She says she is a scientist

So back in the 1780′s when our country was still figuring crap out and ol’ George Washington was just elected president, G.W. decided to send a letter to Congress along the lines of ‘Looking forward to working with you all, this will be exciting!” Congress, not wanting to slight the president and also trying to express their own enthusiasm, sent back a letter along the lines of “Glad you’re excited, we are also looking forward to working with you!”

Then George sends another letter back saying something like “Cool cool bros, glad you’re just as excited as I am,” and Congress, again not wanting to be awkward or just ignore the PRESIDENT, sent back ANOTHER letter saying some dumb crap that was probably along the lines of “Glad you’re excited that we’re excited that you’re excited.”

Democracy at its finest.

And while this in itself is funny, that is not even the best part.

George Washington, while being powerful, was not extremely eloquent, and at this point was also aging, busy, and overall very stressed about his new position (which he did not want in the first place).  So he asked his old friend James Madison, who had a much better way with words, to write the first note to Congress.  Good old James Madison, wanting to oblige his friend, did just that and composed the note to Congress.  Now, J-Mads was himself a member of Congress, so when the note arrived, he was in session to hear “Washington’s” letter read.

Congress got nervous and worried about who could possibly compose a formal and acceptable letter back to Washington.  Who better than his old friend, James Madison?  So Jimmy, being obliging, wrote the response.  When Washington received the reply, he once again asked his friend to write the response.  

And who did Congress choose to write their final letter? That’s right….none other than Jimmy-James-Madison himself.

Selfishness is putting the wants of yourself over the needs of others.

Self respect is putting the needs of yourself over the wants of others.

One is disregarding others, one is taking care of yourself.

The difference between the two is the difference between being a friend and a doormat.

Taking care of yourself does not make you a bad person.

I repeat:

First off, aww, thank you! And you can always come by and chat or whatnot.

Secondly, wow, what a loaded question.

It’s complicated, to say the least.

I’m not sure, really. There does seem to be a lot of backlash for many OC’s, especially ones that are, well, Mary Sues. 

As for why canon characters seem to “get away” with being the creators favorite/outrageously overpowered/Special Snowflake, I think a lot to do with it is that the creator or author is usually held up on some sort of pedestal. At least, for a while anyways. It seems inevitable that there is going to be something they do, or fandom drama eventually where someone doesn’t like one thing or another and drama comes roaring up from the pits of fandom.

For whatever reason, OC’s are often viewed as “lesser” or more easily cast down and sneered at. There’s been a lot of debate and arguing over OC creation over the years, with considerable fallout and hate spread around, unfortunately. 

It’s saddening to see someones creation, something they care and love for, (figuratively) brought to life to be ripped apart or other people disagreeing with or not liking some aspect.

—

You asked why, when there is a Mary Sue canon character, there is no acknowledgment, but a OC causes a ruckus.

Leaving out all the nitty gritty details, people are jerks. They are rude and mean, even cruel when they feel like it, and they think it’s easier to go after an OC than a canon character; perhaps because with canon characters, there is a large fanbase who will fight to ‘protect’ and ‘defend’ this character.

And here’s something that may or may not stir up the dust, because, let’s face it, this is Tumblr.

One such example of a Mary Sue character, especially in the Transformers fandom, is Overlord. He’s a Phase Sixer, coated in ununtrium, supposedly indestructible, who has caused massive amounts of death, carnage and destruction across the multiverse. He’s been beat down, killed off, humiliated, risen again and again for multiple reasons, only some of which known to the Transformers fanbase at large. He’s served as a plot device, and “oh shit, NOW what are we gonna do, it’s OVERLORD, everybody run- oh, too late, we’re all dead.”

He is much beloved, feared, and hated by many, sometimes all at once.

I certainly have mixed feelings about that Fragger With The Lips.

And then there’s the DJD. 

It’s ridiculous, hilarious, and oftentimes frustrating.

We love them, we hate them, we love to hate and hate to love them.

—-

There are many different reasons, and I think everyone has there own opinion on the subject. I am by no means an expert on this, and would gladly welcome comments and POLITE discussion.

