Latest news with #Riches
Vancouver Sun
14-07-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
'Severe incidents': Risky behaviour increasing in B.C. wilderness, say search-and-rescue groups
Metro Vancouver search-and-rescue crews are alarmed by the number of injuries and fatalities so far this summer, particularly on the North Shore where experts say risky behaviour in the B.C. wilderness is on the rise. Members of several local search and rescue teams all say a lack of preparation is the main reason for rescue calls. But they say social media is also playing a role, as more folks strive to obtain the perfect mountaintop photograph for their Instagram — sometimes at their peril. So far this year, six people have died and three other people haven't been found in the Sea to Sky region. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. This is despite extensive trail planning help that's available from the B.C. AdventureSmart — a program run by the B.C. Search and Rescue Association—on its safety website. AdventureSmart has videos and tips on how to prepare for some of the areas that lead to the highest number of rescue calls, including well-known hiking spots such as the Grouse Grind or Mount Seymour trails. Sandra Riches, executive director of B.C. AdventureSmart, says 95 per cent of search-and-rescue cases involve local residents — mainly hikers — followed by mountain bike and ATV users. Many head out to the trails without being prepared for emergencies such as getting hurt or getting lost, or they're taking risks such as climbing into out-of-bounds or dangerous areas with cliffs, gullies or waterfalls where they think they can get a better view or photo. 'Not everyone knows how to use a map and a compass together. They're not familiar with reading a map, let alone planning their adventure. Also, people are going beyond their means, beyond their skill, beyond their training,' said Riches. Social-media influence is driving this worrisome trend, she added. 'People are scrolling. They see other outdoor enthusiasts having a great time on a peak, paddling a river, riding a mountain bike down an awesome trail. It looks very enticing. And everyone thinks, 'Hey, I can do that.' Yeah, it looks like fun,' ' she said. Riches would like to see more people who post their adventures on social media include the effort it took to get there and the training involved, so hikers understand the effort needed before they head out into the wilderness. North Shore Rescue didn't return calls by deadline. However, NSR spokesman Doug Pope told the Squamish Chief this week that he can't recall such 'a bad start to the search-and-rescue season.' Many of the rescues, said Riches, could have been prevented by adhering to the three Ts: Trip planning, training and taking the 10 essentials. All of this information can be found on the AdventureSmart website. 'We've seen more severe incidents in relation to fatalities and people still missing, unfortunately, and our hearts go out to them and their families,' said Riches. 'It also makes us think, 'How can we reach these enthusiasts more? What can we do better to help them?' ' Last year, there were 1,960 search-and-rescue tasks in B.C., a number that has steadily climbed each year over the last decade, according to the association. Statistically, most of the hikers calling for rescue are between 20 and 29, according to the association. Some in this age group may be less inclined to use safety and preparation websites, especially if they have hiked the trails before, said Ian MacDonald, a spokesman for Coquitlam Search and Rescue, on Friday. 'I can guarantee you that a lot of people, a lot of young people, see the cool shots on Instagram, and they say, 'I've got to go there,' even though they have little or no experience. They never go to AdventureSmart. That's too old-school for them.' But the information it provides can save lives, he added. 'Even when people are doing reasonable trails, what we've found in the past that they make simple mistakes. For instance, one of the biggest ones is just starting too late in the day. They start an eight-hour hike at two o'clock in the afternoon. Well, guess what? You're almost certain to run into nightfall on the trail,' said MacDonald. The number of Coquitlam rescue calls are about average so far this year, he said, though he's concerned about the number of fatalities on the North Shore as these same problems can happen on any trails. He said June is a particularly bad month because the sun hits the snow and it melts, and then the temperature drops at night and it freezes. 'So the next day before the sun's had a chance to melt it, it's super slippery. And if you don't have an ice axe or crampons or micro spikes, if you don't have the proper footwear and you don't have some way to stop the fall, you're gone,' said MacDonald. Brent Boulet, president of Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue, said that like Coquitlam, the Ridge Meadows area hasn't been as bad as the North Shore but his members are dealing with more people venturing into the alpine in late spring or early summer who aren't experienced or prepared. 