Latest news with #Eli
CBC
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
What happens if the Giller Prize shuts down?
Social Sharing The executive director of the Giller Prize says that Canada's most prestigious literary award will be forced to shut down if the organization doesn't receive $5 million from the federal government. This comes after the Giller Prize cut ties with its former lead sponsor, Scotiabank, because of its subsidiary's investment in Israeli arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems. Today on Commotion, guest host Eli Glasner speaks with Globe and Mail columnist Marsha Lederman about the future of the Giller Prize and the impact on Canadian literature if it closes down. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Eli: Why does the Giller Prize matter, in the big picture? We're talking about the future of this, so talk to me about the difference it has made and its impact. Marsha: The Giller Prize is, I would argue, the most prestigious literary prize in this country. And it's not just about perception. There have been studies that have shown concrete increases in book sales as a result of a Giller nomination, and especially a win. It's marketing gold. And it's not just the prize, there's a book tour, there's a book club, there's a scholarship for young BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Colour] writers. And all of this is important, and it's a celebration — or it was — of Canadian literature, which is a very good thing. So it would be a real loss to the ecosystem, I believe. Eli: And going back to the pressure campaign, Scotiabank's investments in the Israeli arms manufacturer, that was very successful. This is now just the Giller, not the Scotiabank Giller. But from your perspective, was it worth it, if it means the end of this prize? Marsha: The easy answer is: even if it's a shame that we lose this prize, it's nothing compared to what's going on in Gaza, which, of course, is true. But was bringing down this prize the right move? Like, is it going to change anything in Gaza? Even if the Scotiabank subsidiary has decreased its investment in Elbit Systems, does that really make a difference? I think probably not. But I also understand authors with strong convictions do what they can with their voice in a horrible situation. They wanted to voice their opposition to this war, fair enough, this is how they chose to do it. But I do think if we lose the Giller, it is a tremendous loss for Canadian culture. Eli: Do you see a way forward that Ottawa would directly fund this prize? Marsha: Personally, I do not. The federal government is currently asking for spending cuts, pretty much across the board. Even if $5 million is a drop in the bucket, the optics are not great when you're asking for cuts everywhere — and that will probably include, I presume, the Canada Council for the Arts, which [provides] grants [to] artists and cultural organizations and funds the Governor General's Literary Awards. So I don't see a scenario where the government hands money over to this organization, especially when so many arts organizations are struggling. The Vancouver Art Gallery just cut 30 per cent of its staff in programming. The Regina Folk Festival is closed. The Kingston WritersFest is struggling. I don't know how the federal government gives money to this glitzy prize in light of all that.
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
Pastor and wife took $3,400,000 from congregation in scam attributed to God
A pastor and his wife have been busted for a multi-million dollar cryptocurrency scam that they claim 'the Lord' instructed them to do. Eli and Kaitlyn Regalado, who founded the online-only Victorious Grace Church, were indicted by a Denver grand jury on Tuesday for the operation they ran taking advantage of their faith community from January 2022 to July 2023. The Regalados solicited nearly $3.4million from investors to buy INDXcoin, which they created and marketed, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office. They allegedly used their faith-based connections to find investors and promised them 'exorbitant returns', stated the office. In reality, just a small portion of the proceeds went to the business venture, according to the indictment. 'The Regalados spent at least $1.3 million on personal expenditures, including a home renovation that they have allegedly claimed 'the Lord' told them to do,' stated the office. Meanwhile, INDXcoin had no value and investors lost virtually every thing they put into it. The married couple have been indicted on 40 counts of securities fraud, racketeering and theft around the scam. 'These charges mark a major step forward in our work to hold the Regalados accountable for their alleged crimes and to bring a measure of justice to the victims,' stated District Attorney John Walsh. Walsh commended the 'outstanding work' of his investigators and prosecutors and officials from the Colorado Attorney General's Office and Colorado Division of Securities, that led to the indictment. Colorado Securities Commissioner Tung Chan's office in January had alleged that Eli 'took advantage of the trust and faith of his own Christian community and that he peddled outlandish promises of wealth to them when he sold them essentially worthless cryptocurrencies'. But the Regalados argued that INDXcoin was a 'utility coin' to join faith-based communities instead of a security, and for that reason did not need to be licensed or registered. Eli attacked Chan in a YouTube video posted on July 4, 2024. 