#its at the ago museum in toronto

[jackoshadows]

The Art Gallery of Ontario, one of the biggest galleries in Canada has fired it's curator of indigenous arts, Wanda Nanibush over her comments about Gaza/Israel after a pro-Israel group complained

A Canadian art gallery has fired an indigenous person and curator for recognizing colonialism and the genocide of an indigenous population for what it is.

Arts and cultural workers in Canada are calling attention to the sudden departure of Indigenous curator Wanda Nanibush from Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Members of the local arts community began raising suspicions last week when they noticed that Nanibush, AGO’s inaugural curator of Canadian and Indigenous art, was no longer featured on the museum’s website.

Now, an anonymously leaked complaint sent by the organization Israel Museum and Arts, Canada (IMAAC) to the AGO on October 16 has spurred concerns that Nanibush’s public comments on the Israeli occupation and bombardment of Palestine may have played a role in the decision. Signed by the leadership of the Toronto-based group, including Art Canada Institute Founder and Executive Director Sara Angel, the email complaint alleges that Nanibush was “posting inflammatory, inaccurate rants against Israel.” The letter, verified by Hyperallergic, decries Nanibush’s social media posts referring to Israel’s role in genocide and colonialism, actions also decried by multiple human rights experts and organizations. Formerly known as Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum, the IMAAC supports Jerusalem’s Israel Museum and its programming, according to the organization’s website. 

“It’s an appalling letter,” Ontario-based multidisciplinary artist and activist Jamelie Hassan told Hyperallergic. A recipient of the 2001 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts, Hassan pointed out that Nanibush’s departure now raises questions about who will continue to lead the museum’s Indigenous art exhibitions. 

Hopkins noted that Nanibush has been a vocal critic of “the insidious nature of colonialism and the ongoing violences of settler colonialism.” 

“What her departure implies is that this is no longer a comfortable conversation for large institutions and that the work that many of us have been doing to create more just institutions is now no longer stable and safe,” Hopkins continued. “When topics like decolonization are rendered taboo, the future for Native voices in this field is bleak.”

The leaked letter in question:

[thisislizheather]

Museum of Failure in NYC

“Museum of Failure is a collection of failed products and services from around the world. The majority of all innovation projects fail and the museum showcases these failures to provide visitors a fascinating learning experience. Innovation and progress require an acceptance of failure. The museum aims to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire us to take meaningful risks.”

God, I love a fun museum. There’s absolutely nothing better. I went to the Museum of Failure when it opened a few weeks ago in Brooklyn and I can’t recommend it enough. The space it’s displayed in is a bit of a failure in itself (on purpose maybe?), but once you get past that it’s a great way to spend an hour. Some highlights below!

As soon as you enter, there’s the Share Your Failure wall that visitors can contribute to. Best ones I read: not getting divorced, not kissing him, not wearing sunscreen when I was young.

Above Photo: Share Your Failure wall at the Museum of Failure, NYC

Above Photo: If this doesn’t remind you of the Toronto Science Center in the mid 90s, I don’t know what to tell you

Okay, Orbitz was not actually a good drink, but it completely paved the way for bubble tea to take off.

Above Photo: Diet candy AYDS, 1937-1980s

“Why take diet pills when you can enjoy AYDS?" HOW WAS THIS REAL? And how on earth was it successful for decades?? This appetite-suppressant candy was successful with the help of Hollywood celebrities and its popularity peaked in the 1970s. Obviously when the AIDS epidemic emerged in the 1980s the weight-loss product was doomed.

Above Photo: Atari ET Game & Console, 1982-1983

This is basically known as the worst video game of all time and Atari reported a $536 million loss in 1983 because of it. There’s a great documentary about it called Atari: Game Over about the urban legend that unsold copies were buried.

Above Photo: Low blow, museum. Low blow.

Is it funny that there’s a Titanic reference? Absolutely. Horrid, but funny.

Above Photo: Pinky Gloves, 2021

Oh no, these came out in 2021. A male trio of German inventors created gloves to wear when taking out tampons so that women wouldn’t get blood on their hands and have a “discrete way to dispose of the used product.” WOW.

Above Photo: Little Miss No Name, 1965

Firstly, I apologize for introducing this image into your subconscious. I really am. The brand Hasbro designed this unusual doll to be an alternative to the hugely popular Barbie. “In keeping with the climate of the mid-sixties, they wanted to teach little girls compassion and the realities of life for homeless people.”

Above Photo: Trump SECTION at the Museum of Failure, NYC

There’s a whole Trump wing in the museum, which is just *chef’s kiss*.

Above Photo: Spray On Condom, 2006-2008

This German product was supposed to be the solution to the problem of condoms being either too small or too big. Its instructions: “Simply insert penis into an apparatus to coat with melted latex and then wait 3 minutes for the latex to dry.” It failed because the idea of inserting one's penis into the apparatus scared men and the three-minute hardening time proved too long to wait.

Above Photo: Shared Girlfriend, 2017

Developed by Chinese company Taqu Ltd., the Shared Girlfriend service rented sex dolls for $45 a day. They were made of high-quality silicon and dolls were ordered with a smartphone app then delivered to your door. “After each rental, the dolls were disinfected, and the more heavily used and damaged parts were replaced.” ICK.  Amazingly, the service was suspended only four days after its launch due to public outrage.

There were so many other incredible pieces on display (grass skis, the hula chair, the Elon Musk wall), you really should make an afternoon of it and see for yourself. I showed a few videos of the exhibit over on my spring ‘23 highlights on Instagram, if you’re interested in seeing even more. Such a fun time. Tickets available over here.

Now I beg you, world: bring back Pepsi Blue.

[lynxmuse]

I learned over the weekend that Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama passed away.  He came and gave a lecture at our university (more on this further down), but I’d been familiar with a couple of his buildings long beforehand.  One of which I’ve gushed about before:  the Ontario Science Centre. Built tumbling down a ravine, it is a building that suited its purpose well, delightfully interesting and building excitement all the way through.

But I was also familiar, still in my youth, with his work through the Toronto Reference Library, with its curving atrium inside of its faceted exterior.  I especially loved those jutting windows, because – and unfortunately I couldn’t find a good picture of them – each of them had a bench and were their own little luminous reading nook.

And then there is the Canadian War Museum.  Complex geometries and angular slashes, built into the landscape, as a fitting reflection of the perils of war.  But they’re not completely random geometries, with the main prow (whose windows spell out in morse:  lest we forget/n’oublions jamains) framing parliament’s peace tower, and the hall of remembrance where the sun on Remembrance Day lands on a tomb marker.

He also designed the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, complete with a garden that rings the top of its plinth with sections representing each province and territory.

