Monday, February 28, 2011

Beware.

source

Riverdale

Oh man, if only this were not a spoof! I read so many damn Archie comics when I was a kid -- there were hundreds of them at our cottage, left-over from when my mum was wee -- that everything I know about men I learned from those crazy kids. So, obviously this video made my day, which I needed because I'm headed back to school today after a lovely week-long break.

Not sure whether my favourite part is Mr Lodge's voice or the dead-dog at the end or all of it. I do wish that they'd had Archie drive his old jalopy, though...

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Oscars

Hey-o everyone. Rebekah and I will be crackin' wise and live-blogging the Oscars over at the amazing Little Red Umbrella tonight. Should be entertaining if only because we've never live-blogged before...

Sunday Songs: Best Original Song Predictions From A Complete Amateur


1."I See The Light" by Alan Menken, for Tangled
I really really love this song. It reminds me of all those gorgeous 90s Disney ballads I grew up with, but sounds fresh and modern, too. It's pretty. Based merely on the fact that it's the only song nominated that I feel like listening to more than once, I think this has a good chance of winning.


2. "We Belong Together" by Randy Newman, for Toy Story 3
Okay, I totally take that back. I could listen to this one over and over, too. It's so upbeat! And catchy! And yeah, Randy Newman's pretty freakin' awesome, too. The critics all seem to think he'll get it this time. And he really deserves a win. I'm kinda split, but still leaning towards "I See The Light".


3. "If I Rise" Dido and A.R Rahman, for 127 Hours
Hmmm, this is a tough one. I like it? But, I don't love it. It's definitely beautiful, the orchestration is lovely, but does it stir anything in me emotionally? I doubt it. It's a fine song, but it just doesn't grab me the way the Menken and Newman songs do.

4. "Coming Home" for Country Strong
Uh, No. I think my ears are bleeding.

What are your predictions? Any ideas on Best Score? I'm stumped. NPR makes an excellent case for How To Train Your Dragon, and I tend to agree that it's the score that should win. But I spent most of my teen years playing "The Downward Spiral" on repeat, so the 14 year old fangirl in me is hoping to see Trent Reznor win for The Social Network tonight. A.R Rahman did a fine job on 127 Hours, and Hans Zimmer's score for Inception made quite the impact on the YouTube crowd, but The King's Speech seems to be the safe pick in every category in which it was nominated. Any thoughts?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Judge Dewar's Rape Apology by Alex Snider

I've tried starting out this post ten times but I am just so enraged and saddened that I don't even know where to begin. Everyday, there are stories about rape survivors and the evisceration of their accounts by the media -- whether they were alone, dressed inappropriately, too pretty, drunk, in a dangerous neighbourhood or country or even if they are accusing someone that people don't want to think of as a rapist.

Friday, February 18, 2011

And, Now For Something Completely Different

I sometimes worry that everything I write is wrought with emotion and intense and overall pretty bleak but, shit yo, isn't that just the way of the world. Bad things happen and, because I have a soul, I feel compelled to use my *tiny* soapbox to draw attention to those bad things in an attempt to maybe contribute to stopping future bad things from happening.

But, you know what? Today, I want to just post about my super lovely day. I woke up, had coffee while sitting in my beautiful new living room, reading in the sunshine. I walked to school, enjoying the beautiful, spring-like day for my favourite class and learned a little bit more about the genius of my favourite author. After class, Rebekah and I had a long Skype date with our darling friends in Edinburgh -- banter and hilarity ensued. Then we went out for groceries, came home and made some curry, ate the curry washed down with our favourite brew and talked about music and how glad we are to have each other. And now, we're cuddled up in our pajamas, watching our favourite not-guilty pleasure but not-quite-willing-to-name television show on the computer.

Tomorrow, we will worry about Bev Oda and the CRTC and the Toronto Police and the cluster-fuck American congress dropping funding for Planned Parenthood and the brother Ford and rape-apology and Dan Savage's fat-phobia and brutal attacks on Bahrain protesters and the almost 200 executions that have happened in Iran over the past three months and all the other completely fucked up shit that's making the news and all the completely fucked up shit that isn't making the news. But, right now we are so warm and cozy and our bellies are full and we can call our day-bed, Day-Bed in a sing-songy voice like the Day-Man song from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and we are happy.


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Say "No" to Rape Apologists Posted by Rebekah Hakkenberg

If the recent reckless statements made by a Toronto Police Officer at 31 Division has you just as upset as we are, then please consider taking the time to send a letter or an email to the following people, demanding more than just a slap on the wrist for the officer in question. Feel free to copy and paste!

