#TorontoON - #Site3CoLaboratory

" #Site3 #CoLaboratory is a volunteer run #MakerSpace in #Toronto’s west end, at Ossington and Bloor.

The shop is 2000 square feet and is fully equipped with #woodworking tools, #metalworking tools, #3DPrinters, electronics and more! See our 'Tools & Materials' page for more info and a complete tool list.

The vision for our organization is to provide an inclusive space that promotes a four step cycle of create, display, teach and inspire.

- Build and maintain an inspiring space and community that provides members with access to the right tools and knowledge to create anything they can think of.
- Display, promote, and support member made projects.
- Teach new #skills through regular events, #workshops, and #classes.
- Inspire communities to bring their projects to life with our #CollectiveKnowledge, tools, and support.
- Interested in learning more? Come by Site 3 for a tour any Thursday between 7-10pm!

Membership

Site 3 is 100% volunteer run and is a registered Ontario non-profit organization. We are a community of makers, artists, inventors, tinkerers, learners, teachers, and much more. If this sounds like your kind of thing, maybe you should join us?

Membership Levels

The membership structure consists of three levels. All three membership levels pay the same monthly dues of $60 plus #HST with different privileges for each membership level. We have a minimum 2 month membership period meaning your first and last month’s membership fees will be charged upon signup ($120 plus HST). Storage lockers are available at an additional monthly fee."

FMI:
https://www.site3.ca/

#SolarPunkSunday #Ontario #CoLaboratory #MakerSpace #ToolLibrary #VolunteerHours #BuildingCommunity #Makers #DIY #SharingKnowledge

RE: https://mastodon.social/@luckytran/117022276048555718

I posted on Facebook about my experiences working the COVID ICU in 2020. It ultimately led the end of 20 years of hospital chaplaincy when in August of 2020 I suffered a mental breakdown.

The post has over 500 comments and counting. Half of them are other healthcare professionals sharing their stories.

The other half are people calling me a murderer, saying I should be executed, and that I am a granny killer. Comment after comment fat-shaming me, telling me I should have died, and threatening to harm me and my family. Six years after surviving COVID and we still have to deal with this abuse.

Listen, so many of us who worked in the COVID wards wish we had died. Many of us deal every day with survivor’s guilt. I still wake up screaming some nights because I am dreaming about what I witnessed on my 15-hour night shifts. I can still see the faces of the hundreds of patients I watched die.

Yes, therapy helps. But it is still haunting me after all these years. And I still wonder why them and not me.

And stupid me would still go and do it all over again if called.

Yes, I was “only” a chaplain. But let me tell you what I had to do every night. I would start off my night doing rounds of the hundreds of patients in the COVID ICU. Then, I had to go to the worst-off patients and start reaching out to their families. You see, we did the “compassionate extubations” at night. That way we could move their bodies to the morgue with fear of meeting too many people in the halls. So one of my jobs was to contact the families and set up with them a time overnight to contact them on a video call where they could say goodbye to their loved one virtually.

Hundreds of patients in 2020 died at our hospital of COVID. 80% were at night while I was on shift. I was the last person to hold their hand. I was the last voice they heard, if they were even able to hear me. So many families would say goodbye and hang up because they could not handle watching their loved one die.

And then came the supporting of the medical staff tasked with removing them from life support. So many nurses, doctors, and even orderlies who needed to talk, to vent, and to cry. Then on to the next patient.

There were no births to attend to. No happy moments of seeing a COVID patient survive and leave the hospital for me. No, my entire job was in the COVID ICU. The place people entered and left in a body bag.

Who did I talk to? Who did I vent to? No one. No one in administration had considered us Chaplains. We were there to help everyone else cope. We didn’t need any support.

After my breakdown, the hospital changed a lot of things. There were no more 15-hour overnight shifts. It was divided into two shifts overnight. Professional therapists were made available to the chaplains to debrief. It was too late for me, but thankfully the next wave would have a better support system.