Two things stood out to me during Raymond’s lecture to us all those years ago.  One was about the construction of the embassy, where he recounted arriving in Tokyo, and going to the construction site where the site manager pulled him aside and seemed very concerned.  To paraphrase his story:  “The manager fretted a bit, then told me ‘We are behind schedule.’  And immediately my mind went oh no and I envisioned weeks behind schedule, and events having to be called off, and calls to the embassador, and all sorts of things.  But then the manager continued.  ‘We are 40 minutes behind schedule, but the workers will stay late tonight to be sure we catch up!’  And it was at that moment I realized that the construction industry ran a bit different in Japan than what I was used to…’

His whole talk was very friendly, light, and full of humour like that. Which is the second thing that stood out to me, because, as a child, Raymond was interred (shamefully, much as happened in the US) along with other Japanese Canadians during WW2.  “It is a psychological hell when your own country, the country of your birth, stamps you an ‘enemy alien,’ disowns you and expels you.” (from an excerpt of a speech published by the University of Toronto)  But he didn’t let that experience define him.  And it was there that he gained his appreciation for architecture.  To quote the obituary from the CBC:

“Soon, I found myself wanting to build my first architectural project, a tree house, without being found out by the RCMP,” he said. “That tree house, when finished, was beautiful. It was my university, my place of solace, a place to think and learn.”

There, he said his despair began to subside and he realized he could not hate his own community and country, as it would crush his imagination.

“I replaced the despair with ideas about what I could do as an architect to help my community and Canada,” he said at the time.

In his own words, Raymond Moriyama focused on humane architecture with the pursuit of true ideals, democracy, and unanimity of all people.  He opened his practice in 1958 (which continues on) and was 93 years old when he passed.  His legacy of grand, iconic, and visionary buildings will live on.

[fleurcareil]

East Manitoba: Winnipeg

After leaving Kenora and driving into Manitoba, the forest gives way to the Prairies and quickly there's no tree in sight! The famous big skies were blurred though from yet more smoke so not getting the pretty views but rather feeling like the sky was leaning down... 🤔

After checking in at the AirBnB, I went over to Harman's parents' house where I had stayed in 2017 when I was here for a canoeing trip & of which I have great memories so it was fun to go back & meet his parents again! The house was decorated for the upcoming wedding celebration and full of relatives that had come in from all over, and it was great to see Harman and meet his wife Ankita and their little boy Mir... they were married 3 years ago during covid but couldn't celebrate it with friends & family so now it was the occasion to have everyone together. When I received the invite, I hadn't made any plans yet for the roadtrip so this was a perfect event to plan my trip around!

As anyone knows who's been to one, Indian get-togethers tend to be quite chaotic 😁, so had fun conversations over delicious (& not too spicy) appetizers but darted home at 11pm before dinner was served 😅

Next morning, I did the first car wash since the trip started so now the car looked slightly less dirty (although it will need a power wash to remove all dead bugs 🥴), and then I went downtown to the Forks going back to what I loved most when I was here previously; lunch at the Commons Market and then a visit to the Human Rights Museum, going progressively from dark to light to its Tower of Hope. I had stayed here for 5 hours last time, learning a tremendous amount about Canadian human rights issues that as a newcomer to the country I was not aware of, so wanted to revisit now I've lived here longer and became a Canadian citizen. Every nation has skeletons in the closet they prefer not to talk about, but it's important to be aware of all history, the good and the bad, to truly appreciate the place you call home and be more socially aware of how governments take care of its people. I would dare other countries to follow suit with a similar place of human rights education & reflection!

On the way, I ran into two familiar faces; my old Sumach street in Toronto and Mahatma Ghandi, who I just read a book about 😃

I had been instructed to show up early for the wedding ceremony, so I donned the dress that I had sent in advance to Harman's mum to keep it clean from camping smoke and dirt 😆 and made my way to the pretty gardens of The Gates on Roblin by 4.30pm.

As for a traditional Indian wedding, we danced in the courtyard while the groom made his entrance (with their little son as the best man 😍) and then attended a lovely ceremony followed by a reception, delicious dinner and fun dance party. I got no pics apart from the video-booth below as I was too busy enjoying and meeting interesting people while shaking my best Indian moves 🤣 on the dance floor... it was a really fun night! 🤗

[fxllingout]

I am going to Canada soon and was wondering if there is anything general I should see or do. I am planning to go to the Toronto area but any general places or experiences you recommend is good. Also I am a bit cheesy with the touristy stuff. (Aka I enjoy it)

hmmm lets see. i do think you should to the touristy stuff. CN tower, ripleys aquarium, ive always found them fun. i also love the AGO so if you like art galleries go there. theres also the ROM if you like museums. if you like amuesment parks and rides, making the small trip to canadas wonderland is totally worth it, i love that park so much, the rides are really good. oh, i do like visiting kensignton market from time to time, its a part of toronto, if you have time to walk around there for part of your day theres that. sorry for the generic answers, believe it or not i dont leave the house much lol (theres also like nothing to do in my part of the gta, [redacted city name] is so boring and i dont visit toronto that much). OH you should get lost in the PATH, thats like a quintessential part of experiencing downtown

[raymondcarstens08]

Trip Report For Tarangire National Park Safari In Tanzania

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[sevendestinationtravel]

Discover Canada's Majestic Beauty: An Adventure Through Nature's Wonderland

Discover Canada's Majestic Beauty: An Adventure Through Nature's Wonderland

Unveiling Canada: The Perfect Place for Adventure and Peace

Welcome to an immersive tour of Canada's stunning scenery, energetic cities, and diverse cultural heritage! Set off on an incredible journey where each day holds the possibility of learning something new. Canada enticingly presents itself with its unmatched beauty and variety of experiences, from the rough summits of the Rockies to the quaint lanes of Quebec City. Together, we will delve into the core of this amazing nation and discover what experiences you can have while vacationing in Canada.

Explore Canada: A Country Rich in Natural Wonders

1. The Rockies in Canada:

Get ready to be astounded by the Canadian Rockies' utter magnificence. With their towering hills, emerald lakes, and tumbling waterfalls, the surroundings are like something from a postcard. The Rockies have something to offer everyone, whether you're a passionate hiker searching for heart-pounding paths or a nature lover seeking tranquil moments.

2. Niagara Falls:

Take in the breathtaking beauty and strength of Niagara Falls, one of the most famous natural marvels in the world. As you stand transfixed by the roaring waterfall, feel the mist on your face. There are numerous ways to get up close and personal with the majesty of Niagara Falls, from boat trips to picturesque views.

3. National Park of Banff:

Take in the natural splendor of Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is known for its wildness. Discover emerald lakes, glaciers from long ago, and verdant woods while coming across a wide variety of animals, such as bighorn sheep, elk, and grizzly bears. Whether you're taking a leisurely walk or camping beneath the stars, Banff offers incredible experiences amidst the splendor of nature.

