CASINO CAPITALI$M

Crypto winter has come, and Coinbase is in trouble

Emma Roth - THE VERGE


Coinbase is pulling back on its hiring efforts. In a memo posted to Coinbase’s site, chief people officer L.J. Brock announced that Coinbase is putting a pause on hiring new employees, as well as rescinding several job offers already accepted by prospective workers, citing “current market conditions and ongoing business prioritization efforts.”


© Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeCrypto winter has come, and Coinbase is in trouble

The shift comes as the cryptocurrency market continues to trend downwards, dragging the supposedly immovable stablecoins, which are pegged to a fiat currency or commodity, with it. Coinbase started to slow hiring in mid-May to make sure the company is “best positioned to succeed during and after the current downturn,” but this move halts hiring completely. Brock notes that the freeze will also affect backfills, or the employees hired to replace workers leaving the company. It excludes those hired to fill roles in “security and compliance,” however.

Coinbase is also contending with a lackluster response to the social NFT marketplace it launched widely in May. According to data from Dune Analytics viewed by The Motley Fool, 4,132 people purchased an NFT on the platform within 19 days of its launch, and gross sales amounted to $875,000, or an average of $46,000 per day. It doesn’t help that NFT sales are declining as a whole, dipping to about 19,000 sales per week at the beginning of May, as opposed to the 225,000 NFT sales made in September.
Coinbase’s hiring freeze is an indication of chillier conditions for the cryptocurrency market

It’s unclear how many job offers Coinbase rescinded, and the company didn’t immediately reply to The Verge’s request for comment. Brock says affected individuals will benefit from Coinbase’s “generous severance policy” and will gain access to a talent hub with various career resources, including interview coaching, resume review, and networking opportunities.

The changeup at Coinbase has left some prospective employees struggling. At least two individuals set to be hired by Coinbase say they may lose their OPT (Optional Practical Training) Visa due to the rescinded offer. Others say they received an email reassuring them that they won’t lose their newly-accepted job due to the company’s hiring slowdown, only to receive an impersonal email notifying them of a rescinded offer weeks later.

“You may have seen this week that Coinbase posted an external blog post announcing our intentions to slow down hiring so that we can reprioritize our hiring needs against our highest-priority business goals,” Coinbase’s initial email to new hires reads. “First and foremost, I wanted to communicate that we are still extremely excited about having you join Coinbase and we will not be rescinding the offers of any employees who have already signed or have received an offer from us.”

Coinbase beefed up its staff as part of its plan to hire 2,000 employees in 2022, saying it foresaw “enormous product opportunities ahead for the future of Web3” at the time. Its most recent earnings report reveals that Coinbase added 1,218 employees in the first quarter of 2022 alone, bringing its total headcount to 4,948.

“While we did not make this decision lightly, it is the prudent one given market conditions,” Brock stated in the letter. “We will continue to evaluate all of our options to responsibly navigate Coinbase through the current cycle.”

Coinbase’s hiring freeze is an indication of chillier conditions for the cryptocurrency market, and so are the layoffs made at other companies on the blockchain. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins behind the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, also announced that they’re cutting 10 percent of staff. The same goes for Rain, a large crypto exchange based in the Middle East, which also laid off dozens of employees.

Last week, famed short-seller Jim Chanos called Coinbase “tremendously overvalued” on the Crypto Critics Corner podcast (via Fortune), and predicts the price of its stock will sit “in the mid-teens” by the end of this year. Coinbase shares dipped 9.7 percent after news of the hiring freeze went public on Friday.

Crypto SPACs Brace for Cruel Summer With Lower Valuations, SEC Scrutiny

Michael Bellusci

COINDESK
Sat, June 4, 2022


Special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) were Wall Street’s hottest way to hit the public market, but the craze has cooled amid an overall market downturn along with added Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.

If parties involved in existing deals want to proceed, they’re going to need to reprice them to reflect current market comps, Peter Stoneberg, managing director at M&A firm Architect Partners, told CoinDesk. “SPACs overall have been very volatile and on a downward trajectory,” Stoneberg said.

Last Wednesday, media outlet Forbes scrapped its plans to go public via a SPAC at a $630 million valuation through a merger with Hong Kong-based Magnum Opus Acquisition Ltd. (OPA). Crypto exchange Binance had previously provided a $200 million strategic investment in Forbes in conjunction with the proposed deal.

Regulation

To enhance investor protection, the SEC recently said that it would propose “specialized disclosure requirements with respect to, among other things, compensation paid to sponsors, conflicts of interest, dilution, and the fairness of these business combination transactions.”

