship was ending I could tell. We lived maybe 1 year in the new house and we decided to split up.  I moved out into a small townhouse and we split the little money that was left over from the sale. During this 6 month separation, I thought he would really look at what he wanted in life, at our relationship.  I thought he would work on "us", but it didn't happen. Instead; he flew to Hawaii for a softball tournament, where he met another female player called Louis. He knew her from other teams and they hooked up in Hawaii. At one point, I wanted him back, as I still loved him and I was heart broken that all of this happened.  So we tried re-connecting.  He thought he could have her and me at the same time.  I said no.  I said it is better for us to get a divorce now. He drew up the divorce papers and they were signed I think in 2005 or 2006.  The last time we were together and he left for the last time, I walked around the apartment feeling empty.  It was like the ghost of him was still there.  I went from room to room feeling his presence.  It was an awful feeling. It took me a long time to get over him. I'm not perfect.  I was hard on him, to push him to get that other job, to try to get him out of that depression.  Once he was apart from me, he found his joy back.  I could tell. For me, I decided to move to Ontario in early 2007.  Fourteen years later I was still in Ontario.  It was the year of 2012 that I realized I no longer had sad thoughts about me missing him.  I finally was free too, and went back to college to learn something new. I found a new career in medicine and loved it. After 5 years my joy had come back to me as well.  Since then, I am happy, working, almost retired but happy.  I have everything I need and want.  Single yes, but I have good friends that know me and know my heart. That's all I need. There probably will never be another man in my life.  I think 3 was enough.  At least now, if I create a mess with my life, it is my mess and I am not forced to fall into someone else's. I hope you enjoyed my memoirs.  I enjoyed writing about it.  It will give my children a chance to know more about my life once I am gone. Thank you Chickapea

[allthebest20]

Search Party: S1 (2016)

Created by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, Michael Showalter

Starring  Alia Shawkat and John Reynolds

This show was funny, enjoyable, and clever.  I would give it a 6/10. I think Shawkat is a great actor, but she always plays characters that are, like, annoyingly realistic.  Actually, in this show, they are all annoying realistic.  Each of the four main characters remind me of real people I know and dislike.  This is one of the things that makes it so good, tho!  I have two complaints about the plot:

Warning: Spoilers

1. New York City has over 8 million people in it, so it’s just not realistic that they keep running into people they know over this two week period.  I feel like they should have set the show in a slightly smaller city.  I mean most cities could meet all the plot requirements: a market for weird demi-sexual performances, P.I.s, families with a ridiculous amounts of money, culty art stores, opportunities for actors and self-promoting non-profits.

2. why doesn’t Agnes Cho tell Chantal’s family about where she is?  I mean, maybe she thought Chantal needed protection, but how can you watch someone’s family grieve like that and say nothing?  It’s obvious that Agnes wants money too, and she could have collected the reward of a quarter of a million.

It was the character comedy that made the show enjoyable tho, and the season finale is very realistic and unexpected.

John Early plays the amoral white cis gay man we all know.  The way he conducts himself in conversation is so on point. Unlike a narcissistic straight dude who typically talks only about himself, Early’s character Elliott does a great job at pretending like he cares about what you’re saying, but is actually judging you and manipulating the conversation to get something he wants.  His whole cancer lie is funny, but a side plot I didn’t personally care that much about.  I mean, it doesn’t really make sense (he has no contacts from high school anymore? what about social media? photos?), but it is funny how he bounces back so effortlessly.  It seems to be a critique of cancel culture, especially how even when he’s briefly “cancelled,” he doesn’t actually feel any shame or change in anyway.  As a rich, white man, he still has a network willing to prop him up with a book deal, and he ultimately pays no consequences.  Of course, all this sets him up as the perfect little psychopath to help cover up a murder.  It also sets up a lot of funny moments. 

Portia, played by the super hot Meredith Hagner, is the theater kid who you didn’t really like, even though she was really nice, and now she’s going on to have a successful acting career on top of her family’s wealth.  Like most Americans, I want my actors (and artists in general) to be poor and struggling before they make it big, but that’s rarely the case.  I like how her character isn’t just dumb, sweet, or spoiled.  She’s sometimes also clever, cold, and sad.  She plays the insecure, image-obsessed millennial well.  It’s almost easier for her to be a narcissist than Elliot, because we expect hot blonde actors to be narcissists, so she doesn’t have to play a role the same way he does.  Of course, her character also fits into the plot perfectly: the hot lady who men drool over and everyone underestimates, who can also use her acting skills to lie and manipulate people.

John Reynolds’ character, Drew, is your classic boring-ass white man.  He wants things to be normal and mundane so bad.  He has boring friends, he says boring things, he has a boring job.  He’s a good guy, a cutie, but dam, if he isn’t somewhere below average.  I love how Drew is an UNPAID intern, and Dory and him live in a beautiful one bedroom apartment.  It just screams “My parents pay my bills, but I don’t like to talk about it.”

Alia Shawkat plays the lead, Dory.  I love the way they use music to show how she is creating this runaway mystery in her head, but it’s often ruined by outsiders dialogue.  As a young millennial trying to find a satisfying career, I can identify with the mania she’s feeling, and it’s shown well. She’s constantly thinking “Is this a sign?” and “What should I be doing with my life?”  Her character is really hard to read in the first season: why does she want to find Chantal?  Is she trying too hard to create a dark mystery because she hates her own boring life? By the end of the season, I was beginning to think that maybe Chantal wasn’t in real trouble, but TV-bias did have me thinking something twisted was going to happen.  I’m also not sure why Dory couldn’t go to Montreal alone or just with Drew, when it was clear her friends weren’t that into it.  I do understand wanting desperately to know the truth.

The next two season’s explore Dory’s motives more, but I honestly wouldn’t strongly recommend them.  Season two and three were both kind of anxiety producing: four cocky idiots trying to get a way with a murder in which they left behind a mountain of evidence, resulting in (SPOILER) Dory stupidly refusing to plead guilty and claim it was self-defense.  It’s like despite everything, she still thinks she’ll get away with it OR (more likely) she just can’t come to terms with herself as a murderer.

They obviously should have called the cops after they killed Keith.  As two educated white kids, they could have gotten away with it, even lied about the altercation to make it seem like Keith was more violent than he was.  Elliot makes her second guess whether is was self-defense or not, even though Keith had been acting extremely sketchily towards her.  Obviously, he didn’t deserve to die, but someone had to do something to get him off her.  Ultimately, they all decide they are above the justice system, but I think Elliot is a little more to blame.  The justice system is fucked, but not necessarily against them.  If they had called the police immediately, they might have had to spend a few years (research tells me 0 to 12 before parole, average 3 to 5) in Canadian prison, but a man is dead, so maybe that’s okay.

It’s also worth mentioning Clare McNulty, although she’s really only in the last episode.  Her character, Chantal, is hilariously normal: that girl who is so average looking and untalented, you think, well she must at least be friendly and humble, but astonishingly, she’s neither of those things.  So often, TV shows only portray special characters, but like most of the characters in this show, Chantal is annoyingly normal and familiar.  Her very existence reminds me of the assumptions we (or is it just me?) make about women’s confidence and morality levels.

It’s a funny show, relatable, realistic, and entertaining.  I would recommend the first season, and the next 2 only if you are bored and have low-anxiety.  I also just learned that Bowen Yang does a podcast about the show? I love him, so obviously I’ll give it a listen, though I can’t possible imagine what he could be saying about it.