'SAR teams all over B.C. have seen a rise in call volumes in recent years that is likely fuelled by social media. Starting with experienced hikers sharing photos of their trips which is encouraging the inexperienced to go do the same thing,' said Boulet. ' Some people don't understand that winter conditions extend into the summer in the mountains.' MacDonald urged hikers not to rely on Google Maps when navigating the wilderness, which can be unreliable, and to carry a map of the trails. The number of people visiting parks and camps continues to rise, which could also partly explain the increase in rescue calls. For example, the B.C. government said that between January and June there have been 283,743 bookings at B.C. parks, up from 251,285 during the same period last year. ticrawford@
Time Out
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Adam Riches: Jimmy
This review is from the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe. Adam Riches's comedy shows have long been high concept, high effort affairs; now he crosses over to the dark side of the Fringe programme (aka the theatre bit) to make his Summerhall debut with Jimmy. It's a one-man-show about US sportsman Jimmy Connors, the bad boy of '70s tennis, who was eventually eclipsed by the likes of Boris Becker and John McEnroe. They, however, retired as relatively young men. Jimmy is set at the 1991 US Open: with the 39-year-old Connors now way down in the rankings, we meet him just as he's losing a match to Patrick McEnroe, John's little brother. Connors is not happy, a wounded old tiger with nothing but contempt for an opponent he knows he'd have swept past a decade ago. There are no actual balls in Tom Parry's production. But there is a lot of sweat: racket in hand, Riches hurls himself energetically around the 'court' in recreation of Connors's actual moves. I'm sure it's not a perfect replica, but Riches is bloody good, both lucidly conveying the flow the match and conveying a level of dogged persistance that feels important for Connors's story. Although it has a lot in common with Richard's comedy shows - character work, accent work, just a lot of work - it's definitely not trying to be funny in the way that they are, with just a ghost of his usual infamous audience interactions. The gangly Riches does undeniably remain an intrinsically amusing performer, but the category change makes sense. Eventually, a despairing Connors sinks into his thoughts and we get a journey through his past: specifically being raised by his tough single mum and coach Gloria, who encouraged him to be aggressive, a trait that won him games but lost him friends. Introspective, Jimmy begins to accept it's over for him. But then his temper is inflamed again – and so begins one of the all time great sports comebacks. It's an electric performance from Riches: it doesn't need to be nuanced or subtle, it needs to be shattering to watch, and it is. The text, however, feels shy of where it could go: Connor's rage is shown to be a curse more than a blessing, and yet the end does by and large conform to uplifting comeback tropes. It feels on the cusp of saying something quite profound about toxic masculinity in sport but tosses it away at match point. But we're still left with a thrilling display.
New York Post
05-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Meathead feds target California movers over nonexistent age discrimination: ‘Weaponization of government'
Which would you be more likely to hire: a moving company whose ads feature energetic, youthful workers or one that highlights its less sprightly, aged employees? That's a no-brainer — even a meathead could answer such a simple advertising question. Yet the federal government has spent about a decade investigating California-based, family-owned Meathead Movers for age discrimination, citing its marketing materials — demanding $15 million in penalties and suing when the company wouldn't cough up the cash. And the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has done this without pointing to a single discrimination complaint. Advertisement Meathead, California's biggest independent moving company, and its CEO, Aaron Steed, are finally fighting back — after a think tank heard about the crazy case. 'The EEOC is not only targeting a successful American company on what appears to be pretextual grounds, but now it's refusing to tell the public why it did that. And we think the public has a right to know,' Jon Riches, the Goldwater Institute's vice president for litigation, tells The Post. Goldwater sent the agency a Freedom of Information Act Request in March, seeking basic facts such as the number of age-discrimination complaints against Meathead Movers and number of EEOC investigations into alleged age discrimination at any moving company since January 2016. The feds refused to 'fess up. Advertisement So this week Goldwater appealed, Riches tells The Post exclusively — and the EEOC has 30 days to respond before the Arizona think tank will sue. 