people are nice. really nice.

so we wrote about how the toronto women's bookstore is in a seriously shitty situation--they might have to close!

so everyone should shop there and donate money to them, to save them---that was the general idea of the post.

two amazing people have donated items to auction off and the proceeds will go to the toronto women's bookstore.

the items are in this event:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=224659239047&index=1

the first item is a painting, donated by maria sergio: "roughly 45" x 21" oil on reclaimed table leaf (wood). would do well as a table again if covered with glass, or could be mounted to the wall with some brackets"







the second item for auction is a coffee package donated by java mama which includes:

2 lattes and 2 treats
2 1/2 pound bags of custom roasted coffee-your choice
1/2 pound of espresso colombian fair trade


java mama is located at1075 bathurst(at dupont) and has their own facebook group HERE.
they roast beans daily on site, sell fair trade coffee in bulk, sell baking supplies/collectibles/crafts, and rent their space for community functions.

or you can just donate directly to the TWB here:

https://www.paypal.com/ca/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=0aHVyqxneri7Ti_fLZGZglWF56OAsedruOHvudqh3ZLCJSepyzGQvrjdori&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1ffc45dc241d84e953ae3a912d7415d1a97451b677930c8a71

save the toronto women's bookstore.... or else.

there are a lot of really special things about the city of toronto.

there are a lot of parks, it's a relatively safe city, it has a lot of good places to eat and drink, it has roasted marshmallow ice cream at greg's, some good schools, and overall it's not the worst city to live in for awhile.

but there is one feature of the city that is genuinely 'toronto' and genuinely awesome: the toronto women's bookstore.

located at harbord and spadina and founded in 1973, the TWB is one of the largest not for profit feminist and humanistic bookstores in canada

the TWB was opened to provide a space for women but also a space where people could find books written by women and about women's issues.

a lot has changed since 1973 and as feminism changed so did the TWB. you don't just find books by "women" at the TWB, you find books and resources by and for all people.

the TWB actively promotes anti-oppression and feminist politics and their mission statement is "to provide books by women writers, especially marginalized women, including women of colour, First Nations women, lesbians, other queer women, working class women, disabled women, Jewish women, and other groups of women."

unfortunately, the TWB is in serious risk of closure. over the past two years they just haven't been able to make enough sales to sustain the store

partly to blame: the recession. being any business is hard in a time of recession, but being an independent bookstore with an actively political mission is even harder.

more than the recession, the indigo-ization of book-buying has hurt not just the TWB, but most indie book stores.

in fact, the big mega store trend has hurt pretty much every indie retailer, from music to clothing.

usually you can get things cheaper through a big chain, but what you sacrifice in doing so are your politics in a lot of cases.

sure, you can probably get that copy of the communist manifesto at chapters-indigo, but you won't find any books criticizing zionism. they might carry feminist books, but they're union-busting/labour law breaking ways of operating are anything but feminist.

i, for one, don't want to shop at a bookstore that carries The Game in the women's studies section(dear chapters-indigo, we hate you.)

eff and i are both students--women's studies students. the TWB is conveniently located near the university of toronto AND oise. when i first moved to toronto to start my MA the bookstore was one of my favorite places to kill time between classes. not only was it convenient, but the TWB carried the course material for my classes, which gave me a reason to go there and also exposed me to events, resources, and a community.

the TWB is a crucial link between community activism/politics and academia.

as robyn bourgeois, member of the board, wrote to us today about her own experience at the TWB:

"The Toronto Women's Bookstore is important to me because it is my home away from home. I came to this city in 2004, and the TWB was one of the first places I connected with because, not only could I get my reading materials, there was a strong sense of inclusive community, political activism, and a general commitment to make the world a better place. As an educator, I believe it is INTEGRAL that academia bridges itself with community - makes knowledge accessible to everyone - and TWB makes this happen. It's one place where you'll find academics, activists, frontline workers, and "regular" people working together to make this world a better place."