The SEC’s report noted that SPACs nearly doubled the amount they raised from over $83 billion in such offerings in 2020 to more than $160 billion last year. The SEC added that in those years over half of all initial public offerings were conducted using a SPAC.

Stoneberg noted headwinds for SPAC participants. The SEC is now being more cautious on the overall SPAC process, particularly crypto-linked deals, he added.
Crypto miners and capital

Cryptocurrency miners require plenty of capital for data centers and rigs, but capital is scarce now, Stoneberg said.

“There’s not a lot of capital out there for mining companies right now or for SPACs,” he said. The private investment in the public equity (PIPE) market was “very active, but today it's pretty much dead.”

Here are crypto SPAC deals investors are watching:

Circle, the backer of the USDC stablecoin, and its combination with Concord Acquisition Corp. (CND). The parties reached a new agreement with an initial outside date of Dec. 8, with the potential to extend to Jan. 31, 2023, under “certain circumstances.”

Miner PrimeBlock with 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. II (VCXA), in a deal expected to close in the second half of the year.

Miner Bitdeer and Blue Safari Group Acquisition Corp. (BSGA), in a deal that was recently extended.

Bitmain-backed miner BitFuFu and Arisz Acquisition Corp. (ARIZ), which is expected to list on the Nasdaq in Q3.

Miner Griid Infrastructure and Adit EdTech Acquisition Corp. (ADEX), originally expected to close in Q1.

Coincheck, one of Japan's largest crypto exchanges, with Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV. The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of this year.

Investing platform eToro Group and FinTech Acquisition Corp. V (FTCV). The deal has a June 30 termination date.

Crypto investment platform Bullish and Far Peak Acquisition Corp. (FPAC), with an outside termination date that was recently extended to July 8.

Digital asset trading network Apifiny Group and Abri SPAC I, expected to close in Q3.

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA

‘Fear is increasing’: Hindus flee Kashmir amid spate of targeted killings

Aakash Hassan In Srinagar - THE GUARDIAN

Hundreds of minority Hindus have fled from Indian-administered Kashmir, and many more are preparing to leave, after a fresh spate of targeted killings stoked tensions in the disputed Himalayan region.


Photograph: Mukhtar Khan/AP

Three Hindus have been killed by militants in Kashmir this week alone, including a teacher and migrant workers, prompting mass protests and the largest exodus of Hindu families from the Muslim-majority region in two decades.

Sanjay Tickoo, a Kashmiri Pandit activist, said: “Some 3,500 people have left and more will be leaving in coming days.”

Many Hindu families said they were waiting to get discharge certificates for their children from schools and then would leave as soon as possible. “Fear is increasing with each new killing,” said Tickoo. “The minorities are facing the worst situation in Kashmir.”

On Thursday morning, suspected rebels killed Vijay Kumar, a bank manager from Rajasthan state, in southern Kulgam district. CCTV footage showed a masked man walking into Kumar’s office and firing a pistol at him.

Later in the evening, two Hindu migrant workers were shot at in Budgam by two masked gunmen. One among them, identified as Dilkhush from Bihar, died from his injuries on the way to the hospital.

Two days before that, Rajni Bala, a Hindu school teacher, was killed by suspected militants, also in Kulgam. On 12 May, Rahul Bhat, a Hindu man, was killed when assailants barged into his office and fired bullets at him.

At least 19 civilians have been killed this year in similar targeted attacks in the region, including minority Hindus, government employees and a woman who was known for her Instagram videos.
Police have blamed Pakistan-backed militant groups for the killings. Kashmir has been a disputed territory between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. While both countries control the region in parts, they both lay claim over it in its entirety, and since the 1980s, Indian-controlled Kashmir has been rocked by a violent militant insurgency loyal to Pakistan.

After the string of attacks, Hindus say they being driven out of the region. These include Kashmiri Hindus, commonly referred to as Pandits, 65,000 of whom first fled from the valley in a mass exodus in the 1990s, when a violent pro-Pakistan insurgency broke out in the region and they began to be targeted.

By 2010, a few thousand Kashmiri Hindus had returned to the Muslim-majority region, enticed by a government rehabilitation policy that provided jobs and guarded accommodation to about 4,000 people. But in recent weeks, those who returned have been protesting against the killings and demanding more security. Hindu employees have been abstaining from their duties, urging the government to relocate them to safer locations.

