Niko Bell (@NikoMBell) profile picture

Niko Bell

@NikoMBell

Freelance journalist, writing about food, China, science and sexual health. Enthusiastic about languages, fermented foods, and weird etymology facts.

 Vancouver
Joined September 2011
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  • Followers279
OK, I've so far avoided weighing in on the Chinese names of non-Chinese candidates in this election, but this is bait too tempting for me to resist. Van East incumbent Jenny Kwan says her opponent is misstating the meaning of his Chinese name, 地产男神. Is he?
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Baidu Baike, a kind of Chinese Wikipedia, describes the word as "a term for an unattainable man, usually the object of a woman's admiration." See picture for illustration. Is this better translated as "hunk" or "god"? I'll let you decide.
Image from Niko Bell (@NikoMBell)
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In conclusion:
Image from Niko Bell (@NikoMBell)
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How are these two pages from a Robert Munsch children's book such a perfect example of when @dieworkwear says slim pants do and do not work?
Image from Niko Bell (@NikoMBell)
Image from Niko Bell (@NikoMBell)
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Sometimes you stop by the side of the road for a cider, and you end up neck deep in research about the history of apples. This was a fun story to write.
National Magazine Awards 🇨🇦 (@MagAwards) profile pictureNational Magazine Awards 🇨🇦@MagAwards2 May 2024
Congratulations, @NikoMBell! "Apples to Apples," published in @MONTECRISTO_Mag, is nominated for Short Feature Writing. #NMA24 buff.ly/44nsgm4
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Thought inspired by @SeamusBlackley and @Point_Mutation.
Image from Niko Bell (@NikoMBell)
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I reread The Little Engine That Could (1930) recently, and the most anachronistic thing isn't the steam engines, it's that jackknives are portrayed as normal toys for little boys.
Étienne (@etiennefd) profile pictureÉtienne@etiennefd25 Jan 2024
this is strangely heartwarming: the canadian pediatrics association now recommends that children engage in risky play—"thrilling and exciting forms of free play that involve uncertainty of outcome and a possibility of physical injury"—because of benefits e.g. to mental health
Image from Étienne (@etiennefd)
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I know this is a minority position but I love the goofy intro sentences students write. Since the dawn of time, humans have wondered about the mind. fuckin tell me about it man
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I wrote something about apples, cider, and the value of biodiversity.
MONTECRISTO Magazine (@MONTECRISTO_Mag) profile pictureMONTECRISTO Magazine@MONTECRISTO_Mag3 Oct 2023
After more than three decades of careful cultivation, the Riley family orchard is one of the largest collections of apple varieties in North America. Now a working cidery, its fruits can finally be tasted. 🖊️ @NikoMBell montecristomagazine.com/maga…
Bowen Island’s Library of a Thousand Apples

Bowen Island’s Library of a Thousand Apples

Apples to apples.

montecristomagazine.com
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I really enjoy growing and eating microgreens, but also microgreen farmers are the crypto bros of agriculture.
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As another Niko, this happens to me constantly.
Niko Stratis (@nikostratis) profile pictureNiko Stratis@nikostratis7 Mar 2023
I am once again telling PR people they have spelled my name wrong in their email to me, an email address that includes my correct name
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Happy Purim, the holiday on which we remember the destruction of those who would eradicate us.
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Also, the festival of beans, so double win.
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Now that the @bcndp are finally doing what they said they would and paying for prescription birth control, here's @MarinaAdshade and I five years ago making the case that this is a good idea. theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…
Governments should fund birth control, as they do HIV prevention

Governments should fund birth control, as they do HIV prevention

Canada is one of the only countries with publicly funded health care that doesn’t provide some contraceptive coverage for women

theglobeandmail.com
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Even if you don't care about people having control of their reproduction as a matter of principle (which I do), supplying long acting birth control is extremely cost effective. An ounce of prevention, and all that.
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Unintended pregnancy can be physically and psychologically damaging, it is mostly avoidable, and it is expensive. Giving people the healthcare they need is much cheaper.
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Hey @NightShiftMD @cbcpodcasts, in the first few minutes of your podcast on protein, @AnarAllidina slips up and says the daily RDA for protein is 8g/kg instead of 0.8. If it's technically possible, this is maybe important enough to warrant a correction.
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