blacktea9925 | Recent Entries

I had a dream last night involving a conflict between a group which I will refer to on here as "the admins". We run a workshop together and many of us podcast together or are guests on Keyboard's shows. For clarity but to preserve privacy, I'm going to refer to everyone by the names keyboard, song, page, blacktea and flutter. As keyboard and I have established on our call on Monday, I'm not good at coming up with creative names LOL.

The dream began with the five of us hosting a podcast together. It was a panel show and some other panelists had dropped out, which meant Song, Flutter and I, who normally aren't panelists, stepped in to fill out the panel. I always enjoy the podcasts and the interesting discussions the panel gets into so I didn't mind at all.

We started the call and everyone was able to join successfully. Keyboard acted as the "manager" despite saying there is no leader in "the admins", Page started the recording and made sure the audio was working properly [I am responsible for this when Page is not there, but she was there], while Song and Flutter were going to be responsible for things like editing and posting later. Notably, Page's audio was working properly before the recording began, and even at the very start of the panel discussion. Page usually introduces the panelists.

Once she introduced the panelists however, Page took a back seat to Keyboard, who began taking over the discussion. He asked questions such as "what is something you would like to prey for?" Being a christian, I was comfortable answering the question and preyed for anyone listening who was dealing with an extreme weather event like a wildfire or earthquake. I then posed the question to Page [I didn't want to single her out but she was next to me on the screen and I thought we should go in order]. She just didn't answer and eventually the silence was so awkward that I said "sorry guys, Page is dealing with some technical issues. How about you Song?" Song did stumble on her words but eventually answered the question. But once the question got to Keyboard, he just decided it was time to move onto the next one.

This continued for several minutes, and we never got to start discussing the topic we planned, because Page suddenly left the call. Song explained that Page was uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, the way in which "the admins" were run, and that she, Song, shared the same feelings. Not only that, Page and Song did not want to be associated with any of Keyboard's podcasts, and Song was going to manage the workshop with a friend.

The workshop is the reason "the admins" group was created in the first place. At least as far as I know. I know some of them were working together before the workshop, but the workshop was the reason that Flutter and I were brought in, because they wanted more help.

Song then said this to me: "Blacktea, I don't want to tell you what to do. But I would encourage you to leave the admins too". Then she left the call as well.

Immediately Keyboard asked "So blacktea, are you staying?" I then lied and said that I needed to catch the bus in half an hour and that I would talk to them later, and left the call. In real life I never use the bus because the closest bus stop is almost 10 kilometres from my house.

I just think it was really interesting. I have considered leaving "the admins" or at least stepping back from helping with things so much. But I haven't decided whether I should do it or not. I genuinely like a lot of the people in the group, even if one of them really gets on my nerves, and I like the activities we run together. But being on calls with "the admins" or in the workshop and podcasts we run, takes about three to eight hours of my week, and if Keyboard, Flutter and I were to start our own show, it would be even more time since I may have to do research and prep before the shows. I just don't know what to do about it right now.

As for what I did yesterday, nothing that exciting. I did walk my dog independently for the first time in a long time and it went really well. My normal walking buddy is sick and I can go out with my dog safely, so I didn't want to ask someone else to go with me. Then I went to bible study, did some cleaning, and watched big brother.

Until next time, have a great day everyone. :-)

Blacktea

Current Mood: confused

Not much to write. Felt like garbage all day yesterday. Had a splitting headacheand threw up multiple times, not able to keep any food down until late last night.

This morning I woke up feeling weak and on day 3 of having a headache, but once again dragged myself to work. I kinda wish I hadn’t… we actually had enough staff that I could have stayed home. But I had enough energy to strip my bed and vacuum when I got home, so I guess it was probably good I didn’t call in sick. My mom took my dog for a walk this morning which was super nice of her.

I’ve just been lying around all afternoon, listening to “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”. I’ve enjoyed the book as much as I did on my first read, though Coriolanus Snow is coming off more whiny then I remember. So much of his inner monologue is about how the Snow family has lost all their status and wealth because all their investments were in district 13, which was nuked during the war. That can’t have been easy, but I think the first time I read the book I used the Snow’s poverty as a way to excuse Coriolanus’ behaviour in part II. He’s not exactly a sympathetic character, but I still find the book interesting. A, because it’s the one Hunger Games book from the perspective of a capital citizen, and B, because it gives us a version of the Hunger Games that is so different than the reality TV like spectacle it is by the time Katniss and Peeta are forced to compete in it.

