#canada product recall

[allthecanadianpolitics]

General Motors said on Monday it will recall 42,140 sport utility vehicles in Canada from the 2014 through 2017 model years because the driver's air-bag inflator may explode during deployment.

On Friday, GM said it would recall in the United States 994,763 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles from 2014-17 model years with modules produced by ARC Automotive Inc.

GM is investigating the problem with help from an outside engineering firm, a company spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) 1984

"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, Youthquake (1985). Released as a single in November 1984, it reached number 1 in the UK in March 1985, taking 17 weeks to get there. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number 11, becoming their highest-charting single there. The song also reached number 1 in Ireland and in Canada, while in Australia it peaked at number 3, and it charted highly in numerous European countries.

According to lead vocalist Pete Burns, the record company was unenthusiastic about "You Spin Me Round" to such an extent that Burns had to take out a £2,500 loan to record it. After it was recorded, he recalled, "the record company said it was awful" and the band had to fund production of the song's video themselves.

A remix version of "You Spin Me Round" was released in 2003 at the same time Dead or Alive's greatest hits album Evolution: The Hits was released. The song reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart. The original 1984 recording was re-released on 30 January 2006 because of Pete Burns's controversial time as a contestant on television series Celebrity Big Brother and reached number 5.

"You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" received a total of 90,2% yes votes!

[infonewsmania]

More than 3,700 Volkswagen EVs recalled in Canada due to increased crash risk

More than 3,700 Volkswagen EVs recalled in Canada due to increased crash risk

Volkswagen is recalling 3,759 of its Audi electric vehicles from the Canadian market due to a potential crash hazard. Transport Canada said in a recall Saturday that in some of the vehicles “if you spill liquid on the back seat, the gate control module could be damaged.” “If this happens, the vehicle may enter an emergency situation and suddenly lose power to the wheels,” according to the agency,…

[rtoffanin]

More than a dozen aerosol dry shampoo products from brands like Dove and Suave may have elevated levels of benzene, a carcinogen, the company said.

BY CHRISTINE CHUNG | NYTimes Health | Disclosure

[bluestar22x]

Finding Eden: Chapter 2

Summary: You and Zach make your trek towards Canada

Pairing: Zach Wellison x F!Reader

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Fowl language, mention of reader needing period products, mentions of violence/blood

Word Count: 5,700(ish)

Author's Note: I'm annoyed with myself that it took so long to get this chapter out but it's done, yay! This chapter is mostly set up for the future. Going to have a lot more action coming up real soon. I'm excited.

xxx

To say you were curious about Zach would've been an understatement. The truth was you were downright intrigued.

First he'd saved you, then he'd proposed that you travel with him to the safe haven he was searching for. A perfect stranger.

You couldn't quite comprehend it. Yes, you'd had plenty of experiences where people had been kind to you for the sake of it before the war, but that had quickly become a bygone after the riots broke out. Ever since then your survival had pegged on your family ties and what you could do to convince others to spare you.

It was different with Zach.

You were certain he had a motive besides just being nice, but you were also sure it wasn't anything sinister. There was nothing about his behavior and tone during your first conversation that suggested he was being anything but honest with you.

You trailed behind him and Athena through the forest, pondering over the why. What it could be. An extra set of eyes? Companionship? Both?

Both were why you'd personally agreed to the journey you'd embarked on. You fully believed in group survival. The strength in numbers. You'd had a fascination with wolves as a kid. You knew lone wolves had it rough and many didn't survive long enough to form another pack. You did not want to be a lone wolf any longer than you needed to be.

Zach had to have been feeling the pressure to find someone else too. Sure, with his military training he was bound to have far more survival skills than you, but it also meant he had to be almost constantly on alert. Athena was probably the only reason he looked fairly well-rested. Able to get some sleep each night because her large, pointed ears heard everything.

You had an urge to ask him a million questions about himself after that thought but you had no idea how tolerant he'd be of unnecessary chit chat, so you settled on observing him instead.

Of course you couldn't see Zach's face from your position behind him, but you could watch his back.

His very broad back. For a man his height and weight Zach had a wide set of shoulders, so wide they threatened to tear the seams of the brown and tan plaid shirt he was wearing if he flexed too much. It was an impressive sight on a man you'd quickly labeled as slim.

Less impressive was his nearly flat ass that barely held up his jeans, but that had a different kind of appeal. It was cute. It reminded you of a boy you'd dated in high school. The one you went to prom with who had been nothing but a gentleman with you despite his age. No prom night sex with that one. No, that had come months later, and you'd initiated it. You'd probably have married him if only the long distances between your colleges hadn't torn you apart.

Zach's brown eyes reminded you of him too. Though you obviously couldn't see them at the moment, you recalled them in your mind, dark, shiny, and expressive, more so than the rest of his face. What really stuck in your mind though was that his were still gentle looking despite the state of the world, the horrors he'd certainly seen and had probably done. They were in part why you'd trusted him enough to team up with him.

The similarities ended there though. While Zach still had some boyish features, his jawline was nothing but man. The same for his strong, sloped nose. You imagined he must have had an awkward faze in his youth due to their prominence, but at his maturity (late thirties, you'd surmised) they suited him perfectly.

Your cheeks heated up at your wayward thoughts about him, as if you'd spoken them out loud. You knew you hadn't, but it still felt inappropriate enough that you were sheepish about it. You'd just met him, after all. Not having had a boyfriend since a year before the apocalypse started was not an excuse to think about him like a piece of meat, analyzing every part of his body that peaked an interest in you (except for one in particular that you respectfully avoided with all your willpower).

Zach glanced back at you occasionally, on and off, for about an hour before your eyes locked by accident and you nearly stumbled over a rotten tree stump.

He's just checking in on you to make sure you're not lagging behind, nothing more, you reminded yourself. Cool your jets. Don't make a fool out of yourself over nothing.

Anyone who had a privy to your thoughts without having seen you first could have mistaken you for a teenage girl with a crush.

You weren't normally like this. Especially not after the country fell apart. But Zach was the first decent guy you'd run into the last few years who wasn't related to you, and he was definitely your type. At least physically, anyways. You weren't going to pretend you actually knew him enough for it to be anything else but basic attraction.

"You alright?" he inquired, hiking up an eyebrow as he did so.

"Yeah," you squeaked, flustering at your unusually high voice, even more so when you realized he was referring to your trip. "Don't mind me."

He nodded and continued on like you weren't behaving like someone half your age, but you decided then that silence wasn't the best idea for you anymore. It was better to risk annoying him to distract yourself and to actually get to know him than to continue to regress.

"Sooo...where are you from?" you began, walking faster to catch up with him.

"We're doing small talk?" he asked with some disbelief as you matched his pace and kept shoulder to shoulder with him, nothing but Athena between you.

"Sorry, are you busy?" you retorted with a huff, expression serious.

His eyes darted towards you, obviously surprised by your comeback, and he chuckled. "Got me there. Small talk it is. I was in Los Angeles. You?"

"Born and raised in Culver, Oregon," you stated plainly. "It's a small farming community. I went away to college in Seattle for a few years, but I returned afterwards. Found an accounting job with a local restaurant."

"That's funny," Zach mused, pursing his lips.

You frowned. "Why?"

"I worked as a building manager before everything went to shit, but for a brief time I worked for a friend's brother at his restaurant," he explained. "Nothing major, just washing dishes and helping the cooks out a bit, but it got me out of a bind, and I was considering going to college to be a chef before -."

"Everything went to shit," you quoted him flatly.

He sighed and glanced around at the trees surrounding you, looking for a distraction. "Yeah." You could hear the heavy regret that saturated that one word.

For the one millionth time since the bombs fell you thought about how unfair the world was. You'd do anything to be back looking through the books at Angel's Great Delights and you wished Zach had been able to pursue cooking like he'd planned to. It wasn't right you both had to pay for the mistakes of others.