“We are in a 1990s-like situation,” said Pyarai Lal, 65, who lives in Sheikhpora Budgam, in one of the seven guarded housing facilities provided to Hindus. “My son is a teacher and he has not attended his duty for the last two weeks. We are afraid to even leave our home. Who knows when a gunman will attack?”

Lal shifted to southern Jammu city in 1987 with his family and returned in 2010 after the government gave his son a teaching job. But now, he and his family are again preparing to leave. “It seems the situation is going to get worse and we are going to leave soon to Jammu,” said Lal.

Authorities have promised the employees they will be posted to safer locations, and police made assurances they were increasing security by intensifying counter-insurgency operations, surveillance and using drones.

But many Kashmiri Pandits have accused authorities of barring them from leaving and allege that police and paramilitary forces have been deployed at the gates of their government provided accommodations to stop them.

“It seems the government is waiting to get us all killed,” said Rinku Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit. “Or they are trying to show false normalcy by forcibly holding us at a place where every minute is unsafe for us.”

On Wednesday, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Simiti, an organisation that tracks the minority community in the region, wrote a letter to the region’s chief justice raising concern for their safety and accused the government of playing with their lives by preventing them from relocation, seeking high court intervention.

The targeted attacks against Hindus pose a great political challenge to prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government, which has made repeated promises to look after the interests of Kashmiri Pandits. On Friday, India’s home minister, Amit Shah, held a high-level review meeting on the security situation in the region, but no government statement has been made on the issue.

In 2019, Modi unilaterally revoked Kashmir’s autonomy, and enforced a military crackdown under the guise of greater security for Kashmir. The government introduced a slew of laws allowing non-locals to buy property in the region, in the hope of enticing Hindus to settle in the state, a move many locals feared was Delhi’s attempt to bring about demographic changes in the Muslim-majority region.

Many see the removal of Kashmir’s autonomy in 2019, as well as Hindu nationalist policies of the Modi government, which have driven an increase in attacks against Muslims in India, as a driving force behind the growing surge of violence in Kashmir.

“Kashmiri Muslims feel their religion and identity is in the danger and [the attacks] definitely seems in reaction to that,” said Tickoo.

Fate of Métis scrip lawsuit in doubt after 17 Alberta plaintiffs ask to withdraw


The future of a lawsuit seeking to hold Canada accountable for the loss of Métis lands is in doubt after about a third of the plaintiffs asked to withdraw from the action when their legitimacy was questioned.


© Provided by The Canadian Press

METIS FLAG, LOUIS RIEL (L) GABRIEL DUMONT(RIGHT) 

The Métis Nation of Alberta says the move proves that it speaks for Alberta's Métis and that the provincial government's dealings with breakaway groups should stop.

"These are the same groups that the current provincial government props up and consults with to the exclusion of the vast majority of Métis in Alberta," vice-president Dan Cardinal said in a release.

The so-called Durocher case, filed in 2019, was brought by 17 Métis groups and individuals in Alberta and another 39 similar plaintiffs from Saskatchewan on behalf of all Métis in the area. It sought compensation for the loss of a vast amount of land in the northern reaches of the two provinces through the issuance of scrip certificates to Métis around the turn of the last century.

The scrip was supposed to be redeemable for land.

The available land, however, was far from the Métis homelands. Much scrip was bought by speculators for pennies on the dollar from people who didn't understand the deal they were making.

The lawsuit sought damages, a declaration that Métis still hold title to the land and negotiations toward a land claim.

But that lawsuit is now on hold. The Alberta plaintiffs have asked to be removed from it after the Métis Nation of Alberta and the federal government challenged the legitimacy of their claim to represent all Métis.

In addition to 10 individuals, the groups withdrawing from the legal action are the Métis associations in Athabasca Landing, Fort McKay, Lakeland, Willow Lake, Owl River and Conklin. The 17th plaintiff, Chard Métis Dene Inc., has been dissolved.

"When the light of scrutiny is on them, it's telling that they say we'll just withdraw," said Jason Madden, lawyer for the Métis Nation.


Métis Nation president Audrey Poitras said in a news release that any scrip settlement must be negotiated with representatives of all Métis.

"Justice requires that any benefits that come from litigation or a negotiated settlement will be for the benefit of all of the descendants of Métis scrip, not just a few self-appointed individuals and private corporations they control."

The groups that brought the claim are only a few years old, said Madden. The Métis Nation of Alberta was founded in 1928.

The fate of the case is now uncertain, Madden said.

"All the parties have agreed to a three-month adjournment to give the Saskatchewan parties a chance to decide what they're going to do next."