'We bring legal actions to challenge government overreach and unconstitutional action,' explains Riches, an ex-Navy JAG who joined Goldwater in 2012. 'We've had cases of many, many, many other government agencies, and I've never seen anything this unprecedented in my experience.' Most EEOC lawsuits are the result of discrimination complaints. The agency has filed just eight in the last decade based on what it calls 'directed investigations' — those 'without a charge of discrimination filed by an individual.' Meathead Movers' case is one of them. 'We are hopeful that the EEOC stops this ridiculous prosecution of Aaron and his company, but we also want to know why it started and why the government made the decisions it was making,' Riches says. Advertisement Can the feds really fine a firm simply for its marketing — when it's not fraudulent? 'No, I don't think so. And I think that also raises First Amendment concerns. Obviously Meathead Movers has a right to communicate truthful information about lawful activities, including in its marketing materials' — and 'it markets individuals that are capable of performing the job,' Riches says. But, he adds, 'The EEOC doesn't really seem to be too concerned with the First Amendment.' It 'sent Aaron a very staggering gag-order letter. Aaron has not been shy about talking about the facts of the case and what the government's doing to him on social media, and the agency sent him a letter, basically telling him to stop doing that.' Aaron Steed won't stop. 'I'm aware of my constitutional rights, and I'm fighting for my company's existence and the 300-plus families that depend on us,' he tells The Post — noting EEOC 'sent the gag order after Goldwater sent a FOIA request.' Advertisement EEOC started investigating Meathead around 2015 and finally contacted Steed in 2017. He insists the company doesn't discriminate. 'So we welcomed and embraced the EEOC, answered all their questions,' he says. 'We fully cooperated with the investigation, and then we were just shocked when we got a bill for $15 million shortly after — and with the full weight of the federal government to collect it.' How did it arrive at that figure? 'Even though there was not a single complaint against my company that initiated this, their logic was that there's at least 500 class members' — all hypothetical, as Steed notes. EEOC decided lost wages would total $15,000 per person, 'which is a record for age discrimination. No settlement has ever been reached for that amount. And then they multiplied it times two.' Why times two? 'Fees and penalties. And we quickly explained to them, 'Hey, we can't afford that,'' Steed replies. 'It has felt like this has never been about age discrimination. It's been about them trying to run over my company, trying to put us out of business,' he adds. 'It feels personal, and it doesn't make sense.' The 45-year-old started the company as a high-school junior in 1997. 'I wrestled in high school and in college, and this was a perfect job for me to support myself and my friends and my brother while going to school playing sports,' he recalls. 'Once I turned 21, 22, I saved up enough money to buy a truck. And now we have hundreds of employees and 80 trucks.' Steed says he has employees over 40 — even over 60. Still, he notes, 'The reality of our job is that a lot of younger people tend to gravitate towards it. The job description is to move heavy things all day, up and down stairs, and then at Meathead Movers, you're expected to jog.' That's right: After you've put furniture or boxes in the truck, you hustle back for more. 'That's part of what makes us different than typical moving companies,' Steed explains. 'It kept the momentum going, kept us focused as an athlete. It kept us in our flow state. It always really impressed the customers. It made move day more of an athletic event, and since all moving companies charge one hourly rate, we save our clients time and money, and this is what we've done since the get-go.' Advertisement It's a win-win situation: 'My employees love getting paid to work out, and the customers get a great value.' 'We pay $18 to $20 an hour, and you've got to be able to pass a drug test and a criminal-background check to work for us and have a great attitude,' he says. 'We have a reputation for doing really good quality work with people you can trust in your home, and we give back to the community. We're most known for offering unlimited free services to women fleeing abusive relationships, in partnership with eight different domestic-violence shelters across central and southern California.' Steed reflects, 'This has been my life's work.' He hopes to pass the company onto his and his wife's 3½-year-old son one day — if it survives. 