"My cousin called it the preventable apocalypse," you informed him, tilting your head to the right, away from him. "I argued that most apocalypses in fiction were preventable. People just refused to pull their heads out of their asses. It was the most realistic part of those kinds of stories."

Zach laughed again. "Couldn’t have put it better myself.”

"So where were you when it all began?" you pressed on.

You could see it in his eyes, the way he withdrew into the memory. "I was at work, saw the news on the lobby's flatscreen TV. Washington D.C. was gone. It was surreal. And then after the riots began, it wasn't. LA was in the thick of it. I fled the city and lived in a trailer after it became too much. You?"

"I was alone in bed," you recalled, furrowing your eyebrows. "I was recovering from a severe flu. My boss had sent me home. Said he'd rather see me the next day or so when I wasn't half dead and ready to puke on the paperwork."

"Solid boss," Zach remarked.

"The fact that he could be considered solid just because he let me have a sick day when I was hardly in any shape to work, further proves how awful society was before."

"As opposed to now?"

It was your turn to chuckle. "What society?"

He hummed in agreement. "Why don't we talk about anything but the events that led to the current status of the world?"

"Okay, but the ones I have in mind are going to sound super trivial," you warned.

The edges of his mouth twitched up. "Perfect."

So that was how you both spent the rest of the day, talking about your favorite movies, music, animals (his was dogs, big surprise) and anything else that came to your minds intermittently (there was plenty of stretches of peaceful silence in between).

It was nostalgic, and for a time you could both just pretend you were hiking with each other on a day off from work. Like you'd run into each other in less dire circumstances.

Though only time could ever truly allow you to get to know someone, learning the basics was a start, and with every piece of personal information he entrusted you with you felt more and more comfortable in his presence.

It was pleasant, you thought. Zach wasn't super chatty, but he also wasn't aloof either. At least he wasn't with the things that didn't hit any sore spots, but that went for you too. Who would want to talk to a stranger about the painful memories they buried deep inside themselves? Even those who sought therapy didn't blurt out their deepest darkest secrets to their therapists until they had built a trusting relationship with them.

Your old trusty digital wristwatch read six eleven at night (probably inaccurately considering you hadn't touched it since you had to abandon your hometown) when Zach decided to stop for the day and set up a makeshift fire pit with some rocks, dried leaves, and old broken branches. You were so impressed with how neatly he'd stacked the wood and how easily he'd lit a match he had on him and got the fire going that you forgot to try to pretend to be useful. You did look for more branches and some logs to feed the fire for when it slowed down later on while Zach started pitching his forest green and tan tent.

"You should get yours up too," he told you when you came back from your third round of fire fuel hunting. He was busy zipping the entrance up. "Judging from the clouds, it might rain tonight."

You tipped your head back to stare up at the dark, angry clouds covering most of the sky above you and sighed. You hadn't wanted to ask Zach for any favors so soon, but if it was going to rain you had no choice.

"I don't have one," you admitted to him. "My cousin had a tent in his pack. I've been sleeping in whatever shelter I could find ever since his death."

"Well, you can share with me if you want," Zach offered without any hesitance. "It'll be a tight squeeze, but it's supposed to be a two person tent."

You didn't know much about tents, your parents had never camped out with you, but your cousin's had been a three person and it definitely had not felt like it had actually been made for three. You were sure a two person tent for two people wouldn't be any better.

Why did that make your heart jump a little?

"Sure, yeah, thanks," you said in return. "It's better than sleeping without anything over my head but the trees."

They were sparsely leafed due to the season and weren't particularly well bunched together where Zach had decided to set up. You knew if it downpoured you'd get drenched and that wasn't appealing with how cold the nights were starting to get.

You walked over to him and helped him finish setting up the tent, shoving and kicking the spikes that would keep the securing ropes taunt into the firm ground. You at least knew how to do this.

Once you both were finished you sat down cross legged by the fire, pulling out cans of old vegetables you both had in your backpacks. Yours was sliced carrots, his was green beans.

"I wonder how long we can eat these before we're recklessly risking our lives?" You peered at the label curiously, like it would tell you anything beyond the expiration date that you were already well past.

"Guess we'll find out," Zach stated dryly as he tipped his can's contents into his mouth, green bean juice spilling from the corner of his mouth.

You did the same with your can since you didn't have any utensils either. You missed utensils. But even if you found some again, they'd be a waste of space in your backpack. Essentials only.

You grimaced as you chewed and swallowed what you could fit into your mouth. Eating cold canned vegetables was getting real old.

"We really need to find a cooking pan," you decided.

"I have one," Zach said, feeding Athena the contents of the bottom of his can before tossing it into the fire after.

You blinked at him incredulously. "Then why didn't we use it?"

He shrugged and leaned back against the black cottonwood tree behind him. "I was hungry. Forgot to mention you could use it. Sorry."

You sighed and slouched forward like a wilting flower. "It's alright. Next time."

"At the risk of sounding like an old man, I think I'm going to turn in," Zach decided a few seconds later as he peered over at the distant mountains the sun had disappeared behind during your meager meal. "I'd like to head out at first light."

"I might as well too then," you figured. "I don't want to lose any sleep I can get. It's rough enough waking without coffee."

He groaned a little. "Ah, I miss coffee."

"Same."

You both straightened your legs out then pushed yourselves into a stand and went through your bedtime rituals, yours a lot shorter lately, now that you didn't have any luxuries like face washes and lotion. You simply brushed your teeth with only water from your drinking bottle and removed your belt. Zach also did the former, but not the latter, slipping into the tent as is. He didn't even take off his boots until he was inside, to your dismay.

You took your sleeping bag off your pack and unrolled it before also crawling in barefooted, doing what you could to flatten it out beside his.

You brushed shoulders with him when you crawled into it. "Yep. This is definitely tight. Are you sure this is okay?"

You weren't sure what compelled you to give him a way out of your new sleeping situation. You really didn't want to sleep out in the rain.

He nodded, eyelids already at half-mast. "I promise it's fine. Sharing a tent with you is much better than some of the guys I had to share tight spaces with in the military. You smell a whole lot better, for one."

Your stomach fluttered. You knew he was just stating facts, but Zach thought you smelled good. Or at least better. You'd gladly take the compliment.

You were still absorbing it when Zach whistled and Athena came charging into the tent. "Hope you don't mind sharing with her too."

"Of course not," you said, giggling when the dog nosed her way between you and wedged herself into the small gap between your sleeping bags.

He grinned at your laughter and how you fondly scratched at the base of Athena's ear after she settled down. "Make yourself at home as always, girl."

"Typical dog," you added, shaking your head before rolling onto your side to face them both and closing your eyes. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Zach returned, slinging his left arm over his stomach, getting comfortable too.

It wasn't long before you both drifted off to sleep.

x

The next morning you heard and felt Zach moving around beside you before you were even conscious of the nippy air seeping into the tent.

You wrinkled your nose, trying to get back feeling in the numbed tip of it as you blinked up at the inside of the tent top.

It was barely dawn, but it was light enough to see everything around you, which meant that it was time to go.

You crawled out of the tent as Zach began to pack up his belongings and you searched for a private spot to pee. You only had to wander a few yards away to find a big enough spruce tree to squat behind.

When you returned Zach was sitting by a newly lit fire, Athena lying by his feet, her head resting on her front paws, ears twitching with the sound of him opening another can of vegetables, this time peas, with the multi-tool that he kept in one of his back pockets.

You quietly sat down a few feet from them and opened your second can of carrots, using the tab already provided on the top.

"I'm not eating cold again," you said, glancing at Zach's backpack, which was right behind him. "Can I use that pan now?"

"Sure." Zach reached for and rummaged through his pack, pulling the pan out from the bottom it. "Do you want to throw our food together; peas and carrots?"

"Sounds good," you replied. "Just don't expect to get a bigger portion out of it."

He raised a hand palm up in a pledging gesture at you. "I solemnly swear it'll be split right down the middle."