I’m certainly not above calling for help on this, because eep. Dangerous waters lie below this beguilingly simple question.

@iopele @copperbadge help would be much appreciated in answering this lovelies question. 

Okay so uh, I haven’t actually seen anyone go after a Mary Sue in fanfic in a while but I’m disengaged from a lot of fandom toxicity so it could just be I’m not seeing it, not that it happens less. I think there was kind of a movement in fandom to defend Mary Sues (admirable, for reasons I’ll get to in a minute) and at least in comics fandom the canonical Mary Sues tend to get attacked more, with one caveat, which speaks to my view of the entire Mary Sue setup: gender. 

The girls get called Mary Sues.  

Please, don’t remove the caption.

This is not a normal post that you’ll find on my blog, but I was placed in a situation today unlike anything I ever expected to encounter. I wanted to share it with all of you in hopes that you will end up feeling the same way that I do.

I am a sophomore at university in the United States, and as a liberal arts credit, I am required to take English Composition II, the second installment of my writing courses. My professor asked us to write a one-page opinion response on which presidential candidate we would be voting for the upcoming election.

Initially, I came into the class with the expectation that, seeing as my generation would be passionate about choosing a candidate that would best mold their futures, there would be a handful of, maybe two or three, Donald Trump supporters. After being placed in a group of eleven people, myself included, I was faced with the reality of nine different people stating that they would vote for Donald Trump come fall.

After attempting to get over the initial shock, I looked at the four females and five males and asked one simple question, “If you didn’t just choose to write about him and are actually considering voting for him, why would you?” Immediately, a silence followed until a male stepped up and said, “Wait, Trump is an excellent candidate; why wouldn’t I want to vote for him?” My heart sunk even further.

Finally, I managed to get a few replies from different people, and here’s what they had to say. One man said, “I like Trump because he doesn’t want to take our guns away.” After that, a woman spoke up and said, “Yeah, I feel really passionate about Trump because of his opinion on the Second Amendment.” And the final statement: “I think Trump would be a great president because he’s a business man and he understand how to make this country better because of his work in business; that’s who we need in office.”

To someone, these ideals might be completely adequate reasons to elect someone into office, but you will see below that simply looking at one side of an argument is not enough. Donald Trump has a track record that dates back before he even considered running, and most recently, his record has become more worrying. If you are thinking of voting for Trump, I implore you to read what facts I have complied below, and I ask that you use logical reasoning and that you change your decision. If you are choosing to vote for another candidate, please, spread the word of this post. I’m twenty, and today, I saw other twenty-year-old students say that their future would be better if Trump was in office. This is not the case, and I ask for you to spread the word and inform people of what is below. And if you happen to not live in United States, please, still discuss this information with others; inform your followers and others in your life about the dangers of supporting Donald Trump.

In no particular order, compiled below are the most important reasons why Donald Trump, primarily, is not a viable presidential candidate and, secondarily, is not a respectable person.

His Opinions on Latinos:

Trump has said a multitude of things against Latinos, so I will list these. [source | source]

1. He called Latinos “rapists” and “criminals” and “killers”. 2. He stated that the Mexican government is more cunning and purposely sends Mexican criminals to the United States because Mexico does not “want to take care of them.” 3. After being told that 80% of women and girls from Central America are actually raped by gang members and/or human smugglers, Trump dismissed the victims and stated that Latino immigrants were actually the cause of those rape statistics. 4. On Twitter, Trump attacked Jeb Bush’s Mexican-Born wife twice. 5. Trump stated that his followers were “passionate” after he heard that two men beat-up an 58-year-old Hispanic man in Trump’s honor. 6. Trump openly blamed African American and Hispanic individuals for the violent crimes in major U.S. cities. 7. Trump voiced that he will build an impenetrable 2,000 mile wall between Mexico and the United States to keep the “illegals” out, and he stated that Mexico would pay for the wall, a symbol that would represent anti-Mexican hostility.

