Photo of the Musqueam Nation flag at UBC.
By Tayvie Van Eeuwen
@tayvieeee
Start your new year right with the first 2020 edition of A Happy Place. Read about reconciliation actions, sexual assault prevention, and more here:
Local
local first nations flags to replace canadian trio at Stanley park
A step in the right direction.
As reported by Daily Hive on January 28, the Vancouver Park Board has called for the removal of the Canada, British Columbia, and UK Union Jack flags. In their space will fly the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh (MST) nation flags.
The Indigenous nations are set to gift their flags to the Park board on January 31 at the Stanley Park Intergovernmental Working Group (SPIWG) lunch. The plan for a flag raising ceremony will be announced at a later date.
The current Canadian trio was raised in late 2019, after a necessary replacement of the previously 60 year old poles. However, the Park Board soon questioned the integrity of “raising the same three flags previously flown at [Brockton Point].”
As an internal memo states,
The group noted that simply raising these flags again, which are already abundantly present in many other locations in Stanley Park and the City of Vancouver, further diminishes and overshadows the communication of MST’s history and connection to Stanley Park to all of its visitors. They agreed that replacing these flags with one for each Nation would be a small gesture meaningful to the Nations and a symbol of progress being made, while supporting the aim to work towards balancing the cultures and histories in the park.
The memo continues on explaining that the truth-telling phase of the Stanley park Comprehensive Plan has exposed the immense erasure of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh cultural ties to Stanley Park. They note that this shift in flags is an opportunity to “reverse these colonial actions through acknowledgement and increased visibility of [Indigenous ancestry] in the park.”
We hope that these positive acknowledgements of Canada’s unceded territory continue.
Nationwide
Lash Perfect offers complimentary microblading treatment for cancer survivors
Love, love, love!
Sara Boudreau of Lash Perfect is acknowledging the many facets of hair loss after cancer treatment. Through Boudreau’s Pay With a Smile program the $500 treatment cost for microbladed brows is waved.
The program is a personal favourite for Boudreau, who “feels it in [her] heart” helping cancer patients return to a confident self. Pay With a Smile became even more personal after her mother-in-laws breast cancer diagnosis in 2019.
“I just remember her saying to me, ‘I just don’t feel like myself anymore.’ And so she lost a lot of her confidence with that,” reclaims Boudreau.
“That’s when it really hit home for me. I realized that if I could give someone even just a piece of their old self back again what a difference that really made in their lives.”
As Heather Messervey told Global News, herself and many others resort to drawing in their eyebrows during chemotherapy treatment. However the makeup application isn’t always easy, “You’re tired all the time, you’re vomiting, you’re not feeling well… and it’s just really hard.”
When she found Boudreau, her hardships took a turn.
“It was just overwhelming that it was offered and at no cost,” says Messervey. “It brought back my confidence, it brought back more laughter because you just feel comfortable.”
Bravo. 👏
Worldwide
New Inclusive emoji’s are here!
Welcome to the latest instalment of keyboard emoji’s.
On Wednesday, January 29 the Unicode Consortium announced 117 new emojis. The new group includes random symbols, plants, and objects, but my personal favourite are the feminist friendly icons.
Additions include: a transgender flag and symbol, a woman in a tuxedo, a man feeding a baby and in a wedding veil, and a non-binary version of Santa/Mrs. Clause named Mx Claus.
Many activists are still hoping for other inclusions, such as afro and menstrual cycle emojis.
For now, the latest emojis will in software updates within the coming year. Yay!
Diego the giant tortoise retires after bringing species back from the brink of extinction
I’m not going to lie, I truly never thought I’d be writing about a sex-crazed tortoise. Anything for the happy news! 🐢
Meet Diego the Espanola Island tortoise, regarded as a sex god among Galapagos Conservancy. Since 1976 Diego has produced upwards of 800 relatives. The result? A severely endangered species breathed back to life.
The giant tortoise was one of only 15 remaining members of his species when the Galapagos Conservancy brought Diego to their breeding program. Here, he joined two males and 12 females to essentially save the Espanola Island tortoise.
Over the course of 30 years Diego became the program’s saviour. His unstoppable libido helped him bring back a whole species back from the brink of extinction.
My environmental idol. Forever. 🙌
Environmentalist James Gibbs told the New York Times that Diego’s success is largely due to his “big personality,” in which he is “quite aggressive, active, and vocal in his mating habits,” therefore successfully attracting female attention.
Now, there are 2000 Espanola Island tortoises, with 40% of these being credited to Diego’s efforts.
The 100 year old tortoise is now heading back to the Galapagos island chain where he will spend the rest of his days. Some think his sexcapades might even expand in retirement.
As Gibbs told the Washington Post, “He might actually amp it up. We shall see.”
University of New Mexico begins offering free date-rape-drug-detecting coasters
Sexual assault prevention ✔️ Accessible despite economic situation ✔️ Awareness ✔️ Frankly, I’m into this project.
The University of New Mexico has launched free date-rape-drug-detecting coasters across campus. The detection devices are available at the college’s Campus Office for Substance Abuse Prevention and through student organizations, such as sororities.
The innovative coasters test for gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and ketamine, two of the most prevalent date-rape drugs, as reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In addition to GHB and ketamine, a positive result can also illustrate other drugs that “should not be present.”
To use the coasters, students place a drop of their drink on two small circles that test for GHB and ketamine. A blue result indicates a spiked beverage.
Senior Research Scientist, Randall Sterling, explains that student fees cover the coasters distribution– which cost only $0.85 each to buy.
The project comes in response to substantially high statistics of sexual assault across college campuses. College-aged women are reported to be four times more likely to be sexually assaulted, with male college-aged students suffering 78% more sexual assault than non-students of the 18-24 age range.
The University of New Mexico hopes that the coasters will reduce the risk of sexual assault, either by stopping date rape in its tracks or making potential predators think twice.
We hope other universities across the world follow suit!
WNBA announces pay increase and maternity benefits for league players
All I have to say is: Finally!
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and its players’ union have forged a tentative new contract that will drastically change the face of women in sports. The latest agreement includes a 53 per cent increase in wages, with an average player compensation of nearly $130,000. In addition, players can enjoy paid maternity leave, accommodations for nursing, a child care stipend, individual hotel rooms during travel, and increased mental health resources.
For top players the agreement will triple salaries, with wages exceeding $500,000, and include higher bonuses for WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year.
Note: the average NBA player salary is $7.7 million per year. While the latest deal will significantly improve female player compensation, the gender disparities in sport continue to this day. The conversation around women’s inclusion, representation, and appreciation in sport is continuing to evolve.
The investment is valued at nearly $1 million per team per season, as reported by the New York Times.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke about the new deal on January 14 at Good Morning America.
“We are going to be providing a platform around health and wellness, and really… redefining what it means to be a professional women’s athlete, a mom,” Engelbert told the talk show. “We have entrepreneurs in the league… It’s really just going to be a great platform for us.”
We hope that the the WNBA and other female sport leagues continue to fight for fairer pay. It’s a barrier worth breaking.
Tayvie is a Métis/Anihšināpē and Irish/Scottish student and writer. Her circle is small, but her joy is large. She splits her time between over-thinking and visiting Disneyland. Read her articles to take a peek inside the world of mental illness and happy news, because it’s all about balance, right?