Satisfied with his promise you dumped the contents of your can in the pan and he did the same with his before placing the pan over the fire. After several minutes he removed it to check how cooked the food was, sampling a few peas.

He smiled. "Perfect."

He quickly split the pile of vegetables in the pan in two and dumped your share onto the plastic plate you always carried around.

It was the best meal you'd had since your cousin had gotten himself killed and left you with only the supplies you'd been carrying on your back.

After you and Zach had scarfed down your portions and both shared a palm full with Athena, you packed up and resumed your trek north.

It was still cloudy out, but the clouds were a light enough gray that you did not think it would rain again anytime soon, thankfully.

Unfortunately it meant you'd need to use landmarks instead of the sun's position to guide you, or so you thought until Zach pulled a compass out of his coat pocket.

"Of course you know how to read a compass."

He twisted his body to look at you as he continued to walk. "You don't? What have you been using to find your way on days like this?"

"The mountains, mostly," you answered.

He huffed. "Good way to get lost."

"Well, it's not like it mattered before," you told him. "I didn't have a destination in mind then."

"Want me to show you how it works?" he offered.

You shrugged. "You can try."

"It's easy," Zach promised, invading your personal space so he could show you the face of the compass. "See the white end of the needle?" He pointed it out. "That always points south. And the red end always points north. If you make sure the needle stays steady, adjusting the path you take when you need to, you won't wander aimlessly."

"And this is always accurate?" you questioned doubtingly.

He hesitated. "Usually. Sometimes they can be thrown out of wack, but I check this one regularly and it hasn't failed me yet. In any case, it's better than going off scenery alone."

You nodded. You weren't much of an outdoorsy person before, but you had heard plenty of stories of hikers getting lost because they only used their sight to guide them. It was easy to get turned around in a forest. Your rational side knew that a compass was a lot more reliable, and fixable if something ever screwed it up. You hoped Zach knew how to calibrate one.

Zach pocketed the compass and continued forward, Athena ever glued to his side, rarely wandering more than a few feet away from him to sniff at something or do her business.

Occasionally you observed him scratching her head or stroking her back in passing and it made you smile.

You liked people who liked dogs. You'd been raised around them, and while they weren't perfect at letting you know who you could trust (sometimes they did trust the wrong people), you firmly believed dogs were at least a pretty good first indicator. The fact that Athena was so relaxed around Zach, and that he made an effort to give her affection, reassured you that you'd chosen your partner well.

"There's a highway ahead," Zach announced as afternoon neared, surpassing the twenty-four hour mark since you'd teamed up with him. "We should follow it a bit. Check to see if the closest town is safe to scavenge. I'm running low on supplies."

"Me too," you admitted. "But I'm not going to go into town if it's going to be a fight."

"I won't force you to put yourself in danger," he vowed. "If there's still people there and I believe I can slip past them but you're nervous, you can stay hidden. I'll share whatever I find."

You blinked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course," he replied.

"You're not going to label me a burden?"

He pursed his lips. "I've been labeled that before. I would never do it to someone else. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, a team works with them."

That made you curious. You couldn't figure out why someone would call Zach a burden when he'd been anything but since you'd met. You supposed it was different times before, but still. He seemed so goal motivated and had so many skills, what would drive someone to suggest otherwise?

You approached the road slowly and Zach tentatively stepped out of the cover of the trees to study the sign alongside it. "There is a town nearby," he informed you as he ducked back into the trees to stand beside you. "It's a mile out from here. It's out of our way, but it might be worth it."

You sighed. "Well, that's not too bad. With it being so close we've got to at least see it for ourselves."

He nodded in agreement and started to walk parallel with the road, keeping just out of view of anyone who might be dumb enough (or had enough ammo) to be strolling down the highway without a care in the world.

To your relief, when you finally passed the town line nothing changed. There were no working cars in the road, no voices, no signs of life. You could feel the emptiness of it, even though the road was littered with abandoned vehicles and other items, none that would be useful to you, unfortunately.

You and Zach left the safety of the forest and carefully made your way into town, his hands cradling his shotgun, ready if he needed to shoot to protect you both if the situation changed.

"We should head to the supermarket," he suggested.

"That's always the first place picked clean," you argued before gesturing towards the town library that stood next to the town hall, both buildings once painted white, faded yellow and chipped since. "The library would be the best place to try. The one in my hometown had food and a bathroom, drinks too. It's worth a shot."

He scoffed. "Nobody raids libraries."

"Precisely," you said, smirking. You were pretty confident you'd find at least a few useful items.

He chewed his lip, silently debating, weighing the risks and potential benefits. "Fine, we'll check out both. Then we head back out. Don't want to overstay our welcome."

"Fine with me."

A part of you was tempted to make an attempt to convince him that checking out every business and house possible would be worth it, but you understood why he was clearly set on only a couple places. A town like this was valuable. Anyone traveling nearby would likely want to pass through just as they were, and running into a large group would be disastrous.

One man with one gun could only do so much. Same went for a dog with no protective gear and a woman with a limited set of survival skills.

Zach lead you over to the local supermarket first, using a crowbar that a previous raider had left behind to pry the sliding doors open enough so you both could squeeze through.

Once inside you both scanned the shelves up and down for anything useful.

As you'd predicted, the store was pretty barren. There were some non-survival items scattered about - a variety of novels, toy animal figurines, and different brands of pet stain remover - but none of those items would be beneficial to your survival.

You passed the pet food aisle and even those shelves were wiped out. You knew it wasn't because so many people were worried about what their pets ate. No, they were definitely eating the food themselves. Just thinking about people doing it made you gag. You understood the concept of desperate times, desperate measures, but oh did you pray to high heaven you'd never be forced to eat any kind of dog food.

The next aisle was themed health and beauty and you wandered down it with Zach in hopes of finding a toothbrush to keep as back up for your current one, but had no such luck.

You were about to enter another row when you noticed Zach had lingered behind and looked over your shoulder to see him on his knees, stretched fully out, reaching for something in the very back of one of the bottom shelves.

When he pulled back and sat on the heels of his hiking boots he had a five pack of men's disposable razors in his right hand.

"Yeesss!" he exclaimed triumphantly, expression gleeful, before he studied the package. You grinned, infected by his enthusiasm.

It was the first time you'd gotten a glimpse of the boy he once must have been.

"I take you don't like letting your beard grow out."

Zach rocked himself back onto his feet and shook his head at you. "It's not my preferred look. Honestly, it grows in kind of patchy. But the real issue is it gets itchy after more than a week of growth. Drives me crazy some days, and anti-itch cream is hard to come by nowadays."

You hummed in understanding, cutting off when you noticed a small bottle on a nearby middle shelf.

You had to reach all the way back for it, like Zach had with the razors, but you managed, and for your grunts of effort and overstretched muscles you were rewarded a bottle of Tylenol.

"Now, this made the trip worth it," you declared.

Zach chuckled. "See? Not completely wasted."

You sighed dramatically, for show. "Yeah, yeah, you were right. Now, can we hurry up so we can hit the riches at the library?"

"Sure."

Six more aisles later you left the store with only the razors and the pills, but at least you and Zach had both gotten something out of it.

You exited cautiously, Zach leading with Athena as per usual, but for once they could not ease the anxiety you felt being in a place that used to be populated with people again.

All you could think about was the sharp crack of a bullet, the last split second you saw your cousin and his wife alive before they'd slumped to the ground so suddenly lifeless that you'd frozen like a deer in headlights while their bodies leaked blood into the cracks of the worn asphalt. Helpless to do anything but stare in horror as their killer dragged their bodies into a pile on the side of the road like they were just another dead animal to clear out, until you finally felt your legs again and bolted.

Civilization was no longer a place that comforted you.

Zach broke into the little library by shattering the glass of the front door with a sharp, heavy stone and turning the lock blindly. As soon as it clicked open he stepped aside so you could enter first.