Explore the Dynamic Cities of Canada

1. Toronto:

Explore Toronto, the largest city in Canada, and its vibrant vitality. Toronto provides a dynamic blend of culture, food, and entertainment, from the iconic CN Tower piercing the skyline to the busy lanes of Kensington Market. Explore top-notch museums, eat at unique eateries, and become fully immersed in the diverse mosaic that makes up this modern metropolis.

2. Vancouver:

Vancouver, which is tucked away between the mountains and the sea, enthralls tourists with its breathtaking natural beauty and easygoing vibe. Wander the shoreline, visit Stanley Park, or take a food tour of Chinatown and Gastown, two of the city's most diverse neighborhoods. Vancouver encourages you to enjoy the best of both urban sophistication and outdoor enjoyment with its flourishing arts scene, year-round temperate temperature, and outdoor excursions.

3. Montreal: 

Get lost in Montreal's charming streets, which combine elements of North American flair with European beauty. Discover Old Montreal, a historic neighborhood with cobblestone streets and buildings dating back centuries, or enjoy world-class shopping and eating on Rue Sainte-Catherine. Montreal entices tourists with its joie de   and cultural diversity, from colorful festivals to charming cafes.

Your Trip to Canada Is Ready for You!

Canada offers a diverse range of experiences that are sure to enthrall you, regardless of your preference for intense outdoor activities or the vibrant vibrancy of large cities. From the rich tapestry of its cultural past to the magnificent majesty of its natural assets, every corner of this vast country invites the making of treasured memories. So pack your bags, embark on this once-in-a-lifetime journey, and let Canada utterly enchant you.

Are you prepared to go out on your journey through Canada? Get in touch with us right now to reserve your ideal trip package and discover Canada's treasures!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/7-seven-destination-74120a1a4/

[sometorontorelatedposts]

my personal rating of toronto attractions (with consideration of noise & crowds)

aga khan museum: it's a very beautiful building, and i like that they have a considerably large and popular museum dedicated specifically to islamic art. unfortunately i don't think i spent much time inside the building; i was mostly outside looking at the beautiful water. so i don't know what to rate it. maybe 6.5/10?

AGO: i do like to look at art, but this gallery is situated in one of the busiest parts of the city, and i think it's completely unnecessary for them to play music at some of the exhibits. overall, it's an art gallery, it serves its purpose as an art gallery, and i guess that's all you can ask for. 5/10

allan gardens conservatory: it's a gorgeous place with lots of interesting plant species that you wouldn't find in the wild anywhere in canada. it's usually quiet, but one day i went and they were playing loud music in the greenhouse??? so i just went home. 6.5/10, but 8/10 if you're a serious plant-lover

brickworks: ahhhh, i remember the good old days when the brickworks trail was a hidden haven only known by a few, instead of the popular hipster thing it is now. anyway, the trail is nice. there are some restaurants and markets on the weekends if you're into that, but personally i'm not into that. can be 8/10 on a good day, but usually is more like 6/10

casa loma: i went a few times when i was little, but i haven't been at all as an adult. i mostly thought it was cool. 7/10

centre island: i really liked going there when i was a kid, but i haven't been there since i was 11.

CNE: haven't been there since i was a little kid. i had fun there but sometimes i got distressed because it was so loud. 9/10 during childhood, would probably be more like a 1/10 now

distillery district: it's really really pretty there, especially in the early wintertime. there are all sorts of interesting shops and restaurants. however, it's also pretty noisy and crowded. 3/10 if you're sensitive to noise and crowds, 8.5/10 if you're not.

edwards gardens: if you like to walk around big botanical gardens with forest trails, you'll like this. it's sort of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get thing. 5/10

ontario place: i didn't like it when it was in use, but now that it's abandoned, i LOVE IT. one of the best and coolest places in the entire city. it's so creepy and interesting; going there feels like an actual adventure. it overlooks the water and the horizon, there are abandoned rides and dark creepy tunnels, there are little art projects that people left lying around, there's stuff you can climb on (though the legality of climbing is dubious). idk if it's torn down or closed off yet, but if it's not, and you're within reasonable distance, i HIGHLY recommend going. you have to see it before it becomes a casino or a wellness spa or whatever ford has planned. please. 9/10

riverdale farm: this one's surprisingly not so well known; a lot of people are like "whaaaat??? there's a farm in the middle of the city????" well, there is. it's also close to a cemetery, a park, a restaurant and a little swamp in the woods. if you go there on a rainy day, you might even be able to see a frog. there are a lot of kids at the farm, so if you want to avoid that, i recommend going on a rainy or snowy day – you might get the whole place to yourself! (also, be wary of going too early in the morning. sometimes it's beautiful and quiet, but a lot of the time it's swarmed with helicopters doing daily traffic reports.) 5/10 usually, 8/10 on a good day

ROM: well the weird ugly additional building is weird and ugly, not to mention disorienting. i never liked it there; it was too loud for a museum. museums should not be that loud. 4/10 but could be more like 7/10 if you have better sensory tolerance than me

scarborough bluffs: they are really pretty, but the trail is slightly on the short side. i've seen people camping there and it looks like fun, though i've never camped there myself. it's a good place to go if you want to daydream or be struck by inspiration. 7.5/10

st lawrence market: i remember being really excited to go, but when i got there, the level of noise and crowds was so unbearable that i had to leave. i cried for at least an hour straight after that. anyway, if you can handle all that, then it would probably be an 8/10 for you. i've heard good things about it.

[xtruss]

A skeleton of the newly described bat species Icaronycteris gunnelli unearthed at a site in southwestern Wyoming and now located at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Photograph By Royal Ontorio Museum

​52-Million-Year-Old Bat Skeletons are the Oldest Ever—and Tell a ‘Really Weird’ Tale

The discovery of a new prehistoric bat species sheds light on the origins of these flying mammals—and raises questions about how they developed the ability to echolocate.

— By Jay Bennette | April 12, 2023

The oldest bat skeletons in the world have been identified as a new species, helping scientists fill in the spotty fossil record of these flying mammals and providing new clues about how they evolved. Both skeletons were recovered from an ancient lakebed in southwestern Wyoming, a site that preserves an entire subtropical lake ecosystem and surrounding forest from about 52 million years ago.

The newly discovered bat, Icaronycteris gunnelli, weighed only about 25 grams, roughly as much as five marbles. It had already evolved the ability to fly and likely had developed the capacity to echolocate. The small bat probably lived in the trees surrounding the lake, flying over the water to hunt insects, says Tim Rietbergen, an evolutionary biologist at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands and lead author of the study describing the species in the journal PLOS ONE.

Today bats are among the most successful animals on the planet, with more than 1,400 species accounting for one-fifth of all mammal species. They live on every continent except Antarctica, and they are often critical to ecological stability, providing key functions such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect population management.

The cliff face of a quarry is dotted with information signs for tourists to read as they ascend the stairs.

