To the seasons of life
Charm
I’m, what promise do you need?
Hati under Donald Trump
During Donald Trump’s first term (2017–2021), the administration’s interactions with the Republic of Haiti were primarily defined by strict immigration enforcement, the unwinding of humanitarian protections, diplomatic friction caused by controversial rhetoric, and navigating Haiti’s deep political instability.The key areas of interaction include:
The most impactful policy interaction involved Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which had protected roughly 50,000–60,000 Haitian nationals from deportation following the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake. * **The Directive:** In May 2017, the administration granted a brief six-month extension with explicit warnings for Haitians to prepare to leave. In November 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially announced the termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, arguing that the country’s post-earthquake conditions had sufficiently improved. * **The Legal Battle:** The termination was immediately met with lawsuits. In October 2018, a federal judge issued an injunction (*Ramos v. Nielsen*), blocking the administration from ending the protections. The judge cited potential violations of administrative procedures and raised questions about racial animus behind the decision. Though the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals eventually reversed this injunction in late 2020, ongoing legal maneuvers ensured that TPS protections for Haitians remained active throughout the entirety of Trump’s first term.
Bilateral relations were heavily strained by private remarks from President Trump that leaked to the public. * **The 2018 Comments:** During an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers in January 2018 regarding immigration reform, Trump reportedly referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and certain African nations as “shithole countries” and questioned why the U.S. should accept more immigrants from Haiti. * **The Fallout:** The comments sparked an immediate international backlash. The Haitian government formally summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Port-au-Prince to protest the remarks, calling them “racist” and “insulting.” Domestically, a group of Haitian-American State Department diplomats authored an open letter expressing deep heartbreak and frustration. Trump denied using that exact derogatory language but maintained that Haiti was an undeniably poor and troubled country.
On the diplomatic front, the administration worked primarily with Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, whose term was marked by massive anti-corruption protests, economic collapse, and allegations of authoritarian overreach. * **The “America First” Approach:** The administration largely dialed back the heavy-handed, multi-billion-dollar nation-building and humanitarian aid frameworks of previous administrations, prioritizing regional stability, counter-narcotics enforcement, and containing migration waves. * **Support for Moïse:** Despite growing domestic calls within Haiti for Moïse to step down, the Trump State Department continued to recognize his legitimacy and pushed for parliamentary elections to resolve the political gridlock. However, the administration also issued sharp warnings to Moïse regarding his rule by decree after parliament dissolved in 2020.
A significant legislative interaction occurred in late 2019 when President Trump signed the bipartisan **Global Fragility Act** into law. This initiative aimed to reshape how the U.S. deployed diplomatic, security, and development tools in conflict-prone regions. Haiti was later chosen as a primary target country under this framework, intended to bolster local civil society and prevent complete state collapse, though the actual implementation of the strategy fell to subsequent administrations.
Earthquakes are sudden, violent shakes of the Earth’s surface caused by the release of built-up energy in the lithosphere—the planet’s rigid outer crust. This energy accumulates over long periods as massive slabs of rock, known as tectonic plates, continuously grind past, collide with, or pull away from each other. When the friction holding these plates in place is finally overcome, the rock fractures along a fault line, sending shockwaves called seismic waves radiating outward in all directions. It is these vibrations that trigger the ground rolling and violent jolts capable of bringing down modern infrastructure.Geographically, earthquakes are not distributed randomly; they overwhelmingly occur along the boundaries where these tectonic plates meet. The most seismically active zone on Earth is the Circum-Pacific Belt, frequently called the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped horse path looping around the Pacific Ocean where plates actively collide and subduct under one another. Another prominent danger zone is the Alpide Belt, which stretches from the Atlantic Mediterranean through southern Asia and into Indonesia. While earthquakes can technically occur anywhere if stress builds up within a stable plate interior, communities situated directly on active fault lines bear the highest risk of facing a catastrophic disaster.Over the last ten years (2016–2026), tectonic activity has claimed hundreds of thousands of human lives, with four specific disaster areas proving to be the absolute deadliest. The most devastating by far occurred along the **Turkey–Syria border** in February 2023, where a massive double-quake sequence killed over 60,000 people and destroyed entire cities. The second most lethal region was **Myanmar**, where a catastrophic magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in March 2025, claiming over 5,400 lives. It is followed closely by **Sulawesi, Indonesia**, where a 2018 earthquake triggered a devastating localized tsunami and liquefaction that killed more than 4,300 people. Finally, the **Haitian Peninsula** suffered yet another humanitarian crisis in August 2021 when a magnitude 7.2 quake struck the southwestern region of the country, resulting in the loss of over 2,200 lives.