'I've already spent well over a million and a half dollars defending myself for a crime I haven't committed, and it is just absolutely destroying us,' he says. 'I can't afford to keep litigating against the federal government. It's incredibly expensive, it's crazy, very time consuming and very stressful.' Advertisement He doesn't know why the feds targeted him. 'Last week, a friend of mine said, 'Hey, did you run over someone's cat over there at the EEOC?'' he says. 'It feels deeply personal, and I really don't understand it.' Goldwater, which is working pro bono, is flummoxed too. Perhaps a former competitor is involved. What it does know: 'The case raises serious questions about the weaponization of government.' 'This would be a really different sort of case if it was based on actual complaints of people who are actually harmed. But for a government agency to concoct these very thin allegations against a successful American company should trouble all your readers,' Riches says. 'Why would the federal government target a company whose job is moving because it hires people who can perform that job, regardless of their age? If it can do that to Meathead, it could do that to anybody. This is a bigger issue than just the EEOC and just Meathead Movers.' Steed spoke to The Post from LAX, where he was awaiting a flight to Washington, DC — where he'll meet Thursday with EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. Was that a tough meeting to get? Steed laughs. Advertisement 'Yeah,' he finally responds. 'We've been wanting to meet with them for a while, and I'm grateful that the chair has taken time out of her busy schedule to meet with us.' Lucas did not respond to The Post's request for comment. Spokesman Victor Chen said, 'We cannot comment on ongoing litigation, but we can point you to our public statement at the time the suit was filed.' He also sent the 2023 lawsuit filed in federal court. It complains 'Meathead Movers' founders and executive management . . . describe 'young and energetic-student athletes' as part of their founding vision.'
Tom's Guide
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
5 shows like 'Your Friends and Neighbors' to stream while you wait for season 2
The first season of "Your Friends and Neighbors" has come to a close, and while we wait to see what Andrew Cooper steals next (and from whom), there's a very specific hole left in our watchlists. The Apple TV Plus series introduced us to Jon Hamm's Andrew, a freshly fired hedge fund manager who decides to spend his free time breaking into the homes of his rich neighbors — not out of desperation, but more like curiosity, boredom and maybe a touch of existential spite. With its deadpan voiceover and sharp commentary on the absurdity of wealth, "Your Friends and Neighbors" makes it weirdly easy to root for a guy rifling through someone else's medicine cabinet. While we wait for season 2 to sneak back into our lives, here are a few shows like "Your Friends and Neighbors" that scratch the same itch. In this FX drama, an Irish Traveller family decides to take up residence in an upper class neighborhood when they're involved in a car accident that kills a wealthy family named the Riches. On the run from their clan, from whom they've just stolen a large sum of money, they have little choice but to assume the identities of the Riches, struggling to fit in within a WASP-y community of hedge fund managers and high-powered attorneys. Starring Suzy Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver as Rich parents and Noel Fisher, Shannon Marie Woodward, and Aidan Mitchell as their three children, "The Riches" benefited from the strong performances and bonds between its central cast. Watch on Hulu Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Andrew Cooper on "Your Friends and Neighbors" wasn't the first TV character to engage in nefarious, illegal goings-on beneath the surface of an otherwise picture-perfect suburban neighborhood. Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker) preceded him by a number of years on "Weeds," when she — a mother with two boys to provide for whose husband has recently died — starts a lucrative side hustle as the local marijuana dealer. "Weeds" was a satirical take on the typical family drama, and it ran for eight seasons on Showtime from 2005 to 2012. Along the way, it earned 20 Emmy nominations, including several for Parker as well as Elizabeth Perkins as Botwin's neighbor. Watch free on Plex This may sound familiar: A typical family man whose marriage is on the rocks finds himself in the midst of a crisis and, determined to provide for his wife and kids, begins working as a freelance criminal. Initially, he tells himself it's a means to an end, but before long, he starts to relish his life of crime, and what's more, he's good at it. This could describe Andrew Cooper in "Your Friends and Neighbors," but is just as easily applied