FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2011 MEDIA ALERT Unions Call on City to let Occupy Calgary stay. The city of Calgary has been contemplating evicting Occupy Calgary Activists from Olympic Plaza. The labour movement supports the Occupy Calgary movement and urges City Council to let the protesters stay. “The Occupy movement has begun a conversation that was sorely lacking in this Country,” said Alexander Shevalier, President, of the Calgary and District Labour Council. “They have highlighted the inequities faced by 99% of Canadians; whether it’s access to affordable housing, fair …
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Media reports, as well as insider reports, indicate that Calgary may be the first city in Canada to take action against Occupy protesters. Please read our letter to city officials and consider signing our petition. We, the undersigned, are a group of concerned citizens who are asking City of Calgary officials to show continued respect for the rights guaranteed to the Occupy Calgary participants under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Occupy Calgary is an exercise in participatory democracy and is consistent with the ideals we hold dear as Canadians. The gap between the rich and poor …
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WHY? The share of the world income received by the richest 20% of the world’s countries relative to the share received by the poorest 20% has gone from a ratio of 3:1 in 1820 to 30:1 in 1960 to 74:1 in 1997 Taking the richest 10% of those on the globe and the poorest 10% in 2005, we get an inequality ratio of 103:1. The world’s 793 billionaires have a combined wealth greater than the GDP of all but 6 countries in the world. In the U.S, the ratio of CEO income to that of the average worker has risen... …
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While some heralded SlutWalk as the future of feminism, the lack of hype around Calgary's second attempt at SlutWalk reveals that it was little more than a trend that has already begun to fizzle out. So, I'll keep my remarks brief and leave you with a radio interview that I did in June around the time of the demise of SlutWalk Calgary 1.0. I can say that I understand victim-blaming. I've been there. We're silenced by the implication that we were somehow complicit in the violence. And, we're pressured to not talk about the violence and move on with our... …
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Still too busy to blog, but Happy New Year to folks out there. Apparently, 2011 is the year of the rabbit which happens to be my chinese Zodiac sign... Talk soon! …
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I take a couple of months off and you screw around with everything. Why does the latest post to a blog not show in full? WTF?! …
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In 'Blogging the pain,' Höttges (2009) writes, Grief writing is a strategy that can help the mourner to overcome both the breakdown of the self and the sense of alienation caused by the death of a relational anchor. This healing potential of grief writing is connected to the restoration of language. Pain, as Elaine Scarry writes in her book The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World, is not only “world-destroying”, it also shatters language: “Whatever pain achieves, it achieves in part through its unsharability, and it ensures this unsharability through its resistance to …
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The August edition of Vogue Italia features a fashion spread titled ‘Water and Oil.’ I believe that ‘Violence and Destruction’ better capture the content and mood of these photos. We are accustomed to the sexualization of violence against women. Now, we’re being asked to swallow the glorification of violent destruction of the Earth. I cannot believe that images that parallel photos of dying wildlife are being used to sell Self Tan Face Bronzing Gel that “keeps her skin golden.” Perhaps, ecofeminists and ecosocialists will have to rely less on dense historical and material …
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The Bechdel Test, sometimes called the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule is a simple test which names the following three criteria to evaluate films: (1) It has to have at least two women in it. (2) The women have to talk to each other. (3) And, they must talk about something besides a man. The test was popularized by Alison Bechdel's comic Dykes to Watch Out For in a 1985 strip called The Rule. …
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I thought that NO ONE could top my tales of bad dating experiences. Megan Carpentier has done it! She shares her worst dumping experiences over at BitchMedia. Breaking up almost always sucks no matter which side of the equation you find yourself on (abusive relationships being sometimes, though not always, the exception). If you are doing the breaking, you’ve basically got to have some sort of confrontation with someone you cared about (and perhaps still care about) that you know will hurt their feelings, at a bare minimum. If you’re being broken up with, someone you care about is …