Flights of stairs lead to the preserved rock of an ancient lakebed in Wyoming's Fossil Butte National Monument. The newly described bat fossils were found just outside the park on private land. Photographs By National Park Service

Despite the ubiquitousness of bats, scientists know very little about their origins. The skeletons from Fossil Lake, the name of the preserved lakebed in Wyoming, date to the early Eocene epoch. At that time, global temperatures were on the rise and mammals, insects, and flowering plants were rapidly spreading and diversifying. These bats look remarkably similar to modern bats, with elongated fingers to hold wing membranes.

“The thought is that … bats originated from some sort of small, insectivorous mammals that were probably arboreal,” says Matthew Jones, a paleontologist at Arizona State University and one of the authors of the study. “But there’s a lot of those,” he adds, pointing out that we don’t know which ones may be related to bats. “Most of them are only known from isolated teeth and jaw fragments.”

After bats appear in the fossil record, they quickly spread around the world. The most ancient bat teeth and jaw bones found so far are roughly 55 million years old. Incomplete specimens from Portugal and China predate the newly described skeletons by a few million years. Scientists don’t know where bats first appeared, though it was likely in Europe, Asia, or North America before the animals spread to the Southern Hemisphere.

“It’s kind of a mystery,” says Alexa Sadier, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the new study. “We don’t have any transitional forms.”

Small Clues

Rietbergen first saw one of the skeletons of Icaronycteris gunnelli in 2017 when he was scrolling through Facebook. “I was like, hmm, this looks a little bit different,” he says.

After asking for some measurements of the fossil, which had been found at a private quarry and was listed for sale, he reached out to Nancy Simmons, a bat expert at the American Museum of Natural History. She agreed with him that it looked like a new species, and AMNH bought the fossil for its collections.

In addition to analyzing the new fossil, the study team reexamined bat skeletons that were already in museum collections. They found another fossil of I. gunnelli that had been acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum in 2002 and was originally classified as the related species I. index.

Top: A male stingray known as Asterotrygon maloneyi from Fossil Lake in Wyoming. The ancient lake supported a thriving ecosystem of fish and other aquatic life, while the surrounding forest was filled with insects, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Bottom: An ancient palm frond from Fossil Lake. The presence of palm trees indicates the area had a much warmer and wetter climate 52 million years ago, similar to the Gulf Coast of the United States today. The specimen is approximately two meters long and is on display at the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum in New Mexico. Photographs By National Park Service

The two skeletons look similar to modern bats, but there are subtle differences. “One thing that stood out for me in the first place,” Rietbergen says, “was the robustness of the bones, especially the hind limbs.”

Most bats today have thin, light bones that make them better suited for flight. The thicker limbs of I. gunnelli may indicate that the species retained some traits of its evolutionary predecessors, such as stronger legs for climbing trees.

The bat also had a claw on its index finger as well as its thumb, while most modern bats have only thumb claws to dangle from as they sleep—another hint that bats from this time may represent the last phases of a transition from climbers to specialized fliers.

The picture gets more complicated when considering a larger bat species from a different genus that also lived at Fossil Lake around the same time, Onychonycteris finneyi. This bat had a claw on each finger and relatively short wings, suggesting it got around by climbing and a fluttering method of flight. Based on the size and shape of its inner ear, O. finneyi was probably not capable of echolocation, unlike I. gunnelli and I. index. Scientists originally considered O. finneyi to be evidence that flight had evolved in bats before echolocation.

But an analysis of the evolutionary relationships between these three bat species from Fossil Lake, as well as other fossil and living bats, found that I. gunnelli and I. index were most closely related to O. finneyi rather than to other echolocating bats. That “is really unexpected and really weird,” Jones says.

“We have in the fossil record a non-echolocating bat that’s most closely related to a group of echolocating bats,” he says. But he noted that this is also true for present-day flying foxes, a group of large fruit-eating bats that cannot echolocate but are most closely related to a group of bats that can. “There’s possibly multiple origins of echolocation or there’s multiple losses of echolocation among even these earliest bats,” Jones says, “which is really, really bizarre.”

Untangling the Past

Complete bat skeletons from the Eocene are rare, and Fossil Lake in Wyoming is one of the only places they have been found. The warm, wet forests that bats lived in were poor environments for preserving their small bones. Only when the bats were quickly buried, such as after sinking to the bottom of a deep lake, have their entire skeletons been preserved.

A few million years after the appearance of bats in southwestern Wyoming, several species lived near a similar lake ecosystem in Germany—and these later animals looked even more like modern bats.

Scientists believe that advantages such as flight and echolocation would have helped bats spread and diversify rapidly. The mammals may have adapted to nocturnal lives to avoid competition with or predation by birds—but when this transition occurred is unclear.

Genetic research has shed little light on the direct ancestors to bats. Instead, studies of DNA have revealed that bats belong to a superorder of mammals called Laurasiatheria, which includes other insectivores such as shews and moles. But it also includes animals that outwardly seem to have no relation to bats. Among them are whales; ungulates like horses, rhinos, and hippos; and the order carnivora, which includes cats, dogs, and bears. Surprisingly, all these animals are more closely related to bats than rodents.

“If you look at the DNA, we get, like, hoofed animals as the closest relatives, which is crazy,” Rietbergen says. “There’s something going on there.”

To fill in the gaps, and possibly even discover the immediate ancestor to bats, scientists are hoping to find more skeletons.

“The more we will find, the more we’ll better understand about how many species of bats were there at that time, how different they were, how diverse they were,” UCLA’s Sadier says. And maybe, searching deeper in time, we will even find the “transitional forms that we are all hoping to find one day.”

[sciencespies]

Fossil algae, dating from 541 million years ago, offer new insights into the plant kingdom's roots

https://sciencespies.com/nature/fossil-algae-dating-from-541-million-years-ago-offer-new-insights-into-the-plant-kingdoms-roots/

Fossil algae, dating from 541 million years ago, offer new insights into the plant kingdom's roots

Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of algae called Protocodium sinense which predates the origin of land plants and modern animals and provides new insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom.

Discovered at a site in China, this 541-million-year-old fossil is the first and oldest green alga from this era to be preserved in three dimensions, enabling the researchers to investigate its internal structure and identify the new specimen with unprecedented accuracy. The study is published today in BMC Biology, opening a window into a world of evolutionary puzzles that scientists are just beginning to unravel.

“Protocodium belongs to a known lineage of green algae and has a surprisingly modern architecture, showing that these algae were already well diversified before the end of the Ediacaran period,” says co-author Cédric Aria, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto and based at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). “Its discovery touches the origin of the entire plant kingdom and puts a familiar name on the organisms that preceded the Cambrian explosion over half a billion years ago, when the world’s first modern ecosystems emerged.”