The Issue: This is blatant discrimination against not only Latinos but other minorities as well. This type of discrimination includes calling a broadened group of individuals terms like “rapists” and “killers”, which is biased and which maliciously affects minorities. These hateful words from Trump stems hate from his supporters, as seen in number five above, and this type of racial violence is utterly unacceptable.

His Ban on Muslims:

Trump wishes to ban all Muslims from entering the United States by creating a religious screening before entering the country. Additionally, the ban would be enforced on Muslim tourists wishing to enter the United States, and though the ban would not affect Muslims currently living in the States, Trump did state that the country must remain “vigilant”. [source]

The Issue: Trump and his supporters recognize the past and recent ISIS attacks in various parts of the world and try to find a common thread. That common thread, in some cases, is their religion. However, Trump makes the over-generalization that all Muslims are terrorists, and this is religious discrimination. There are radicals in every religious group. For instance, in Christianity, the KKK stemmed off as a radical group; however, this clearly does not mean that every Christian individual is a part of the KKK and believes in their values. This same mindset follows in line with Muslims and ISIS, and doing what Trump wishes to fulfill is a perfect example of religious discrimination against Muslims.

His Opinions on Women:

Much like Latinos, Trump has said many derogatory things about women, so again, I will list these. [source | source]

1. Women are essentially aesthetically-pleasing objects. 2. Sexual assault in the military is expected because “what did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?” 3. Women on The Apprentice were largely dependent on their sex appeal. 4. Bad press isn’t detrimental as long as one has a “young and beautiful piece of ass”. 5. A woman’s ability to become a journalist is entirely dependent on if she’s attractive or not. 6. Pumping breast milk to feed a baby is “disgusting”. 7. Women hate prenups because they are in the marriage for money. 8. Hillary Clinton would be a bad president because, if she couldn’t satisfy her husband, she wouldn’t be able to satisfy the United States. 9. Women find Trump’s money a turn-on. 10. About various women, to Trump, Angeline Jolie has dated too many men to be attractive anymore, Bette Midler is unattractive and has an ugly face and body, Rosie O’Donnell is rude, cruel, obnoxious, and dumb, and Cher is a lonely loser because she doesn’t support him. 11. After reporter Megyn Kelly stated to Trump, “You’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs’ and ‘disgusting animals…” he voiced back, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” After the statement, Trump said that Megyn had “blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her – wherever,” making a reference to her being on her period.

The Issue: This is, yet again, another form of discrimination; this time, it is against women. Alongside of Trump discriminating women who speak their minds against him, he also over-generalizes women and regularly associates them as sex objects. This is sexual harassment and abuse, and his words and actions violate not only women on a personal level but a collective level as well.

His Jokes on Shooting People:

Trump stated previously that he could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and that he wouldn’t even lose a voter. He laughed about the comment and refused to answer questions asking for clarification. [source | source]

The Issue: Taking someone else’s life is not a joking matter in any case, and even more so, it shouldn’t be a joke made during a presidential election. Homicide is not a laughing matter, yet Trump seems to think it is.

His Opinions on His Daughter:

Trump stated in 2006 that, if Ivanka Trump wasn’t his daughter, he would be dating her. He also said, “If I weren’t happily married and, you know, [Ivanka’s] father…” He also said that the one thing he liked having in common with his daughter was sex. [source]

The Issue: Based on the aforementioned, Trump exhibits incestual desires towards his daughter, and seeing as the United States does not culturally or legally agree with those types of actions, this section makes extremely uncomfortable.

His Violation of His Wife:

Trump’s ex-wife Ivana stated that she felt “violated” during sex and actually accused him of rape, but not in the “criminal sense”. Michael Cohen, Trump’s special counsel, rebuked the claims, saying, “You cannot rape your spouse.” [source]

The Issue: I don’t wish to make any definitive accusations on this topic, but please, read the source if you choose to. The one part that is disturbing is the belief of Trump and his counsel that one cannot rape their spouse. After 1984, a law was enacted that a spouse could not longer be exempt from sexual assault charges filed against them by their wife or husband. Therefore, a spouse can be raped by their significant other.