to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in "Breaking Bad." After White, a mild-mannered high school teacher, is handed a devastating cancer diagnosis, he realizes that he can make enough to keep his family comfortable after his death by opening a meth lab. But that's just where it starts. Before long, he gets deeper and deeper into the criminal world, until he's virtually unrecognizable. Breaking Bad was a hit series on AMC, earning four Emmys for Cranston, three for Aaron Paul, and two for Anna Gunn. It also generated a popular spinoff, "Better Call Saul," which offers up an origin story for White's shady lawyer, Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk). Watch on Netflix It can be easy to justify a little light larceny when you find you and your family in dire financial straits. This is certainly the case in "Good Girls," when a trio of suburban mothers decide to turn to robbery when they each, for different reasons, fall on hard times. Beth (Christina Hendricks) is reeling from a recent divorce after her husband cheated on her. Ruby (Retta) needs money to pay for her child's medical treatments. And Annie (Mae Whitman) is about to become embroiled in an expensive custody battle. They're all more or less justified in looking for not-so-legal side hustles, which they find when they decide to team up and rob a local grocery store. Surely they'll just commit one robbery, get away with it, and then that'll be the end of it, right? Watch on Netflix Set in Palm Beach in 1969, this comedy-drama feels a little bit like a mash-up between "Mad Men's" period aesthetics and the criminal antics of "Your Friends and Neighbors." It stars Kristen Wiig as the ambitious Maxine, who is determined to do whatever it takes to join the high-flying members of Palm Beach's most exclusive country club. Her increasingly absurd antics only prove the lengths she's willing to go to accomplish her goals, as she clumsily manipulates seemingly everyone in town to earn a coveted spot among their elite. Wiig is in fine form in Palm Royale, showcasing her deftness with both comedy and drama. Palm Royale was renewed for a second season in 2024, so we should be getting more social-climbing dramedy in the near future. Watch on Apple TV Plus
BBC News
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Granite Harbour set to return for a third series as the BBC drama heads back to Aberdeen
The BBC has announced the return of Granite Harbour for a third series. Made by LA Productions, it will once again bring together acting talents Romario Simpson (Django, Riches, Small Axe) and Hannah Donaldson (Crime, Payback, The Crown) as crime duo Lindo and Bart for the Aberdeen-set drama. The new three-part series, which will film in Aberdeenshire and Glasgow later this year, is a co-commission between BBC iPlayer, BBC Scotland and BBC One. It will be written by Rob Fraser (Tell Me Everything, Tin Star), Ciara Conway (Whistable Pearl, Holby City) and Writers Guild of Great Britain award-winner Jillian Mannion (River City, Death in Paradise). The third series sees Sgt Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) and DCI Lara 'Bart' Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson) investigate a suspicious death in the travelling community at an estate on the outskirts of Aberdeen. As the investigation gets underway, Lindo and Bart must navigate a complicated cross-community romance which uncovers a complex past. Gavin Smith, Executive Producer, BBC Scotland says: 'We are delighted to be bringing Davis and Bart back in what I'm sure will be their toughest test yet. This Aberdeen set detective drama has attracted new audiences to the BBC and beyond and we look forward to the sparkling granite of the city shining on screen once more.' Colin McKeown, LA Productions says: 'It's an absolute pleasure to be asked by the BBC to produce a further series of Granite Harbour, to build on the character development we've created so far with our stellar cast. Scotland, and in particular, Aberdeen is a real gem and a place that we, as filmmakers, have really come to love. Our desire is to carry on our journey with our audience and let them share and enjoy what series three of Granite Harbour has to offer.' Granite Harbour (3x60) was commissioned by Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland and Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. The executive producers are Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland, Gaynor Holmes for BBC One and Colin McKeown for LA Productions with Donna Molloy (Compulsion, Anthony) producing the third series. Granite Harbour is made by LA Productions for the BBC and BBC Scotland and supported by Screen Scotland. Granite Harbour joins a growing list of hit BBC series from Scotland, including Shetland, Vigil, Nightsleeper and Rebus as well as forthcoming dramas Half Man, Lockerbie and The Ridge. Watch Granite Harbour on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist JM2
