A) my friend Jacey just got a job at the Safe Injection Site (SIS) here in vancouver. despite what you're probably thinking (giving free needles to IV drug users?) this place is an amazing addition to the community of downtown east van. do me and these people a favour and suspend your judgement for 10 minutes... poke through this website http://www.communityinsite.ca/index.html and do a little reading (there's 21 PUBLISHED educational papers supporting this endevour). honestly, it's an incredible support for harm reduction (decreasing the spread of HIV/HEP C), decreasing overdoses, infections and increasing this populations exposure to the health care system, detox and withdrawl programs. it might seem like backwards thinking but it's not. there has been a significant improvement in the health and safety in the area since INSITE opened in 2003. the federal government is to review whether or not they will continue funding this operation. click on the little "show your support button", find the letter to the PM, type in your little emaily address and hit send. it's conservative assholes like our current government who thinks harm reduction programs are a load of bunk. take that jerkass mayor of ottawa eliminating the crack pipe program... saying it encourages and enables people to smoke crack. apparently they don't realize that people will smoke crack regardless... we might as well encourage them to do it cleanly and safely. pulling the clean kits off the street isn't going to eliminate your crack problem ottawa... you fuckin idiots. it's like the pope's messed up thinking that providing african women with condoms to protect themselves vs HIV is going to encourage them to have more promiscuous sex. same thing applies here in vancouver. the fact of the matter remains PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ENGAGE IN RISK TAKING BEHAVIOUR regardless if they have clean paraphenalia, condoms... whatever or not. at least we can provide education and basic clean apparatus under the supervision of qualified nurses and doctors. how about we prevent some of those wounds and abcesses that require heaving packing and hardcore antibiotic treatment which costs the health care system a helluva lot more than a fucking one cc syringe. or overdoses requiring a $15000 a day ICU stay... sorry... i feel really strongly about this and for the nurses who do such an amazing job with street nursing and dealing with addictions and mental health. ("i saw someone shoot up in her jugular today"... kudos ladies and gents. kudos.
B) this is my friend gordie. (i didn't take this pic unfortunately) if you're in the montreal area between september 19th and 25th. hit up galerie espace and check out his photography show. he has an amazing way of looking at the world and it's truly reflected in his art. so go see it or look at a few of his pics on his website over there in the check it corner. he hinted the other day that a photo of me might be in this show however i can only recall him photographing me once and he was in the pic as well.
love this pic of his.
C) a few pics from johnston canyon in banff. i finally replaced my lens cap that got swallowed by this little beauty of a crevice. more later when i'm not lazy.
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