His Views on the Middle East and North Korea:

Trump wants to take $1.5 million worth of oil from Iraq to pay off the cost of the war, and he also feels that Iraq should pay for their own liberation. Also, he deems that humanitarian interventions are not effective, that the United States must only use direct threats to best serve the country. Trump also wants to use reciprocated nuclear force to stop North Korean threats. [source]

The Issue: The United States chose to get involved in the political and social unrest in Iraq. Asking the nation to pay for the United States debt and informing the nation to handle its own liberation is morally unacceptable. The United States brought it upon itself to get involved, and leaving at a time where the nation could potentially collapse is not a plan of sound mind. Also, direct threats would only cause fear in Iraq and even in the United States, and if actual bombing do occur, innocent people in Iraq will be killed with no remorse. Finally, using reciprocated nuclear force will only cause a repeat of the Cold War, a time where no one felt safe.

His Plan of Mass Deportation:

Trump wants to deport over 11 million Americans, calling an end to birthright citizenship as well, which is a constitutionally protected right. [source | source]

The Issue: Primarily, Trump wishes to change the Constitution, a feat that would nearly separate the nation into two groups once more. Secondarily, the mass deportation of Americans would cause economic unrest. As for individuals who may state that the deportation would create more jobs for American citizens who are, by Trump’s actions, “allowed” to stay, the United States current unemployment rate is 5%, which is an extremely healthy rate. Just compare it to the rate of 24.75% in 1933 after the stock market crash of 1929. The unemployment rate will never bottom out to 0%; there must be some variation in the job market for the economy to keep moving.

His Lack of Knowledge on Political Principles:

Trump lacks knowledge of key political principles, specifically those that deal most with security, such as the nuclear triad. [source | source]

The Issue: As a stated above in my beginning paragraphs, people believe that Trump would be an excellent president because of his business knowledge. However, in cases like nuclear threats and international security, his knowledge stops. No matter how much of a businessman he is, Trump does not have the proper amount of political knowledge needed to be the president of a nation.

His Lack of Factual Knowledge:

Trump believes that vaccines cause autism, states that President Obama was not a citizen of the United States, and believes that global warming is hoax and that it “goes up and it goes down”. [source | source | source]

The Issue: Trump’s necessity to voice his own opinions with factual backing will lead to a road where individuals lack the ability to think for themselves and oppose differing viewpoints. People will simply blindly follow without any inductive reasoning on their own.

His Public Support from a Former KKK Leader:

Trump’s rhetoric is being used to recruit more individuals to join the KKK because of the momentum at his rallies and campaigns, and he has full support from a former KKK leader, specifically concerning his plan to ban Muslims from the United States. [source | source]

The Issue: I present this without much explanation. Just remember that the KKK was and still is a radical religious group that killed various minority individuals, and Trump has their support.

His Remarks on John McCain:

Trump completely disregarded the service that John McCain paid to his country by stating that McCain was only a war hero because he was captured and that Trump preferred people who weren’t captured. [source] 

The Issue: This is discriminatory towards all of the veterans who have served for the United States.

His Accusation of George W. Bush Causing 9/11 Attacks:

Trump pointed the finger at former president George W. Bush, stating that 9/11 attacks occurred during his presidency and alluded that Bush was to blame. [source | source]

The Issue: The 9/11 attacks are a topic that continues to be painful for a majority of Americans, yet Trump finds it moral to pin the blame on a former president for these attacks, once again, without any factual backing.

These thirteen subcategories are, guaranteed, not everything that I could list, but these points were the ones I wished to emphasize the most. Now, I will make a final appeal to you.

A common thread throughout all of these points is fear and anger, and these emotions are infectious. Trump presents fear whenever he incorrectly speaks out about Muslims and their alleged link to terrorism. Trump hands over anger when he incorrectly states that all Latinos are rapists and killers. Also, when Trump objectifies women, others then think it is acceptable to do the same, much when Trump speaks out about jokingly killing people on the street. These types of emotions and ideas that Trump breathes are not conducive to a safe environment for minorities, women, children, or even the general public. Fear turns to anger, anger turns to outrage, and the society that we currently live in will house more violence and more discrimination; and that type of fear and anger will be hard to stop.

