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Edmonton's Central Magazine
Extraordinary Neighbours
The Neighbours in the Hood
September 18, 2018 by Staff
Edmonton is full of these people. On the news, we most often hear stories about those who make big changes to our city. But outside of that, there are also thousands of little stories of people working in their community to make life better responding to need.
Here are three of them. We call them Community Champions.
MARYANNE WIEBE
Ten years ago, when Maryanne Wiebe lived in St. Albert, she says she would never have to pick up garbage. But living downtown is a different story. Now she's out cleaning litter so often that many core residents recognize her.
"They call me 'the garbage picker' or 'garbage lady,' but I prefer to be known as their neighbor—because that's what I am," Wiebe says.
After raising their children, Wiebe and her husband decided to move to central Edmonton and embrace downtown living. "We walk almost everywhere," she says.
She walked about 20 blocks to work every day. And that's where everything changed.
"So, I am walking around downtown, minding my own business and I think, 'Boy there's a lot of garbage here,'" Wiebe says.
For the first year it bothered her. "I was just angry," she says. But after that, she wanted to make a difference. Wiebe signed up for Capital City Clean Up and adopted blocks of the city to clean—14 of them along 100 Avenue.
Wiebe says she felt self-conscious the first time she took out garbage bags. But in the seven years she's been part of the Clean Up, she says she's become so adept using her trash grabber that she can swipe a floating paper bag out of the air.
She goes out once a week. In just two weeks' time, she collects two large black garbage bags of litter from the streets. Over the years she's finely tuned her routine. She knows where all the city garbage cans are, so she can empty as she goes. The worst thing she's ever picked up? A jar of urine by the Edmonton General Hospital.
"Some people think I am doing community service. People stop to say they hope my parole officer knows I am doing a great job. Or they stop and ask me why I am doing this."
So why is she? "I've always said it takes a village to make things work and I am a part of that village."
Her route takes her by the Edmonton General where she has gotten to know some of the long-term residents. "Oliver is Edmonton's best kept secret," Wiebe says.
CURTIS BOEHM
Curtis Boehm's work as a pastor at Grace Lutheran Church is all about connection.
And he sees a lot of them. Outside, he says he notices who's on the street. "The walking traffic in this neighbourhood is incredible," he says.
And it's through his proximity to the church building— he and his family live beside it—that he gets a chance to speak with some in the community who are homeless. He takes time to learn their stories.
"Many people have a route that they take every day, and Oliver is a refuge from some of the issues that happen in the inner city," he says.
Boehm has worked at the church since 2016 and is an active member with the Oliver Community League. Boehm also managed the Oliver Bike Club for a bit. Badly, he says, as he has three school-aged children. He remains an avid cyclist, and often bikes to his visits around the city.
Many of the connections Boehm makes are through church programs like the basketball game nights that they host or the summer garage sale. But the church is also a space for groups to meet. Everything from Alcoholics Anonymous to condo board AGMs. Even the Oliver Community League now meets at the church.
Boehm says being a part of the OCL is a chance to learn what people in the core care about and how it aligns with Grace Lutheran's mission. He says issues like walkability, challenges for seniors and combatting urban isolation are shared concerns. "When I started here we thought this would be an ideal way to be a part of our community."
Recently, the church combined their potluck with one held by the community league. "It was a great chance for the church people to meet the community league members," he says.
Although not everyone who comes to the church is from Oliver, the community has many elderly people who choose to live in the area because they are close to services, he says.
Boehm says Oliver is a small corner of the city but that there are many opportunities to connect with its people. "All those things are part of what drew me here."
ELLIOTT TANTI
Elliott Tanti wanted to be an actor but ended up helping his community instead. After he finished his political science degree at the University of Alberta, he moved to Vancouver to pursue acting.
But, "I wasn't very good," Tanti says.
Today, Tanti works to help the homeless. He serves as a communications representative at Boyle Street Community Services. Aside from this, he has also volunteered with Edmonton Homeless Count and worked as a staffing clerk at a continuing care facility.
Tanti lives in Oliver and is a strong advocate for the work people do at Boyle Street. "It is one of those places that you walk in a room and you immediately feel a sense of belonging, and there's an aura about the place that is really incredible," he says. "Some of the most abused people in society are coming through our doors every day."
He says he feels blessed to do the work that he does. Not only for the chance to help people but also the sense of purpose it gives him.
"I think a lot of it has to do with my own privileges," he says. "I've had lots of opportunity in my life – beyond being a white straight male."
For example, he recounts a meeting with City of Edmonton officials about public spaces, where he brought some of the Boyle street clients with him.
"I had no fear about going through the front door, but our community did," he says. "I see my work as a way to open doors for other people who have not had the same opportunities."
Working in communications was something Tanti says he sort of fell into. With his varied background he found himself drawn to work in the inner city. And he credits his father, who has a career in communications.
Today he uses his skills to tell stories of people who often are kept invisible, often with social media. He uses it to shift perception.
"I really enjoy changing the hearts and minds of people in the community— whether it is my condo board or my friends who have also moved into Oliver."
Though he tries to make change, Tanti says the front-line workers at Boyle Street are the real heroes.
4 Ways You Can Become a Core Hero
Who doesn't want to be a hero? Well, if you engage in your community it's easy to become one—with or without a cape. Here are four big ideas to set you on the path.
1. VOLUNTEER
Half of all Albertans volunteer. And each year, this chunk of volunteers offers Alberta the equivalent of $8.3B in time and energy. Indeed, in some ways, volunteerism is an essential part of our society. But why is volunteering critical to becoming a core hero? Karen Link, executive director of Volunteer Alberta, says it comes down to a "beautiful mathematical equation." Volunteering helps your community, but also boosts your personal mental health, which trickles back into your community. In short, the good multiplies. "Volunteering is about community and individual well- being," Link says. "There's a direct correlation. It's that pathway to feeling connected and belonging."
This one can be counter intuitive. After all, shouldn't you just do things yourself to better your community? No. You should also spend in your community at local shops, because local businesspeople are aiming to better your community, too, as well as keeping the money they earn within it. Discover more of them and it's another win-win. "Simply put, shopping local means that people have taken the time and effort to explore our community and discovered something unique and local," says Ian O'Donnell, executive director of the Downtown Business Association. "Imagine if we all explored a little more of this city."
3. TAKE A CLASS
Throughout your community are dozens of organizations offering classes for people with varying skills, from amateur to pro. If you want to become a hero in your own 'hood, take one. For the reasons why, we asked Amy Leigh at the Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists (SNAP), in Oliver. "Taking a class at SNAP not only directly supports a local, not-for- profit, artist-run centre but it allows one to connect with folks within their community," Leigh says. "Beyond it fosters ongoing conversations and capacity building in addition to igniting possibilities for future collaboration, knowledge and skill-sharing."
4. START AN IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Oliver Community League features several projects, like the Abundant Communities initiative, Make Something Oliver, Free Little Libraries, and the Mitten Tree. Want to be a community hero? Take a page from OCL and start a project that makes your community stronger and people will get behind. "Oliver may be a challenging community because of our diversity and our size, but it is those very things, and our vibrancy and connectedness, that make it possible to just try something out," says Lisa Brown, president of the Oliver Community League. "If you positively impact just a few people, it's certainly worth the effort."
Posted in 2018 Fall, Extraordinary Neighbours
Cooked to the Core
March 1, 2018 by Staff
WOMEN ARE INTEGRAL PARTS of making Edmonton's downtown scene as rich and vibrant as it is. But the contributions of women like Lynsae Moon and Mai Nguyen in the establishments that provide our third spaces, as well as our nourishment and entertainment, are often under-sung. Here's a needed celebration.
Lynsae Moon
Lynsae Moon, co-owner of The Nook Café, says the way she is perceived depends on what people are expecting.
"Being a woman in hospitality is pretty palatable and common," she says. People accept her in a servile role,
she says, but less so in a business role. She says many who go to The Nook on business still tend to look for a male manager.
Moon first started working in a café when she was 16, and soon developed a deep connection to the industry. "It's an extension of who I am," she says.
Establishing a café of her own was something that was "brewing" in her for a long time. About a year ago, she asked her mother, Marnie Suitor, to co-own the business with her. Suitor, a businesswoman by trade, handles overarching business affairs for The Nook; Moon deals with "day-to-day operations."
Moon says one thing she sees as a unique detriment to her experience as a woman in the hospitality industry is social media. While she does see valid criticisms of her work online, she has also faced personal attacks. She says these kinds of attacks would not be happening if she were a man.
Nevertheless, Moon persists. All of The Nook's staff are marginalized in some regard, many because they are women. That kind of intersectionality and inclusion is something Moon considers integral to her business model. She cites the café's reputed suspended coffee program — which allows people to buy coffee in advance for someone who needs one — as being a part of that.
Going forward, Moon says she hopes to grow The Nook and the core that it's located in. "I'm excited to be a part of that."