Madden said the withdrawal of the 17 plaintiffs now makes it clear that the Métis Nation of Alberta has the right to speak for Métis in the province. He pointed out the United Conservative Party government has been eager to consult and work with the breakaway groups who have now backed off from Durocher.

That relationship should end, said Cardinal.

"We hope that the same judicial scrutiny will be applied to the backroom deals between the Kenney government and these self-appointed individuals and groups to ensure that all negotiations represent the interests of all Métis citizens."

Neither the lawyer for the breakaway groups nor their representatives could be immediately reached for comment.

In the release, Poitras acknowledges the issue of compensation for loss of land through the scrip program needs more urgency. She said her group signed a deal with Ottawa in 2019 that included negotiations over scrip, but little has happened since then.

"Little progress has been made with Canada," she said. "We will be consulting with our citizens as well as our democratic governance structures at the local and regional levels on what we should do next.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2022.

-- Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Adam Zivo: Ukraine’s defeat would be a huge blow to LGBTQ rights

Adam Zivo - NATIONAL POST


Unbeknownst to most of the world, Ukraine has made significant progress on LGBTQ rights over the past decade. The progress in Ukraine contrasts starkly with the harsh curtailments of LGBTQ rights in neighbouring countries, such as Russia , Belarus and Hungary . If Russia were to conquer Ukraine, it would be a terrible blow to LGBTQ Ukrainians and to gay activists throughout the region.


© Provided by National PostLenny Emson, executive director of KyivPride.

LGBTQ activism has existed in Ukraine since the early 1990s, when homosexuality was decriminalized, but activists only started making themselves more visible in the early 2010s. At that time, Ukraine was ruled by Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russia sycophant, who, in 2012, proposed legislation banning LGBTQ rights advocacy under the pretext of stopping “gay propaganda.” The ban copied a similar anti-gay law that Russia had proposed and would later pass in 2013.

In response, a handful of veteran activists founded KyivPride . In 2012, they tried to hold a Pride parade but were met with threats of severe violence. Approximately 100 marchers faced off against thousands of counter-protesters, according to Lenny Emson, the executive director of KyivPride. When the police refused to intervene, the event was cancelled.

In 2014, the Euromaidan revolution ousted Yanukovych and decisively shifted Ukraine away from Russia and towards Europe. Yanukovych’s anti-gay bill was aborted and never revived. Ukraine’s post-revolution governments have since consistently passed pro-LGBTQ laws — such as an anti-discrimination employment law in 2015, liberalization of legal gender changes for trans Ukrainians in 2016 and ending a ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men in 2021.

This succession of pro-LGBTQ legislation partially reflects shifting attitudes among the Ukrainian public, but there is also a realpolitik angle: Ukraine wants to be admitted into the European Union and, for that to happen, it needs to meet certain conditions, which include robust human rights protections.

This year, Ukraine was on track to pass a comprehensive anti-hate crime law that would have protected gender and sexual minorities, but, according to Ukrainian LGBTQ activists, its passage through parliament was interrupted by the Russian invasion.

Prior to the war, the main challenge facing LGBTQ Ukrainians was a rise in hate crimes by some far-right groups. When I interviewed several of Ukraine’s leading LGBTQ activists, representing four different organizations, in KyivPride’s office last month, they shared their suspicion that these groups, which seemed well-funded, were being supported by Russia.

However, despite this rise in hate crimes, Ukraine’s LGBTQ activists were optimistic about the future. KyivPride has consistently grown and, last year, 7,000 people marched in support of LGBTQ rights and faced only a few hundred counter-protesters. Today, Kyiv’s LGBTQ community is thriving, despite some violent attacks .

Ten years ago, it was near-impossible to live as an openly LGBTQ person in Ukraine. Today, being LGBTQ is relatively accepted among youth and in major urban centres, though obviously there is still huge room for improvement. This is, at least, the opinion of the dozens of LGBTQ Ukrainians (both activists and everyday community members) I’ve engaged with over the past nine weeks.

But all of this progress will be erased if Russia conquers the country or turns it into a puppet state. Ukraine’s LGBTQ activists have already heard reports that gay Ukrainians in Russian-controlled areas — such as Crimea, Donbas and Kherson — are experiencing persecution similar to Russia’s 2017 anti-gay purge in Chechnya.


These activists also believe that if Russia occupies their homeland, they will be hunted and killed. They spoke about “ kill lists ” of human rights activists that have been floating around online and are allegedly in the hands of Russian security forces. Some of these activists have spotted themselves and their colleagues on these lists, their names accompanied by addresses and photos.