History does repeat itself, and I see a repeat of history occurring if Trump is elected into office. Minorities will be punished, starting with the Latinos and Muslims in the United States, and eventually, this anger will spread throughout the world. Defenseless human beings will lose their lives in countries without the power to save themselves because one man with immense political power is arrogant, discriminatory, and hateful. Countries will quickly turn on us, though many are turning already because of this upcoming election, and the networks that the United States have made over years of progress will be lost in an instant.

Occurrences in the past will repeat again. Individuals are and will be brainwashed by this man, and I can assure you that nothing good will come of this fact. People who don’t fit the genetic or physical make-up will be ostracized, removed, and/or killed, and the United States will cease to be the great and powerful nation is it now. It will become merely a target for other countries to laugh at, to frown upon, or to attack and stop.

This is not some minor thing that you simply won’t affect; this is a revolutionary election coming up, and every vote counts. That being said, every vote away from Trump is a vote towards a better and undoubtedly safer future.

Here is a list of primary dates to vote, and if you aren’t registered to vote, you can do that here. But know that if you are not registered as either a democrat or republican in some states, you will be unable to vote in the upcoming primaries. However, you can still vote in the election come fall, which will be held on November 8. Check your states’ voting laws if you are unsure of if you can vote or not. If you are away at college, overseas, or unable to make it back by the primaries and election in your state, you can request an absentee ballot here. If you would like a full calendar of events, click here.

I am not writing this to tell you to vote for a specific candidate on the ballot; I am telling you these things so that you do not check off that box next to Donald Trump’s name. It is imperative that you vote in the primaries if you can and then in the fall, and please, do not vote for Donald Trump. I am excited for my future, to see what is to come, but if Donald Trump becomes president, I will truly fear my future. I hope that you feel the same way I do and choose to vote for anyone but Trump for the 2016 election.

A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara (via avh86)

First of all, don’t even get me started on the metal handrims. They’re on virtually every single wheelchair nowadays and they’re a very terrible invention and the person who thought of the idea should be sent to the gallows.

Do you know what those metal handrims are?

Cold.

Smooth.

Slippery.

And cold.

They’re terrible to grab onto, especially on colder days. They can’t ever get wet, due to the fact that they become more slippery than ever. Basically, whoever designed the modern wheelchair didn’t think of winter as a thing.

And the wheels. 

If you ever look at an old wheelchair, you’ll see that the big wheels are in front.

Do you know why that’s a great idea? Well, I’ll tell you. It allows the bigger wheels to hit the terrain first. You push the big wheels. You add that pressure and that momentum. So, if you put them in front, the chair has a higher momentum, a higher force, a higher chance of being able to cross the terrain without its little tiny wheels getting stuck. 

But no, somebody had to come along and switch the wheels and make everything metal (to be fair, I’m pretty sure the handrims have always been metal) and since then, people in manual wheelchairs have had to endure this terrible technology.

One:  actually, having the large wheels in back makes a lot of sense.  If the axle of the wheels you are pushing is directly underneath and in line with your shoulders, it is way better for your body long term.  I mean, it’s still fucking terrible for you (I have rotator cuff issues and random pain in my shoulders and arms like you would not believe), but moving the large pushing wheels forward would be worse.

Two:  that’s why I think the whole wheelchair concept should be scrapped from the bottom up.  Sitting down all the time is bad for your health, pushing yourself with your shoulders is bad for your health, having your joints constantly bent is bad for your health.  You know what wheelchairs are actually good for?  Letting able-bodied fucknuts move you around without your consent.  That is literally why they were designed.