Mai Mguyen
When Mai Nguyen attended Gold Medal Plates, a high-level culinary competition, in 2017, the lack of women caught her attention.
"I remember this one MC on the stage saying he was so proud of the diversity on the stage," she says, "but I was just like, 'You don't have a single woman on there.'"
Nguyen, who was a contestant on season four of Masterchef Canada, on CTV, says Edmonton's downtown food scene thankfully does not suffer the same problem. Many of the area's restaurants have many women in senior positions, she says.
Nguyen started out studying general sciences, with no inclination toward food. When that didn't work out, she pursued a double major in food technology and nutrition. The jobs in the field weren't creative enough for her, though, so she changed paths.
Upon receiving a health and safety diploma from NAIT and working in that domain for a year, Nguyen applied for season four of Masterchef Canada. That's where she found her true culinary calling.
"I had such a blast on the show; I decided to basically change my life," she says. She came in fourth place on the show and into a new vocation in life.
Coming back to Edmonton, she looked for any restaurant who would take a chance on a relative newbie. Arden Tse decided his Prairie Noodle Shop could take that chance. Nguyen's dumplings have proven to be a hit at the restaurant.
Nguyen recently incorporated her own food company, Gourmai. She also blogs and hopes to one day become a private chef making canapés. For now, though, she's doing some time as a line cook. "Just learning the trade, for me, is really important," she says. "You just want some credibility."
Posted in 2018 Spring, Extraordinary Neighbours
Forty years in Oliver
July 23, 2017 by Staff
They were only going to live in the small, walk-up apartment in Oliver for one year, but Kathleen Drysdale and her husband David ended up staying for another 40.
A few months ago, they left, and now they're reflecting back on a neighbourhood that changed along with them over the years.
Flash back to 1975, when the newlyweds settled here, and Oliver looked a lot different than today.
The Canadian Northern Railway line still ran down 104 Avenue. Drysale says she remembers being kept up at night by the trains shunting back and forth on the tracks.
The Brewery District was also there, but back then it was the fully operational Molson Brewery. "My first experience with the Brewery District was smelling the hops when they were making the beer. That was not pleasant," Drysdale says, with a laugh.
Raising a child on the edge of downtown in the '70s and '80s seems like it might have been tough. But Kathleen and David decided to do just that after their son was born in 1978.
They skipped the mortgage payments on a house in the suburbs in favour of Oliver's walkable amenities: A school, playground, grocery store and parks were all close by and Drysdale says she never had to drive.
"I remember the slide – it was one of those metal slides," she says, of the playground at Oliver School, where her son, Loren, learned to read. "We would go in the afternoon because I was home. There'd be no one else around. My kid would slide for hours and still scream when I took him home."
Drysdale says Loren also enjoyed splashing in the wading pool at Paul Kane Park. "It wasn't an ornamental park at that time, so the kids could go in the water," she says, noting the park's recent shift to ban wading.
On nights out in the late '80s, when Loren was a little older, the family would often end up at Tiki Tiki, a Polynesian eatery on Jasper Avenue and 117 Street. "That was a really neat restaurant," Drysdale remembers.
As the decades progressed into the '90s and early 2000s, Drysdale says the skyline changed. Small houses and walk-up apartments gradually disappeared and high rises took their place.
Beth Israel moved from 119 Street and 102 Avenue to the Wolf Willow neighbourhood in the west end in 2000—Drysdale recalls how their parking stalls were often taken by people attending the synagogue—and the squat brick building was converted to a private residence.
Kathleen and David finally moved from Oliver to a seniors-friendly residence overlooking the Legislature grounds a few months ago. "I kind of hated to leave Oliver," she says. "I was falling in love with the Brewery District and the stores there."
Posted in 2017 Summer, Extraordinary Neighbours
2016 Best in the Core: How Two Entrepreneurs Dropped Everything for Fort McMurray
December 5, 2016 by Kalyna Hennig
On Monday, May 2, technology consultant Jas Panesar heard, like everyone else in Canada, that Wood Buffalo was under mandatory evacuation. The first thought to run through his head was, "Fort McMurray is coming to Edmonton." When the downtown resident arrived at his 104 St. office, he turned to Sam Jenkins, who works from the Unit B Co-Working Space with Panesar, for help with what was to come. "Well," replied Jenkins, "what do we do?"
Determined to be of some value to the emergency response eforts, they started sifting through their networks. For three days, they pestered Northlands—the central emergency shelter for the tens of thousands of evacuees—but kept getting the same response: they weren't needed. Anywhere. Astonished and discouraged, the young professionals felt stuck. That's when they saw a problem with the relief effort itself: The system lacked the organization to effectively use the resources available to it. Ever the IT guys, they set out to fix it.
It dawned on Panesar first. Walking home one evening, he noticed a barbecue on the typically empty sidewalk outside of the Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society (EERSS) headquarters. An insufficient meal was being grilled for the relief effort volunteers inside. Prior to then, Panesar had hardly acknowledged EERSS, just two blocks north of his office, and thought it was just a tiny thrift shop. The door, after all, was always shut. Now, for the first time, it was open and he saw that it was filled to the doorway with bags and boxes of donations. It buzzed with people run of their feet. We can feed the volunteers, realized Panesar, peering inside.
He offered this service to EERSS volunteer Lloyd Skinner and was taken up on it. But when Panesar and Jenkins met Skinner, there was a change of plans. Skinner explained, "We just got the keys to an airplane hangar at the International Airport and people are working there 24/7." In a matter of two days, the EERSS had grown from five part-time staff to 1,500 volunteers.
With a $17,000 operating budget funded by a single grant, plus modest revenue from its 104 St. thrift shop, the EERSS was built for small disasters. If a family's house burns down, for instance, they can depend on the EERSS for toothbrushes, clean clothes and pillows. The 30-year-old charity was a big help on Black Friday, in 1987, when Canada's deadliest tornado caused $330 million in Edmonton property damage, and again after the Slave Lake Fire in 2011. But those paled in comparison to the Fort Mac wildfires, which displaced 88,000 people. Still, EERSS was determined not to turn away a single one.
By Saturday, May 7, Panesar and Jenkins entered a hangar filled with thousands of boxes, hundreds of people and utter chaos. Nobody was in charge and it was completely self-organized. Everyone was a stranger to everyone. "We have to find food. And lots of it," Panesar told his friend and colleague. They made one call to a pizzeria and 50 free pies were on their way. Subway soon became involved too. Another call to the Sikh Temple in Millwoods—which had an industrial-sized kitchen—and they were feeding over 1,500 people a dozen donuts at a time. But that was one day. Skinner asked them to commit to seven more days of coordinating meals for volunteers. The partners looked at each other and with little more than a nod agreed to put their companies on hold. (They each operate separate startups; Jenkins is co-founder of Wellnext Inc. and Panesar the CEO of NewEngage.)
New EERSS relief sites were popping up daily: a south-side warehouse filled with donations within eight hours, as did the Sikh temple and an old and emptied Target at Kingsway Mall. At each venue, donations of clothing, bedding, toiletries and more had to be received, organized, re-palletized and sent out. Every individual truck had to be loaded and unloaded by hand. "People were showing up and saying, 'Just put me to work,'" recalls Panesar. And they all had to be fed. After two weeks, over 6,000 volunteers were working for the EERSS at a time, and over 20,000 meals—all donated through the young entrepreneurs' contacts—had been served.
"It was unbelievable," says Panesar. "Food was way beyond the scope of what I had imagined, and at times we felt like we weren't doing enough. But we quickly recognized that armies march on their stomachs." Jenkins adds, "In order to keep people going we needed to keep them fed."
As it were, coordinating food was just the beginning. The charity didn't have the funds for an operation of that size. While the donation reception and distribution tried to run smoothly, food had to be supplied, delivered, disposed of due to lack of refrigeration and replenished. Panesar and Jenkins made the latter possible but call it a "small contribution" compared to the bigger story. Before the first dollar arrived to support its ballooning efforts, the EERSS had already catalogued and served over 57,000 evacuees.
Imagine 57,000 toothbrushes in a room. Now picture 57,000 of everything else you would need if you were forced to flee your home. That's how many donations it took, that's how many items had to be coordinated. Working as efficiently as possible, volunteers listed requests for specific donations, like diapers and pillows, on a poster board with a sharpie, photographed it and posted the image on Facebook. And to run the equivalent of a 24-hour business, with 6,000 rotating employees and little to no permanent management or scheduling, the IT friends used WhatsApp and 10 strategically-shared tablets that were donated to them by Microsoft on request. "
We witnessed the purest form of humanity during that time," says Jenkins.