the TWB is more than just a toronto landmark. it's one place that hasn't given up on politics and isn't afraid to identify with a radical mission. it's a living, breathing reminder of why bookstores and books are the first targets of fascist governments: because books, and people who read books, have the ability to spark revolutions and change lives.

so, we obviously need to save the TWB.

here are five things we can do:

1. Spread the word - let people know about the TWB situation and how they can help

2. Volunteer with TWB - "volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization" and they always need help.

3. Go to a fundraiser. Swagger is donating $1 from each ticket sold to the TWB. Event is on facebook: here.

4. Donate!! You can make an online donation HERE through pay pal.

5. Use christmas/holidays as an excuse to shop at the TWB. we all spend way too much money this time of year, might as well spend it saving a bookstore.

so do all of these things. NOW.

dear nobel peace prize concert: get that dude who sings about lynching to perform!

this morning on the huffington post there's an article called "toby keith racist?"

the country singer was in norway for the peace prize concert and while dancing along to will smith's version of "rapper's delight" he pulled his eyes back when will smith said "yellow."

the asian american justice center is pissed, and released a statement saying "Toby Keith embarrassed himself and his country, denigrated the Nobel Peace Prize and offended Asians and Asian Americans by using a crude, racist hand gesture."

um, i completely agree. but here's my question: is anyone surprised?

it actually makes me feel sick to my stomache that toby keith was even allowed to perform at the peace prize concert.
remember his song about 9/11?

"Now this nation that I love is fallin' under attack. A mighty sucker-punch came flying in from somewhere in the back. Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye, Man, we lit up your world like the fourth of July."

america certainly did light up people's world like the fourth of july when they used 9/11 as validation for waging an illegal war that killed countless civilians--all the while lining the pockets of their contractor friends.

or that other song, 'whiskey for my men, beer for my horses?'

"Grandpappy told my pappy, back in my day, son A man had to answer for the wicked that he done Take all the rope in Texas Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys Hang them high in the street for all the people to see"

right, because "back in the day" in texas, it was alright to LYNCH people. the whole point of the song is that drunken vigilante justice is the only true justice but honestly, if people think him pulling his eyes back in a crude representation of "asian eyes" is offensive then maybe they should consider the history of lynching in america and how it's so NOT peace prize concert material.

enjoy your cursed bike, thief!!!!!

yesterday i was just sitting around, minding my own business, when some asshole walked into my backyard and rode away with my bike.

i actually saw this person ride away. i thought that it was my neighbour riding her bike through the yard until i realized "hey, my neighbour is a lady" and also "hey, that's MY bike."

the bike thief also got away with my lock, which was conveniently wrapped around the frame of the bike, and a rear light.

the jerk was wearing one of those ski coats from the nineties in neon blue and purple and also wearing some kind of white hat.

i gave chase but bikes are faster than legs and the bike thief got away.

so, if you happen to be wandering around the city of toronto and you see a blue and white simpsons-sears 3 speed cruiser(like the one in the picture below), with a black bike guard lock wrapped under the seat, it might be mine.

the bike also has a blue and white spring seat, not a black one like the one in the picture. the lady who i purchased the bike from gave me the nicer, vintage seat to replace the ugly black one in the picture.

last time i used the bike it was raining, so it might still have a lovely green shopping bag wrapped around the seat.

i'm sure i'll never see it again, but who knows.

also, the person who stole it should probably know that it's cursed. the first night i rode it i was hit by a car which leads me to believe that they will most certainly be hit by a car as well. they should probably return my bike before that happens.

oh, that's nice.

this is why i don't like obama. everyone is always like, obama is so awesome, he's going to change everything, he's so progressive.

yes, he's done some progressive things. SOME. but he hasn't done enough to warrant the mindless fawning over him that people engage in.

today the supreme court rejected an appeal filed by four men who were detained at the guantanamo bay. the supreme court was in step with the obama administration, who opposed the appeal as well.