Give me a mobility device designed by disabled people, for disabled people.  Give me a modular system that lets people with disabilities create their own unique device that works best for their body.  Give me an easy-to-change device that you can re-arrange depending on how your body feels that day.  You want to be sitting on Monday?  That’s cool.  On Tuesday you can be upright, on Wednesday you can be reclining.  On Thursday you can turn the motor on so you don’t have to self-propel, and on Friday you can put the levers on and work your pectorals instead of your triceps for a change.

So, you’re a waiter working at a restaurant, where health codes dictate that non-service animals are strictly prohibited. You see someone walk in with a dog, some sort of medium-sized mixbreed. That dog is in a perfect heel, wearing a head collar, and ignoring the people around him, but you don’t see a vest. What do you do?

You’re a cashier working at your local grocery store, and pets shouldn’t be there because getting dog hair on the merchandise would be gross. Somebody walks in with their tiny chihuahua in a carrier bag. The chihuahua is sitting inside, calm, but aware. You can just barely make out some sort of vest. The owner seems perfectly healthy though and the dog is not on the leash. When she grabs a cart, she puts the small dog inside it. Should this be addressed?

You’re highly allergic to dogs and you work at a home improvement store, with lots of loud noises and open space. You see a big, hairy golden retriever walk in through the entrance and instantly feel like you want to sneeze just thinking about it. The dog is wearing a vest that says “emotional support dog,” but he pulls at his owner any which way, wags his tail when people come near, and the owner encourages people to pet him. The dog doesn’t respond to his name, and is sniffing the floor and the merchandise. Is this okay?

When You See A Well-Behaved Dog Walk Into Your Store: Do:

-Assume the dog is a legitimate Service Dog, and treat the handler kindly. -Approach the handler calmly and ask “Is that a Service Dog, and if so, what task does it perform?” -Ignore the dog -Talk to the handler like they are a normal person, maybe compliment them on their dog’s behavior.

Don’t:

-Approach the handler with an offensive attitude, angrily comment, “We don’t allow dogs in here!” -Reach down to pet the dog, while talking only to the dog, and ignoring the handler. -Demand to see any sort of documentation, doctor’s note, or identification. -Ask them for proof of the dog’s tasks, by requesting that the dog perform a task in front of you. -Deny the owner access, on account that you “don’t believe the dog is legitimate” -Follow the handler around, waiting for the dog to make a mistake.  -Tell the handler that their dog can’t be a service dog because of the dog’s breed or size, or argue that the only Service Dogs that exist are guide dogs.

When You See An Ill-Mannered Dog Walk Into Your Store: Do: 

-Approach the handler and ask if the dog is a Service animal and what task he is trained to perform. -Ask the handler politely to remove their animal, since it is acting poorly (ways of acting poorly include, going to the bathroom inside, lunging at onlookers, vocalizing unnecessarily, being generally unkempt and unclean, showing signs of aggression) -Inform the handler that they are welcome in the store, without their dog.  -Calmly express to them why their dog is being denied.

Don’t:

-Allow a dog that performs “emotional support” or an “emotional support animal” into your store. These animals do not have any legal rights to public places. -Assume that every dog that enters your store is going to act like the bad ones. -Accept any form of certification as “proof” they the animal is a service dog.  -Deny the handler access into the store, after they have removed their dog.  -Approach them angrily or with ill-intent. 

When A Service Dog Enters Your Store But Somebody There Has Severe Allergies: Do:

-accommodate both disabilities by separating the two people as much as possible.  -ensure the dog is legitimate by asking if it is a service dog and what tasks it is trained to perform. -remember that  legitimate service dog will be well groomed in order to minimize the risk of anybody around them having an allergic reaction. -take note as to whether or not the breed of dog is anti-allergenic, like a poodle-mix. -stay calm and inform the service dog handler of the possible allergic problems; most service dog handlers will do what they can to minimize the problem.

Don’t:

-freak out and deny the Service Dog access -force the person with allergies to be in close proximity of the person with the dog -deny access to either party  -allow an unkempt dog into your store  -tuck the Service Dog handler away or force them to participate in whatever way that would make their trip more difficult or impossible 

Within the last week Canada has lost an entire city due to wild fire and it is rapidly spreading, and expected to double in size. Fort McMurray has been ablaze all week and the fire is spreading towards Saskatchewan. Attempts to put the fire out have been failing because the fire is so hot water it is evaporating before it can do any good. 