"Edmonton, as the integrated and whole community I know it to be, was completely represented through this," adds Panesar. Sadly, despite the Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society's valiant efforts, it's struggling to survive. Its lease expired on Oct. 31 and the provincially owned building, now up for sale, was deemed "at the end of its life" by the Alberta Infrastructure Minister. Though the agency can stay put until there's a "sold" sticker on the For Lease sign, the organization that helped thousands of Fort McMurrians who lost their homes could have its roles reversed and be homeless itself.
Posted in 2016 Winter, Extraordinary Neighbours
Meet Mrs. Hut: The Teacher Who Teaches "Downtown"
September 16, 2016 by Lizzie Derksen
It's 9:32 on a January morning, the first day back from the holidays. Rushing into city hall, I'm met with a troop of seven- and eight-year-olds from École J.A. Fife, a French immersion school in Lake District, venturing single-file into the pedway maze en route to Churchill Station. Many of them are about to take their first LRT ride, but they're not the only ones. "I've lived in the city for 10 years," says a parent assisting with the field trip, "and this is the first time I've been here."
City Hall School is now in session.
Led by Linda Hut, a public schools instructor for 30 years, the civic education her students are about to receive quickly outstrips the average Edmontonian's experience. Every year, about twenty-five elementary and junior-high classes spend a week downtown with "Mrs. Hut," learning about Edmonton's history, municipal government and urban infrastructure. Former councillor Karen Leibovici, impressed by a classroom in the Legislature, initiated the City Hall School in 2005. Similar schools have since been added to the Valley Zoo, Fort Edmonton Park and Edmonton Journal offices, but none immerse the students so completely in the city's innards as this. Hut, who took over the program six years ago, now receives double the number of applications she can accept. By maintaining an even distribution among both Catholic and public school wards, she will, at least once, meet most of Edmonton's student body by the time they're in high school.
"I'm very fortunate to be able to work with over 600 students each year and plant seeds for the future," she says. "Edmonton's future is in good hands with these thoughtful, engaged, caring, socially active citizens."
Before City Hall School, she taught grades 1, 2 and 3 at Westglen Elementary School in Westmount. "Although I miss being in a regular school and the rapport that you build with one class and your staff, I'm constantly rewarded when I see how students and teachers take City Hall School connections and build them into year-long experiences." Hut keeps in touch with all 25 of her participating classrooms through her weekly newsletter, City Beat, which showcases city events and initiatives, such as the Winter City program, and offers suggestions for classroom discussion and activities.
Moselle Semeniuk, this Grade 1/2 split class's regular teacher, appreciates Hut's ability to make each week relevant to individual classes. "Linda is always looking to make new contacts to help students get the most out of their City Hall School experience," she says, pointing to a visit from the City's chief architect Carol Belanger. "It's a wonderful surprise that she was able to find an architect that speaks French."
After discussing his passion for public buildings, en francais, Belanger shows the class renderings of the new police academy, which everyone agrees looks like something from Star Wars. Hut then challenges them to design their own civic building: Junior sketches a city hall with towers that rival Tolkien's fortresses. Morgan imagines a pet shelter shaped like a dog's paw. Keeva draws a library. Maja, a soccer club. Under Hut's direction, the students move from learning about cool buildings to showing appreciation for a civic service that touches their lives in an important way.
Photo by Lizzie Derksen
Beside the classroom's formidable Lego replica of city hall, Hut keeps a copy of On Looking by Alexandra Horowitz. The book is about observing the same environment from different perspectives. Likewise, Hut tries to open her students' eyes to their own city by asking them to observe the urban core from the perspectives of people most familiar with it. A typical week at City Hall School might include tours of the Art Gallery of Alberta, CBC, McLeod Building and MakerSpace at the Stanley Milner Library, plus visits from aboriginal relations liaison Gord Stewart, city hall's artist-in-residence Jennie Vegt or Kevan Lyons, "the Poet of Churchill Square."
"Many children have never actually been downtown," she says. "It's such a pleasure to introduce them to the heart of their city and open their minds to all the possibilities that it offers—all the possibilities for connecting citizenship and career pathways through encounters and experiences with real people in authentic situations.
No week is complete without a visit to council chambers. Hut asks the J.A. Fife students to find the seat of their ward councilor, Dave Loken, and then steps up to the lectern to demonstrate the process for speaking as a citizen in a council meeting. She asks the children to vote on the question of whether smoking should be permitted on school playgrounds. They unanimously vote "no." Hut turns to the class. "Guess what? You voted the same way that city council voted on this very same question!"
After completing their week at city hall, the students may not see Hut, or downtown, again until the year-end Citizenship Fair in June, to which the year's participating classes are all invited. That's when Hut asks them one fundamental question: "What is citizenship?"
Last year, the responses were, perhaps, all too typically Canadian, focused on being polite and rule-abiding. This year, Hut hopes her students will express an understanding that "citizenship is more than being kind, being nice." For Hut, seeing her students develop even the smallest traces of participatory and justice-oriented citizenship is both the most important and the most exciting part of her job.
The full impact of the City Hall School stint often manifests after students have returned to their regular routine. Last year, for instance, a Grade 6 class from Belvedere Elementary that joined Hut in volunteering for the city's homeless at the Mustard Seed started a Make Something Edmonton project called Calendars for Hope that raised money to help end poverty.
"City Hall School students recognize that they have a place and a voice in their city." But they're not the only ones. "I have always been a proud Edmontonian—born and raised here—but over the six years in this role I have developed a deeper sense of pride and belonging."
Posted in 2016 Fall, Extraordinary Neighbours	| 2 Comments
A Film Series All About Your Core Neighbourhoods
September 16, 2016 by Jessica Barratt
Rosvita Dransfeld
Catch a great flick with old friends and new neighbours at Downtown Docs at the DECL Community Space and All Saints Lutheran Church. The free monthly film series starts Sept. 28 and the league will take care of snacks and a cash bar. Just show up and get to know the community better through three movies by local filmmakers, like Rosvita Dransfeld. Director of Broke, the Gemini-nominated documentary about an inner-city pawnshop, Dransfeld will be in attendance to screen her 2014 lm Anti-Social Limited. We caught up with her to find how downtown influences her movies.
What is it about this city that keeps you making films here?
It's really a world-class place. I think Edmontonians need to be prouder of everything they've accomplished. Some of the programs invented here [like Project KARE, or the Edmonton Food Bank] have been adopted internationally.
How has Edmonton's inner-city inspired some of your films?
When I'm making films, I like to get very close to people with my camera. Because Edmonton has less of a 'city' feel, it's easier to meet people from all walks of life and get to know them personally. There aren't as many 'uppities' as you might find in other cities.
What is some advice you might give burgeoning Edmonton filmmakers?
It's important to really find the story before you start filming. I tackle big subjects with my films, but if you find the right characters, or story, that will make a project successful.
June 19, 2016 by Jessica Barratt
Nadine Riopel
Author of The Savvy Do Gooder: Giving That Makes a Difference
"When CityTV was still downtown, I was on my way in to do a TV segment one early morning and had a ton of stuff and a baby in tow, struggling along from the nearest parking spot a block away. A very kind passerby intercepted me and took my box of stuff, accompanying me all the way to the door of the studio even though it was in the opposite direction from where he was headed."
Olivia Hughes
Arts student at MacEwan University
"Working as a Team Director for Homeless Connect, I see homeless people standing off and alone, ignored by others who are maybe too afraid to reach out and help, or who don't know how. That's why I tell everyone to carry granola bars in their bags. It's a way to give, and a way to open yourself up to sharing respect with an equal. All because of a granola bar!"
Realtor with Royal LePage
"My girlfriend Natasha continues to amaze me. Whether it is a homeless person or an elderly person, she always tries to help them. She truly believes it's her job to spread love, kindness, and hope. This year, around Christmas, she took $500 from the bank, all in twenties, and randomly gave it out to anyone she felt was in need."
Michelle Mark
Laboratory Coordinator at the Royal Alberta Museum
"My friend has a teenage son who recently 'adopted' an old man he met on his daily bus ride to school. He learned that he had almost no family in Edmonton. Since then, her son has had him over for a family dinner, and even took him out to a movie. It was refreshing for me to hear about a young person who cares, and who is brave enough to reach out to a total stranger."
Neeraj Prakash
English professor at MacEwan University
"I was pumping gas at a station near MacEwan, when I saw a young, well-dressed man step outside with a plastic bag and a tray of four coffees billowing steam in the cold air. Without so much as a pause, he walked over to three men—possibly homeless—sitting on the curb and said, 'I just got off a hard day of work, I have no plans and no one to go home to, and could use some company.' For me, it wasn't the shared coffee or fried chicken, but the talking and laughter that ensued afterward that brought warmth to my heart."
Posted in 2016 Summer, Extraordinary Neighbours, Street Smarts
Volunteer of the Season: Brett Hall
"There's always something you can do in your neighbourhood to make it a better place."