This letter should be addressed to

Constable Wendy Drummond, Toronto Police Service spokesperson
wendy.drummond@torontopolice.on.ca

Director of Communications, Toronto Police Service
mark.pugash@torontopolice.on.ca

Chief of Police, Toronto Police Service
william.blair@torontopolice.on.ca

Office of the independent Police Review Unit
OIPRD@ontario.ca


professionalstandards@torontopolice.on.ca

Mario Sergio, MPP York West,
PA to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
msergio.mpp@liberal.ola.org

Fiona Crean, Toronto Ombudsman
ombuds@toronto.ca


Every 17 minutes, a woman in Canada is raped.  This letter is meant to address the conduct of a Toronto police officer from 31 Division during a talk at Osgoode Hall on January 24, 2011.  

We are extremely concerned that a public officer and community protector could make such abhorrent remarks suggesting sexual assault victims were responsible for dressing like “sluts.”  The remarkable public response is indicative that the public, too, find the officer’s behaviour disgusting.  As an ambassador of the Toronto Police Service, his words have discredited the oath he took:
  • To act with honesty and integrity
  • To treat people with respect
  • Not to abuse the extraordinary powers and authority police officers are granted
  • To act in a manner that does not discredit or undermine public confidence in the police service.

These statements made to a selective audience of students and staff at York University have now become of major public concern, given the officer’s publicly-funded position.

Toronto Police Service has indicated the officer will be issuing a written statement of apology to the students and staff of Osgoode Law School and will be “disciplined.”  Misogyny has no place on a police force, especially given that almost 1 in 4 women in Toronto will be the victim of sexual assault in her lifetime.  Public servants, especially those in positions of power, must be held to a higher standard of conduct and must be held accountable.

We wish to request instead that the Toronto Police Service ask for the officer’s immediate resignation.   The public has lost confidence that this officer can adequately advocate for or act to protect victims of sexual assault.  

Sincerely,




A Rape Scandal to Call One's Own by Alex Snider

Hurray for you Toronto Metropolitan Police! You have brought us rape-hating Canadian ladies something to see red over in our own country! South Dakota, you're gonna have to wait; you too, Lara Logan.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Our Brand New Digs: "The View From Up Here" Edition

Just a few pictures I took from our windows this week. Despite living in a big city, it feels positively peaceful up in here. There is a stillness that's hard to explain. Even with streetcars passing by and the lights of Honest Ed's flashing (they turn off at 11:00 pm on the dot, for those of you who are wondering), I sometimes feel like I'm at a little cottage somewhere up north, not at a bustling intersection downtown.


More after the jump.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Some Things to Learn from Egypt by Alex Snider

Stephen Harper, seconds before biting off the head of that innocent kitten
I find it absolutely heartening and inspiring to watch major protests in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Albania, Zimbabwe and Iran (and many, many, many others); countries in which protesters who challenge the status quo run the risk of jail, bodily harm, death unto themselves and their families, yet there they are: standing up for what they believe in, fighting for their right to have a say in their lives, countries and futures. (more after the jump)

The Truth

Our Brand New Digs: The Before Edition

We did it! Rebekah and I found a new apartment that met *almost* all of our must haves: lots of light, great location, claw-foot tub, wood floors, lots of beautiful details like glass doorknobs, rad-covers and an amazing built in kitchen pantry, big kitchen and, most importantly, a place where we have pretty much free run -- pets and painting, here we come! There is also a really good vibe (despite the lock on the OUTSIDE of one of the rooms -- there is nothing good about that).

The one item on our wish list we don't have is outdoor space but we do have a brand new gas stove. That's what parks are for anyway!

Here are our before pictures (after the jump):

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sunday Songs - Sunday Morning Come Down

So technically, I'm not actually hungover anymore, that was for Saturday. But today, I have the dreaded hangover hangover, where the rolling nausea is replaced with ravenous hunger, and I still haven't regained my strength enough to go foraging for food. And so I stay under the covers and play Johnny Cash, waiting for my imaginary saviour to bring me breakfast in bed.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Act Now!

The conservatives are at it again; this time trying to pave the way for Fox News North (Sun TV) to spew it's sure to be racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic hate speech and spread some fear Canada-style. The CRTC has been under pressure from some shadowy government committee to change the standards in Canadian broadcasting making it easier to willingly spread false information; right now, there is a ban on broadcasting "false of misleading" news. Basically, we are this close, Canada, to bidding adieu to journalistic integrity (not that all journalists come pre-programmed with integrity -- I'm looking at you, Blatchford). But, there is something that you, the Canadian lover of fact-based news, can do! Just fill out this short form here! It's so easy! I'm studying for an exam and I got er' done in about five minutes!

It closes tomorrow (Wednesday) night so go do it now. For real. We do not want to go down the path of no return, look at the US and their quagmire of 'journalism'.

For more information check out the CRTC's announcement of consultation here, this article in The Globe and Mail and this article in The (Toronto) Star.