Dry and extremely windy conditions are fueling the blaze, which has already scorched more than 1,560 square kilometers (602 square miles) and displaced tens of thousands of people.

These people are no longer evacuees … They’re refugees. 

Rain is to be expected next week, but a downpour is needed to tame a monstrous fire – which is the size of Hong Kong and is almost 25% bigger than New York City – that has displaced about 88,000 people, wiped out 1,600 structures including homes, schools and hospitals, and sent plumes of smoke as far away as Iowa.

Here is a link if you want to help, please share this, this is a huge tragedy and these people need help. 

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/want-to-help-those-fleeing-fort-mcmurray-heres-how/

DONATE MONEY:

If you want to donate to the Red Cross, you can give any amount through this link:Alberta Fires Appeal. Alternately, you can donate $5 by texting REDCROSS to 30333 or donate $10 by texting FIRES to 45678. Be careful: There are some scammers posing as the Red Cross asking for money on social media. Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government is matching all donations made to the Red Cross for the Fort McMurray Wildfires.

If you want to donate to the Salvation Army, you can give any amount through this link: Alberta Fire Response.

If you want to donate to Save the Children, you can give any amount through this link: Fort McMurray Emergency Wildfire.

OFFER ACCOMMODATION:

If you need a place to stay, or are looking to take in some evacuees, check out these Facebook groups: Fort McMurray Evacuee Open Source Help Page, Fort Mcmurray evac relocation help group.

Airbnb has waived all service fees for those affected by the fire, and there are already over 140 places listed on the site for free.

Those able to house displaced people can also sign up at ymmfire.ca

HELP PETS

The Calgary Humane Society is taking donations, you can give here: Fundraiser in Support of Fort McMurray.

The Edmonton Humane Society is also taking donations, you can give here: Fort McMurray Wildfire Donation form.

Those looking to house people’s pets, help unify lost pets with owners, and generally assist with animal rescue should check out this Facebook page: Fort McMurray Fire Emergency Animal Assistance

DONATE FOOD AND ITEMS:

If you want to donate items such as blankets or clothes, check out this Facebook group: Fort Mac Fire Donations. Make sure you’re only giving things people actually need. People often donate things after a disaster that aren’t needed, and sometimes actually get in the way of vital supplies.

Edmonton Emergency Relief Services is collecting new shoes, towels, socks, underwear, diapers, baby wipes, and toiletries. Drop off items at: Hangar 2: 3631 – 56 Ave East, Edmonton International Airport.

Edmonton’s Food Bank is collecting donations. Food can be dropped off at any major grocery store or fire hall.

VOLUNTEER:

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is inviting volunteers to sign up here.

Edmonton Emergency Relief Services is looking for volunteers (must be 16 or older) at a number of locations throughout Edmonton. Volunteers are particularly needed at the airport, as that location is running 24-7. Follow their Facebook page:Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society, for the latest updates.

This is almost fifty years ago: I added psych as a major so I could access the books on homosexuality in our university library. They were locked in the back and you had to go through the librarian to get them. If you were not a psych major the Dean of Students would interrogate you as to why you wanted to read such deleterious material.

Seeing the newspaper that one of my professors and his friends had been arrested at his own house, having a barbecue in the backyard, for “associating with a known homosexual”. Believe me, these things twist you, and make you think twice when invited to a party at someone’s house.

Having a handsome young stranger make eyes at you at the all night diner as you study for finals, and wondering if he is one of the detectives assigned to entrapping gays. Going through the teeter totter emotions of wondering if he might be the love you are looking for, or is he the trap that will flush your whole life down the toilet.

Coming to barracks at the end of the day in the Air Force, and watching the swarm of OSI and Security Police escorting a friend out under arrest for having gone to a gay bar. Wondering if he would name you, because that was the only way you could stay out of jail – by naming at least five other gays.