'You are a liar, liar, liar. I hope you get back in the office after your holiday and you see this and you see what you've done,' said Regalado to Chan. 'Shame on you. You're a crook.' The pastor claimed that they tithed $290,000 to their church and also provided $245,000 to other churches. 'It's our church. Where else are we going to tithe?' Eli said. More Trending 'That's where God had us in our assignment.' The Regalados were expected to appear in court on Thursday. They were indicted two-and-a-half years after a south London preacher was found guilty of fraud after selling 'plague protection oil' as a fake cure for the coronavirus. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Father charged with murder after boy, 15, killed in e-bike crash in Middleton MORE: 'Ring of steel' around 4-star hotel in London after anti-migrant protests MORE: Uncle 'threw one-year-old niece down three-storey rubbish chute'
Los Angeles Times
22-07-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Watch: SoCal firefighters save the life of Eli, a colicky mule
Orange County firefighters came to the rescue when a 20-year-old mule named Eli appeared down for the count. The Orange County Fire Authority captured video of the Trabuco Canyon operation last week. Eli was experiencing life-threatening colic, the agency said on X. Station 18 stepped in when the mule's owners were unable to get him to stand. Footage showed the horizontal equine squirming and struggling as a firefighter and a veterinarian assisted him. A crew of firefighters then tied Eli up, flipped him, and hoisted him using a rescue device called a bipod. According to Sean Doran, a spokesperson for OCFA, that equipment was also used in World War I to roll over upside-down tanks. 'It's got this incredible capacity and strength,' he said told The Times. 'These horses obviously, or mules in this case, are no match for it.' The firefighters pulled Eli out of his stable before bringing him to his feet. After a bit, he clopped back into his stable, where he is doing much better, the authority's X post said. According to the University of Minnesota, horses and other equines are naturally prone to colic. Allowing the animal to walk around can help ease pain, the university said. Doran said that Eli, lying down, wasn't able to pass food and was at risk of his organs compressing. Had he not been hoisted upright, the colic could have been fatal, he said. Doran said he watched the rescue happen on Friday and visited Eli again on Sunday. He spoke with one of the owners, an animal lover who had owned Eli for almost all of the mule's life. Everything about the rescue was 'just goodness, pure goodness,' he said. He also said that OCFA firefighters had been trained to conduct large-animal rescues with live horses. In addition to routine rescue skills, they learn how to approach the horses and to interpret how they need to be treated depending on the situation. 'It's seamless teamwork in action,' he said.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Boy, 7, Nearly Dies After Swallowing Magnets from Popular Game: ‘My Worst Nightmare'
NEED TO KNOW Naomi Rivers said she found her 7-year-old son Eli choking after he swallowed magnets from the game Kluster, which is marketed to ages 14 and up Eli needed emergency surgery and was at risk for severe internal damage from the magnets snapping together inside his body Rivers is now urging others to make sure that the game is not used by young childrenA 7-year-old boy nearly died after swallowing magnets from a popular game, putting him at risk for severe internal damage. On May 11, Naomi Rivers — from Grantham, England — was in her home when she suddenly heard her son Eli cry out in distress while he was watching TV. The 35-year-old found him choking and rushed to his aid. 'He was so panicked and he was really crying, it was really, really awful. I have a fear of choking anyway — it was my worst nightmare come to life,' she told Kennedy News and Media, via the Daily Mail. Rivers said her son looked at her in "pure panic" and admitted to swallowing two magnets from a game, Kluster. 'He was putting one magnet on either side of his hand, and on different places on his body to see if they would stick together,' she said. 'Then he told me he wanted to see if they'd still stick if there was saliva between them — so he put one on the inside and one on the outside of his mouth,' she explained. 'They connected — and then he put them both in his mouth. He said he got the urge to swallow. He was choking on it because they're just smaller than a mint humbug.' Kluster is marketed as a dexterity game. Players take turns placing magnetic stones within a circle of rope, trying to avoid triggering a chain reaction of the magnets snapping together. Borderline Editions, the game's manufacturer, states that the recommended age for playing Kluster is 14 and up, which is noted on its packaging and website. The company states: 'Kluster contains small magnets with a magnetic induction flux greater than 50 kG²mm² which can be ingested. Therefore Kluster is not a toy and should be kept out of reach of children under 14 years old. Magnets stuck to each other or to a metal object inside the human body can cause serious injury or death. If magnets are swallowed or inhaled, seek medical assistance immediately.