You choked on the dust and had to cover your mouth with your jacket sleeve, but you pushed forward, determined.

Luckily the building had a lot of frosted windows so you were able to maneuver around easily without the lights.

You started at the main desk, searching every drawer. All you found were a few pens, which Zach pocketed.

Next you tried the janitor's closet. "Oh, well, now this will certainly be a luxury."

You pulled two rolls of individually wrapped toilet tissue off one of the shelves and threw one to Zach, purposely trying to catch him off guard. Impressively, he still caught it. He laughed. "Okay, so we're already even scored. Think you can find more stuff?"

"For sure."

You headed into a corner that had once acted as a little self serve café, littered with rotten food and a reeking coffee machine. You found four unopened water bottles still in the cooler by the back of the space and nearly jumped with joy.

"Never doubt me again," you said as you handed Zach two of them.

He made the motion of crossing his heart at you and you smiled.

"One last place to check."

As Zach shoved his bottles into his pack you slipped into the unisex bathroom adjacent to the coffee corner alone and glanced around. There wasn't much in the room besides the sink and toilet, not even a window, so it was hard to see, but you found one more roll of toilet tissue and a half used bag of pantie liners you could use for when your period rolled around. You hid them both in your pack and rejoined Zach.

"Any luck?" he inquired.

"Just another roll of toilet tissue," you lied, not feeling comfortable talking to him about period products even in passing. It wasn't just because you grew up around men who didn't want to hear a thing about it, who preferred to live in ignorance over the female cycle. It was also because Zach was still just an acquaintance, and that just wasn't something you typically talked about loosely in front of people you hardly knew, no matter their gender.

"I'll share if you admit the library was the more productive stop," you added with a smirk.

"I can't deny it," he said.

"I actually want to look at the books for a second if that's okay?"

Zach nodded. "Hurry up though."

You raced over to the how-to section, scanning them almost desperately for a book you had in mind. You found it on a top shelf, a book on North American plants for survivalists.

You were plucking it from the shelf when Athena barked suddenly and you flinched.

"What's up, girl?" Zach asked her, warily turning in a circle in hopes of seeing what set her off.

She was staring at the back window, suggesting she'd alerted to a shadow or sound from that direction.

Athena wasn't a barker. You'd only known her for a day but it was long enough to know if she was barking there was a reason. That knowledge made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

"Follow me," Zach whispered.

You nodded quickly and slowly made your way to the front with him, creeping out of the door as soon as he gave the hand signal to do so.

You didn't breath properly until you were a good quarter of a mile back into the forest, back on track north.

You kept up with Zach. "Do you think she heard people?"

"Her warning bark is the same for people and animals so I have no idea," he said. "It doesn't matter. In either case, we got away safe. And if it was a false alarm, somehow, well, it's not like we weren't already leaving."

"True."

You turned the book you'd carried out in your arms over and skimmed the information on the faded back cover. The book had been published in 1985, but that was alright. Plant survival books didn't tend to get outdated too often.

"What's the book about?" Zach asked you when he noticed you studying it.

You told him and he looked pleased. "Great idea bringing it. I know about a few edible plants, but probably not as many as there actually are."

"All I know is berries are usually okay, and never eat the mushrooms," you said. "Even experts used to poison themselves eating wild mushrooms sometimes. Mushrooms look too alike and the risk is too great to be worth it."

"Noted."

You took a moment to stop and slide the book into your pack before running to catch back up with Zach again. "Are you nervous about the crossing?"

"We're still probably a few days out from that," he told you, "But yeah, I've been nervous from the start. Day one. I've heard as many rumors about the Canadian border patrol as you have. Micah said they have a zero tolerance for Americans crossing over. They will try to shoot us if they see us."

He halted to face you. "Are you still okay with this plan?"

"No," you said firmly. "Of course I'm not, I never was, but if I don't go with you to Alaska, I have no future."

He nodded, understanding what you meant. Entering Canada would be dangerous, but not necessarily more dangerous than staying behind, and if you wanted any sort of peaceful living you had to risk it.

Alaska here I come.

xxx

Tagged: @harriedandharassed @love-affair-with-fandoms @morallyinept

xxx

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

xxx

[mayiwritesomething]

Love Is An Unfamiliar Name (pt. 2)

Snacks

Wordcount: 1,9 k

Warnings: none

A/N: hope you enjoy as much as i enjoyed writing it :)

PART ONE

—————

Few months had passed since THAT NIGHT, you had finished two short movie scores. Like many composers, you occasionally played with a band, starting out as a sound engineer intern during your music bachelor's degree. It was during this time that you met the group who would later invite you to become their bass player for live shows. Almost fifteen years down the line, there you were, laying down bass lines for their next album.

As the session ended, you reached for your water bottle when your bandmate, Tim, called out to you. "Hey there, kiddo. I know you're taking some time off soon. Can I count on you for the upcoming tour? I'm planning just a few shows so I can spend more time with the kids," he mentioned while packing his gear. 

"Timmy, you know I'll be there! By June, I should have everything wrapped up so we can start post-production," you assured him. Tim happened to be Amy's husband, whom you introduced, and they had been together for nearly a decade.

"When are you leaving?" he inquired.

"Next Monday, I'm off to Alberta, then back to LA for a few days, off to Paris, then back to Canada, and on and on," you explained.

"The way you put it, it sounds like just a month or two," Johnny chimed in.

"Come on! I don't know why you're talking like that. Most of your work will be in post-production," you retorted, playfully pushing him. Johnny, a master in sound effects, was also part of your team, along with Tim, who excelled in translating emotions into music. Tim, however, would be less involved this time due to his newborn daughter. While he would assist on set some days, you had planned most of his work for the final score during post-production.

"I'll admit, I'm just as nervous as you are," Johnny confessed. "Things are getting real now."

"It sure is, and you're both in this with me. If you mess up, I'll fire you with no mercy," you teased, laughing.

 

"Remember when we met this girl man, she was 20-something, sitting shy behind a board working on synthesizers? Years later, she's our boss in the cinematographic world." Tim beamed proudly, resembling an older brother.

"Well, you know I'm here because you never let me fall," you expressed gratefully, recalling how they had always supported you as if you were their little sister, even during your toughest times.

"Oh, I forgot how cute and loving you can be sometimes." Johnny embraced you, joined by Jim and Lucas, the drummer who had just entered the room, unaware of the conversation.

"What would I do without you guys?" You chuckled, feeling a sense of belonging, and these guys made it feel like home.

 

—-

 

On Sunday, you began packing your luggage, gathering everything you needed to feel comfortable in the hotel that would serve as your Canadian residence for the coming months.

 

Monday morning, you double-checked everything once again before meeting Jenny at the airport around 2:00 PM to catch your flight, realizing the scale of the project as the entire crew was set to travel on a private flight.

Spotting Jenny amidst a small group at the airport, you recognized familiar faces from the sound department. While conversing with your new colleagues and waiting to check in, you headed to the self-service area for snacks when a familiar voice caught your attention from behind.

"Just make sure not to take the Reese's, Mrs. Coordinator," the voice teased.

"I'm more of an M&M's kind of girl," you retorted playfully. "You can have it all; it’s not like I care... - Pedro," you replied, turning to face him.

"Wow, you can be quite rude sometimes. Has anyone ever told you that?" Pedro seemed taken aback.

"That's just my way of showing affection," you quipped, attempting to break the ice, the joke clear in your mind.

"Like a hedgehog, huh? Got it, Sonic," Pedro replied, retrieving his items. The mention of Sonic brought a smile to your face.

"Sonic?" you questioned.

"Yeah, the hedgehog, Mrs. Coordinator," he continued teasing.

"Please, stop calling me that," you insisted.

"Sonic?" Pedro teased again.

"You're incredibly annoying, has anyone ever told you that?" You fired back.

"A few times, but at least I don’t jump to conclusions about someone else's personality," Pedro responded, a hint of a smile appearing as he took a sip of water.