Sage words from Meals on Wheels volunteer Brett Hall, an Oliver resident who's been delivering groceries to the non-profit's members since August. To his welcome surprise, bringing food to people in need across Edmonton and in his neigbourhood has become a kind of personal therapy. "I was looking to raise my confidence and find stability," says the 35-year-old former nurse turned insurance agent. "Driving for [Meals on Wheels] humbled me and put my own problems into perspective."
Hall has become somewhat of a guinea pig to test out Meals' new Store-to-Door program for seniors and disabled people, which became an official program after a trial last fall. Twice monthly, Hall purchases and delivers groceries for an elderly man named Michael, who lives only a few blocks away, but can't physically run the errands himself. There's no cost for Hall and his mileage is reimbursed by the non-profit.
The project helps forge a connection to the neighbourhood for those who aren't able to easily get out into the community. "Now we have a rhythm," says Hall. "It's nice to think that he trusts me enough to enter his home."
If you would like to become a Store-to-Door volunteer, or pitch in on other Meals on Wheels programs, email emow@mealsonwheelsedmonton.org.
Connect the Blocks with the Abundant Communities Initiative
June 19, 2016 by Kalyna Hennig
"Busy" is the new small talk. Instead of discussing the weather, we talk about how many things we've got on the go, and oftentimes the B-word has become the default response to "How are you?"
That mindset is why cities lack a sense of community, says Oliver resident Viraj Wanigasekera, who yearns for "the eye contact that you would make with strangers and the obligatory hello walking down the street." To rediscover community he's become a "Block Connector" with the OCL's Abundant Communities Initiative.
The ACI has set loose enthusiastic people into the neighbourhood to combat social isolation—or, as Wanigasekera puts it, "to spread the gospel of citizenship participation."
Susana Chalut is in the first stages of her role as a Block Connector. Like Wanigasekera, Chalut goes door-to-door in her high-rise, the Centurian Tower, to collect information about people's interests, hobbies and skills for a database that will connect like-minded residents. Chalut, a writer who immigrated from Chile, wants to get to know her neighbours, to build community and to create a sense of belonging by connecting people and hosting events.
Wanigasekera feels the same about his condominium. "Community means people who live around each other, care about each other. I want to rouse people out of apathy and get people involved with one another."
The Abundant Community Initiative is 100-per-cent volunteer driven. The OCL is looking for eager Block Connectors and Neighbourhood Connectors. If that could be you, email Angelika Matson at info@olivercommunity.com.
Posted in 2016 Summer, Extraordinary Neighbours	| 1 Comment
Volunteer of the Season: Sharon Yeo
March 13, 2016 by Jessica Barratt
Lifelong Edmontonian Sharon Yeo has been a volunteer for almost as long as she's called the city home. But after years of managing myriad community projects, this social worker, food blogger and serial volunteer is ready to take a step back from some of her extracurricular responsibilities, including the Downtown Edmonton Community League board, to take some old ideas off the back burner.
She reflects to The Yards on the initiatives she's helped create and build.
What was the best part of volunteering with DECL?
I helped with the events we put on, such as the pancake breakfast and Corn Fest in the fall, which was a great way to connect with others who felt passionately about where they lived. It definitely helped me feel like a part of the community.
Many know you as co-founder of the wildly popular food festival What the Truck?!. How'd it get started?
About five years ago my now-husband Mack [Male] and I went to San Francisco to attend a food truck festival. I remember thinking, 'Why don't we have something like this in Edmonton?' So we took a leap and tried to make it happen here at home.
Our first event in 2011 had only seven trucks. Last year, during our biggest event yet at Telus Field, we had about 30 trucks around the diamond, while thousands of people played catch or picnicked in the outfield. So many have supported it that I'm able to step away and watch the event flourish.
Who helped you along the way?
Honestly, I was not prepared for how the people of Edmonton would open their arms to my idea. I reached out to the community leagues, which were incredibly helpful in terms of attaining space and licensing and other things I was then unfamiliar with. They were the reason I was able to make my vision a successful reality.
Now that you have fewer existing commitments, what are you hoping to do with your extra time?
I still want to work on my blog, Only Here for the Food. And I'm thinking of revisiting my idea of managing a Night Market in Chinatown, or updating a website Mack and I put together a couple of years ago called Blink.com, which is a place where we're trying to re-imagine some of Edmonton's empty spaces. But mostly, I'm planning all kinds of peaceful summer walks!
Posted in 2016 Spring, Extraordinary Neighbours, Issues
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text:
BubbleStream
Orrin Jason Bradford
a book bubble about
Beginnings (FreeForm, #1)
An unseen invasion: the ultimate threat... When a mysterious spacecraft is uncovered in the North Carolina mountains, agent Pat Vogt's life begins to look increasingly alien. Betrayed by her own government, she's forced to unravel a conspiracy that holds implications for existence on Earth...and beyond. Years later, Vogt returns to find the mountain town of Waynesboro fostering secrets much darker than she'd ever imagined. Even her closest ally, Dr. Allen Pritchard, withholds crucial information, and his desire to mend a painful past may jeopardize the human race. Who is genetic engineer Fredic Homlin, and what connection does the Biogentrix Corporation's chilling technology touted as the 'play dough of life' represent? Can one headstrong woman reveal the truth in time, or will something else be sown? Beginnings is the shifting shape of much that lies ahead... Orrin Jason Bradford's style has been compared to the "early works of Dean Koontz and the late great Michael Crichton." Freeform: Beginnings is the first novel in the action-packed, sci-fi Freeform series. If you're a fan of fast-paced sci-fi novels with exciting storylines and unforgettable characters, get your hands on this thriller by Orrin Jason Bradford!
Orrin Jason Bradford is the pen name for speculative fiction author W. Bradford Swift. It's also where Swift allows his freaky imagination to take wing through his series of science fiction thrillers often with a genetic engineering theme. OJB also writes fantasy for adults who want to be entertained and engaged while also being inspired. He's the author of the genetic engineering science fiction thriller FreeForm series.
Author Insight
The Entire FreeForm Series Discounted This Week
I'm thrilled to announce that ll 6 books in the FreeForm series available at special intro prices only until May 12th. So, here is a little of what book one, FreeForm: Beginnings is all about. An unseen invasion: the ultimate threat... When a mysterious spacecraft is uncovered in the North Carolina mountains, agent Pat Vogt's life begins to look increasingly alien. Betrayed by her own government, she's forced to unravel a conspiracy that holds implications for existence on Earth...and beyond. Years later, Vogt returns to find the mountain town of Waynesboro fostering secrets much darker than she'd ever imagined. Even her closest ally, Dr. Allen Pritchard, withholds crucial information, and his desire to mend a painful past may jeopardize the human race. Who is genetic engineer Fredic Homlin, and what connection does the Biogentrix Corporation's chilling technology touted as the 'play dough of life' represent? Can one headstrong woman reveal the truth in time, or will something else be sown? Beginnings is the shifting shape of much that lies ahead... Remember, all 6 books in the FreeForm series available at special intro prices only until May 12th
Mountain Mystery
The helicopter swooped low over the crest of the mountain, and Pat Vogt held her breath and her stomach.
"Ease up, James," she said as soon as she could take another breath. "If we catch a downdraft off one of these mountains, we're likely to be wearing those trees."
James, an ex-Gulf War copter pilot, often flew as though he was being pursued by some unidentified enemy aircraft. Pat suspected he occasionally experienced flashbacks of those grueling war years.
"In fact, climb a couple hundred feet, and let's take another pass from a different perspective."
James nodded affirmatively and gave her a sly wink, which Pat ignored. She drew a lot of winks from her male co-workers and once in a while a pinch on the ass from some brave fool...but only one.
Her five-foot, two-inch frame of muscular curves had stopped plenty of men in their tracks, but they didn't around Pat long without discovering she was a woman with whom you did not fool around. Oh sure, a little kidding around was okay; it was to be expected, and Pat was far from being a prude. She knew she was attractive, even sexy. Pat had spent many long hours in the gym and karate dojo in the pursuit of a healthy frame, but it wasn't for her shape she worked so hard. It was the desire for excellence in everything she took on in her life, especially her career.
"We're getting low on fuel, sweet thing!" James shouted to her over the whirl of the blades. "We'll have to take it in for refueling."
"One more pass," Pat replied. "I thought I saw a glint over the ridge. It could be a metallic surface reflecting the sun."
"These babies don't stay afloat long when the blades stop rotating," James answered.
Pat turned and stared at him for a long few seconds. "One more pass," she mouthed slowly.
"Whatever you say. You're the boss."
The helicopter eased over the ridge. Pat placed the set of binoculars to her eyes. She studied the rough terrain below, looking for the scar in the thick growth of trees she'd noticed on the previous pass. It looked like someone had selectively cut a thin line through the dense growth. A fast-moving object striking the surface at an acute angle as the report had suggested could have caused such damage. Yet with heavy snowfall, it could go unnoticed.
She lowered the glasses for a moment. There, to the left—a long thin line angled obliquely across the crest. She raised the glasses back to her eyes and traced the scar, shouting to James as she did.