The best of me, some spent, or was it lent.
A path perplexed on finding what’ is.
Wind and tease to provoke.
Knowledge gained “says me more, I adore!”
No you beast, I decline your second wind.
What I am I give to those I know and find..
As I am, the best of me to you I pledge
And my peace is all I cost….
KDG
Michael j. Fox named companion of the order of Canada.
Kevin Griffiths
Concept photo
Congratulations to my namesake on more performances…
The Nicola Naturalist Society Incorporated was done in November of 2010 and has functioned under a stable and comprehensive membership for 16 years here in Merritt. Not to be confused with my naturalist blog. That reports a lot of the things from it or journalizes it.
The naturalists of Merritt are very industrious bunch.
As of this date of writing, the regular meetings are closed down until September and membership renewal or membership begins in September. And there’s a possibility that they will be meeting the second Thursday of the month instead of the 3rd.
The current general minimum wage in British Columbia is **$18.25 per hour**.This rate went into effect on **June 1, 2026**, following a 2.1% increase tied to the province’s average inflation rate from the previous year.There are also a few specific minimum rates for certain types of employment in B.C.: * **App-based ride-hailing and delivery workers:** $21.89 per hour of “engaged time” (the time spent actively fulfilling a request). * **Live-in camp leaders:** $145.64 per day. * **Live-in home support workers:** $135.88 per day. * **Liquor servers:** Paid the standard general minimum wage of $18.25 per hour.
The current general minimum wage in British Columbia is $17.85 per hour, effective as of June 1, 2025.This rate applies to most employees in the province.There are also specific minimum rates for other types of workers, such as: *
$142.61 per day (or part day)
*
$133.05 per day (or part day) * **App-based ride-hail and delivery workers (engaged time): $20.88 per hour, plus a per-kilometer vehicle allowance.
That’s an excellent and crucial question for any employer in British Columbia. The total cost to an employer is significantly higher than the employee’s gross wage or salary.A common rule of thumb is that the true cost of an employee can be 1.2 to 1.4 times their base salary, though this can vary widely based on salary level, industry, and the benefits package offered.The total cost is broken down into four main categories of mandatory and statutory costs:1. Mandatory Payroll Contributions
(Employer’s Share)These are amounts the employer must contribute directly based on the employee’s insurable and pensionable earnings.| Contribution | Employer Rate (Approximate/General) | Notes ||—|—|—|| Canada Pension Plan (CPP) | Matches employee’s contribution (5.95% for 2024) | Paid on earnings between an annual basic exemption (e.g., $3,500) and the Year’s Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE). There is also a second tier (CPP2) for higher earners. || Employment Insurance (EI) | 1.4 times the employee’s premium (~2.324% of insurable earnings) | Paid on insurable earnings up to the annual maximum. |2. Provincial Payroll TaxesBritish Columbia has its own provincial tax based on your total payroll.| Tax | Employer Rate | Notes ||—|—|—|| Employer Health Tax (EHT) | 0% to 1.95%
| Small employers (payroll \le \$1,000,000) are exempt.
The rate is tiered: <ul><li>Payroll \le \$1,000,000: 0%</li><li>Payroll >\$1,500,000: 1.95% on the entire payroll.</li><li>There is a “notch rate” for payroll between those amounts.</li></ul> |3. Workers’ Compensation (WorkSafeBC Premiums)Employers must pay premiums to WorkSafeBC, which provides workplace accident and disability insurance.| Cost | Employer Rate | Notes ||—|—|—|| WorkSafeBC Premiums | Varies by Industry | The rate is based on the industry’s risk, your company’s claims history, and your total assessable payroll. It can range from very low to much higher depending on the type of work. |4.