“We know that they will come for us and they will do everything to make us non-existent. Literally, they will kill us,” said Emson.

None of this is surprising. Russian state media has adopted genocidal language towards Ukraine, with an infamous Russian state media op-ed arguing in April that Ukrainian elites “must be liquidated as they cannot be reeducated and the social swamp that backed them must be subject to the terror of war and made to pay for their crimes.”

If Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to liquidate Ukraine’s intelligentsia, would it really be so surprising if he wanted to liquidate LGBTQ Ukrainians, as well?

The LGBTQ activists I spoke to pleaded for the international community’s help, as they believe their lives depend on it, as does their hope for a future in which LGBTQ eastern Europeans can live free from violence and harassment.

Putin has made upholding “ traditional values ” a central plank of his government’s agenda, and has exported anti-LGBTQ legislation elsewhere within his sphere of influence. Ukraine’s existence as a democratic, increasingly pro-LGBTQ country on Russia’s doorstep is a thorn in Russia’s side — a challenge to its vision of dominating eastern Europe, both politically and culturally.

Unfortunately, according to Ukrainian LGBTQ activists, attempts to call attention to the plight of Ukraine’s LGBTQ community have been undermined by Russian propaganda claiming that Ukraine is governed by fascists and Nazis — a narrative that Putin used to justify his recent invasion.

The narrative has legs because, yes, some far-right elements exist in Ukraine, but these LGBTQ activists argue that the far right is no more powerful in Ukraine than it is in other European countries — and in many cases, it is less influential.

Since the 2014 revolution (when Putin alleges that Nazis took over Ukraine), Ukraine’s far-right parties have consistently failed to secure more than five per cent of the vote in national elections. They hold no parliamentary seats. In contrast, Germany’s main far-right party controls 11 per cent of parliament; while, in France, far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen secured 41.5 per cent of the 2022 presidential vote.

Ukrainians have generally been frustrated by the fact that Russia, abetted by some more gullible members of the international press, has exaggerated the influence of Ukraine’s far right to undermine international support for its resistance against Russian conquest.

In a cruel twist, some people have even invoked the well-being of LGBTQ Ukrainians when arguing against international aid for Ukraine. From their perspective, if far right elements within Ukraine attack LGBTQ people, then Ukraine does not deserve aid.

This misguided belief not only puts LGBTQ Ukrainians at risk if the country comes under Russian control, it also directly contradicts the direct military support that Ukrainian LGBTQ activists have consistently asked for. But Putin’s enablers will gladly speak over Ukrainian LGBTQ activists, and assiduously avoid actually speaking with them, while pretending to care about their interests.

“Listen to us. Ask us. Talk to us. Follow our social media. Look at what we are posting and you can talk to us anytime. You can address us. You can ask all questions. Do not just follow Russian propaganda. Do not just believe. Ask us, because we exist here,” said Emson.

National Post

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M; GAMING

Retro game collecter suspected of selling more than $100,000 worth of forged copies of games

MobileSyrup - Thursday

The retro gaming community is accusing a fairly active member of selling fake copies of classic games. Evidence has come forward to show many of the floppy disks, boxes and even art may be forgeries.


© Provided by MobileSyrup

Enrico Ricciardi has been an active member of the Big Box PC Game Collectors retro game Facebook community. Ricciardi is a moderator and is a known seller of classic games. However, the community has come forward after one member received a game from Ricciardi that had more than a few discrepancies.

One member of the retro game community named Kevin purchased a copy of 1979’s Akalabeth: World of Doom from Ricciardi. This game comes from the mind of Richard Garriott. It is a rare title as it is one of the first RPGs. Upon receiving the game, Kevin began discussing his concerns with his copy with other members of the community. Together, they put together an investigation into Riccardi and found a number of games sold were fakes.

This used to be the center pieces of my collection. Rare and expensive old games.

Now it turns out I‘ve been scammed and sold forgeries by a well known figure in the Ultima and tetrogames community. Along with many others#ultima #akalabeth @RichardGarriott pic.twitter.com/wuiAQPSuG2

— Dominus of Exult (@Dominus_Exult) May 30, 2022

Labels for the games did not appear to be in line with the printing process from the time. At times the dirt and cosmetic markings on the labels looked as if they were printed on. Tests of some of the games conclude that no game data is on the disk. The group also accuses Ricciardi of handmaking disk labels. The retro game community believes “there is at least one black box Ultima 1 that we think may be fake that was graded by WATA.”