"Turn east about fifteen degrees and come in a little slower! I think I see something." She felt James make the adjustment quickly.
As she studied the defect in the landscape, her gaze stopped at the end furthest from the crest. As they passed over the area, a flash like a flashbulb, momentarily blinded them; or was it the reflection of the noonday sun? But from what?
"See that thin break in the trees we passed over? I want you to put down there."
"No way, babes," James replied. "Not with this wind and us sucking on fumes. One little hesitation and we'll be eating those trees."
"I thought you were the great Gulf War copter pilot with ice water flowing through his veins."
"I'm not interested in picnicking in these woods for several days while a search party tries to find us. Not even with a gorgeous dame like yourself."
"Okay, fine. Set me down with the crane. Note the spot on the map and return for fuel. Bring the others back in the other copter while this one is being refueled."
"Are you crazy? I can't lower you—" James stopped short as he noticed Pat already strapping the rigging around her slender frame.
"Lower me as close to the ground as you can, and I'll cut myself free. Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility."
"Our orders were to return to base and report anything we found to the rest of the search team. Not to investigate on our own!" James shouted.
"I'm in charge here, James!" Pat shouted back. "Your orders were to follow my directions. We haven't found anything to report. I'm simply going down to take a closer look. If there is anything there, you'll be back with the team. I'll be hanging around waiting. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Pat patted his arm. "Lower me down."
"What in the world could be down there worth risking your neck?"
"Oh, nothing except the most likely candidate for a bona fide UFO in the last several years. I intend to be the first person to set eyes on it." She placed the glasses under her seat and picked up her camera, slinging it around her neck by its strap.
She left the passenger seat and scurried to the rear of the chopper. She clipped the crane rope to her rigging and waited for James to give her the go-ahead.
As James made a final pass over the site (a second pass beyond what the fuel gauge indicated was possible), James signaled for her to ease out of the door. As they approached the narrow gully in the trees, Pat wondered if she'd made a wise judgment call. Who was this James character, anyway? She'd only met him a few hours ago. How good of a pilot was he? Hell, she couldn't even remember his last name; she'd known him for such a short time. How did she know if he had really flown in the Gulf War? For all she knew, he could be as new at flying copters as she was at investigating UFO reports. She wasn't comforted by the thought as she glanced down at the Longleaf Pines reaching their long fingers to tickle the bottoms of her feet.
Pat hung from the undercarriage of the copter as James continued to lower her with the crane while dropping the helicopter closer to the trees. A gust of wind started Pat turning slowly on the end of the thin fiberglass cord.
He better know what he's doing, Pat told herself as she tried to slow the spin, growing more uncomfortable with her situation by the moment.
Just as she was sure James was about to plop her into the thick growth of trees, dashing her body against the pines, the thin break appeared, and she was deftly lowered into it. Heavy tree limbs whizzed by on both sides. She felt like she could reach out with either hand and grasp a handful of needles. Despite a reduction in the wind gusts, she continued to spin out of control. She thought on one pass that she could see the gleaming metallic object at the end of the thin canyon formed by the trees, but she couldn't be sure.
She estimated that she was a good thirty feet in the air when she felt the shudder of the helicopter through the line. Oh, shit, James is running out of fuel, Pat thought as she glared up at the copter's underbelly. Lower me quicker, you fool. She continued to hang as though suspended in the web of a monstrous spider, waiting for the spider to return home for his evening meal.
She had to do something and quick. She couldn't count on James. She realized you couldn't rely on anyone when the chips were down—only yourself. She continued to hang for several seconds trying to decide what to do.
She stared below her at the rough terrain of the mountainside; she estimated there was a good twenty-five feet to the ground. The copter shuddered a second time. Enough was enough. She'd take control of the situation herself. She punched the safety release on her chest and felt the familiar rush of free fall.
She'd spent a summer between her sophomore and junior years of college skydiving her heart out. In a three-month time span, she'd made over fifty jumps, most of them free falls. The training paid off as she fell toward the irregular surface of the mountainside. As the ground came up fast, she held her feet and knees firmly together. She did not stay on her feet but rolled to one side, her hands and arms clasped tightly across her chest.
She rolled down the mountainside, picking up speed as she fell until her left shoulder struck a large rock embedded in the ground. She came to an abrupt and painful stop. She lay there for several seconds, wincing in pain, then staggered to her feet to give James the okay sign, but the helicopter had already sputtered over the crest, dragging the line behind it.
Pat dusted herself off with her right hand and felt a sharp pain shoot through her left shoulder. She gently moved her left arm to be sure it wasn't dislocated and was rewarded with another shock of pain which threatened to black her out. Not dislocated, she thought, but sure as hell not one hundred percent, either.
Pat stared in the direction where the helicopter had disappeared. I sure hope he makes it back to camp, she thought. He's my ticket out of here. Having had the thought, she placed it out of her mind. There was nothing else she could do about it right now, so why worry? It was time to go looking for a UFO.
Before setting off in the direction where she anticipated finding the UFO, she made a thorough inspection of her camera. A bit scuffed and dirty. Still serviceable. She snapped a picture, relieved to hear the familiar click-click of the shutter.
She picked her way across the terrain, occasionally stopping to enjoy the rugged scenic beauty of the mountain. She took a deep breath of fresh air and let it out slowly. What a great job. No sitting behind a desk all day for her. Being a part of the new team assigned to explore the highly secretive "Waynesboro NC UFO Case" was a little hard for her to believe. She had finally found a position that fit all of the passions she'd inherited from her parents. Her interest in investigative work was passed down from her father's thirty-year career as a police detective in Atlanta. She had undoubtedly inherited her love of science and speculation from her mom's career as a science fiction novelist. It was quite an accomplishment to be the newest member of B.I.U.F.O. (the Bureau of Investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects) and to be assigned to a field case, particularly one as juicy as the Waynesboro case.
She'd been with B.I.U.F.O. only three months, and she knew her being on the case had irritated some senior investigators back in Washington. Well, as her dad had said, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke."
She'd earned the opportunity, and it wasn't by sleeping with some high-level politician as she knew several of the other investigators suspected. She had worked her butt off for this chance, and if people would stay out of her way, she'd make sure the hard work paid off.
The early spring thaw and rain had been a good omen, although the wet ground made walking a slippery mess. Since the initial reports from the Strategic Air Command over three months ago of a high-speed UFO originating from outside the earth's atmosphere, no one had had any luck locating where it might have gone. North Carolina had suffered one of its worst winters ever, with a heavy burden of snowfall that surpassed all previous records. It had been two days after the radar sighting before anyone could investigate the report. By that time, a good eight inches of snow had fallen in the region. If the UFO had struck the earth, it had been buried under a heavy blanket of white.
B.I.U.F.O. had spent several days of reconnaissance and several thousand dollars of taxpayer money with no results, so they had called off the search until the spring thaw. The thaw had come early, and in the interim Pat had joined the investigative team. She was about to make all that hard work worthwhile.
As Pat neared the end of the thin clearing, it became more apparent how the UFO had avoided detection. Evidently, the object had come in low and hard, burrowing its way into the side of the mountain, leaving behind a thin gully covered by the snow. The sides of the ravine had partially collapsed, leaving only the upper few feet of the dull gray dome exposed.
Pat ignored the patches of the last remnants of snow, strolling straight through the slush to reach the alien object. I may be the first human to ever see an alien spaceship, she thought. She didn't believe it. More likely she had joined the club of a select group of other humans who had witnessed similar objects, although she suspected few people had been as close to one as she was at this moment. Most UFO sightings were of strange objects streaking across the sky. There were much fewer reports of people visiting crafts that had landed.
As she reached the metal dome poking out of the side of the mountain like a giant cold sore, she strolled around it, looking for a way in.
There's no question; it's man-made—oops, alien-made. She stopped. Could it be man-made? What if this wasn't an alien vessel but one from some foreign country or even a top-secret American project? Standing next to the craft, her bold move to explore the ship on her own didn't look like such a wise decision.
I could have asked James to loan me his revolver. The Colt .45 he wore strapped to his waist wasn't Pat's favorite weapon, but it sure would be comforting to have in case the inhabitants of the ship proved less than cordial. She stopped long enough to be sure the knife, a present from her dad, was securely strapped to her left leg. Small comfort if she met a foreigner with an automatic rifle or an alien with a death ray, but better than nothing.
She turned her eyes casually to the trees around her but could see or hear nothing except the usual sounds of the forest, the chirping of the first spring birds mingled with the rustling of the trees. She started walking around the metallic dome again, searching for a way into its interior. She strolled around the complete circumference, finally arriving on the other side of the deep channel. She peered over the edge of the channel. She thought she could make out a slight irregularity at the base where the ship's exterior disappeared into the side of the mountain.