the four men-- shafiq rasul, asif iqbal, rhuhel ahmed, and jamal al-harith-- claim they were tortured and denied religious rights.

the four were held at guantanamo from 2002-2004 and released with no charges laid.

according to the men rasul, iqbal, and ahmed were travelling from afghanistan from pakistan to do humanitarian relief work at 9/11 while al-hadith was in pakistan for a religious retreat.

the three men were captured by a uzbek war lord and then given over to the u.s. in afghanistan while al-harith was captured by the taliban in pakistan and accused of being a british spy, he was then placed in u.s. custody after the taliban fell.

al-hadith was actually told he could go home after the taliban fell but american forces decided to keep him.

he writes in his statement that after arriving at guantanamo he was "kicked, slapped, elbowed and punched" and told repeateledly "you are no property of the united states marine corps."

he also writes that when the afghans told him he would be moved into the custody of the americans he was relieved--americans were britain's ally and he knew had done nothing wrong.

but no, instead the american military was given full license to do whatever they wanted to prisoners. they took full advantage of the power they were given.

from 2002-2004 they were not only held without charges but claim they were beaten, shackled in painful positions, and threatened by dogs.

they were harassed for practicing their religion, forced to shave their beards, had their prayers banned or interrupted, denied copies of the quran/prayer mats, and had copies of the quran defiled in front of them.

the obama administration opposes high court review of their case

The Obama administration opposed high court review of the case, which is really just a defense of the bush administration officials who were responsible for the imprisonment of individuals for no reason.

these men lost years of their lives, were subjected to inhumane and indefensible treatment, but hey i guess as long as a bunch of rich white house adminsitrators and contractors get to live free of responsibility or consequence then obama should be able to sleep at night.

why did obama promise to close guantanamo bay if he wasn't actually interested in making sure that the people that were detained there received some semblence of justice?

maybe obama should close guantanamo but re-open it as a swanky resort where the people who orchestrated the horrendous torture and illegal detainment can spend the rest of their days in complete comfort, guilt-free of course.

you can watch a short documentary about the men, and others, who were detained at G. B here.

i mean, these men were only subjected to something that most of us couldn't even imagine, for no reason, but who cares? clearly obama doesn't.

"the front of your cat is a veritable treasure chest of fun"

3:12 of pure joy... "like the touch of a fairy.."

"the internet? isn't that for technogeeks with spreadsheets?"

moms of the world realized, many years ago, that the internet was a useful tool.

they could do their children's research reports faster, diet more easily, do their sister's jobs for them conveniently, and also have a kentucky legolas deliver flowers directly to their door.

i have decided that this video should be mandatory for all moms who decide to use the internet.

specifically, the direction on not using all capital letters.

"what an attractive woman, but she looks like a bitch!"

so, stand in the subway writhing and caressing your own body to signal to men that you looking for love. because god knows you've got nothing left to lose at this point.

the funniest protest sign of 2009? yeah it is!

so whoever compiled the top viral videos of 2009 on the huff post is kind of an idiot for including soulja boy, but whoever is moderating the funniest protest signs of 2009 is a genius.

we submitted a photo from the LOL/JK protest(which you can read about, all over again, HERE) and it was accepted!

that means that you can go to the slideshow and vote on the picture, making it the funniest protest sign of 2009.

why is this important? because 2009 was the year of rolling back gay rights in canada and the U.S.

unconfronted homophobia, however, isn't what 2009 was all about and it's important to showcase how creative and awesome the queer community is.

way better than the homophobes, that's for sure. and also way hotter than the homophobes.

so go vote, because pointing out how stupid anti-gay "activists" are is probably the most important thing you'll do on a saturday anyways.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/21/the-funniest-protest-sign_n_292342.html?slidenumber=VqO%2BckU%2FTmk%3D

who compiled this list???

there are "best of 2009" lists all over the place right now and i just checked out the "top 10 viral videos of 2009" on the huffington post.

whoever did this research was obviously doing crack because number 4 on the list is "crank dat(soulja boy)" by soulja boy...

ummm... that video came out in 2007....

like you don't just get to pick videos and say they went viral this year, viral means something--numbers!

higher standards, huffpost, higher standards.