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Who picks up the phone? Here is an interesting photo essay from Mother Jones on phone sex operators. This woman reveals: I'm 60 years old, I have a BA in cultural anthropology from Columbia University, and I've been married for 25 years. I make twice the money I made in the corporate world. I work from home; the money transfers into my bank account daily. I'm Scheherazade: If I don't tell stories that fascinate the pasha, he will kill me in the morning. Another woman describes her worst experiences as a phone sex operator: Just last night I received possibly... …
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Link: 'Inside the G20 Eastern Avenue Detention Centre' via BlogTO …
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After coping with serious illness over the past year, I have accepted the frustration and pain of having to put parts of my life on hold. I have gotten significantly better in the last couple of months and particularly the last few weeks. I will soon return to my thesis. I am well enough now to visit my sister who is town from Boston this week - something that I could not do in a real way a few months ago. I am well enough to read and write again. I have recovered the core of my existence. Everything has... …
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Social media is an industry that not only weathers economic recession but flourishes under such conditions. Indeed, The Economist argues: The downturn will also accelerate the use of social media, such as blogs and social-networking sites, by consumers looking for intelligence on firms and their products. As trust in brands is eroded, people will place more value on recommendations from friends. Social media make it harder for brands to pull the wool over consumers’ eyes, but they also offer canny companies a powerful new channel through which to promote their wares and test new products and …
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Social media is an industry that not only weathers economic recession but flourishes under such conditions. Indeed, The Economist argues: The downturn will also accelerate the use of social media, such as blogs and social-networking sites, by consumers looking for intelligence on firms and their products. As trust in brands is eroded, people will place more value on recommendations from friends. Social media make it harder for brands to pull the wool over consumers’ eyes, but they also offer canny companies a powerful new channel through which to promote their wares and test new products and …
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In an excellent article titled 'Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream,' Joshua Saunders and Diana Barnes-Brown analyze the enlightenment industry and a new genre of literature -- "priv-lit"-- which the authors define as: "literature or media whose expressed goal is one of spiritual, existential, or philosophical enlightenment contingent upon women’s hard work, commitment, and patience, but whose actual barriers to entry are primarily financial. Should its consumers fail, the genre holds them accountable for not being ready to get serious, not “wanting it” …
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The BP BirthPlace Forest program plants a forest each year to represent Calgary’s newborns. Tomorrow, the City of Calgary celebrates the opening of the ninth BP (yep, BP Oil) 'Birthplace Forest' in Calgary. The invitation reads: "Thank you for supporting Calgary’s BP BirthPlace Forest and for teaching your children about the importance of taking care of the environment through this living legacy." This is grotesque "greenwashing." I hardly think Calgarians need a company like BP to mentor them in educating their children about environmental responsibility. The City of Calgary needs to …
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CitID describes itself as follows: "CitID is ambitious project aiming to gain global consciousness by giving a (type)face to every city worldwide; big or small, rich or poor, famous or infamous, well-known or unheard-of. Ever heard of Tegucicalpa? How about Sandnes or Brunswick? Probably not. Right now they're just hard-to-pronounce foreign words that you will not remember. The fact is, they are all cities somewhere on our planet. Places you're most likely never to visit. Through this project you will become aware of them, and maybe even remember their names; Here you get to meet them …
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With the Calgary 2010 Municipal Election fast approaching, I think it's worthwhile to develop a context in which to consider the issues and the candidates. In 'Municipal Malaise: Neoliberal Urbanism and the Future of Our Cities,' Fanelli and Paulson discuss neoliberal restructuring of Canadian cities: The 2008 Annual Report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, written when the Federal government was pulling in nearly $14-billion in budget surpluses, paints a grim picture of the coming collapse of Canada's municipal infrastructure. The report found that Canada has used up 79 per cent …
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Meet Holly Norris - a Canadian artist, undergraduate student at Trent University and creator of 'American Able.' Meet Jess Sachse - a Canadian artist and model who has a genetic disorder called Freeman-Sheldon syndrome. In her series 'American Able,' Norris challenges the claim that American Apparel uses regular women in their ads. She writes, 'American Able' intends to, through spoof, reveal the ways in which women with disabilities are invisibilized in advertising and mass media. I chose American Apparel not just for their notable style, but also for their claims that many of their models …