Pat scooted down the steep side of the gully, struggling to maintain her balance on the slippery mud, but within a few yards she found herself sliding on her backside out of control. Within moments, the wet mud had soaked through her jeans. As she reached the bottom of the chasm, she threw her right arm out against the ship and caught herself, sending another lightning bolt of pain coursing down her left side. She found the ship's surface surprisingly warm. Could it be from the sun's radiation or did the heat come from within?
She regained her footing and squinted her eyes, trying to pierce the dark shadows created by the sides of the channel. What was that in the dark hole next to the ship's surface? An irregularity or dried mud packed against the smooth side?
She stumbled over to the short tunnel, finding it difficult to balance on the rocky, muddy surface. It was mud caked on the side—and an irregularity. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out a raised circular pattern. She dug into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the small flashlight, another present from her father. She twisted the head to turn it on and shone the light beam into the dark recess.
"Yes!" The word slipped from her lips with a hiss that sounded eerie as it bounced off the metallic surface. An entrance, it had to be.
Did she dare enter the ship before help arrived? It was an insane thought. Her orders from Oliver had been specific. Do not investigate any findings on your own. Wait for backup from the rest of the team. She should climb out of this dark muddy ditch, back to the sunny surface where she belonged, and wait for James to bring Oliver and the rest of the search team. She had had enough heroics for one day. Already, she would receive top recognition for finding the alien vessel, if that's what it turned out to be. Please, dear God, let it be alien. She would get credit for the discovery, whatever it was. Yes, it would be best to wait.
She shrugged her shoulders in one of her favorite gestures and winced at the pain on the left side. "Daddy said I didn't know what was best for me." She slid into the dark tunnel.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Does PEAR work with HTTP-Authentication? I installed my own PEAR server with pirum. As I don't want anybody downloading my packages I configured a HTTP-Authentication via a .htaccessfile. Unfortunatley after that I can't discover any channels, nor can I install any packes. It says:
File http://my-pear-channel.com:80/rest/c/categories.xml not valid (received: HTTP/1.1 401 Authorization Required)

I already googled but I couldn't find anything helpful. Is there a way that PEAR can handle HTTP Authentication? Like giving it a username and password in any way?
If it is not possible, how can I secure my PEAR repository so that no one can see it or download any packages from it?

A: It is possible to use password-protected channels; see the documentation.
$ pear config-set -c pear.company.com username johndoe
config-set succeeded
$ pear config-set -c pear.company.com password secret
config-set succeeded

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


What is the Tendaguru formation?
The Tendaguru rock formation formed during the late Jurassic period, with the best outcrops found in Tanzania in East Africa. It was discovered in the early 1900s, and is considered one of the greatest dinosaur graveyards in the world. Several expeditions to the area were carried out by German and British scientists early in the twentieth century—and a few in more recent years.
The Tendaguru is often compared to the Morrison formation because the overall fauna are similar in both dinosaur fossil-rich layers of rock. For instance, Brachiosaurus fossils found in both formations are strikingly similar. One reason for these similarities is that the continental landmasses remained close together during the Jurassic period, allowing the dinosaurs to remain widely distributed. But there are differences, too, including the absence of large theropod dinosaur fossils in the Tendaguru when compared to the Morrison formation.


Interestingly,I once had a chat with a Vajrayana practitioner who went to learn meditation in Pa Auk Theravada-style meditation, it is implied from his meditation interview with the monk that a teacher is necessary even Theravada(at least in Pa Auk tradition).
Actually I reread the discussion more carefully and realise Coëmgenu was referring to commitment and samaya in Japanese Vajrayana,not Tibetan one.
Nevertheless,good to clear things up regarding misconception of TB(there are many).
Yes, I have been looking at that place for a while. A note of serendipitous synchronicity: after revisiting their webpage after having read most of what I on the other location, I noticed that the head of that sangha was trained at the very same location I had just been reading about.
I know Innen. He's a fine fellow.


The greatest rise in home prices occurs when the economy is strong and the number of home sales is increasing. Specific home improvements can increase your home value above the cost of the improvements.
Remember, in home owning, quality pays. Well-planned and well-executed remodeling jobs are a good investment in home owning while bad work seldom enhances value or livability.
The safety and security of a neighborhood can affect home owning property values, too. If you live in a high-crime area, an organized community watch program not only will lower the crime rate but give home owning values a boost, too.
How much equity already exists in your property?
Ultimately, your decision should be based on your specific home owning needs, the time and extent of work involved and what will give you the biggest return on your investment.
Ed will be able to provide a comparative market analysis, an informal estimate of value based on comparable home owning sales in the neighborhood. He will provide listing prices of current homes on the market as well as those that have sold. You also can research this yourself by checking on recent sales in public records. Be sure that you are researching properties that are similar in size, construction and location. This information is not only available at your local recorder's or assessor's office but also through private companies and on the Internet.
An home appraisal, which generally costs $200 to $300 to perform, is a certified appraiser's opinion of the value of a home at any given time. Appraisers review numerous factors including recent comparable sales, location, square footage and construction quality.
What are the differences between market value and appraised value in home owning?
The appraised value of a house is a certified appraiser's opinion of the worth of a home at a given point in time. Home owning lenders require appraisals as part of the loan application process; fees range from $200 to $300.
Condominiums have held their value as a home owning investment despite economic downturns and problems with some associations. In fact, condos have appreciated more in the past few years than when they first came on the scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, experts say.
While there are lots of reports about home owning association disputes and construction-defect problems, the industry has worked hard to turn its image around. Elected volunteers who serve on home owning association boards are better trained at handling complex budget and legal issues, for example, while many home owning boards go to great lengths to avoid the kind of protracted and expensive litigation that has hurt resale value in the past.
Meanwhile, changing demographics are making condominiums more attractive home owning investments for single homebuyers, empty nesters and first-time buyers in expensive markets.
What kinds of rules and regulations do home owning associations regulate?
Typical covenants, codes and restrictions (CC&Rs), which govern home owning associations, give the board authority to make and enforce reasonable rules for the use of common property. But that would not apply to interior spaces owned by smokers themselves.
A home owning association's board of directors can restrict smoking if it applies to indoor common spaces such as hallways or recreation rooms. Outdoor spaces are a different story, say legal experts. Any home owning restriction would probably hinge on local laws (i.e. if a city banned smoking outdoors, a home owning association probably could restrict smoking in its outdoor spaces).
In all states, the Federal Fair Housing Act provides home owning protection against discrimination for people with physical or mental disabilities. Discrimination includes the refusal to make reasonable modifications to home owning buildings that aren't accessible to the disabled.
What fees can I expect to pay a home owning association?
Condominium owners pay a fee, usually monthly, to the home owning association to cover the costs of managing and maintaining all common areas. In addition, you may pay extra assessments for major home owning maintenance projects. In general these must be voted on by the association board or in some cases by all of the owners. The particular cost of monthly fees and the rules regarding special assessments vary from association to association. When considering a condominium, it's a good idea to thoroughly research the fees and bylaws of the home owning association.
Are home owning association fees tax deductible?
Home owning association fees are considered personal living expenses and are not tax-deductible. If, however, an association has a special assessment to make one or more capital improvements, condo owners may be able to add the expense to their cost basis. Cost basis is a term for the money an owner spends for permanent improvements throughout their time in the home and is used to reduce eventual capital gains taxes when the property is sold. For example, if the home owning association puts a new roof on a building, the expense could be considered part of a condo owner's cost basis only if they lived directly underneath it. Overall improvements to common areas, such as the installation of a swimming pool, need to be considered on a case-by-case basis but most can be included in the cost basis of any owner who can show their home directly benefits from the work.
To find out more about how the IRS views home owning association fees, look to IRS Publication 17, "Your Federal Income Tax," which includes a section on condos. Order a free copy by calling (800) TAX-FORM.
Plans and specifications for the proposed home owning work must be submitted for architectural review and cost estimation. Mortgage proceeds are advanced periodically during the rehabilitation period to finance the home owning construction costs.
If you are a veteran, loans from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also can be used to buy a home, build a home, improve a home or to refinance an existing home owning loan. VA loans frequently offer lower interest rates than ordinarily available with other kinds of loans. To qualify for a home owning loan, the first step is to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility.
How much can I expect to spend on home owning maintenance?
In home owning, experts generally agree that you can plan on annually spending 1 percent of the purchase price of your house on repairing gutters, caulking windows, sealing your driveway and the myriad of other maintenance chores that come with the privilege of home owning. Newer homes will cost less to maintain than older homes. It also depends on how well the house has been maintained over the years.
If you want to get top dollar for your home owning property, you probably need to make all minor repairs and selected major repairs before going on the market. Nearly all purchase contracts include an inspection clause, a buyer contingency that allows a buyer to back out if numerous defects are found or negotiate their repair.