I have spent 5 years in therapy now with the diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and CPTSD. I still struggle. And all this with Dr. Fauci has not helped. It has just reignited old wounds. He deserves our thanks, not a kangaroo court to distract from all the failures of this administration.

Sorry to ramble. And sorry to vent. As so many commenters have pointed out, I am just too weak and worthless to handle the “fake” COVID lie.

Navaho Legends (1897), a book from the American Folk-Lore Society compiling Navaho myths and legends and including a lengthy introduction on the history, beliefs and customs of the Navaho people: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/navaho-legends-1897

We're going to be hiring someone to work on CHERIoT software things soon. Full remote, but UK Only (for various funding purposes, we need more people in the UK). Happy to talk to junior people who have some C/C++/Rust experience. You'll initially be mostly writing C++, though we expect this to move to more Rust over the next year or so.

Some of the job will be driver development gruntwork (here is a datasheet, here is a software interface for this device class, please write a driver for the device that exposes the interface), some will be at a higher level of the stack (so, how do you design a secure, compartmentalised {something} stack?).

If these sound interesting, let me know!

EDIT: The hiring manager is going to be out for the next couple of weeks, so I'll probably be a bit slow to set up interviews / respond. If you see this in a week or two, don't assume you're too late!

#GetFediHired #CHERIoT

The Government of Canada is collecting feedback about AI transparency and what, if any actions, should be taken.

The form is a bit long, but I think it's worth filling out. And you do not need to be a Canadian resident to participate.

https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/have-your-say-advancing-ai-transparency-canada

#HintonburgON - #Ottawa #TransLibrary

"The Ottawa Trans Library is a library and community space for trans and gender non-conforming folks. It consists of a lending library on #trans and #GenderIssues and by trans and #GenderDiverse authors and a small #OttawaTransArchives. Visit the OTL at 1104 Somerset St. West in Hintonburg.

Hours are:

Saturday 12 pm to 5pm
Monday, and Thursday 3 pm to 7 pm
Wednesday 12 pm to 5 pm

In addition to regular hours, the OTL holds events at other times. For complete info, visit the library site at https://ottawatranslibrary.ca/.

You can also check out the front page appearance in the Ottawa Citizen.

The lending library consists of books by trans authors, as well as historical, important and interesting works on trans issues and people. I am also interested in acquiring transphobic titles. If you have a collection of trans books or periodicals gathering dust in your basement that you would consider #deaccessioning (that’s a respectful term for 'getting rid of'), please get in touch with me. We will also be building the collection through purchase.

The library has four separate sitting areas, a free coffee and tea station and free WiFi, of course. You don’t need to borrow a book. Meet your friends or talk to the librarian. A safe space with no pressure or judgments. There is only one rule: be respectful of others."

FMI:
https://transottawa.ca/ottawa-trans-library/

Article from the Ottawa Citizen from 2022:

'A non-judgmental space': Ottawa Trans Library offers good reads and a place to gather

There's only one rule: Be respectful of others.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/a-non-judgmental-space-ottawa-trans-library-offers-good-reads-and-a-place-to-gather

#SolarPunkSunday #LibrariesRule! #SafeSpaces #TransLibraries #Ontario #GenderDiversity #BuildingCommunity

Reaching out for any creative humans to fill the last few time blocks for the #NHAMFest26 stream parade marathon 27 August.

If you stream on #owncast or #peertube (or might be inclined to for a rad event here in the neighbourhood), don't punch down, mod chat for the same, and present original art, media, info, entertainment, check out https://fest.nham.co.uk and join the party!

#streaming #art #music #science #writing #live #concert #discussion #theatre #hangout #raid #fest #joinIn #nham #rff

Solar eclipse in UK skies this month - here's how and when to see the rare event

www.thenational.scot/news/26428998.solar-eclipse-uk-watch/?ref=rss

A rare partial solar eclipse will be in the UK this August. Here's how and when you can see it.

We've created a culture where hobbies are monetized and volunteering is outré. Then talk about a surge in loneliness.