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EAVB_UOTGGTYJUH …
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When the Brazilian wax trend swept North America, I played the game. I thank God that I am too old for the latest packaging trend: Vajazzling. Although, admittedly, there does not seem to be a cultural age limit on "looking fine on the vagine." A website for "what moms are talking about" - MomLogic - describes the process of going "bare with flair." The process is simple: First, you're vigorously waxed down there. Then, Swarovski crystals (or your own jewels) are placed on your nether-regions, in an artful design of your choice. The whole process (including waxing) costs $115 and... …
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The new Flamer Movement growing in America is informed by the simple philosophy: People should die if the can't afford fire care, and they should go broke if their house burns down. Let the free market decide. Their Facebook group - 1 Million Strong Against Our Socialist Fire Departments -proclaims: For too long now, fire departments across the United States have been SOCIALIST organizations, resulting in TAXES on the American people. FACT: Most Americans never use the socialized services of the fire department. We have the best fire departments in the world in the US, but that doesn't mean …
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Oh God, I've had a rotten few weeks. I have had waaaay too many encounters with stupid, rude and hurtful people. I wish I was a passive aggressive person, but I cope by turning to overt aggression or, alternatively, I repress my emotions and withdraw from people...and the world, as much is possible. I find some catharsis in a newly discovered website: Passive Aggressive Notes. In Easter spirit, I'll begin with this note left on woman's windshield, in response to a bumper sticker on her car that reads: “What Would Buddha Do?” This next note - posted on an office... …
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Oh God, I've had a rotten few weeks. I have had waaaay too many encounters with stupid, rude and hurtful people. I wish I was a passive aggressive person, but I cope by turning to overt aggression or, alternatively, I repress my emotions and withdraw from people...and the world, as much is possible. I find some catharsis in a newly discovered website: Passive Aggressive Notes. In Easter spirit, I'll begin with this note left on woman's windshield, in response to a bumper sticker on her car that reads: “What Would Buddha Do?” This next note - posted on an office... …
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I am feeling really sick of politics this week. Fuck debating the anthem; I agree that it was a smokescreen to distract from the bigger issues raised by the budget, including sustained (increased?) military spending. Don't even get me started on Reboot Alberta...I mean Renew Alberta...err...The Alberta Party? Actually, I will include one of my favourite comments on the issue which comes courtesy of Matt Grant in response to a blog entry at Daveberta. Oh how the post-partisan rhetoric is so much different from the usual lambast-your-opponents fare: “Fortunately for you, there is a party (in …
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68.147.44.155, I don't know if you're some loser that I dated or fall into the category of losers who have used my blog as a means to try and date me...either way, you are a loser. You can stop blog stalking me or deal with the police. Do these times look familiar? Sun Feb 14 6:10:15 PM 29s end of visit, 1 pageview(s) Sun Feb 14 6:10:15 PM exit link www.twitter.com Sun Feb 14 6:09:46 PM 29s Marginal Notes Sat Feb 13 2:23:57 PM s.e. end of visit, 1 pageview(s) Sat Feb 13 2:23:57 PM n.a. Marginal Notes Fri Feb... …
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I have chosen to write this blog entry after failed attempts to get the mainstream media in Calgary to follow up on Andre Picard's article on pelvic exams that are reportedly performed on women under anesthesia in spite of a lack of explicit consent. In October of 2009, I had exploratory surgery during which several large growths of endometriosis were found on my uterosacral ligaments and, subsequently, removed through cauterization. I first experienced the intense pain of endometriosis in September of 2007; it seized my body for a couple of weeks and then disappeared overnight. An ultrasound …
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I was recently introduced to the DoGooder browser plug-in which replaces generic advertising on the Internet with campaigns related to green initiatives and social causes. DoGood Headquarters then donates 50% of the profits earned from said campaigns to environmental movements, charitable foundations and non-profit organizations. Faisal Sethi, Head DoGooder and Co-Founder of DoGood Headquarters, claims that "The DoGooder encourages people to transition from social and consumer pacifists to social and consumer activists. Not only can individuals support good causes on a daily basis with zero …