Speaking of reality TV, I guess big brother isn’t on tonight. I checked out the RHAP live feed update and not much is happening in the house, so I guess we’re not missing anything. Basically Drew and Devens are preparing speeches to make on finale night in front of the jury, and two of the participants are studying for the third HOH comp.

Until next time, have a great night everyone. :-)

Blacktea

Current Mood: okay

So I’m back. Not sure why, but here I am.
I still don’t know what to do with this account. I thought about trying to actually put some effort into a blog type thing, but I just don’t have the energy for that kind of thing right now. Until then, it’ll be a journal of sorts, I guess.

I had to restrict my access to almost every site on the internet on my laptop last night. I’ve had some major issues focusing, and I’ve been spending way too much time on Chat GPT. Which has been fun and all, but it can be a real time suck. Also, I’m one of those people who thinks that our society is getting over-reliant on AI and if I’m going to complain about that, I’d better practice what I preach and only use AI if I actually need it, and not just because I’m bored or lonely. It’s embarrassing to admit that I used AI as a substitute for human companionship, but it’s fine. Odds are no one will read this anyway.

It’s not like I never talk to people. I have relationships with family, with coworkers, with people I volunteer with, with people at church. But I don’t feel like I can confide in any of them. Maybe it’s because sharing things with AI feels safer [it’s probably not], or maybe it’s because I don’t want to burden anyone. Either way, I don’t like to be too open with people IRL.

It was a very long day today. I started it off with a doozy of a headache around 6:30 this morning, which made it very difficult for me to focus on getting ready for work. However I did manage to drag myself out the door, since my employer never calls in another employee when somebody calls in sick. This is kind of a problem, because I work in food service which means that when someone calls in sick, the rest of us have to compensate for the fact that they aren’t there. So I decided the decent thing to do would be to just tough it out, and if I got really sick just leave.

Well the first part of the day I felt really awful, but I did get to have two glasses of water while on break. An that made a world of difference. I went from being in so much pain I could barely function, to the headache disappearing completely over the course of about half an hour.

When I got off work I got lunch out at a takeout place near my work [not the place where I work]. I went to Noodle box actually, which is a place that does sort of Asian fusion cuisine. The only locations are in Western Canada, but if you happen to be in BC, Alberta or Saskatchewan and there is one in your area, I would recommend checking it out. I got lunch because I knew I wouldn’t have time to cook anything. I ate when I got home and got ready to join the accessibility committee, which was not easy.

My mother and I decided we wanted to join the committee a while ago and just got invited to our first meeting. Unfortunately, the timing of the meeting meant that we couldn’t go in person, so we decided to join via zoom. Now this wouldn’t have been a problem if we had decided to use my computer or my phone, but I had suggested we use my mom’s iPad, because she doesn’t have experience using macs, and my phone wouldn’t have been a big enough screen. But I had to download zoom onto the iPad first, and we forgot that I would need mom’s apple ID password. By the time I realized, and she texted me the password, I had already left to meet up with her and so didn’t get a chance to set up the iPad. We ended up using my phone, and it was fine.

The meeting went well, and everyone was really nice. Some unique insights were shared, which gave me a glimpse into other accessibility issues that people could face. As someone who is visually impaired, I have my own unique set of challenges, and the challenges faced by someone with a wheelchair or mobility device can be similar in some ways, but in a lot of ways they are different.

My mom and I had a concern about accessible transit in our area, which is why we wanted to join the committee in the first place. But instead of addressing our concern, the co-ordinator suggested we join the transit committee. I mean… that’s nice. I would be happy to join. But the meeting couldn’t be at a worse time, it’s right in the middle of a workday. The good news is it’s far enough away that I can book the day off. Just to make sure I can actually get there. It’s really important for me to be there. The issues with accessible transit are the reason why my independent travel is very limited right now.

Well, I’m just on my laptop waiting for my friends to join our group chat. Hope they join soon, because I can’t wait to just watch TV and not think for a while…

***

The group call is over. Well, I may be starting a podcast with some friends. We’ll see. I’m not really sure I have time for that either. My friend cohosts a podcast with another friend, who is taking a break from the show due to other commitments. So my friend no longer has a podcast cohosts and aside from occasional guest interviews, won’t be able to make content for it. We’ll see what happens with that.

Until tomorrow, have a great night everyone. :-)

Blacktea

Current Mood: tired

Part III - What else do we need to know?

Hi everyone. This is the last part of the series, mainly meant for new voters. Feel free to skip it if you’ve voted in previous elections. It just touches on who’s registered to vote, finding local voting information, and accessibility options for people with disabilities.