Volunteering is why we need livable wages. You work for the money needed to survive. Hobbies and volunteering creates communities that make life worthy living.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/richmond-volunteer-teaches-over-1-000-people-english-for-free-9.7288385

TRUMP FAILS AT EVERYTHING*
1-Operation Southern Spear -Did It Work?-NOPE!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/07/27/operation-southern-spear-has-not-slowed-cocaine-entering-us/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
2-He's bored with #IranWarFiasco
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/july-31-2026?r=x9iw&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
2-The people finally #BlameTrump
https://www.rawstory.com/iran-war-steve-schmidt-andy-beshear
*except grifting & stealing from all of US

Are we going to let this bastard buy another election?
"MAGA MF'er & Racist Nazi Pig Musk Elon is going to spend $100 MILLION in key battleground states, including Texas, in an attempt to buy the midterm elections"
1-
https://open.substack.com/pub/criticalread/p/the-worlds-most-vocal-racist-will?r=x9iw&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
2-
https://bhr.stern.nyu.edu/quick-take/the-threat-to-the-election-posed-by-elon-musks-x/

The #Halifax Regional Municipality is encouraging residents to observe Emancipation Day on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026.

In 2021, the Province of Nova Scotia officially designated Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day, in recognition of the history and impacts of slavery in our region.
https://haligonia.ca/municipality-observes-emancipation-day-321610/

#trans folks and parents of teen trans, I would love some help. Our kid (18) is trans, and will be potentially starting Estrogen soon.

We love and support our kiddo, 100%. That is not a question.

As parents tho we are in uncharted territory for us. My wife admitted last night she is worried they might "change" somehow, which she fully calls anxiety, but it would be helpful to know more.

Any supportive parents of trans kids willing to share experiences?

You've been warned #Canada and #Canadians. 🇨🇦 #Cdnpoli #Cdnsecurity

Here's Charlotte Tomlinson reflecting (as a GP) on the notion of a 'good death', palliative care & the role of medical staff in ensuring anyone's passing is a good death; as she says these are not easy things to talk about & as such too often we put off such discussion(s).

But, if you don't want to put it off, why not read Charlotte's blog & respond to her invitation to engage in the discussion with her.

We *need* to talk about this stuff.

#death #health
https://thehealthandhealingnarrative.com/2026/07/29/conversations-in-medicine-a-good-death-is-good-medicine/

"Maybe that was just where I saw the movie and the time I chose, but it worries me that women aren’t going to see this movie because this film is about a woman refugee dealing with trauma, isolation, and grief."
https://news.chanda.science/archive/you-should-go-see-supergirl/

Who needs rocket fuel when you've got a human nuclear reactor.

#MedicalFundraiser - help needed for my Mom.

Been busy juggling work/client appointments, Mom's medical appointments, community volunteering tasks & maintaining our gardens. Mom's arthritis has been bad the past week so she's been out of commission. Mom's getting more blood work done tomorrow morning; liver enzymes test. August 4th, we meet with her liver specialist again to go over recent abdominal MRI/discuss her liver disease & possible treatments.
The ophthalmologist office just called about her first cataract surgery. We agreed to use their test evaluation advanced lenses for reduced cost of $600. The hospital fees are covered by Pharmacare but the advanced lens costs aren't. BC Pharmacare only covers basic cataract lenses & Mom needs advanced ones. She will need her 2nd eye done, 3-4 weeks after getting the first - it is same cost of $600.
Dr. Pedago will be doing Mom's cataract surgeries. He's diligent with masking up.

I need some help with public donations to cover the costs of her cataract lenses. I'm taking a week off work, after each of her eye surgeries, to ensure she's safe/recovers well.

If you're able to assist with a donation to help us pay for Mom's cataract lenses, please use my PayPal link in bio or QR code or if you're in Canada, please etransfer donation instead :
quebanhincedar@gmail.com

Total donations needed by August 10th: $600.
Total donations needed by August 31st, an additional $600. $1200 to cover both lenses.

July 29, 9:20am: Total donations = $690.15 received.

Please boost to help us, if you're unable to donate any funds.

#medical #cataracts #fundraiser #EyeSurgery #mutualaid