"What's the matter, dude?" Your feisty side emerged. "I already apologized for that, and now you're going to keep bringing this up every chance you get?" He was right; you can be very rude. "I mean... I'm not... I... 

"Nothing's wrong." Pedro's smile faded. "I thought you'd be okay with a joke about a stupid situation, one that, let's be clear, you created. Yes, I brought it up as a joke for the first and last time… ‘cause it seems we have different senses of humor," he continued earnestly. You found yourself agreeing with him, but you were too proud to give up.

"Alright, maybe we do have different humors. And you were the one who called me rude in the first place." You knew this time you sounded like a neglected child.

"Did I lie?"

"No," you conceded, trying not to sound stubborn. "But since we're going to be working together, perhaps we should try to understand each other better. I was joking about the Reese's incident, you know." You sounded just like your therapist now. “…And”

 

"FINALLY, THERE YOU ARE! May and I have been wandering around like two old ladies looking for their cats," Jenny chimed in, appearing out of nowhere like an angel to save you from yourself.

"Hey Jennifer, how's it going?" Pedro greeted her with a hug that got you thinking. You don’t hug Jenny quite as often as you should. "We were just discussing how we're going to make things work."

"Sure, we were," you muttered, a hint of annoyance in your voice.

"Ah, I see you've already experienced this girl's unique sense of humor," Jenny remarked, trying to lighten the mood. Though her comment irritated you, you knew she meant well.

"Unfortunately, he has, Jen," you replied, attempting to sound nice.

"Jenny, have you ever heard the phrase 'all bark, no bite'? It seems like your friend here fits that bill," Pedro observed with a cynical smile, not in a malicious way but more like a curious mind pondering your next move. Was he provoking you? You got confused...

"I can bite, but only if you ask nicely," you retorted, catching him off guard. His cheeks flushed, Jenny chuckled, and she made her way to the self-service area.

"What happened, ‘Mr. I have an answer to everything’? Cat got your tongue?" You teased him, noting his silence as he processed your response. You started to feel a bit foolish.

"Talking to you is truly a rollercoaster," Pedro remarked, attempting to sound confident, though you noticed his hand twitching. "That's a compliment, Sonic. Before you decide to pounce on me," he added shyly and genuinely. What just happened? Why did you do this to someone who isn’t your usual type? Well, you might be a wooden heart, but certainly you’re not dead. 

"See you around then?" He regained his confidence. "All bark, no bite." 

You were on the verge of responding that you hoped not, but before you could, he approached you and gently patted your shoulder, his hand resting there for a moment. A surge of electricity shot through your body so swiftly that you felt like a supernova had just exploded within you. Startled, you stepped back, fear creeping in. What was happening?

"Hey?" He looked confused. "Are you okay?"

You nodded in affirmation, and he smiled, remarking, "Quick reflexes, huh?” 

This time, you were caught off guard. Physical touch was something you weren’t used to. Your body language resembled that of a feral cat—life had shaped you into this defensive creature. Earth Calling. 

"Haha," you attempted to maintain the cool facade you had two minutes ago, "Isn't speed one of Sonic's powers?"

"I guess it is.”

"Well, are we cool then?" you asked, a hint of confusion in your voice.

"Why wouldn't we be?" he responded. 

"Pedro, we just..."

"It's okay," he reassured, moving closer as you instinctively stepped back, clutching your pack of peanut butter M&M's like a protective talisman. "Hey, it's really okay. You've said what you needed to say, and I've done the same. We're cool." Sensing your anxiety, he urged, "Trust me."

"Okay, I think we should head back.” You said. “Jenny and May are probably feigning indecision over their purchases to make sure we don’t kill ourselves," you suggested, opening your M&M's pack. He observed your delicate movements, ensuring the package remained intact.

"I’m sure of that... Just like how Jenny watches out for you, May prevents me from fucking things up," Pedro remarked with a laugh.

"Two grown adults with their babysitters," you joked, glancing over his shoulder at Jenny and May. You signaled for them to join you and Pedro, as he turned and did the same. 

"Hey, Hi!" May approached you enthusiastically. "I couldn't believe it when Pedro said he'd be working with you! I don't want to sound like a fangirl, but I love your music work! The last score you created was fantastic, and your work with Mended Fragments... I can't wait to see you guys perform live again!"

"Oh, uh, thank you... May," you replied, extending your hand. "I'm truly grateful to hear that,” you said shyly. “I must admit, I still don’t how to act in these situations, but I genuinely appreciate it." Your skin flushed with warmth. “We will play some gigs next year, i can get you some cool spots if you want”

"Really???" She was trying to hide how starstruck she was.

"Wow, enjoy it, May.” Pedro said, “She wasn't this friendly to me when we first met, and I told her I was a fan of her work. The very same day she called me the 'Game of Thrones guy.'" In that final sentence, he glanced at you like a cat poised to knock a cup of water off a table. He was teasing you, and he wanted you to know that.

This time, you didn't take the bait. Instead, you quipped, "You were on a date, Pedro, and my morals weren't the best that night. I'd rather not risk it." You chuckled, while Jenny smirked by his side.

"Come on!" He said it, feigning disappointment. "I thought we were due for another discussion," he glanced at you, "boriiiing."

"Guys, let's go. We have a flight to catch," May interjected, sensing the tension. The four of you made your way to meet the rest of the crew. Taking a seat beside Jenny, you found yourself smiling, and Jenny looked surprised at you.

"It's been a while since I've seen this," she remarked, her expression bright.

"See what?"

"This very one smile," she said, flashing her teeth.

"I'm not—"

"I'm not smiling. I don't feel anything. I'm the ice queen," she cut in, teasingly imitating you. "Everyone, look at how mean and bad I am." She continued…

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you responded, laughing and looking at the surroundings to ensure no one was paying attention.

"If anything happens between you two, you owe me 1000 bucks."

"Make it 2000, because nothing's going to happen. Deal?"

"Deal. I'm thrilled at the thought of being $2000 richer without doing anything."

"Keep dreaming," you retorted, picking up a book to read and acknowledging silently that she kind of had a point.

Fool.

[certifiedceliac]

MAJOR GLUTEN-FREE FOOD RECALL 5/4/23

There has been a massive (literally millions of pounds) recall on Prosante (owned by Cargill) soy flour used in manufacturing gluten free foods due to the potential to contain more than 20ppm of gluten. This recall affects several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, and Guatemela.

This recall is relatively new information, and the FDA hasn't listed a press release for this event yet (for now it only shows up on their weekly enforcement report, probably because it was a firm-initiated recall), but if the figures are accurate, this could have far-reaching effects across gluten free food products. A glance at Cargill's website shows this flour is mostly used in meat alternatives, but be wary of products with soy flour included until we know more.

[meerawrites]

why do you like the vampire chronicles?

- a fellow fan

Ooh boy, this will probably be an essay blog post at some point, but, I shall endeavour to give the TLDR version to the best of my present ability. None of us really changes over time. We only become more fully what we are and memory is a monster.

Do not ask me to recall my age, I am 20 now, though I often feel like Louis and Lestat, inhuman and haven't been human for 200 years. Plus the pandemic destroyed my sense of time.

Before the pandemic, a dear friend of mine introduced me to gothic literary vampires, I had just read Shelley's Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray of my own accord, and he cast me as Mina Murray-Harker in his production of Dracula (1897) opposite one of my best friends as Lucy Westenra himself as Jonathan and one of our aspiring villain actors as Count Dracula himself. I then got hooked on Dracula (the 1897 novel) and following that I wanted more vampires. We watched the 1994 IWTV Neil Jordan film together and I immediately took Lestat as my pathetic bi meow meow. I read the 1976 novel not that far after and started role-playing and cosplaying Lestat as soon as I understood him enough to make him my bi pathetic meow meow. I wouldn't pick up the chronicles again until catholic school and the move to Canada.

