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The Killer Whale Who Changed the World Drowned on Oct. 9, 1964

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 5d

Remembering Moby Doll - the #killerwhale whale who changed the world on the anniversary of his death in 1964 #orca @skaana.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Remembering Moby Doll

Arming you with all the octopus news!

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 6d

Happy World #Octopus Day! 🐙🐙🐙 open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

Happy World Octopus Day

CFAX 1070 | Victoria’s news & information station - iHeartRadio

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 7d

Happy World Octopus Day 🐙🐙🐙 To celebrate I'm talking all things octopus - including the flapjack and the glass octopus and octopus taking over the world - on CFAX today at 8:50 am PST www.cfax1070.com

Listen to CFAX 1070, your go-to station for Victoria's Breaking News & Talk that Matters. Catch up on weather, podcasts, contests, & upcoming local events now!

www.cfax1070.com

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 11d

I'm sure no one will disagree with my take on the @nhlcanucks.bsky.social prospects. For fans of @edmontonoilers.bsky.social the Toronto Maple Leafs, the @winnipegjets.com etc - aside from just trashing my list, let's see the ten reasons this is your year. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/why-this-i...

Ten reasons this is the season the Canucks are winning the Stanley Cup

Including... Hughes, Demko, Lankinen and all the Petterssons

How to Save the Southern Resident Orcas - With Misty MacDuffee

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 15d

The best thing about #orcas being declared the icons of BC by CBC was the idea that it might shine a light on how to save them. Salmon expert Misty MacDuffee from @raincoast.org on how this iconic community can survive Bright Extinction @skaana.bsky.social skaanapod.substack.com/p/how-to-sav...

And the latest on the southern residents, humpbacks, octopuses and more in our ocean news update for Sept. 2025

skaanapod.substack.com

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 16d

Orcas in Alberta! If you're in Alberta... The coolest gig I’ve ever had was writing the orca exhibit for the Royal BC Museum - Orcas: Our Shared Future. The exhibit is touring everywhere. It’s currently at the Royal Albert Museum in Edmonton royalalbertamuseum.ca/visit/exhibi...

ORCAS at the RAM

royalalbertamuseum.ca

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · 27d

BC politics is never boring. Apparently, no party in the province seems to be a fan of leaving the results of their leadership races to those silly members. Some thoughts on the BC Greens debate and their Trumpian voter verification fiasco. open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

Do the BC Greens Want a Part-Time Party Leader?

Also... do they really want everyone to vote?

Vancouver Canuck star Evander Kane hits high note with Bryan Adams at Rogers Arena

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Sep 14

@nhlcanucks.bsky.social star Evander Kane hits a high note with Bryan Adams @ Rogers Arena. youtube.com/shorts/9Da1M...

YouTube video by Mark Leiren-Young

youtube.com

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Sep 12

After years of being a fan of @lizgilbert.bsky.social - and interviewing "Liz" for @vancouversun.bsky.social in 2011 - I took a fantastic workshop with her in Vancouver this summer. Some thoughts on writing, loving & workshopping with The Dalai Gilbert tinyurl.com/lovewrite

Eat, Pray, Love, Write with Liz Gilbert

Thoughts on and from a weekend in Vancouver with the iconic author and creativity guru

tinyurl.com

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Sep 2

I just read that we lost the legendary actor Graham Greene. I was lucky enough to work with him on a couple of CBC variety series where he got to show off his fun/funny side. I had a blast jamming with him on this sketch. youtu.be/0vIYGKFszgU

Legendary actor Graham Greene smoking on CBC's Terminal City (1998)

YouTube video by Mark Leiren-Young

youtu.be

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Sep 1

Some thoughts on the BCGreen leadership race & the impressive campaign of @emilylowan.bsky.social Really interesting comments on this one popping up under the story on Substack - also getting a lot of emails & messages about this one. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/why-im-sur...