What’s most shocking is how long Ricciardi has been doing this and the amount of money he has earned. The group estimate that he’s been conducting “at least €100K in transactions of suspected counterfeit game items.” If correct, that equates to roughly $134,000 CAD.

Ricciardi is since banned from the retro game community. The group continues to build a case against him and urges anyone who has purchased a game to “check them very carefully.” The group also suspects that this case will result in police involvement and litigation against Ricciardi.

Image credit: GOG

Source: Kotaku

New art exhibition using bats as narrators to challenge perspective

Larissa Kurz - 
Leader Post

© Provided by Leader Post

Pieces from the new exhibition titled The Permanent Collection: What the Bat Knows, at the MacKenzie Art Gallery.

Stepping into the newest exhibition at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the space is dark with each framed work lining the walls lit only by interspersed soft glowing light.

It’s reminiscent of the depths of a cave — perfectly fitting as the installation, titled What The Bat Knows, is conceptualized through the eyes of a bat as a narrator.

“This is not going to be the usual experience of art,” said Crystal Mowry, director of programs and curator of the exhibition. “It’s not the usual approach to storytelling we encounter in museums and galleries.”

The exhibition seeks to challenge the classic idea of perspectives inside a gallery, typically assigned to the visitor or curator, and always thought to be human. But Mowry is looking to completely reshape that relationship by introducing a non-human perspective into the experience.

Bats are a naturally curious species, said Mowry, one that has been around for millions of years and that piques human interest because of their almost undefinable physiology.

“We’ve attached all kinds of stories to them, and vilified them in many ways,” said Mowry. “Their history goes back so far (and) I just started to think, there’s probably a lot they know that we don’t.”

It made them a perfect narrator for the collection, as a species with a mysterious voice and a likeliness to find themselves having wandered into a building like an art gallery.


© KAYLE NEIS

The three bats represent the narrators of each phase of What The Bat Knows, the grounding piece of the exhibition that includes rotating pieces from 27 different artists housed in the gallery’s permanent collection.

Three ceramic bats sculpted by artist Shary Boyle are the centrepiece of the installation, representing the unusual narrator. They remain unmoved as works from the gallery’s permanent collection rotate around them.

Extended labels on each work are written from the fictionalized perspective of a bat, as if the animal were the one navigating the gallery and witnessing the art.

“You really get a sense that they maybe are not interested in the same detail that humans are,” said Mowry. “Maybe they actually have a chip on their shoulder about the ways that humans have tried to tell the story of the world.

“Maybe all the details aren’t quite right, or perhaps the aspects of those stories they care about are different from what humans would highlight.”


© KAYLE NEIS

Pieces from the new exhibition, each of which has an extended description written from the perspective of a bat.

What The Bat Knows is an experimental exhibition, conceptualized in three phases with three narrators, said Mowry.

The prior two installations viewed the collection first through the perspective of a bat that’s a social creature and part of an ecosystem, then from the perspective of a bat that is considering what it means to be an individual outside the community.

This new phase presents the bat as a dreamer, examining the idea of “elsewhere.” Whether that means the afterlife, a dream world or another dimension Mowry says is left to the viewer to decide.

“There’s so much we imagine, in the dark, underground, and spaces on the outer periphery (and) that’s part of the magic of creating a sense of elsewhere,” said Mowry.

The exhibition is meant to leave visitors thinking about the existence of new, unconsidered perspectives outside of their own, and the role narration plays in telling stories.

“I want them to doubt that it’s possible to know any one story thoroughly, and doubt that there is one story,” said Mowry. “And how the story is told can be just as important as the actual story being told.”

Mowry said the idea of pushing the expectational boundary of perspective was fuel behind the exhibition, it’s also part of a strategy to reintroduce people to familiar pieces in the permanent collection — ideally in a new light.

“These kinds of experimental approaches to curating erase the temporal boundaries of a work,” said Mowry. “The way that we approach our exhibitions is less about snapshots of a particular time in history and more about how objects that may be made in the past or in the present can resonate across time.”

What The Bat Knows opened to the public on Saturday and is set to remain on display until May of next year .

Related
Nature Conservancy says some spooky species get unfair bad rap at Halloween time

Canadian art is having a moment and the timing couldn't be better

lkurz@postmedia.com

Decolonizing Indigenous designs and artwork

Last Thursday, Kanehsata’kehró:non got the opportunity to learn about Indigenous iconography and history during a presentation given by Jamie Jacobs, an expert on Haudenosaunee culture and history.