When I was in middle school I was a constant victim of bullying, mostly by the white rich kids for being brown, and vaguely gothic in inclinations and "witchy" and "other." My dad was also emotionally overbearing and expected a lot at an early age from me. He has since gotten better and I'm no longer anyone's victim, but, it's worthwhile to note I was victimized (past tense) for a long time. I've also had my fair share of misogyny + anti brown racism flung at me, and I am bi and genderqueer. For the record I forgive my middle school bullies, we were simply kids who didn't know better. Now, do better. I've also been the victim of emotional abuse and gaslighting, while it never escalated to physical that sort of violence even if emotional violence sticks with you. But as mentioned, victimized, in past tense.

I moved to Canada and suffered the indignity of the Catholic school system. I quit after a year and after their queerphobia made international news. But not before a brief run as a spiteful bi as fuck atheist and picking up The Vampire Lestat, finally.

Before the pandemic, I felt like Louis de Pointe du Lac and Mona Mayfair, during the pandemic and in catholic school I felt like Nicolas de Lenfent, following the pandemic and up til the present I aspire to be something of a Lestat de Lioncourt and Rowan Mayfair meaning less cynical, unlearning my shame, confident, clever at least intellectually but foolishly in love with the beauty of humanity. Now, we're here.

IWTV 1994 lost in adaptation

Vampire Reviews: IWTV 1994 ft @elisaintime

What Constitutes Evil?

Vampire Reviews: The Vampire Chronicles ft @elisaintime

Vampire Reviews: The Vampire Lestat ft @elisaintime

Late Interview with the Vampire author Anne Rice remembered by trans woman she helped come out.

Tagging: @covenofthearticulate, @monstersinthecosmos, @elisaintime & @the-brat-prince-1760, @dontbesylly & @i-want-my-iwtv (no pressure to reply, I just thought y'all would appreciate this story).

[bcacstuff]

I do think he works hard for his brand, the issue here (I believe) may be AN. They don’t have the right support. They can’t always expect SH celebrity status to be the main support of the brand, he is not that know (sorry but true), still love him ❤️ There has to be a team that is dedicated solely to the brand and promote it. The “company” has the same people working on MPC, SS, accessories and film production, hence MIK but their website is not even running it’s a front, it’s a huge loss right there. For example, Maximum Effort is a Ryan Reynolds’s film production company, they concentrate on that he appears on some vids but runs by its self, aviation gin Ryan Reynolds’s too different team, you get my point.

They are stretched too thin and cannot manage everything themselves with the few people they have and it shows. Someone has to be out doing the deals, making the announcements ahead of time, publishing content constantly, and customer management. They don’t, it’s shows on the quality of content, quality of the places and primarily on the quality of consistency.

From your posts I am not surprised the majority of the sales is in the U.S. that’s where the largest fan base is and it did help launch, now they have concentrate how to pivot into a better quality market i.e. Fort Lauderdale is a “cheap” get wasted kind of place and you won’t find a good market for Gin nor quality whisky and forget about Tequila, it’s overcrowded. They need to focus better on where to take it and how to sell it. It’s winning competitions then take it where it will be valued.

Also, what’s happening to the EU market? Last known news was that they lost the trade name to an old German whisky name similar to the Sassenach.

In all better PR, better team, better leadership.

That’s my two cents.

------------------------------

Above submitted.

An is not alone the issue, it’s as much as himself as well. He just wants to keep control too much. Trusting AN for the daily business. I agree, having the same team for all his endeavors, and mostly people related to AN, is an issue. And for as far as I’ve seen for quite a long time is there’s not really a dedicated marketing team nor strategy plan for it. Beginning with the websites, the SS website is just a front as well, and so are all the websites for the books. It’s just how can we as fast as possible direct you to the purchase button. they forget that people (especially if we focus on people outside the OL fandom) need to be convinced, why is it that makes this product special, why would I want to buy it. Not because it is Sam Heughan who created it. It needs something else! And they do have a story to tell, but they just skip that whole part. Rely on the ‘related products’ on the ReserveBar site.

About the numbers, you must take into account that these numbers are the numbers of the ReserveBar sales pages. If you’re located in Europe, you will be redirected to Masters of Malt, and Canada you get directed to Willowpark and only see the tequila! So not that surprising the majority sales for RB are in the US. Though the largest part of his fanbase is in the US. That said, EU/Canada and other countries are not really on the priority list and how can you expect numbers to grow if it’s not? Growth strategy should be focussing on where there is room to grow, and it most certainly includes EU.

Germany is a lost case. I know there is this German fan constantly posting and asking people to sign a petition. They lost the case in Germany, and rightfully so, there is a company many years old, to which the SS name shows too much similarity(Theo Sasse) It’s not a German whisky though, but related to beverages and food if I recall right. Why would someone give up their rights they owned for many years, and have their brand compromised because some actor that didn’t do the best research when choosing the name? Do people understand how that is a family business that is on the market for a very long time and worked hard to have their brand established? Why do they think SH would have more rights for the name? Just because he is SH? Good thing the court doesn’t think so!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

"The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is recalling Quebec-made cheese fondues under brand name “1001 Fondues” due to possible Listeria contamination.

The affected products were sold in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia[...]

The CFIA has a complete list of affected products including UPC codes, lot numbers and best before dates on its website."

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[world-cinema-research]

Carrie (1976) Movie Essay

By Aiden McKinney

Carrie (1976) was Stephen King’s first published novel and a year later, was the first of his to be adapted into a film. With the creative direction of Brian De Palma, Carrie brought life back to the horror genre and has become a cult classic. In fact, five years after the release of the film, King complemented the filmmaker's work:

"De Palma's approach to the material was lighter and more deft than my own—and a good deal more artistic ... The book seems clear enough and truthful enough in terms of the characters and their actions, but it lacks the style of De Palma's film. The book attempts to look at the ant farm of high school society dead on; De Palma's examination of this 'High School Confidential' world is more oblique ... and more cutting.” 

The movie stars Sissy Spacek as an overly shy and self conscious high school senior who doesn’t have a friend in the world. In fact, she is an outcast with an overbearing, abusive, mentally unstable, religious fanatic for a mother. Margaret White fears everything is a sin in the eyes of the Lord, especially anything remotely provocative, sexual in nature, or regarding the female anatomy and its physicality. She is so out of touch, that she never taught Carrie about a woman’s menstrual cycle. When Carrie suddenly gets her first period in the shower after P.E. in school, she is absolutely horrified and scared to death. Reaching out to her classmates for help, the girls only laugh at her and throw feminine hygiene products at her. The bullying only gets worse for Carrie, who begins to realize she has telekinetic powers. She can move objects with the power of her mind This, of course, only makes her more of an outcast. To better prepare for the role, Sissy Spacek isolated herself from the rest of the cast during production. “In a 2013 interview with Vulture, co-star P.J. Soles recalled how on "the first or second day, Sissy came over to a group of us, maybe at lunch, I don’t remember, and said, ‘I love you guys, we’re going to have a great shoot, I’m very excited to be working on this. But I just want to let you guys know, I’m going to alienate myself from you. I want to feel that alienation. But I really like you and afterwards we’ll party and we’ll have a great time. But don’t take it personally. I just want to let you know I’m doing it on purpose because I want to get into the part.’ We all really respected her for that, and that made us even more eager and able to be as mean as we could to her, because we knew it was going to help her." (Facts about Carrie- Mental Floss) 

It also makes her mother believe that Carrie is the spawn of the Devil, as she was conceived in a moment of impulsive promiscuity, prior to marriage. Margaret White has a monologue that explains her moment of weakness:

Carrie: It was bad, Mama. They laughed at me. Hold me, Mama. Please hold me.