The newly discovered Protocodium fossils were found by a team led by Hong Hua, professor of geology, and including Shu Chai, postdoctoral researcher, both of Northwest University, Xi’an, China. It is part of the Gaojiashan biota, the name given to a significant group of exceptionally well-preserved fossils, at the Dengying Formation in the southern Shaanxi Province. In the past 20 years, this geological formation has yielded important fossil species documenting the end of the Ediacaran Period 541-million-years ago.

Organisms and their parts that do not originally absorb minerals — unlike shells or bones — require exceptional conditions to be preserved. In this case, the whole fossils and their fine cellular details were preserved in three dimensions due to the replacement of the original organic material by phosphate. This mode of preservation allowed the researchers to use various electron and X-ray microscopy techniques to virtually slice the fossil, unveil its internal structure with precision and ultimately identify it as a close relative of the modern Codium alga, a type of seaweed.

Protocodium fossils are small spheres half a millimetre wide, like large grains of pollen, covered by a multitude of smaller domes. Thanks to the 3D examination, the researchers determined the domed surface to be part of a complex, single cell that contains thin strands called siphons. This morphology is typical of certain modern single-celled seaweeds that contain many nuclei.

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The discovery of Protocodium would call for caution when identifying generic spherical Ediacaran fossils and may imply that organisms like Codium are in fact much older and widespread. The famous Doushantuo fossil embryos, also from China and preserved in 3D, have

been at the heart of debates about the deep origin of certain animal groups. Specific stages of some of these animal-like embryos resemble the unicellular Protocodium on the outside, but 3D slicing reveals how they are comprised of many cells. On the other hand, numerous 2D, round fossils of uncertain algal or other affinity are also known from the Ediacaran and older periods, but in less detail.

“We know that seaweed-like fossils are at least one billion-years-old,” says Chai, the study’s first author. “But until now, flat, grainy two-dimensional preservation has made it challenging to recognize more than general morphological structures.”

Green algae are photosynthetic organisms, which means they convert light and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen. They were therefore likely important foundations of Earth’s early ecosystems, and the study suggests green algae were already established in the world’s shallow waters as carbon dioxide recyclers and oxygen producers before the Cambrian explosion.

Apart from its smaller size, Protocodium appears surprisingly identical to the modern Codium, a type of green algae found in many seas worldwide. Certain types of this seaweed are notoriously invasive — such as Codium fragile subspecies tomentosoides, dubbed “dead man’s fingers” for its appearance, and spread along with commercially farmed shellfish. From an evolutionary perspective, green algae like the ancient Protocodium and land plants share a common ancestor that was thought to be about one billion to one billion and a half years old, but now likely older — the assignment of Protocodium so close to a modern group pushes back in time the history of the entire plant kingdom.

“It’s very telling that such an organism has remained practically unchanged over at least 540 million years,” says Aria. “By the Ediacaran, evolution had driven it towards a stable adaptive zone — it’s been comfortable there since, and more than that, quite successful. So much so, in fact, that nowadays Codium takes advantage of global trade to easily outcompete other algal species.”

Funding support for the research and field work came from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key Research and Development Program. Aria’s post-doctoral fellow is funded via the Albert and Barbara Milstein & The Polk Family Foundations (ROM) and NSERC Discovery Grant awarded to Dr. Jean-Bernard Caron, Richard M. Ivey Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology at the ROM.

#Nature

[scottkeeverseotoronto]

Scott Keever SEO

It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, Toronto is the capital city of Ontario and a major Canadian city. It is a thriving metropolis with a variety of green areas. There are many different areas to choose from each one with its own unique charm and character.

Located in the heart located in Toronto, High Park offers visitors a chance to reconnect with nature. This 400-acre park offers a range of activities for the family such as a zoo, playgrounds, and a dog park.

The park also plays host to a children's gardening area. The garden hosts activities for schools and children which help them learn about gardening the plants as well as Toronto parks. It also holds an annual harvest festival. The festival includes decorating pumpkins as well as craft activities.

It also includes an amphitheater. The Canadian Stage Company puts on plays in this amphitheater. The amphitheater is located on the hillside east of the Grenadier Cafe. It provides excellent views and a place to put on elaborate outdoor theatre sets.

The market is located in the heart of Toronto, St Lawrence Market is a popular tourist spot. The indoor market is a great place to shop for many fresh vegetables, fruits, and prepared food items. You can also find special items like jewelry as well as clothing, craft, and jewelry.

One of the most appealing aspects that is great about St Lawrence Market is its capability to provide customers with the best in local and international foods. Actually, National Geographic has ranked it as the number one food market worldwide.

The market has a wide range of activities including cooking classes, cooking demonstrations, and tastings. Visitors can also attend special events like that the Woofstock outdoors dog show.

It is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the most important art museums in North America. This art museum is home to over 80,000 works of art, including works by Canadian or European artists. It also has contemporary and cutting-edge art. In addition to its extensive collection, it also has a wide array of temporary exhibits. AGO offers a variety of temporary exhibits.

The art museum also has works from Africa and Oceania in addition to works by Canada's First Peoples. It also features a variety of modern and contemporary works, including sculptures, paintings, and photography.

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[movertoronto]

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN MOVING TO BARRIE

If you are planning on moving to Barrie, you will undoubtedly be pleased with your choice. You’ll find plenty of amenities paired with somewhat of a small-town feel, giving you the best of both worlds. Before making your move, let’s take a look at what you can expect when moving to Barrie.

Overview

You’ll find Barrie roughly 80 kilometres north of Toronto, putting you a fairly short drive away from the city. Barrie sits on the shores of Lake Simcoe, the namesake for its county. The city has just over 140,000 residents and has grown into a bit of a regional resort town.

Thus, you will likely not be surprised to find that tourism is a vital industry for Barrie with its waterfront district serving as a primary location. The city is quite service oriented with plenty of shops and restaurants angling for tourist dollars, which benefits residents wanting greater choice as well. Other major industries in Barrie include healthcare, education, and government.

Housing Market

Barrie’s current median home price is $951,000, representing a 31.3% increase from a year ago. The housing market is truly booming in this area as many people have begun viewing it as an ideal bedroom community for commuting to the Greater Toronto Area. Those wanting to purchase a condo will find it quite a bit more affordable with a median price of $528,600. Condos are appreciating less slowly than homes as this figure represents an annual increase of 14%.

For those planning to rent, you can get a one-bedroom apartment in Barrie for an average of $1,600 per month while a two-bedroom apartment will cost roughly $2,000 monthly. These prices are increasing at rates of under 10% per year. However, apartments can be found upwards of $3,000 per month depending upon the amenities and location that you are seeking. There appears to be a fairly wide variety of rentals for a town this size.

Barrie also has relatively good public transportation within the town and connecting it to other locations. A train ride to Toronto’s Union Station operates multiple times per day with a trip time of roughly an hour and a half. The community has a breadth of quality education options available from public to private schools including French language learning and religious teaching.