The virtual event was planned by Miranda Gabriel, the new Cultural Development officer at Tsi Ronterihwanónhnha ne Kanien’kéha Kanesatake Language and Culture Center.

“I first saw Jamie Jacobs at a teaching here in Kanesatake years ago. It was so interesting,” said Gabriel.

“I wanted to organize something so more people could listen to Jamie. I believe he is very knowledgeable, and it is important to learn as much as we can about our language and culture so we don’t lose any of it.”

Jacobs, who is from the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and has worked at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) for the past 16 years, said that he was more than happy to share his knowledge on the origins of Haudenosaunee contemporary designs.

“I showed objects from the museum and how they evolved to what we know today,” said Jacobs. The cultural expert explained that the RMSC has a unique collection of archeological material dating back to 4000 BCE and was excavated from known Seneca sites called proto-Iroquoian sites.

“I interpret those objects for our own people, stuff that just doesn’t exist anymore. Symbols that are etched or carved into bones and shells. Things that we just haven’t seen since then,” he said.

The format of the presentation followed a timeline so that participants could visualize the evolution and adaptation of Haudenosaunee designs.

“I pointed out things that happened in Haudenosaunee history that influenced the designs - even wampum belt designs. The wampum belt is actually based on a much older object that our people use to make that we don’t make anymore,” said Jacobs.


Jacobs also talked about how a lot of the older artifacts have mostly geometric designs. But as time went by, these designs changed to more contemporary objects like flowers and strawberries, as well as circular and semi-circular designs.

He said the evolution of the designs was caused by colonization and adaptation, among other reasons.

“I think what is happening in our society is that people are starting to realize that we have to decolonize our history, and I think people also realize that we have to do that in our artwork, too,” he said.

He said that his upbringing and the years he spent as a ceremonial speaker travelling to different Indigenous communities sparked his interest in Indigenous imagery and history.

“Probably about 10 years ago, I started doing traditional quillwork because what I came to learn was that porcupine quill beadwork and moose hair embroidery came before beads. So, I decided to try and bring it back,” said Jacobs.

“I started wearing quill headdresses that are much different than what we know now. And people recognized that they were different, and they wanted to know where it came from, and I had to tell them that this was what our ancestors wore prior to what we wear now.”

The expert said that over the last few years, he has noticed a lot of interest and a sort of renaissance in this practice.

“That is what I do, decolonizing our designs and artwork, and I show, over history, how that happened,” said Jacobs.

marisela.amador88@gmail.com

Marisela Amador, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door

Morinville student wins gold at national trade skills competition

Ishita Verma -

An Edmonton-area teen has won gold at a national trade skills competition.


© Submitted by Kyle Coxen

It's Kirsten Whitfield's second year competing in Skills Canada. The Morinville student finished in first place in the cabinet-making competition.

Kirsten Whitfield, 17, from Morinville Community High School, finished in first among 40 carpenters in the Skills Canada cabinet-making competition.

"There is, definitely, a lot of nerves going in. But once I got started, I was able to focus myself and calm down a little bit," she told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.

Skills Canada is an organization that promotes careers in trades to youth. Students in high school and post-secondary compete in trade skills.

In 2021, Whitfield won silver in the regional competition. This year she challenged herself to do better, winning a gold in the provincial competition and earning the chance to compete nationally.

For the national competition, Whitfield was required to build a toolbox with a dovetail drawer. She also added a shelf, a curved handle and a divider.

Growing up, Whitfield worked with her grandfather to build things like fences for their backyards, but she fell in love with the challenges that came with cabinet making.

"There's so many different things you can learn in it and build," she said.

For this year's competition, which was held virtually, Whitfield received the plans for the project and was able to practise ahead of time. She added that while she was nervous about the competition, she felt comfortable around her work station.

Competitors had 12 hours to finish their project over two days.

"Working in the school, I had the shop to myself, so you're not waiting for tools and stuff," she said.

Whitfield said she feels excited to win in a male-dominated industry.

"I love seeing more girls get into the trades," she said. "It can seem intimidating but it's really not."

Her shop teacher Kyle Coxen said, seeing one of his students compete on the national level is absolutely fantastic.

"We're considered one of the smaller high schools in the province, but I just am proud of my student and what she's accomplished," he said.

Whitfield recently began working with Gem Cabinets and is considering some post-secondary options

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Sask. mayor sees B.C. drug decriminalization as learning opportunity as advocates push for national policy

Christian Paas-Lang - POSTMEDIA

The announcement that possession of small amounts of some hard drugs will be decriminalized in B.C. was greeted by advocates there as a key victory, but it's receiving a more cautious reception by one mayor a few provinces east.

