Sobre barriga asada con papas

Dracula Daily sketch for 18th July

Our beautiful doomed ship

And straight away one disappeared...

Someone strange aboard?

Nah, only the wooden boxes, nowhere to hide. Sure.

Dracula's box has a few holes (for misting himself in and out of it), as Jonathan observed, but the boxes are all firmly nailed shut.

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation/Collins has burned to the ground. The entire community is nothing but ashes after being quickly consumed by wildfires. They did not have any support from emergency services, and no one offered aid. The community saved themselves by escaping into boats because no one came.

Mishkeegogamang and Cat Lake have lost power. Families are ending up in shelters with nothing. Armstrong, Lac La Croix, Whitesand, Gull Bay, Lac des Mille Lacs are currently in the fires path and all members are being evacuated.

All this loss, all this devastation, and it was entirely preventable.

After steadily underfunding wildland firefighting and purposefully excluding Indigenous wildland firefighters and Indigenous wildfire organizations from wildfire operations, firefighter training, decisionmaking, and resource exchanges, in 2025, Doug Ford slashed the forest firefighting budget.

It's hard to ignore his decision to cut funding and leave us out of adequate fire training (even though we've lived with forest fires for thousands of years—far longer than settlers have been in Canada—and made sure fires like the ones we're all seeing today were prevented through kinisitotēn) when, despite making up less than 5% of the population, we account for 42% percent of all wildfire evacuations in Canada.

And when we are successfully evacuated, we face discrimination and racism—like Kashechewan—because it's always been easier to blame us than it is to blame the true culprit: denialism, corportate greed, and colonization.

The people of Collins and every other impacted community deserve better.

Right now, the AFN is currently accepting donations to help Collins First Nation. If you're able to, please consider donating.

ONWA (Ontario Native Women's Association) is another great place to donate to. They have outreach vans going to motels and inns and offering food, water, resources, and cultural support to those impacted by the wildfires.

Other places to consider donating to are Mikinakoos Emergency Fund, Red Cross, True North Aid, Indigenous Climate Action. You can also send donations directly to Whitesand First Nation via e-transfer ([email protected]) and they request that you add your full name in the e-transfer comment section to receive a tax receipt.

*Before sending money, verify that the appeal appears on an official First Nation, Tribal Council or registered charity channel.

If you can't offer financial support, please consider donating items of need. Moontime Connections is currently accepting drop-off donations. If you live in the Thunder Bay area, Namaygoosisagagun Health Office is also taking in donations! They can also bemailed to Superior Inn Hotel & Conference Centre at 555 West Arthur Street, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 5P8.

items needed are: food, diapers, medical masks, men’s and women’s joggers (all sizes), children’s clothing (newborn to size 14), children’s shoes, summer clothing, men’s clothing, toiletries (lotion, Vaseline, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, etc.), strollers, adult depends-all sizes, dog & cat food

I might translate this article later today. This one was the most complete one, even in Italian news it's not talked about that much.

Concerns about prop disposal as filming on new Nolan film comes to a close

INSIDER NEWSDESK | 3 September 2025

Lipari was chosen for the scene where Odysseus encounters the Sirens

SICILY - First it made headlines for its grandeur, and now the film The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan, shot on the island of Lipari, is sparking controversy due to the production’s inappropriate decisions regarding the disposal of certain props.

The issue concerns plastic skeletons and other props that were found by some divers on the seabed of the stunning waters surrounding the island, part of the Aeolian archipelago. At depths of at least 18 meters, installations and props were discovered that risk damaging a natural marine habitat that is under protection, writes Il Fatto Quotidiano.

The incident was reported by Giusi Savarino, the regional environmental councillor, who received the report from the Lipari Harbor Master’s Office and has requested the intervention of ARPA (the Regional Environmental Protection Agency) to investigate possible harm to marine species in the Pietra del Bagno area.

“Along with the permit (environmental impact assessment),” said Councillor Savarino, “we also issued precise rules and guidelines to protect the area from an environmental standpoint. The discoveries made in recent days are a cause for serious concern, and for this reason, we will be intervening with ARPA to determine the possible impact of these materials on the habitat and marine species in this area of significant natural value.

“We are happy to host international film projects and are always willing to support these productions,” he continued, “but no one should think they can take advantage of our hospitality by disrespecting our natural treasures.”

In the letter sent to ARPA, the Environmental Councillor requested an urgent inspection and monitoring of the seabed at Pietra del Bagno, along with a technical assessment to determine any damage to the marine ecosystem.

Filming took place in April and concluded at the end of the month, involving major Hollywood stars: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron in a film that tells the story of Odysseus, set to be released in July 2026. Lipari was chosen for its beauty, to depict the scene where Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) encounters the Sirens.

But the same beauty that led to its selection was not preserved by the production, which may now face criminal consequences for what happened. The damage comes three years after the devastating fire that destroyed much of Stromboli’s Mediterranean scrubland, caused by another film crew shooting a movie about firefighters starring Ambra Angiolini. That crew had lit a “controlled” fire which then got out of hand.

Nonetheless, the show went on, and the series aired despite protests from the residents of Stromboli. Now this new incident reignites the debate around film and TV productions that choose Mediterranean gems as filming locations but fail to respect the rules that protect these beautiful places.

More Italian sources here (you can use your browser translator to translate them for you):

Facebook video posted by the Regional Councillor of Sicily mentioned in all the articles (I can translate it for people if they want although what she says is summed up in the caption)

Rai News (Rai is the national broadcasting service in Italy, like BBC for the UK so pretty trustworthy)

La Repubblica (possibly the most important Italian newspaper, the article is behind a paywall)

Quotidiano Nazionale (National Newspaper)

Lascimmiapensa (this is an independent news website for entertainment)