Culture & Recreation

While Barrie is a smaller city, its status as a getaway destination has helped it cultivate a strong arts scene. The city has two major centres for performing arts, The Georgian Theatre and Five Points Theatre, the former of which is operated by Georgian College. The city itself hosts a number of arts organizations including the Huronia Symphony Orchestra, theatre By the Bay, Barrie Concert Band, and a number of choirs and dance troupes.

In terms of visual arts, you will find a wide range of sculptures located throughout the city. Additionally, the MacLaren Art Centre doubles as a gallery and museum that hosts a wide range of community events aimed at promoting the arts. You’ll also find a variety of independent galleries particularly near the waterfront.

Barrie’s most popular festival is Kempenfest, which bills itself as one of the largest outdoor arts, crafts, and music festivals in North America. It has over 400 vendors, live music, carnival rides, craft competitions, and food vendors. It spans over two kilometres of waterfront with two stages setup for music.

You’ll find a wide range of recreation opportunities as well. The city itself offers drop-in classes for yoga, Pilates, cycling, aqua fit, and other types of group fitness. There are over three dozen small parks in the city in addition to six different hiking and biking trails. During summer months, people flock to public beaches to play volleyball and enjoy watersports with Centennial Park & Beach being the most popular.

Things to Do

As you begin to get settled in Barrie, you’ll certainly want to get out and begin to explore. As you make your way around this town, here are some of our top picks for things to see and do.

SplashON Wibit Water Park. If you have children, this will be the hit of the summer for them. While there are many great water activities to checkout in Barrie, SplashON is certainly a favourite. This is an inflatable waterpark with plenty of things to climb and jump on. It is a great way to spend a few hours on a hot day.

Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery. The kids can’t have all the fun. For a more adult afternoon, try a pint at Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, the premiere location for small batch brews in Barrie. They proclaim that “weird is normal,” something that you will agree with when you see their beer list which includes favourites like “Fireworks & Karate” and “The Mutants are Revolting.”

Rounds Ranch. Located in nearby Elmvale, this is another great family friendly activity that will give you something to do in the fall. Here you can find beautiful sunflower fields, a corn maze, zip lines, pony rides, a petting zoo, and much more. This is a great place to visit with young children and can quickly become a family tradition.

Lawnchair Luminata. A free event put on in downtown Barrie, Lawnchair Luminata has evening events throughout the summer that highlight music, art, and film including screenings during the Barrie Film Festival. Bring your own lawn chair and take part in the festivities.

Sailing. When living on the waterfront, be sure to take advantage of the many options at your fingertips. There are several companies that provide sailing excursions including beautiful sunset cruises. You can also rent boats yourself to explore Kempenfelt Bay.

Final Thoughts Barrie is an increasingly popular area that is primed for rapid growth. As a popular vacation destination in the area, it provides all the amenities that you would only expect in much larger cities with the vibe of a smaller town. If you are ready to make Barrie your next home, get an estimate for your move with Rent-a-Son.

Source:https://rentason.ca/what-to-expect-when-moving-to-barrie/

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"SAYS MICA FIND IMPORTANT TO UNITED NATIONS IN WAR," Toronto Star. October 22, 1943. Page 8. ---- Ontario Government Statistician Tells of Discoveries in Province ---- MANY WAR USES ---- This is important to the United Nations and is definitely one of the big Canadian discoveries of the war. So said Maurice Tremblay, statistician of the Ontario department of mines, of the mica deposits near Eau Claire, between North Bay and Mattawa. He added that the United States government established an office for this special branch at North Bay.

Company officials are confident that it has enough mica in the area for the war requirements of Canada and the Allies.

Dr. W. D. Harding geologist for the Ontario department of mines said the quality and size of the mica found is rather spectacular."

Justin Purdy, founder of the mine at Eau Claire, was looking for white feldspar when discovering the mics. His father. George Purdy, war a government timber sealer and lived in the district for about 40 years Years ago, he saw rocks near Eau Claire which he thought were spar. When war broke out and there was a demand for the spar, he remembered the white rocks in the Laurentians and told his son about them. Justin did not live long to enjoy his accumulating wealth. He was injured in a car accident and died a month later.

Until recently principal sources of muscovite or white mica were India, Brazil, and North Carolina and New Hampshire.

There isn't a plane flying that doesn't have mica built into its vitally important motors and equipment. Mica is used in that mighty of mysteries, radar. The mineral is one of the best-known insulators for the simple reason it won't burn easily. And it has the added advantage of transparency. Ordinary uses of mica make it part of electric toasters and light sockets. It is used for disks, washers, bushings tuber, induction calls, rheostats, and general high potential insulating purposes. It is used in stove doors, goggles and gas masks. Powdered it makes Christmas tree "snow and adds brilliance to wall paper.

Image caption: MRS. LLOYD JENNINGS can see herself in this sheet of mica, taken right out of the ground at the mica mine near Eau Claire. Using her fingers, she easily separated the layers.

A SHEET OF MICA from what is claimed to have been the world's largest crystal is displayed by Lillian Neault. Part of the crystal is on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

The Bromacker Fossil Project Part VIII: Martensius bromackerensis, Honoring a colleague

Adult, holotype specimen of Martensius bromackerensis. Image digitally assembled by the author from five photographs taken by Diane Scott (Preparator at University of Toronto Mississauga [UTM]), 2010–2013. The specimen was collected in several large blocks.

The formal publication of some of the Bromacker discoveries took more time to complete than others, and our most recently pubished fossil, Martensius bromackerensis, holds the record in that regard. Four nearly complete specimens of Martensius were collected from the Bromacker quarry between 1995–2006. The first, discovered by Thomas Martens and his father Max, came from a jumbled pocket of fossils. Unfortunately, muddy groundwater had penetrated cracks in the subsurface of this portion of the quarry and coated and eroded bone present along these cracks. Despite this damage and the lack of a skull, we could identify the specimen as a caseid synapsid (synapsids, also known as mammal-like reptiles, are a group of amniotes whose later-occurring members gave rise to mammals).

Drawing of 1995 Martensius bromackerensis specimen. Because the specimen was collected in numerous pieces of rock, with parts of some bones exposed on apposing rocks, Scientific Illustrator Kevin Dupuis (UTM) had to first draw the bones exposed on each piece and then assemble all of the drawings digitally. Dotted lines indicate bone impression in the rock. Arrows point to healing scars from two fractures in the last right rib. Additional healing scars can be seen in preceding ribs. This animal apparently survived a serious injury. Modified from Berman et al., 2020.