These are mandatory benefits that translate to a direct cost for the employer.
| Benefit | Minimum Entitlement in BC | Cost Equivalent ||—|—|—|| Annual Vacation Pay | 4% of total wages after 1 year of employment. 6% after 5 years. | An additional 4% to 6% of gross pay. || Statutory Holidays | 11 paid general holidays per year. | The cost of paying an employee for days they do not work, plus premium pay if they do work. || Paid Sick Leave | 5 paid days per year after 90 days of employment. | The cost of 5 days of wages per year. || Statutory Leaves | Unpaid job-protected leave (e.g., maternity, parental, bereavement). | The cost of filling the temporary vacancy or managing the absence. |Estimating the Total Cost
For a small-to-medium business in BC with a payroll under $1,000,000 (meaning they are exempt from EHT), the mandatory non-wage costs typically add up to around 8% to 15% of the employee’s salary, plus the cost of vacation, sick pay, and other leaves.| Example: Employee Salary of $60,000 | Calculation | Annual Employer Cost (Approximate) ||—|—|—|| Gross Salary | | $60,000 || CPP (Employer Share) | \sim 5.95\% | \sim\$3,570 || EI (Employer Share) | \sim 2.324\% | \sim\$1,394 || Vacation Pay (4%) | 4\% of gross | \sim\$2,400 || WorkSafeBC | (Varies, e.g., 1.5\% of payroll) | \sim\$900 || EHT | (Assumed 0% for small payroll) | $0 || Approximate Total Cost | | **$\text{68,264** || Total Cost as a Multiple of Salary | | ~1.14x |
This estimate does not include the cost of typical non-mandatory benefits like extended health and dental insurance, bonuses, training, or recruitment costs, which are often significant additions.
Atom Egoyan’s 1997 masterpiece *The Sweet Hereafter* is a towering achievement in Canadian cinema. It captures the haunting, quiet reality of a small town fractured by unimaginable loss.
The film is an adaptation of the 1991 novel by American author Russell Banks. Banks was directly inspired by a horrific, real-world tragedy: the **1989 Alton, Texas school bus crash**. In that actual accident, a beverage truck struck a school bus, sending it plunging into a water-filled gravel pit, where 21 children drowned.While the book and movie capture the core emotional fallout of that disaster, **the script departs heavily from the logistics of the real event:** * **The Location:** The setting was shifted from the flat, hot terrain of south Texas to a snowy, isolated mountain community. Egoyan beautifully grounded this setting by filming on location in the interior of British Columbia—specifically around **Merritt**. * **The Cause:** In the real Texas crash, the truck driver was clearly at fault, and the subsequent legal battle became a massive, multi-million-dollar feeding frenzy resulting in over $150 million in settlements. In the film, the cause of the crash is entirely ambiguous. The bus simply slides off the road and through the thin ice of a lake, turning the legal battle into a search for a phantom “deep pocket” scapegoat.
The film is less about the accident itself and more about how grief either builds walls or tears them down. Egoyan masterfully charts the ripples across the town: * **The Deeply Affected:** * **Billy Ansel (Bruce Greenwood):** The local mechanic who was driving directly behind the bus, waving to his twin children when the vehicle slid into the lake. He is entirely destroyed by the loss, opting to drown his grief in alcohol and an affair, fiercely opposing the lawsuit because no amount of money “can raise the dead.” * **Dolores Driscoll (Gabrielle Rose):** The beloved, long-time school bus driver. Though she survives, she carries the crushing weight of the town’s unspoken doubt. * **Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm):** The big-city class-action lawyer. Though he wasn’t part of the town, he is deeply affected because the tragedy mirrors his own personal nightmare—he is actively losing his estranged daughter to a severe drug addiction and HIV. He channels his personal, helpless rage into the town’s lawsuit, insisting there is “no such thing as an accident.” * **The “Spared” or Manipulative:** * **Nichole Burnell (Sarah Polley):** A teenage aspiring rocker who survives the crash but is left paralyzed from the waist down. Her relationship to the tragedy is deeply complicated by a dark secret: she was being sexually abused by her father. * **Sam Burnell (Tom McCamus):** Nichole’s father, who is largely unaffected by genuine moral grief and is instead eager to use his daughter’s injury to secure a massive financial windfall from the lawsuit.In a pivotal twist, Nichole realizes the lawsuit is tearing the community apart and enriching her abusive father. During her legal deposition, she lies under oath, claiming Dolores was speeding. Because Dolores has no “deep pockets” to sue, Nichole’s lie single-handedly kills the lawsuit. By making Dolores the town’s collective scapegoat, Nichole forces the town to drop the legal warfare and finally face their grief together.