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Watching the news coverage of the current situation in Haiti is overwhelming. I feel very helpless, as I'm sure many do, and yet I take the seemingly insufficient step of donating online. When I consider the historical and current oppression of this region, I shut off emotionally because I know I am implicated in the tragedy...The only place to begin is with the seemingly insufficient steps of further educating myself and speaking out in the spirit of solidarity. So, I begin... In his article Haiti, "Classquakes," and American Empire, Paul Stree writes that geographer Kenneth Hewitt coined the …
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Like so many of us, one of my friends in my Facebook network recently made a comment against Harper's proroguing of the Parliament. I noticed some comments in response to this which I read through quickly. So, Mr. X writes: "It's the 104th time it has been prorogued in not even 150 years in Canada. Why is this time such a travesty compared to the others?" And, later: "I can say that I work with these folks, and I can tell you that I have never seen a policy, or problem with the gays, who are well represented in the... …
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In an article written in 1969, Willis argues, "For women, buying and wearing clothes and beauty aids is not so much consumption as work. One of a woman’s jobs in this society is to be an attractive sexual object, and clothes and make up are tools of the trade. Similarly, buying food and household furnishings is a domestic task; it is the wife’s chore to pick out the commodities that will be consumed by the whole family." In the past 40 years, women have become even more of a coveted market. We ourselves have become commodified; it is through these... …
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Do I need to write an actual Dear Jon Letter for you to get the point? You decide if this is sufficient warning or if you need it to be...formalized. Seriously, 68.147.XX.XXX, please confirm if this is your identity. I will be back to writing soon and I don't want to deal with this shit. Sayonara …
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As a graduate student at the University of Calgary, it pains me that the Graduate Students' Association has chosen NOT to send a single member of the Executive to this year's Canadian Federation of Students' Annual General Meeting. Instead, they have chosen to send two NON-ELECTED students who head up a campaign of disinformation against the CFS with the ultimate goal of seeking to de-federate. The graduate students of the University of Calgary do not have representatives but rather are faced with an oligarchy, including David Colletto - a former president who actually chose not to vote …
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Do I need to write an actual Dear Jon Letter for you to get the point? You decide if this is sufficient warning or if you need it to be...formalized. Sayonara. …
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I am another disillusioned NDPer... When will the party leadership consider that the best defense may be a good offense? I fear that Laxer's prophecy for the federal NDP will manifest in next election: The move this week to vote confidence in the government was wrong-headed. The NDP has abandoned the high ground to the Liberals on the central question of who is leading the fight against the Harper government. From now on, the Liberals will vote against the government at every turn in parliament, and the NDP will have to prop up the Conservatives until the changes to EI... …
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Once again, I am trapped in an ill-functioning body...essentially trapped in my home as I consume Percocet and Morphine while on the emergency outpatient waitlist for an MRI. How long is the "emergency" outpatient wait? A mere two months. Enough time for me to go crazy with pain; to develop an addition to morphine; to lose out on work and school. The so-called "free market" is not good for the overall economies of regions, but for lining the pockets of an elite few. Indeed, the National Post of all sources reports that the economic cost of waiting for health care... …
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It has been a time of endings and beginnings for me. A long battle with months of infections came to an end and now I begin a new battle as my muscles resist a rude awakening as I return to regular mobility. A relationship ended and now I go forward refusing to fear that I am unlovable because I have a chronic illness. I have also parted ways with a political organization as I grow more confident in my own convictions and seek a politics of authenticity that begins with relationships in my own community. Finally, as someone who was... …
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This issue has raised controversy on my Facebook page, so I thought I'd bring it to the blog. As reported by the Edmonton Sun, Canada's two major airlines are now allowing pets in the cabins of planes which likely will eliminate air travel as an option for people with severe allergies and other health issues: Karen Petcoff doesn't want to think about being on the same airplane as a cat. The Scarborough, Ont., mom, whose 16-year-old daughter Gillian also suffers from asthma, is looking at booking a trip to Vancouver this summer but her asthma and severe allergy to felines... …
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