In an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that aired Sunday, Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark acknowledged the need to tackle the crisis of toxic drug overdoses across the country — including in his own city — and said the B.C. case could be "a step that could help us learn how to do it in a different way."

Clark told CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton that all levels of government in B.C. were committed to the decriminalization strategy, something that was not the case in Saskatchewan. The provincial government there has said they will not follow B.C.'s lead. Saskatoon and Regina's police boards are studying the issue.

"We don't have the same alignment between the municipal police and provincial governments that we see in British Columbia, which is why in Saskatchewan I think what we need to do is keep understanding in our province what the best way to tackle this [is]," he said.

Clark also said that few possession charges were proceeding to convictions but that Saskatoon lacks crucial diversion and treatment programs.

He described record numbers of toxic overdose deaths and surging uses of anti-overdose drugs by first responders in his city, a sign of a worsening toxic drug problem that is present in much of the country. His city was also focused on supportive housing and other programs to help address the crisis.

"We know that an exemption alone, decriminalization alone without those pathways and supports — it can also create a risk."

Decriminalization just part of the solution: B.C. mother

In B.C., where personal possession of up to a cumulative 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA will be decriminalized starting Jan. 31 of next year, the number of suspected toxic drug overdoses reached record highs last year, with over 2,200 deaths.

Kathleen Radu lost her son to a toxic drug overdose. She told Barton that the exemption granted by the federal government to B.C. that allows for decriminalization does not go far enough.

"I think it's just one wall in the house that we need to build against this crisis," Radu said. "Basically, this exemption has put a Band-Aid over a bullet hole."

Radu denounced the decision by the federal government, supported by Conservative MPs, to vote down Bill C-216, a private member's bill put forward by NDP MP Gord Johns that would have decriminalized drug possession across the country.

"This is a health crisis and the toxic drugs are not going away," she said. "And if anything, it's going to get worse. We've already buried too many children. Too many families' lives have been shattered to stop now."

Speaking in the House of Commons Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did say the government was open to "working with any other jurisdiction that wants to take on this responsible approach."

Johns, who represents the B.C. riding of Courtenay—Alberni, told host Chris Hall of CBC's The House that the government had failed to take a national approach to deal with a national crisis.

"Incrementalism kills when it comes to the toxic drug crisis, and we need the government to move rapidly in responding to it," he said in the interview, which aired Saturday.

Johns noted that 14 Liberal MPs had defected from the government to vote in favour of his bill and accused the government of holding back in order to keep political favour.

"It's extremely disappointing, given the large amount of loss of life that they don't want to hear from the experts. This isn't a vote winner. And that's really what it comes down to. Politics is killing people."

Related video: Sask. Nurses create compelling documentary series on addictions crisis in Sask.

Canada soccer men refuse Panama match, equal pay in dispute


VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada's men's soccer team said it refused to play its World Cup warmup match against Panama on Sunday because of a labor dispute with the nation's national governing body that includes a demand the women's national team get equal pay.

Players, preparing for the nation's first men''s World Cup appearance since 1986, refused to train on Friday and Saturday.

Players said they want 40% of World Cup prize money, a friends and family travel package and and “equitable structure with our women’s national team that shares the same player match fees, percentage of prize money earned at our respective FIFA World Cups and the development of a women’s domestic league.”

“In March we initiated contract discussions with Canada Soccer," the men's national team said in a statement. “Due to executives delaying the process and taking vacations, the negotiation process was unecessarily prolonged. Canada Soccer waited until the evening of July 2 to present an archaic offer and the general secretary and president of the association only made themselves available for the first time to connect with players on June 4 at 4 p.m. For these reasons, we have reluctantly decided not to play our match today against Panama."

Richard Scott, a spokesman for the Canada Soccer Association, did not respond to an email seeking comment. The governing body said in a statement on Saturday night: “Canada Soccer are currently in discussions with their national team players pertaining to fair and equitable player compensation ahead of the FIFA World Cup period.”

Panama was a late replacement as Sunday's opponent, which originally was Iran. Canada's governing body dropped Iran following criticism by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canada is scheduled to play Curaçao at Vancouver on Thursday and is at Honduras on June 13, both in the CONCACAF Nations League. No. 38 Canada opens the World Cup Group F in Qatar against second-ranked Belgium on Nov. 23, plays No. 16 Croatia four days later and No. 24 Morocco on Dec. 1.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Associated Press