Financially, *The Sweet Hereafter* was not a commercial blockbuster, but it was a textbook example of a successful independent film.Produced on a modest budget of approximately **$5 million CAD**, it grossed roughly **$8 million USD** worldwide across its domestic and international theatrical runs. While those numbers seem small, for a quiet, deeply melancholic Canadian drama, it comfortably recouped its production costs through international distribution, home video, and television rights.
The true legacy of *The Sweet Hereafter* lies entirely in its staggering intrinsic value. It is widely and consistently voted by critics and historians as **one of the greatest Canadian films ever made**, often ranking in the top three of all time alongside films like *Mon Oncle Antoine*.“` [ 1997 Cannes Film Festival ] Grand Prix | FIPRESCI Sci-Fi Critic’s Prize | Ecumenical Jury Prize“`At the Academy Awards, it achieved rare crossover success for an indie film, earning Atom Egoyan nominations for both **Best Director** and
**Best Adapted Screenplay**.
Its intrinsic worth comes from its refusal to offer easy, Hollywood-style closure. Assisted by Mychael Danna’s haunting, medieval-inspired musical score and Paul Sarossy’s brilliant widescreen cinematography, the film captures the exact texture of winter grief. It doesn’t treat trauma as a problem to be solved by a courtroom check, but as a quiet, heavy landscape that a community simply has to learn how to live in.
Downtown tourist information center Merritt BC also known as the Baillie House. 2202 Voght St.
“Rooster Cogburn and the lady.”
Rooster Cogburn was character. John Wayne played in his old age alongside another movie Mogul of of the same tenure. Catherine Hepburn there was a great conversation between the two that was followed by many people.
The movie depicted in the scene is ***Rooster Cogburn* (1975)**, also promoted as *Rooster Cogburn (…and the Lady)*.Here is a breakdown of its theme, characterization, financial performance, and impact:### Theme and Characterizations * **The Theme:** The film is a classic odd-couple Western adventure heavily themed around redemption, justice, and the clashing of contrasting moral worlds. It deliberately mirrored the thematic framework of *The African Queen* (1951), trading a steamboat in Africa for a nitro-loaded log raft in the Pacific Northwest. * **The Characterization and Result:** John Wayne reprised his Oscar-winning role from *True Grit* (1969) as Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn, a whiskey-guzzling, one-eyed, relic of a U.S. Marshal whose badge is suspended due to excessive bloodshed. Katharine Hepburn played Eula Goodnight, a prim, fiercely independent, Bible-thumping missionary out to avenge her father’s death. * **The Result:** The characterizations relied entirely on the natural, affectionate chemistry between the two aging Hollywood titans. Critics felt the script itself was a bit recycled and full of forced, “phony theatricality,” but noted that the sheer charm of Wayne and Hepburn trading sharp dialogue and fondly looking at one another rescued the performances.### Financial Performance * **The Budget:** $10 million. * **The Box Office:** It grossed approximately **$17.6 million** globally. While technically profitable, it was considered a commercial disappointment compared to the massive success of *True Grit* (which made over $31 million in 1969 money). Its theatrical performance brought in only about 26% of the original film’s box office draw, which ultimately led to the cancellation of a planned third film in the series.### Impact and Legacy * **The Lone Pairing:** The most lasting impact of *Rooster Cogburn* is that it stands as the **only cinematic pairing** of John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn in their legendary careers. They were both 67 years old during filming and held completely opposite political views, yet they formed a profound mutual admiration on set. * **Historical Footnote:** Beyond being a nostalgic “Golden Age” crossover, it was the final film ever produced by legendary Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis. It also marked the only time John Wayne ever played a sequel character across his 170+ film filmography. Today, it is remembered less for its plot and more as a beautifully shot, bittersweet twilight showcase for two of cinema’s greatest icons.