Why I'm Sure BC's Next Green Leader is 24-year-old activist Emily Lowan

And what that means for the BC political scene

An octopus shoots a selfie, sockeye salmon are back in BC & orcas are officially iconic

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 31

Octopus selfies. iconic orcas and super sockeye news…
open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

Skaana's Ocean News roundup for August, 2025

Saul Rubinek Will Star in New York Premiere of Playing Shylock

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 29

Wow. So this is happening. playbill.com/article/saul...

Martin Kinch will direct Mark Leiren-Young's one-person drama.

playbill.com

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 23

A few hundred years ago, the editor at Calgary’s long-defunct Swerve Magazine asked me to write something about, “the most influential book I read as a kid.” This was my answer. What’s yours? leirenyoung.substack.com/p/the-most-i...

What was the most influential book you read growing up?

My answer: Spider-Man comics. Yours?

British Columbians Choose Orcas as Our Icon in Great CBC Symbol Clash

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 20

Pretty darn cool! And thanks for inviting me to help celebrate orcas with you. open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

So that means it's time to share our home with them... right?

British Columbians Choose Orcas as Our Icon in Great CBC Symbol Clash

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 16

The timing couldn’t be better because last month 31 scientists from Canada, the US and Europe released a report listing all the things we can and should be doing to save the critically endangered southern resident orcas - the true icons of this iconic species. skaanapod.substack.com/p/british-co...

So that means it's time to share our home with them... right?

skaanapod.substack.com

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 15

Excited to be back on @cfax1070.bsky.social tomorrow (Friday, Aug 15) at 4 with Ryan Price. This week's topic is gonna be octopuses - like the octopus who borrowed someone's camera and started filming... who is almost as cool as Rambo, the New Zealand octopus octographer 🐙 @orcabook.bsky.social

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 13

I have to share this - a chance to vote for orcas: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Search for B.C.'s Best Symbol: Championship final — Totem Poles vs. Orcas | CBC News

Two iconic symbols of this province. Which one will British Columbians vote as the best?

www.cbc.ca

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Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 13

What is this American way that right-wing critics think Superman represents? Asking for a Canadian friend. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/its-a-bird...

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 12

If you saw the #fantasticfour movie - and didn’t know anything about the comic - did you get that The Thing was Jewish or just think he was crushing on Natasha Lyonne?

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 8

Looking forward to getting thoughts on this from students at @uvic.ca next term when I teach my writing course built around story-telling in the DC Universe. leirenyoung.substack.com/p/james-gunn...

James Gunn's Superman is the best DC superhero film ever *

*Not starring Batman or a member of the Bat Family

Are orcas trying to train us? Or teach us how to share? And where the sharks are.

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 5

So in July, #orcas were caught kissing, moonwalking and my fave - sharing food with humans. I can't help thinking they're trying to teach us how to share our food 🐳 All this and more in the latest Skaana news update open.substack.com/pub/skaanapo...

Skaana's ocean news from July, 2025

Remembering Moby Doll on the 61st anniversary of her horrific caputre - Afternoons with Ryan Price - Sound Bites | iHeart

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Aug 1

Back on CFAX1070 (Victoria) tomorrow at 4:30 to talk whales with Ryan Price. Here's a link to our last conversation where we talked all things orca - including Moby Doll www.iheart.com/podcast/962-...

<p>Author <a href='https://www.leiren-young.com/'>Mark Leiren-Young</a> joins Ryan to recall the the horrific saga of Moby Doll - the orca accidentally captured in 1961 becoming the first of her speci...

www.iheart.com

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a controversy?

Mark Leiren-Young @leirenyoung.bsky.social · Jul 28

Wow, am I gonna have even more to talk about in my next DC class at the University of Victoria than usual. I always get at least a few students who assume Hollywood has made superheroes more political. Um... not so much. Had a blast nerding out and writing this one. open.substack.com/pub/leirenyo...

The last time Superman's politics were hit this hard in the media his enemies were the Nazi Party and the Ku Klux Klan