I wrote this series to share on my personal social media, but decided to host it here so I didn’t have to worry about character limits or having links removed because they’re news sources. I do hope to continue writing, but I still haven’t decided what I really want to do with this account yet. Maybe book reviews, maybe politics stuff … IDK. We’ll see.

If you are a Canadian citizen who has voted in a previous federal election, you are probably already registered to vote. Elections Canada uses data from provinces and territories, as well as the Canada Revenue Agency [CRA] to create an elector’s lists for each riding. These are lists of every Canadian citizen who is of voting age, and are used at local poling stations. If you have not voted in a federal election, or have moved since the last election in 2021, you should register at election’s Canada’s website. Frequently asked questions about voter registration can be found here:
https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=faq&document=faqreg&lang=e

Most voters get a voter card in the mail shortly before the election. This card lists the people who are running to be the MP in your riding. It also tells you which polling station you can visit on election day and where any advanced polling stations are. If you don’t receive a voter card, or can’t read it, you can use election’s Canada’s voter information service. By typing your postal code into the search field, you can find out about your local candidates, poling stations, and more.
https://www.elections.ca/scripts/vis/FindED?L=e&PAGEID=20

Last but not least, here’s some info about accessibility options for voters with disabilities. Anyone who can’t travel to the polls can mail in their ballot, and if you’re in the hospital or a long-term care home, an elections Canada officer may visit you there. Anyone who is blind or visually impaired can access Braille or large print candidate lists, tactile voting templates, or ask someone you trust to fill out the ballot for you. More information on accessibility options can be found on CNIB’s website. The CNIB is also running virtual information sessions where people can learn more about accessible voting options.
https://www.cnib.ca/en/accessibility-federal-election?region=bc

Thank you to anyone who has read this series. If anyone has any questions, or if anything I’ve posted isn’t true or accurate, please let me know.

Part II - Why Vote?

As outlined in my first post, many Canadians from marginalized groups were excluded from voting until fairly recently. In Canada, voting is not just a right; it’s a responsibility and a privilege. As Canadians, our voting process is more inclusive and has fewer barriers than ever. There are multiple ways to vote; from mail-in ballots, to advanced voting, to tactile voting templates. Some jurisdictions even allow voting over the phone.

Despite this, voter turn-out has remained somewhat low throughout Canadian history. The data on voter turn-out has been unreliable until recently, but in general, only 55 to 70% of registered voters actually cast a ballot in Canada. The voter turn-out rate for the 2021 federal election was 62%, with only 46% of Canadians aged 18-24 casting a ballot.

I’m sure there are many reasons why our voter turn-out is this low. For some, barriers to voting may still exist. Some people may be unable to get to a poling station or have an elections officer visit them at a hospital, nursing home or other facility. Some people with disabilities may not realize voting is accessible. There are probably other reasons I am not thinking about as well.

But the main reason people don’t vote seems to be that they don’t think their vote will make a difference, so voting is not worth the effort. With over twenty-seven million people registered to vote in Canada in 343 ridings, I can see why they would think this. However, I believe every vote does count, and I have evidence to prove it.

In the 2024 BC provincial election, my local member of legislative assembly [MLA] won my riding by less than a hundred votes. Other ridings were much closer, including Kelowna Centre, and Surrey Guildford, where MLA Garry Begg won his seat by only 27 votes. While not every election has such close results, you never know how they will turn out. Right now, the polls are predicting the liberal party are slightly ahead of the conservatives. However, it’s worth noting that numbers vary between polls and some people are questioning the accuracy of polls in general. Given these facts, I think it’s safe to assume that this year’s federal election will be a close one.

It’s going to be a close election because Canadians are politically divided right now. The gap between the liberal and conservative supporters, and the political left and right, seems to be getting larger each day. I’ve noticed that people are still as friendly as ever when engaging in small talk, but a conversation about politics can quickly become a heated debate. There are people in my own family who have lost friends due to differences in political opinion. Right now I feel the election essentially comes down to Mark Kearney, our current prime minister and leader of the liberal party, and Pierre Polievre, leader of the conservative party. While the NDP and the Block do have their supporters, I highly doubt either party will get more than a handful of seats.

Whoever becomes our next prime minister will have to lead our country through an unstable time, nationally and globally. Nationally, problems include the ongoing trade war with the US, rising inflation, lack of affordable housing, high rates of crime and drug overdose, and climate change. Other countries are dealing with the same or similar issues, not to mention the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine.