For a deeper look into the off-screen drama and trivia surrounding this historic pairing, you can watch this Rooster Cogburn Production History Deep Dive, which explores the health crises, political tensions, and secret screenwriters behind the 1975 film.
Not all cracks in life can be filled easily.
Photo KDG, spring 2026… Small crew at Night Merritt BC repair cracks in roads.
Bitter Sweet is the stuff of life, is not misreality. It is the natural result of living.
To all those suffering it today bon chance, your pain is yours and it is not unjust. You are normal.
Prime Minister of Canada.2030
The Liberal democracy is a great heritage in the Country we inherited from various parties and entities the cooperated with law makers to put together canon of laws and proceedures that keep our rights forfront. The peace of the land is over time established and kept by the rule of law.
One of the great mechanisms is the precept that makes the whole context of a program not in danger of loss when it is assagedby by picking issues that do not materialy effect the outcome of the endever in a material way.Only in a incidental way. We might say the tattler is restrained by the amount of public good shown.
Totalitarian and extremest can not prevail because of the stability of law and its protection by the law. It can”t be made up as we go along.
The rule of law is a fundamental principle in Canada’s legal system. It ensures that all individuals, including the government itself, are subject to and accountable to the law. The principle is based on the belief that everyone is equal before the law and that no one is above it.
In Canada, the rule of law promotes a fair and just society by providing a framework for resolving disputes, protecting individual rights and freedoms, and maintaining order. It establishes the legal framework for citizens to exercise their rights and seek justice through the courts.
The rule of law also requires that laws be clear, accessible, and applied consistently. It prohibits arbitrary exercise of power and ensures that government actions are based on established laws and procedures. This helps to prevent abuse of power and ensures that individuals can rely on the predictability and stability of the legal system.
One of the key aspects of the rule of law is the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The judiciary plays a vital role in interpreting and applying the law, free from interference or influence. This ensures that decisions are made based on the facts and the law, rather than personal or political considerations.
By upholding the rule of law, Canada promotes a society that values justice, fairness, and the protection of individual rights. It serves as a cornerstone for maintaining peace and stability within the country.
*Note: The content provided above is a generated response, based on general knowledge and information. It may not reflect the specific details or recent developments related to the rule of law in Canada.
New York artist..
The art of photography is a delicate dance between technical precision and emotional intuition. It transforms a fleeting fraction of a second into a permanent visual statement, using light as a raw medium to shape form, texture, and mood. A great photograph rarely just documents a subject; it reveals the photographer’s unique perspective, translating three-dimensional reality into a flat frame that can evoke deep memory, curiosity, or profound silence.
There are moments when a photographer must assert a high-status presence—not out of ego, but out of necessity for the craft. This overt command is essential during structured portraiture, commercial shoots, or complex historical documentation, where you must confidently direct subjects, manage light, and control the environment to execute a specific vision.
Stepping into this high profile establishes the professional trust and authority needed to orchestrate a chaotic scene into a cohesive, deliberate piece of art.Conversely, a lower profile is often infinitely better for building an authentic, cohesive body of work, particularly in street, documentary, or wildlife photography. Cultivating a quiet, unassuming presence allows you to blend into the background, stripping away the artificiality that occurs when subjects know they are being observed. By working with a low profile, you become an invisible observer rather than a disruptor, allowing the natural truth of a landscape, an animal, or a human moment to unfold organically before your lens.
Ultimately, the best body of work arises from knowing when to step into the light to command a frame, and when to recede into the shadows to let life speak for itself.
Create consentrait cooperate
Calm thoughts to you
Lytton CBC
Editor’s: note
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Lake Cowichen
The British Columbia youth ambassador program that hung its hat on the Merritt Civic center here for a number of years or decades. “All dressed up and somewhere to go”
The local toastmasters club provided a ” Canned speachcraft program for more the a decade, we loved the life and livleyness of the mixed program. Terrias lost their place to Black Cowboy hats over time. As the male competitors were put on an even keel by the unisex stylelrsh hats.
Pronouns were not yet in vogue, but we would have appreciated the individual freedoms that choosing your own pronouns conintates if we would have only thought of it at the time.
Hey Merit what do you say?
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 