Margaret White: I should've killed myself when he put it in me. After the first time, before we were married, Ralph promised never again. He promised, and I believed him. But sin never dies. Sin never dies. At first, it was all right. We lived sinlessly. We slept in the same bed, but we never did it. And then, that night, I saw him looking down at me that way. We got down on our knees to pray for strength. I smelled the whiskey on his breath. Then he took me. He took me, with the stink of filthy roadhouse whiskey on his breath, and I liked it. I liked it! With all that dirty touching of his hands all over me. I should've given you to God when you were born, but I was weak and backsliding, and now the Devil has come home. We'll pray.

Carrie: Yes.

Margaret White: We'll pray. We'll pray. We'll pray for the last time. We'll pray.

Youtube Carrie trailer

The movie trailer covers quite a bit of the film, but it also gives a genuine vibe and  creepy feeling of the film. 

Box office

Budget

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Gross US & Canada

$33,800,000

Gross worldwide

$33,801,936

Carrie was a box office success both in numbers and in Academy Award nominations. Nominated for two Academy Awards, one for Best Actress (Spacek) and Best Supporting Actress (Laurie). This is notable, since the horror genre is not ordinarily recognized at the Academies, especially since Saturn Awards launched in 1972 to honor films of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Original review from Roger Ebert in which he praises director Brian De Palma for creating a horror film that doesn’t rely on the gore and violence of a typical horror film. De Palma focuses on characterization and the reality that Carrie is a teenage girl who everyone can possibly relate to, at least once in their lives.

“I wouldn't want to spoil the movie's climax for you by even hinting at what happens next. Just let me say that "Carrie" is a true horror story. Not a manufactured one, made up of spare parts from old Vincent Price classics, but a real one, in which the horror grows out of the characters themselves.The scariest horror stories -- the ones by M.R. James, Edgar Allan Poe, and Oliver Onions -- are like this. They develop their horrors out of the people they observe. That happens here, too. Does it ever.”

 Roger Ebert Carrie 1976 

Carrie is a conventional film with unconventional technical aspects. There is a central character, Carrie, and she experiences conflict (so much conflict) who has a goal. There are antagonists (so many antagonists) who stand in the way of her goal. The cinematography is unconventional, in the sense that De Palma used unusual camera angles and motions that translate different emotions and feelings in different scenes. For example, at the Prom, Carrie and Tommy are dancing and the camera is spinning around them as they are spinning, creating a sense of euphoria and confusion, at the same time. 

youtube.com Carrie dance scene 

The movie Carrie subscribes to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension of High Restraint. Carrie is raised by an overly religious mother who controls her and tries to keep Carrie from breaking from her strict upbringing and expressing herself in her own way.

Historical Events

United States - First Space Shuttle

NASA unveils the first space shuttle, the Enterprise.

More Information for the first space shuttle

NASA unveiled the first space shuttle, the Enterprise, to the public during September of 1976. The Enterprise was only a prototype created to conduct test flights and the official launch of the Space Shuttle Program did not occur until April of 1981 with the launch of the Columbia. The Enterprise weighed about 150,000 pounds and cost nearly $10 billion to create. While the first space shuttle never actually made it into space, it did become the first of the space shuttles to fly during a test in the following year after it was unveiled.

Jimmy Carter defeats incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976 Presidential election.

Britannica 1976 Presidential election 

[trubbishrubbish]

Happy Last Day of 2023. Here's a long overdue update over how I have been.

As you recall, Jabberwock Genocide Part 2 was uploaded 3 weeks ago. And the only thing I did this whole month of December after Part 2 was uploaded was that I went to Canada to climb a huge mountain and confront my other self because it’s cheaper than going to therapy.

Just kidding, I just worked on more Jabberwock Genocide, nothing else.

This is a positive as I have made so much forward progress in the animation and the upcoming part 3 that you guys won’t have to wait 9 months for more Genocide Jack fun time. However, there is a cost to just working on Jabberwock Genocide, one that I’m currently struggling to find a way to deal with.

Basically, all my free time, focus and thinking has been dedicated to Jabberwock Genocide, but other stuff I do and create I have left to the dust.

My output in making Genocide Jack posts has just stopped.

I keep neglecting to share updates to my Sho Shrine. I am still getting new stuff for it but I have not yet organized it and taken picture of it.

I have barely played any new games. The last game I have beaten that is new was Super Mario Bros Wonder. I loved that game, but I had a hard time sitting down to play it for long sessions as I wanted to work on Jabberwock Genocide.

And tragically, I have really neglected interacting with my online friends. This I feel the most guilty of as I have no excuse for it. I know there are friends I used to talk to a lot before that I have now stopped engaging with for a really long time. If you are one of those people I just to say that I am sorry for ghosting you. I still consider you a friend I don't want our friendship to slowly die out due to lack of communication on my end.

This is my struggle. I love making Jabberwock Genocide. It’s honestly the most enriching thing I am currently doing in my life. I’m creating a story with my favorite character, Genocide Jack. I’m developing my skill as a sprite animator. I’m constantly thinking about how to create a particular scene with the limited resources I have. I get a real kick of joy when I am creating a scene and suddenly an idea comes to mind that I love and I put it in the animation.

I feel so satisfied when the ideas I have for a scene that I see in my head are transmitted into actual animation on my editor. More often then not, what I make in the final product is better than what I imagine in my head. Every single line, every single detail, every single joke, it all feels so amazing to craft them into a video.

It’s crazy to think that just a few months ago, I was at a low point in the animation where all of my motivation was drained and I struggled to make progress for weeks. But now, I feel so freaking happy and elated just thinking about the animation. Heck, even doing really tedious tasks like making every single sprite jump a little is still enjoyable to me. I’ve been working on this project since August 2022. I never expected this to be what is now when I first started writing down ideas. But I am happy the project did turn into this, because I really, truly enjoy working on this.

But… That’s the problem. I enjoy working on Jabberwock Genocide so much that any other hobbies, I find less fun. I rewrote my brain to dedicate huge parts of it to think about Jabberwock Genocide. I’m fully being this attached to a project like this isn’t healthy. I should be consuming different media and doing other activities and talking to my friends. I know this but I find it difficult to summon the energy to do it.

I’m still trying to find a good balance between working on the project and doing other leisure activities that I enjoy doing. I’m going to make this a goal for 2024, it might take me a while to find that balance but I will try to. Hopefully when I do, I can slowly rekindle friendships that I have abandoned.

That’s what I wanted to say. Thank you for taking the time to read this. See you in 2024.

[gimletagain]

“‘I had a very A-list person call me when I commented on Meghan Markle before the Oprah interview and said to me: "Can you please take down what you said, they can barely stand up in Frogmore Cottage and they can't afford their security,"' Bethenny recalled.”

From the DM regarding Bethany ripping Meghan to shreds on her podcast. She’s essentially confirming they were broke to start with. So if they were broke in Canada and couldn’t afford their security then… and bought a 14 mil mansion (with a roughly 40-60k a month mortgage- not including upkeep) and are paying for security, her outrageously expensive wardrobe, a staff and God only knows what else. Even with their deals they are living far above their means.

The Lost Fortune of the Tsars is a fascinating read about the Russian royal family and what happened to their money after they died. I read it for the first time when I was 21 mostly because I have always been curious about Tsar Nicholas II and his family and I wanted to know what insights it held about what happened to them, but I gained insight to another side that had never even crossed my mind. The Tsar was one of the richest people in the world, but the majority of that wealth counted land and what are now historical landmarks that he essentially owned as head of state. His money was otherwise tied up in stocks of foreign banks at war, etc. The thing that stood out the most to me in the whole book though (and the thing I’ve never forgotten) is how all of the extended family royals who fled and lived in exile in England were constantly bailed out of debt by the British Royal family. The BRF essentially kept their lifestyle afloat, but the Russian Royals were otherwise broke.

Despite the duos resourcefulness, I’m calling this now: this same thing will happen with these two.

Thank you for this thoughtful ask.