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Eli was rushed to Grantham and District Hospital, where an X-ray revealed that the magnets snapped together inside of his stomach, traveled to his small intestine and got stuck. 'When we told the doctors he'd swallowed two magnets, a lot happened very, very quickly,' Rivers recalled. 'Because it was more than one, there was a serious risk — they said he needed immediate treatment.' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Rivers said doctors were concerned the magnets would attract through the walls of vital organs or tissue, causing life-threatening internal damage. They tried using laxatives, performing an endoscopy and keyhole surgery to remove them but all were unsuccessful. With a high risk of internal damage, doctors transferred him to Queen's Medical Center in Nottingham for emergency surgery. 'They tried with multiple instruments and just couldn't get them,' Rivers said. 'In the end they opened him up — the incision was about 10cm, or four inches.' Following the six-hour surgery on May 22, Eli spent four days in the hospital before making a full recovery. Rivers said she has thrown the game away and is now urging other parents to make sure that it's not used by young children. 'You want to encourage children to play with toys to get them off devices — and then something like this happens,' she told the outlet. 'My recommendation would be to not have these magnet toys around at all, and to educate children on how dangerous they are.' Read the original article on People
Chicago Tribune
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Want to paint a mural? East Dundee's community effort open to all ages and skill levels
Volunteers are being sought by the East Dundee Arts Council to help paint a portion of a huge downtown mural to be displayed in front of a village-owned building planned for future redevelopment. As many people as want to participate will join forces July 26 in filling in a design created by Elgin artist Kathryn Eli that will take up the middle 48 feet of the expansive artwork at 110 Railroad St. The 140-foot-long mural will be painted in panels set up along the wooden fence that lines a former lumberyard property, which the village purchased for $800,000 in December 2023 and plans to sell for a commercial or mixed-use development that complements the historic downtown district. Village officials have one proviso for the future development: it must include space for the future home of the Williams Street Repertory/Raue Center of Crystal Lake. For that reason, the mural's main theme is 'The Best Is Yet to Come,' which is currently painted in white on the wooden fence slats. The six artists chosen to do the work have been asked to focus on arts and entertainment and to consider both East Dundee's past and future. 'It will show (the) mixing (of) tradition and innovation and harmonizing them,' said Eli, who noted her section will focus on musicians. 'For artists, this is an appealing, expansive space, and a mural is a way to beautify it,' she said. 'It's also next to the Fox River Trail, giving people walking or biking downtown a chance to experience the artwork up close and from a distance.' In October 2024, Eli painted the mural on the wall of East Dundee Village Hall adjacent to the entrance of the village police department. It features local flora and fauna in a style inspired by stained glass and by details of the building's architecture. The village's first council-commissioned mural was done in July 2023 by Maddie Deiters, now 18, from downstate Marion, who did a Fox River-inspired work on the side of Great Spirit Hardwoods at downtown Jackson and North River streets. Eli said she came up with the idea of painting a community mural on the fence in March and worked with the council to bring it to fruition. When volunteers join her on July 26, Eli will have laid out her design so that it is ready to filled in with color. Those working with her will paint in 30- to 50-minute shifts. The community event also will include family friendly games and chalk art for children, according to East Dundee management analyst Caleb Haydock, who said the mural and event will cost about $18,000. 'We're excited by the opportunity to offer the community this unique project,' he said. 'It should be a fun day.' Volunteers can participate regardless of age or skill level, organizers said. They're asked to meet July 26 in the Meier Street parking lot, between Railroad and Hill streets. The work will be done between noon to 4 p.m., with families and children given the earlier time slots. The entire piece is being designed so that it can be removed from its location later and put back together for display elsewhere, either as one long, horizontal piece or in sections stacked atop each other, Eli said. That will happen after a developer is chosen to renovate the lumber yard property and work gets under way. One proposal for the site has been received, Haydock said, and will go before the village board for review sometime in the next few months. As for anyone who would like to volunteer to paint, 'we would love it if people RSVP'd so we can get a better idea of how many people will attend,' he said. For more information and to sign up to paint, go to