The next specimen was discovered in 1999 by Georg Sommers (Preparator, Museum der Natur, Gotha), who prepared the fossil. It consists of a vertebral column, ribs, some limb bones, and a few scattered skull elements. Unfortunately, a more complete skull was needed to allow for comparison to other caseids, some of which are based only on skull material. It wasn’t until the discovery of two more specimens in 2004 and 2006 by Stuart Sumida and Dave Berman, respectively, that the long sought-after skull was found. Preparation of these specimens took a long time due to their size and the considerable amount of rock covering the bones in some of the blocks. My promotion to Collection Manager in 2005 left me with considerably less time to prepare fossils. Other preparators were asked to help with the preparation at both Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH, Dan Pickering and Tyler Schlotterbeck) and in Dr. Robert Reisz’s lab at the University of Toronto at Mississauga (Diane Scott and Nicola Wong Ken). Robert was originally slated to lead the study, but other commitments prevented him from working on it, so Dave took over.

Besides preparation, the scientific study and publication of the specimens required illustrations and photographs, most of which were done by Diane, Nicola, and Kevin. Andrew McAfee (Scientific Illustrator, CMNH) made skeletal and flesh reconstructions of the animal, as well as an illustration of two Martensius in their ancient habitat (see The Bromacker Fossil Project Part III for a link to this illustration). All of this effort was worth it, however, because besides adding to the diversity of the Bromacker vertebrate fauna, Martensius has an unusual life history.

Juvenile specimen of Martensius bromackerensis. Image digitally assembled by the author from two photographs (skull and body) taken by Diane Scott in 2013. The skull, shown in ventral aspect, is incomplete and eroded on its dorsal surface.

Caseid synapsids are a diverse, long-lived group known from the Late Pennsylvanian–Middle Permian epochs (~300–259 million years ago) of Europe, Russia, and the USA, and, with one exception, all are adapted to eating plants (herbivorous). The most advanced caseids (such as the enormous Cotylorhynchus romeri) have ridiculously small skulls when compared to those of carnivores, spatulate (spoon-shaped) teeth tipped with small tubercles (cuspules) for cropping vegetation, and huge, barrel-shaped ribcages to support a large gut for fermenting cellulose-rich plants. The exception is the earliest known (Late Pennsylvanian epoch, ~300 million years ago) caseid, Eocasea martini, represented by a single, incomplete juvenile specimen from Kansas. The teeth of Eocasea are small and conical, which indicate that it most likely ate insects. Because it’s skull and ribcage are of normal size, in contrast to juveniles of Martenius, Eocasea probably ate insects throughout its life.

Reconstruction of the skull of Martensius bromackerensis (left) from the Early Permian (~290 million years ago) Bromacker quarry, Germany, and the more advanced caseid Ennatosaurus tecton (skull, middle and skull fragment with cuspule-tipped teeth, right), from the Middle Permian (~263 million years ago) of Russia. Skull reconstruction of Martensius made by Diane Scott and modified from Berman et al., 2020. Ennatosaurus skull reconstruction and jaw fragment drawing modified from Maddin et al., 2008.

Martensius has a modestly expanded ribcage and a small skull, suggesting that it was herbivorous. Furthermore, the feet of Martensius, like those of other caseids in which the feet are known, are large, with massive, elongated, strongly recurved claws. Martensius also has a well-supported hip region that may have enabled it to rise on its hind legs to reach and tear down overhead branches to feed upon.

The upper and lower teeth of the adult Martensius differ from those of more advanced caseids in being triangular and lacking cuspules. The upper jaw teeth of the juvenile resemble those of the adult, but the lower jaw teeth are more numerous—31 in the juvenile compared to 25 in the adult—and surprisingly, they resemble those of Eocasea. Dave concluded that juveniles of Martensius had teeth adapted for eating insects, which were replaced by an adult dentition that would’ve been good for cropping plants and piercing insects. Remarkably, the juvenile Martensius apparently died while in the process of replacing its juvenile dentition with that of adults.

So why have different juvenile and adult dentitions? Modern animals that eat fibrous plant matter have micro-organisms called fermentative endosymbionts in their large guts, which break down difficult-to-digest plant matter via fermentation. It is assumed that early fossil plant-eaters with broad ribcages also had large guts housing fermentative endosymbionts. Prior to the discovery of Martensius, other scientists hypothesized that early herbivores acquired endosymbionts by eating herbivorous insects that already had these microbes in their guts. In Martensius, the introduction of endosymbionts apparently occurred during the juvenile, insectivorous stage of life, which set the stage for adults to add plants to their diet.

Flesh (top) and skeletal (bottom) reconstructions of Martensius bromackerensis. Illustrations by Andrew McAfee and modified from Berman et al., 2020.

The generic name Martensius honors Thomas Martens for his discovery of vertebrate fossils at the Bromacker quarry and his perseverance in maintaining a highly successful, long-term field operation resulting in the discovery and publication of the exceptionally preserved Bromacker fossils. Bromackerensis refers to the Bromacker quarry, the only locality from which this species is known.

Stay tuned for my next post, which will feature some terrestrial dissorophoid amphibians.

For those of you who would like to learn more about Martensius, here’s a link to the 2020 Annals of Carnegie Museum publication in which it was described: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340309382_New_Primitive_Caseid_Synapsida_Caseasauria_from_the_Early_Permian_of_Germany

Amy Henrici is Collection Manager in the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

[shitandramblings]

Friday Night Live

Summary: A confession you had been avoiding. Can things survive?

Genre: Romance, Short Story,

Pairing: Taeyong x Reader

Rating / Warning : ALL THE ANSGT! Light Swearing, loosely implied sex at very end.

Word Count: 1933

A/N: This is a companion piece / prequel to the long form story I am working on. Can stand as a one shot but also ties into the main story if I ever finish it. (Only 9500 and I don’t think it’s half done yet)

The restaurant was a short walk from the main branch at First Canadian Place in Toronto. There was a biting coldness to the wind that stirred up the light snow on the ground. How you hated having to come out to the east coast in winter, but training must be done. You’re the first to arrive at the restaurant and get settled in a corner table. About 10 minutes later your sipping on a glass of merlot when your joined by your dinner guests.

“Taeyong good to see you again. Johnny you wore the scarf I made.” You say as you get up and give both a hug in greeting. They remove their coats and scarves now that they are out of the bitter wind. You can’t help but look over the scarf you had made a year prior. He’s taken good care of it but then you made it with an easy to care for wool.

“Of course I wore it. It’s probably one of the warmest I have even though its so holey” He teases you, knowing your going to go into a spiel about how it’s not holey that is a lace panel. This is not the first time you have met these 2 for dinner in the last 9 months.

After dinner your all just chatting, and you ask what their plans are for the rest of the evening. You mention that you are planning on going to the Friday Night Live at the ROM. When Taeyong asks what that is you explain that the Royal Ontario Museum runs an adult only event on Friday nights with live music, food vendors and mini bars around the museum.

“It’s so much fun. I try to go every time I’m in town on a Friday. There is something about dancing in the main lobby near a Dinosaur skeleton that is cool. And of course, drinking a glass of wine while strolling the exhibits is an experience. Hey why don’t you guys join me? It’s just a few train stops away.” You invite them to tag along. “It would be fun to show you guys around the museum. Even though we just had dinner there is usually a bakery or 2 among the food vendors.”