The home owning trick is not to overspend on pre-sale repairs, especially if there are few houses on the market but many buyers willing to buy at almost any price. On the other hand, making such repairs may be the only way to sell your house in a down market.
While it may not reduce the actual home owning value, a cluttered landscape next door can detract from the positive aspects of your home. Review your local laws, which should be on file at the public library, county law library or City Hall.
For home owning, it also may be worthwhile to check into local zoning ordinances. An operator of a home-based business usually is required to obtain a variance or permanent zoning change in residential areas.
What kind of insurance do I need for home owning?
A basic insurance policy for home owning can be expanded to include additional coverage, such as for floods and earthquakes and even workers' compensation for servants or contractors. Home-based business-coverage, an increasingly popular rider, does not cover liability associated with the business.
For personal items, homeowners can increase their coverage beyond the depreciated value of items such as televisions or furniture by purchasing a "replacement-cost endorsement" on home owning property.
Property taxes are what most home owning individuals in the United States pay for the privilege of owning a piece of real estate, on average 1.5 percent of the property's current market value. These annual local assessments by county or local authorities help pay for public services and are calculated using a variety of formulas.
Many city and county governments offer Mortgage Credit Certificate programs, which allow first-time home owning individuals to take advantage of a special federal income tax write-off, which makes qualifying for a mortgage loan easier.
You must be a first-time home buying individual, which means you must not have had any kind of ownership interest in a principal residence during the past three years. This restriction may be waived, however, if you are buying property within certain target areas.
What you spend on permanent home improvements for your Kansas City-area home, such as new windows, can be added into your home's cost basis, or amount of money invested in a home, which reduces capital gains when it comes time to sell. Capital gains are determined by the difference in price from the time a home is purchased and the time it is sold, minus the cost of any permanent improvements.
However, the 1997 tax changes virtually eliminate the capital gains tax for most homeowners (the exemption is $250,000 for single home owning individuals and $500,000 for married homeowners.
It depends on how long you plan to hold on to your home owning property and if you have to pay anything to refinance. In addition, it also depends on how far along you are in paying off your current mortgage.
Refinancing your Kansas City home may be prudent but could be difficult after a bankruptcy. If you're considering bankruptcy, you may want to go to your current lender first and explain the situation. If you have been current on your payments, the lender may be accommodating and refinance your loan, easing your financial situation.


text:
A One-Way Trip to Mars ?
by Jeff Dixon | Feb 25, 2015 | Disney Trivia
The First Man on Mars was Walt Disney. As the news is full of stories reporting on people who are lining up for a one way trip to Mars, Walt Disney has been taking people on a journey to Mars and back, for years now.
This past week, a non-profit Dutch organization spearheading an effort to colonize Mars whittled down its list of candidate settlers to 100 men and women interested in permanent relocation a decade from now. Reported on Discovery.com, the contenders, who range in age from 19 to 60, were selected from a pool of 660 semi-finalists from all over the world. During the next round of screening, the candidates will demonstrate their ability to work in teams, with an eye toward landing one of 24 final training spots. Mars One's goal is to launch the first four-member crew to Mars in 2024.
"Being one of the best individual candidates does not automatically make you the greatest team player, so I look forward to seeing how the candidates progress and work together in the upcoming challenges," Mars One medical officer Norbert Kraft said in a statement.
Mars One estimates it will cost about $6 billion for the first flight and about $4 billion for each of those slated to follow every two years. The goal is to establish an initial self-sustaining colony of 24 transplanted Earthlings.
It is amazing to see how many people are interested in taking this one-way trip into space and the pages of history. However, it is also just as interesting to me as I read the accounts and reports of this ambitious project that the first man on Mars was actually Walt Disney.
Well, sort of.
Long before people were lining up to take a one way trip to Mars… people from all walks of life were doing it every single day at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. June 7, 1975 people started taking this trip, when Mission to Mars opened as an attraction replacing Flight to the Moon. The moon flight was rather boring to folks, since man had already been on the surface of the moon four times by the time the attraction opened. Less than four years later, it had been closed, revamped, and people were headed on their own mission to Mars.
The voyage began as a hostess directed guests into the Mission Control Center. The lead tech, Mr. Johnson began getting passengers ready for this new mission. The preflight briefing included information about zero-gravity manufacturing and the production of crystals in
space. And just like in the Flight to the Moon briefing, an alarm sounded during the presentation and all monitors switched to see the same footage of an albatross landing at the space facility. Mr. Johnson says, "Oh no, not again! Just as I thought. Somehow this silly bird trips the emergency system every time he comes in. And I think he knows the laugh's on us."
It was funny and of course, pulled off with the usual Disney flair and style. After the laughter died down, Mr. Johnson showed the waiting passengers actual NASA footage taken from aboard Skylab and pictures of Mars taken by Mariner 9. Mixed with a bit of Disney magic and an intriguing Disney storyline, the backdrop for the attraction experience had been created. With the five minute preshow completed, the hostess escorted everyone into one of the two theaters that would simulate Space Flight 295 aboard a DC-88 Space Liner.
The countdown was on and in moments, guests were blasting off toward Mars. The lower screen showed the rocket's flames and on the upper screen a blue sky give way to a starry field. The seat still sank to simulate G-forces. A very subtle but nice effect in the day. Our tour guide, Third Officer Collins, informed travelers that they would be using a new method of space travel called a hyperspace-jump. This would allow us to travel vast distances in just a few seconds. During the hyperspace-jump, a psychedelic light display was projected on the upper and lower screens while the words "Hyperspace Penetration" blinked on the wall-mounted monitors. All the while, sci-fi sound
effects were loudly pumped into the cabin. This was Disney's version of a wormhole.
As the hyperspace-jump came to an end, travelers could now see Mars looming nearby on the upper screen. The ship dispatched several camera rocket drones. The premise was that these drones would give the space travelers a close-up view of the red planet while maintaining a safer distance above.
While exploring Olympus Mans, a huge volcano on the Martian surface, the ship is hit by a shower of meteoritic particles. An emergency alarm blared and the craft entered another hyperspace-jump for a quick trip back to Earth. Now out of danger, Third Officer Collins informed, "Everything's all right now, but ah, that was a close call. Actually the chances are a million to one against meeting another
emergency like that, so please fly with us another time. There's a lot more to see on Mars. Now, please stand by for touchdown."
Mission to Mars welcomed the last passengers at the Magic Kingdom on October 4, 1993.
Today, if you venture over to Epcot, guests can still travel to Mars. This time the attraction is called Mission:Space and it takes theme park attraction design to a brand new level of story-telling.
The desire to go to Mars and explore is nothing new. People have been dreaming about for years.
Many young dreamers discovered that Walt Disney and his creative team were inspiring them to chase their dreams when most were barely aware of the possibilities. Through the years, the Imagineers have continued this tradition of stretching the limits and exploring the boundaries of our imagination through creative storytelling.
In so many ways, Walt Disney… then and now… continues to inspire the dreamer and adventurer in each of us.
Jeff Dixon is the author of the Dixon On Disney series of Kingdom books. Key to the Kingdom, Unlocking the Kingdom, and Storming
the Kingdom are adventure thrillers set inside the worlds and history of Walt Disney. A native of Central Florida, Jeff has been a cast member at Walt Disney World when there was only a Magic Kingdom. He is a life-long fan, an annual passholder, an avid collector of Disney stories and history… and a story-teller who inspires and connects real life to the stories of yesterday, today, and the promise of tomorrow.


Again, Super Eagles Slip In FIFA World Ranking, Maintain Position In Africa - HotSports!
Super Eagles slipped from their 44th position in the world to 46th in 2019's first FIFA/Coca-Cola ranking released on Thursday but retained its 4th place in Africa.
Super Eagles who have already booked their ticket to this year's Africa Nations Cup to be hosted by Egypt will play their last group game against Seychelles next month and also engage Egypt in an international friendly game.
According to a statement on FIFA official website, newly crowned Asian champions Qatar have climbed to 55th in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, gaining 38 places – and reaching their best position since 1993 – on the back of their stunning success in UAE.
The next FIFA ranking will be published on April 4.


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Campus Speech Wars: Waving the Tacky Shirt
Insight Article By Richard Miniter January 24, 1994
Summary: In the mid-1980s, collegians suddenly had to worry about being "politically correct:' Since then, this ideal has wrapped its tentacles around campus debate, smothering free speech in the name of sensitivity. Now someone's fighting back.
In 1991, Rep. Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican, sponsored legislation that would have made it easier for students at both public and private colleges to sue over First Amendment issues. The bill was intended to help students who felt their right to free speech had been stifled by "PC" crusaders – liberal activists who have managed to make "political correctness" the most pressing issue on American campuses. But Hyde could find only 25 cosponsors and the bill languished. The "PC backlash" went nowhere.
Indeed, since the PC wars began in the mid-1980s with skirmishes on the canon – should Plato or Sappho be required reading – college administrators have become hypersensitive to the needs of women and minorities. Perhaps as a consequence, arguments over what should be taught in the classroom have given way to acrimonious debate on civility – how to make students get along on campus.