I think every time they cry “poor” they’re definitely exaggerating as they’re prone to histrionics, as we all know. They were never not able to afford security if they were remotely serious about actually needing it instead of using this issue as a leverage to deliberately paint a picture of how cruel the RF has been to them. People actually concerned with security would never bring a reporter on a school run that has some details or release any photos of their kids, even side profiles. There are a lot of very famous celebrities with children that we literally have no idea what they look like. The fact that we know Archie goes to a part-day school somewhere in her neighborhood with other kids is problematic - they’re in a tiny town. I’m sure I could google and figure out where he goes, and she herself revealed all of that information to a reporter. So much for being security obsessed.

The problem is, as you noted, they’re not liquid. They don’t have the type of money they can fling around at their disposal like other billionaires. And that realllly bothers them. That’s what all of their tantrums have been about … and the deals that they make are a big FU to say, see, I can make my own millions too! But now they’re discovering just how hard it is to get up and work every day to deliver a finished product. They’re in an especially difficult spot, since other content makers with deals have some history of work, even if it’s not in media. Obamas worked their entire lives, in and outside of politics, have Ivy League law degrees. Others have produced, acted in, written, starred in award winning shows, plays, or podcasts. What do they know how to do? Literally nothing. He was at best the “face” of a popular European charity initiative modeled after Wounded Warriors with a whole team of royal staff propping it up; she was a c list actress with a remarkable knack for self-promotion. So what you’re seeing now is just that - two empty people only capable of spinning their own PR wheels to mixed results.

All of this is coming to a head now and I believe that it will be the breaking point in their marriage- when they finally see that they aren’t mogul material. They’ll blame each other and it’ll fall apart in less than 5 years. Both of them will seek refuge in where they should’ve never strayed from - he’ll go back to his family and she’ll either find an influencer type role that feeds her ego or marry some rich old guy with a private jet she can use any time she wants.

[panuccispizza]

Hi, you said to send you an ask if anyone has more ideas for the neurodivergent aid post - Maybe weighted blankets sold by IKEA? IKEA is available in a lot of places, they have different weight options, the product is called ODONVIDE.

ohh!! this is a great idea, thank you!! hope you don't mind I expanded on this with more weighted items.

here's a link to the 13.2lb twin size, they also come in 17.6lbs and 22.1lbs, just going off the Google ads.

here's an alternative link to a cheaper option from target, these can also be in the store but im sure the price fluctuates. my app currently says this one is $30 but it's set to my store, it can be different based off location, availability, and eventually when the deal ends or begins again.

there are many Amazon listings for different weighted blankets, as well as options on Etsy.

( image description: a general weighted blanket guide chart comparing the users body weight to the blanket weight, for safe use for the individual, or couple. general rule is your blanket being 10% of your body weight. /end description )

if blankets are not the product for you, but you still want something weighted;

Amazon has weighted hoodies, I know I'd personally enjoy this a Lot more.

Etsy, Amazon, and maybe even a local grocery store near you has weighted and/or microwavable plushies. please check the product information before you put your plushie in the microwave.

I don't have a weighted heating pad myself, but when my cat lays on me I know in my heart it would've helped me so much with my PMDD when i was still menstruating.

i can't find a weighted version of my favorite fidget toy(the tangle, if anyone knows that one exists lmk!) but I recall Markiplier reviewing fidget toys and his #1 favorite was the ONO roller, and he said it was rather weighty. I don't actually watch Markiplier since gaming YouTube isn't my thing but I trust his opinion.

ok I'm running out of ideas here. hand weight to help your fine motor skills in your hand, if you have shakey hands. there are a lot of disabled people out here who I believe would benefit from something like this, especially if you're someone who does crafts with their hands such as crochet.

since I've already gotten one angry anon, I am not sponsored or making any sort of money off any of this.

[heartlandians]

‘Heartland’ Star Jessica Amlee On The ‘Hilarious’ Scenario She Pitched The Showrunners: ‘I Want To Make People Laugh’

The wholesome family saga “Heartland” almost galloped onto the small screen without Jessica Amlee back in Oct. 14, 2007. The Canadian actress and her teenage character, Mallory Wells, were not initially part of the pilot. “They added me in because they needed a younger face,” Amlee tells ET Canada. Flash forward to January 2023, when Heartland will be celebrating its 245th episode. Amlee, for one, can’t help but marvel at the show’s longevity.

“I remember in the first season, I think it was the third episode, we had discovered how many people were watching ‘Heartland’ at the time,” Amlee recalls. “We were shocked it got picked up for a second season. We were living off that high of, ‘Wow, people are actually watching.’ At the time, 500,000 people were watching. It was this huge deal. Then, I started looking up how many people were watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and was like, ‘Ours isn’t that many people. Are we going to get picked up for a third season?’

“I remember Chris Potter, who plays Tim on the show, saying ‘Imagine looking into a crowd of even 100,000 people,’” she continues. “‘Think of how much that is. That is who you are performing for.’ I remember thinking that is a lot of people. It kept growing and growing, but the significance never changed. Even being in front of an audience of 10,000 people is a big deal. It really did change my perspective. It’s almost like being on a stage.”

“Heartland” follows the life of Alberta ranch owners Amy Fleming and her older sister, Louise. Amlee portrayed their gossipy neighbor Mallory, a character who lacked a filter when speaking and relished in stepping on people’s toes. But after seven seasons on the immensely popular series, Amlee decided to leave in order to expand her horizons. She admits the decision required plenty of soul searching.

“When you do something for so long, eventually you think, ‘OK, well, what else? Where do I go from here?’” says Amlee. “When you play a character for so long… at the time I had played Mallory for 10 years… you do lose the border of where you are the character and where you are yourself. I lost that boundary. I started thinking, ‘Who am I?’ I did have to go off and discover who I am.

“Coming back and finally being able to be appreciate the crew and the cast and the people that surrounded me — and gave me love and support throughout my childhood and adolescence into adulthood — it was such a lovely circumstance of coming back to my roots and feeling grounded again,” she adds. “The cast and crew are above and beyond. It’s like a well-oiled machine. That was beautiful to come back to, to be able to appreciate being an adult. ‘Wow, this is a really great production.’”

Amlee bid a fond farewell in season 7, but returned for a two-part arc three years later. That appearance left newlywed Mallory and her husband, Jake [Jake Church], embarking on a road trip. At the time, Amlee felt the door was left wide open to explore more with the couple. In fact, Church and Amlee even concocted their own dream scenario during COVID.

“We had this concept where it would be hilarious if Mallory and Jake showed up in the RV with a set of triplets,” Amlee says. “We open the door of the trailer and the garbage comes pouring out. The RV just makes it and breaks down. Then, we come pouring out of the trailer. I thought it was hilarious. So, I contacted Heather Conkie, the showrunner, writer and creator of the show. I guess Mark Haroun has now taken over. I contacted her because I really wanted that concept. I want to bring funny to ‘Heartland’, always. Actually, not always. I was always the funny person and that’s why I think I broke away from Mallory. I was like, ‘I want serious content. I want to be able to cry,’ but I was always the comedy. And, now, I come back and I just want to do comedy.

“It is a very different phase of life,” she concludes. “I want to make people laugh. They definitely brought elements of that into this season of me being able to just be funny. I think those are the best scenes I have.”

Source

[osmanthusoolong]

“"When inflation is at an all-time high and access to health care is at an all-time low, I cannot accept this," said Ellis, MP for Cumberland—Colchester.”

…

“The new regulations give Health Canada the ability to immediately recall a natural health product — anything from toothpaste to supplements — instead of waiting for up to six months. They also force producers to update their labelling to include more information about their products, such as whether they contain allergens.”

…

“One of the gaps identified by the department came from a 2021 auditor general's report, which took a random sample of natural health products and found 88 per cent of them used false or misleading advertising, said Sharma.

"That could be in terms of what they claim that the products do, the dosing, the way that the products are represented," she said.”

Naturally, the suggestion that people should not be selling fake medicine that’s just contaminated floor sweepings is a terrible affront to Freedom.

@allthecanadianpolitics