While your telling them about the different exhibit halls and the awesome DJ you heard the last time you were there you realize Taeyong has been quieter than is usual during dinner. You and Johnny had been monopolizing the conversation all night. He seems almost lost in thought at times. Perhaps he’s just happy to not have to be the one keeping the conversation going.

“I think it sounds like fun, but I’d like to make it an early night. I woke up before lunch today, unlike some people. But why don’t you go with y/n Taeyong? Sounds right up your alley and maybe she’ll stuff your head so full of knowledge you’ll sleep for once.” Johnny says almost pointedly. You notice Taeyong look at him with almost a thankful glance. Ah hell, you think to yourself, have these two been planning something. You had been kind of avoiding something like this for a couple of months now. But still it would be nice to wander around with your friend in a place he’s never been, and you had often thought he would enjoy.

“I think I would like to join you. It does sound like fun.” Taeyong says turning to you. “but are you sure you want to go with just me? You did invite us both.”

“It’ll be fun with whoever comes. I’m just looking forward to having someone to enjoy the evening with.” You say as you 3 get up and get ready to leave. You think you might have seen Johnny give Tae a slight nod and a thumbs up.

The trip to the museum is quick. Taeyong seems to be acting more like himself as you talk about your favorite wings at the ROM and look up who is playing on the special stages that are scattered about the event. It has been an easy friendship that started nearly a year ago when you had sent some knitting and crochet to the boys. Taeyong had sent you an e-mail thank you and things had gone from there. You would talk to each other as friends do, sharing stupid things at work, how to deal with drama between friends, family. You had met a couple times like tonight or you had seen him on the west coast. But the last few months when you talked, he seemed to have some deeper feelings than just friends. This had scared you and you tried to keep him, and in your own head yourself, from crossing a line you were not sure either of you might survive. You did not want to lose this good friend no matter how easy it would be for you to blur those lines.

But the subway ride and walk to the museum had you thinking that maybe you had been reading to much into recent conversations, but then again maybe not. Your damn sure you haven’t been imagining things and if your being honest with yourself you are starting to feel the same as he seems to. Best not to borrow trouble. It’s not like you haven’t told him while also trying convince  yourself that your just friends. 

After spending a few hours wandering the galleries, hanging out on one of the dance floors, hitting up the food stalls and the drink stations, you find yourselves walking up the stairs to the highest floor of the museum. The staircase is a neat triangular design with various collections of small objects displayed in glass cases that are built into the walls of the stairwell. You’re not paying attention to your feet while you climb since your looking at a collection of glass paper weights and shells. Taeyong is just ahead of you on the landing as you fall up the stairs and he catches you. You cling to him as you get your feet under you and hope its mostly wine that is making your face flush and your heart race.

He looks at you and keeps a hand your arm once you straighten up. You look into his dark eyes and lose your train of thought as you can read his expression like a book. Fuck, you were right and you don’t think you’ll be able to deflect him again.

“Y/N, can we just talk for a moment?” he asks almost plaintively. You can’t do anything but nod and hope you can keep your resolve. “How about we go sit on that bench over there.”

You walk over and sit on the bench that is tucked out of the way of the stairwell landing and has a view of the city. He takes a deep breath and you look away from the city lights to him.

“I know you have been avoiding me saying this so I’m just going to do it. I never expected to fall so hard for someone. I’ve been told I walk around with a dumbass grin on my face for hours after we talk.” He starts out saying to you.

You feel light headed and interrupt him by placing a finger on his lips. “Tae don’t. I’ve told you before we can’t do this. For one thing I’m 16 years older and my daughter is only 6 years younger than you.” You pause as he opens his mouth to say something. “No, before you try to argue with me that has to be a consideration.  You should find someone your own age who can share your life and make you happy. I’m afraid what your feeling for me is just a crush. Please don’t say anything more.” You say while struggling to keep your composure. Hopefully you can end this before the tears come.

“I’ve heard you say this before but your wrong. I am old enough to know my own mind, and this is not a crush. I miss you like crazy when we don’t talk, I love hearing about your life. I can’t imagine you not being there when I need to bounce ideas off someone or just rant. I have found someone who makes me ridiculously happy, but she won’t see it. I listen to all of your concerns and worries and I want to work around and through them together.” Now he’s holding you gently by both shoulders and searching your eyes. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, you think, he’s not lying. “Can you honestly say you don’t love me as more than a friend? That you don’t also feel like something is missing when we can’t talk or see each other? Can you?” He asks you with so much emotion in his voice that he’s choking on his words, his voice rough and almost to low to hear.

You sit there for a moment trying to still your mind and say what should be said. But you can’t make your mouth form the words. You know you will have to be honest with both of you now.

“No, Tae, no I can’t. I do love you. I tried so hard not to. To convince myself of everything I have said. But your right its only a half truth. The whole truth is I knew you felt this way and it scares me. I don’t want to hurt you. How could I accept this gift from you knowing that I could end up ruining your career? That I could be the reason you get hurt. No matter how much you say it doesn’t matter it does. I am afraid for me as well. What happens when this infatuation ends and you find someone more your age that you can actually be with? Will you tell me right away or will I have to find out on my own as we drift apart? Hell, what will my daughter think when she finds out? But no I can’t lie anymore, I love you Lee Taeyong even though I know rationally I shouldn’t.” You can’t stop the tears as they fall slowly and silently down your cheeks. You hear him take a shuddering inhale and then he’s wiping the tears from your face so gently.

He drags you into a hug and lays your head against his chest and tucks it under his chin. One hand is gently stroking your hair and you realize he too is crying silently. When you lift your head up to look at him you brush his own tears away and he says to you. “I love you y/n. I want to be together for as long as we can stand each other. I have the same fears, except me leaving you, I worry you will find me too childish eventually, but I want to face them together. Can we do that? Can we try to support each other and just deal with whatever gets thrown at us?”

All you can do is nod. You feel the knot that has been building slowly in your chest for the last few months break apart. Honesty really is the best policy. Your still scared but somehow the shared burden has made it less. He smiles at you and you feel yourself returning it.

“Can I kiss you now? I have wanted to for so long.” You don’t answer him with words just reach up and lace your fingers behind his head as you finally feel his lips on yours.

CODA

FROM JOHNNY (0128)

So did you talk to y/n?

FROM TAEYONG (0129)

Yes

FROM JOHNNY (0129)

AND??? Am I gonna have to come rescue your ass from walking into lake Ontario in December?

FROM TAEYONG (0130)

No your not. Expect to be bugging me about my dumbass grins for a long time

FROM JOHNNY (0131)

I told you so! When are you getting back to the room?

FROM TAEYONG (0132)

We’ll meet you in the morning. Don’t wait up any longer. Good night!

FROM JOHNNY (0133)

You better get some sleep! 😜