Pressured by vocal groups espousing multiculturalism, both public and private universities have adopted speech codes directed at students and faculty. Intended at first to curtail incidents of "hate speech;' usually racial slurs, such codes have been extended to regulate all aspects of campus life – students have been asked to remove Confederate flags from their dorm rooms and forbidden from talking with outside journalists without permission.
Howard takes on speech codes.
Sombrero Scrap
The Washington Post by Nat Hentoff January 1, 1994
At the Riverside campus of the University of California, a fraternity recently created and distributed a T-shirt that has unexpectedly made First Amendment history.
On the shirt is a drawing of a man watching the sunset. He is wearing a serape and a sombrero and holds a bottle. Also shown is a bare-chested man with a six-pack of beer in one hand and a bottle ·in the other. At the front of the drawing is a bar, Papas & Beer, much frequented by America.n college students crossing the border.
An inscription circling the drawing was taken from an anti-racist song by Bob Marley: "It doesn't matter where you come from, as long as you know where you are going."
Demanding that the fraternity, Phi Kappa Sigma, be punished was MEChA (the Movimienlo Estudiantil Chicano de Azllan). A spokesman charged that the shirt "dehumanizes- and promotes racist views of-Mexican people." Not only was the shirt impermissibly offensive but, said MEChA, it was the very model of "fighting words" under the university's code of community values because it could provoke' violent reaction.
Campus Speech Codes Are Being Shot Down As Opponents Pipe Up
A Fraternity Sues and Wins Over a T-Shirt; Alliances Target 'PC' Universities
Thought-Cops Get a Lesson
Wall Street Journal Article By SARAH LUBMAN December 22, 1993
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -Is the party over for the "PC" movement -shorthand for "politically correctness" -on college campuses?
Growing evidence indicates it just could be. A swelling student backlash, litigious-minded public-interest groups and a rash of unfavorable court decisions are beginning to sweep aside or challenge the movement's most controversial icons: campus speech codes, and anti-harassment policies that sometimes impinge on free-speech rights.
Free-speech 'vigilante' nemesis of campus PC
The Washington Post by Valerie Richardson March 29, 1993
SAN FRANCISCO –, John Howard had watched it happen many times before. A campus group -· usually a fraternity -runs afoul of the college speech code with a crude song, limerick or chant. Protests follow, the administration is pressured to act, and the group is eventually disciplined, suspended or thrown off campus. This time the group was the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at California State University at Northridge (CSUN). The Greek society had been slapped with a 14-month suspension and was on the brink of losing its charter after posting a flier for a Mexican-theme party "in honor of Lupe; apparently referring to an ob· scene drinking song about a Mexican· can prostitute.
Enter Mr: Howard, San Diego lawyer, constitutional law expert and self-described "First Amendment vigilante." Working with the Crater· attorney, he filed a lawsuit against the university for damages arising from what he claimed were violations of the Zetas' right to freedom of speech.
It worked. Earlier this month, the administration agreed to drop the suspension after just two months, despite an outcry from women's groups and the university's chapter of the " Movimiento Estudiuntil Chicano de Aztlan. In return, the fraternity· agreed to apologize publicly and participate in "dispute resolution" seminars.
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It has become accepted doctrine that we must attempt to study the whole man. Actually we cannot study even a whole tree or a whole guinea pig. But it is a whole tree and a whole guinea pig that have survived and evolved, and we must make the attempt.
We're all of us guinea pigs in the laboratory of God. Humanity is just a work in progress.
Dialog by Gypsy in Camino Real (1953). American Blues: Five Short Plays (1976), 60.


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Rachel McKinnon says she looks forward to a day when, 'people like me can just focus on competing' because 'that's hard enough.' (Contributed/Craig Huffman)
Transgender cyclist wins world title, backlash ensues
Victoria native Rachel McKinnon: "All the work that went into that victory, people are attributing to me being trans.'
Kristyn Anthony
When Rachel McKinnon hopped on her bike to compete in the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championship earlier this month in California, she knew she had followed the competition rules to a tee – ironic for a kid who grew up golfing in Saanichton and who is now at the centre of a firestorm of backlash for being a transgender athlete.
"I'm not naive, I work on this topic professionally," says the College of Charleston professor, on the line from South Carolina. "I'm currently teaching a course on transgender people in sport and yet, I'm pretty shocked at how heavy the backlash is."
First transgender woman world champion…ever.*
UCI Masters Track Cycling Women 35-44 Sprint@outsports @TheAdvocateMag @CofC @PinkNews @TheChrisMosier @BicyclingMag @velonews @gcntweet @glaad @TransMediaWatch @TransEquality @TransgenderNews @equalitynetwork pic.twitter.com/SD0HuS1Crv
— Dr. Rachel McKinnon (@rachelvmckinnon) October 14, 2018
On Oct. 13, the Stelly's Secondary School alum and UVic graduate made history as the first transgender woman to win a world title. But, it's the idea that McKinnon had an unfair advantage – due to being assigned male at birth – that caused an international uproar.
"All the work that went into that victory, people are attributing to me being trans," she says. "I didn't just get up off the couch and win. I worked my butt off."
Rachel McKinnon after her gold medal win at the Masters Track Cycling World Championships at the Velo Sports Center in Carson, California, Oct. 13, 2018. (Contributed/Craig Huffman)
RELATED: B.C. filmmaker receives non-binary birth certificate
Standing on the podium with the bronze medal was Jen Wagner Assali, a hand surgeon from Houston, who tweeted immediately following the race that the result was unfair.
She later apologized, saying she made the comments out of frustration and that they weren't productive or positive, adding: "While I may not agree with the rules, when I pin on a number I agree to race by them."
The rules, McKinnon says, are clear, and she has always competed in accordance with them, regularly testing her testosterone levels – which require staying below 10 nanomoles for every litre of blood.
RELATED: Pride Week kicks off in Victoria with raising of five pride flags
The idea that she could have had a physical advantage over her competitors solely based on gender frustrates McKinnon who says in other events, Wagner Assali "beat me 10 out of 12 times."
And of her competitor's response on social media, McKinnon says: "She made it clear that she stood by what she said, but just regretted doing it publicly."
My results last year. …where's this advantage you speak of? Why was I nearly LAST PLACE in most of the pro races (and I only one the one pro race all season)? pic.twitter.com/x68XFvYndI
Transgender athletes first competed in Olympic level sport in 2004 – to date, none of them have reached the podium – and it is the International Olympic Committee's guidelines for male-to-female trans athletes that most elite level sport organizations also use.
In 2017, a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine surveyed 2,127 cisgender track and field athletes (those whose gender identity aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth) testing their levels of testosterone in comparison with their performance.
While the data has yet to be released, the study found men with higher levels of testosterone didn't necessarily fare any better in any particular event and women with high levels of testosterone sometimes had an advantage over those with lower levels, but overall it was small and unpredictable.
Silver medalist Carolien van Herrikhuyzen (in red) takes McKinnon's hand on a victory lap at the UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships at the Velo Sports Center in Carson, California, Oct. 13, 2018. (Contributed/Craig Huffman)
McKinnon is the first to admit that research on transgender athletes "is not great" but the study (commissioned by the International Association of Athletics Federations and the World Anti-Doping Agency) has heavily influenced rules for athletes in elite sport.
The IOC is in the process of developing a new set of guidelines for male-to-female transgender athletes and does have some transgender consultants, but the study was conducted by two cisgender men.
"The people who typically do the consulting are too concerned with cisgender worries, rather than transgender rights," says McKinnon.
Meanwhile, she has had to hire a team to help field the onslaught of harassment and transphobia directed at her via email and social media.
Standing six feet tall seems to serve a narrative people want to push with this backlash, she says, despite the fact that many people who have watched her race or competed against her (including the circuit's photographer) had no idea she was a transgender woman: "When you learn someone is trans, people like to look for signs."
RELATED: Sochi Olympics offer platform for gay community
The controversy is predictable, McKinnon says, because the rights of transgender people have made significant gains in recent years.
"Every time this has happened in history with marginalized groups and the advancement of civil rights, there's been a backlash," she points out. "And, I think we're in that moment."
Truth be told, McKinnon doesn't think people really even care about women's track cycling, a relatively new sport that first appeared at the 1988 Olympics, and that the criticisms are just a way of "exposing whatever transphobia they already had."
Participation in sport is a human right, she says, pointing to the fourth principle of the Olympic Charter.
"I do look forward to the day, if it ever comes, that I or people like me can just focus on competing," McKinnon says. "That's hard enough."
@kristyn_anthony
kristyn.anthony@blackpress.ca
Sooke Mounties seek help to identify robbery suspect
UPDATE: B.C. mayoral candidate who lost by 20,000 votes denied a recount