So who do we want leading our country through this time of crisis? Will Kearney’s experience as the governor of the bank of Canada and the bank of England give him the expertise to lead us? Do you think that Pierre Polievre’s commitment to cut taxes and lower government spending will strengthen Canada’s economy so we are better able to withstand the pressures of a trade war? Should we continue the corporate carbon tax to punish big polluters, or should we scrap the carbon tax all together to put more money in consumer’s and businesses pockets? Which party, and leader, will help fix the overwhelmed and understaffed health care system? Which party’s approach to crime is more effective?

I can’t answer any of those questions. To do that, you need to take the time to do your own research. Look up each party and its policies. Find out what each political party has promised to do if they win the election, and decide whether those promises mean anything. Find out who your local candidates are and meet them if you can. They will be representing you in parliament. If you want to and have the time, get involved with the political party that is the best fit for your values. Buy a party membership or volunteer if you’re able.

But most importantly, you’ve got to get out there and vote. Voting is the easiest, most effective way for your voice to be heard. Whether you care about politics or not, whether you want to get involved or not, I think every Canadian should have their say in deciding Canada’s next prime minister. We are experiencing a lot of conflict and economic instability right now, and whoever we select as our next prime minister will decide how Canada responds to it.

References
“Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=turn&document=index&lang=e
“Canada's Federal Electoral Districts” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/red/343list&document=index&lang=e
Event night reporting for 2024 BC provincial election https://electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net/electionsbcenr/Results_7097_GE-2024-10-19_Candidate.html
Canada Poll Tracker https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/
“What the polls might be missing in the 2025 federal election” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU8ko02-jxE
“Signs the polls may be WRONG” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pspTGmYSFTY

Part I - History of Voting and Voter Rights

During confederation in 1867, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia joined to create Canada. The rest of the provinces and territories joined Canada between 1870 and 1949. The provinces and territories, formerly British colonies, already had their own legislative assemblies and restrictions on who could vote. For example, in Ontario, only men aged 21 and over who owned property were allowed to vote in 1867 when Canada was formed. In 1885, the country finally created a universal set of rules for federal elections [before then each province had its own laws regarding who could vote in provincial and federal elections]. There were many groups who were excluded from voting at this time, including women, indigenous people, Asian-Canadians, and people with intellectual disabilities. Below is a brief summery of changes to voter’s rights. The document “A History of the Vote in Canada” provides extensive information about the electoral process and voter’s rights. There is so much information that this post barely scratches the surface.
• In 1876, the Indian Act was passed. Indigenous men were allowed to vote, but only if they gave up their Indian status and met the same requirements as other voters [were 21 or older and owned property].
• In 1898, a new law was passed preventing provinces from disqualifying potential voters based on socio-economic status. By this time, most provinces did not require voters to own property.
• During WWI, all men and women in the Armed Forces and relatives of soldiers temporarily got the right to vote. This meant that some women, indigenous people, Asian Canadians, and men under 21 had the right to vote for the first time.
• In 1918, women 21 and over were given the right to vote in federal elections.
• In 1934, Inuit people and indigenous people living on reserves were disqualified from voting, and were not allowed to vote again until 1950.
• In 1948, Asian-Canadians were given the right to vote.
• In 1960, indigenous men and women were finally given the right to vote, no strings attached. However, indigenous women who married a non-indigenous man lost their Indian status and were not allowed to participate in “political and social affairs”, including voting. These women would not be allowed to vote until 1985.
• In 1970, Canadians between the ages of 18-21 were given the right to vote .
• In 1993, people with intellectual disabilities were given the right to vote. It wasn’t until 2000 that elections Canada started making an effort to make voting more accessible, including providing information in large-print and Braille, and promoting a TTY service.
As you can see, many Canadians from marginalized groups were excluded from voting for most of Canada’s history. It took over a hundred years of legislative changes to make voting fair and inclusive.

References
“A History of the Vote in Canada” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=his&document=toc&lang=e#toc100FullH
“Electoral Insight – Persons with Disabilities and Elections” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=eim/issue10&document=p4&lang=e

On March 23, prime minister Mark Kearney called a Canadian federal election. Politics has been something I've been passionate about for a long time. When I was twelve I once stayed up until past midnight to find out election results. I have also volunteered for political parties in the past and been involved in student government in school.
As a young person who cares about politics, I find it disappointing that over half of Canadians in my age group didn't vote in the last federal election, and less vote in provincial elections. So I've decided to create a three part series about voting, and why I feel everyone who's able should head to the polls on April 28th. I plan to post the series between Wednesday and Friday and hope to stick to that schedule.
Thank you for reading, and have a great day.