"it's great to send a letter-but it's more effective to send a hanger"

so of course the united states health reform had to come with the crazy anti-choice stupak-pitts amendment, those anti-abortion folks are always trying to stick their agenda in wherever they can.

the scary part about this amendment was that it seemed as though people were going to take it laying down. a kind of "well, to pass health care we have to pass this"-- the lesser of two evils thing.

but it looks like that isn't the case. on wednesday the city of berkeley mailed coat hangers to 20 members of congress.

the city. not just a group of activists, the actual city council debated and voted to protest the amendment.

the hanger is a symbol of what happens when abortion is made illegal: back-alley abortions and women trying to give themselves abortions by whatever means possible.

council member kriss worthington said that the hanger was sent with a letter that reads:

"The City of Berkeley is sending you this coat hanger as a symbol of the horrible pain and suffering endured by women as a result of years of anti-choice policies imposed by our government. ... We strongly support health care reform but it is unconscionable that this should come at the expense of a woman’s reproductive rights."

amazing!

council member susan wengraf co sponsored the measure and said that initially she thought it was too extreme but came to realize that she didn't want her granddaughter to have to go through what her grandmothers had to.

people who are anti-abortion don't really get the reality of the situation. making abortion illegal doesn't stop abortion. it increases dangerous illegal abortions, often performed by unqualified practitioners or even women themselves.

even if it's illegal, women will seek out abortion. you will never stop it.

think of canada. the criminalization of abortion, contraception, and homosexuality wasn't reversed until the 60's. our mothers and grandmothers couldn't legally access these things. i'm sure many of us have heard horror stories from the women in our lives who understand why rights to abortion and contraception shouldn't be taken for granted.

so sending hangers might be a little extreme to some, but if it helps prevent the most extreme outcome possible-- major restrictions on a woman's right to choose--then it'll be worth it.

"facebook you're the one, you make spying so much fun!"

well this is just embarrassing.

the latest news in the denis rancourt saga is the uncovering of some extremely seedy student involvement.

in other words, spies!!!

in these blogs (here) we wrote about the involvement of maureen robinson, a student who was being paid by the university legal counsel to spy on professor rancourt.
(anyone who knows anything about universities and their legal counsel isn't going to be surprised here. consider how much york university recently spent on "top notch" legal counsel will mcdowell in their battle against professor david noble--a figure that the university refuses to disclose.)

what we didn't realize then was the lengths to which ms. robinson was going to get her "information" on dr. rancourt.

according to ottawa independent media ms. robinson engaged in the following methods for her "job":

• she recorded(covertly) conversations of others. she created a FAKE facebook identity(Nathalie Page) to covertly join activist student events and discussion groups.
• she used this fake account to make enquiries about protest events.
• she created a fake gmail account(based on her fake facebook account) to make enquiries.
• made false pretence enquiries to outside editors of blogs and outside conference organizers.
• sent approximately 100 emails back and forth between herself and university legal counsel.

so first of all, facebook has a policy about making fake accounts in its facebook statement of rights and responsibilities. in fact, they have policies about a lot of the shit this student did.

(from the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities)

"3. Safety
We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it. We need your help to do that, which includes the following commitments:
10. You will not use Facebook to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory. "

AND

"4. Registration and Account Security
Facebook users provide their real names and information, and we need your help to keep it that way. Here are some commitments you make to us relating to registering and maintaining the security of your account:

1. You will not provide any false personal information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission. "

toss in that maureen robinson is a student journalist and you have one sick and twisted plot against a professor.

it's too bad that ms. robinson didn't decide to put her reporting skills to good use. instead, she will forever go down in university politics history as a mole, a snitch, as an affront to the institution of student journalism, used as a pawn by a university that clearly doesn't give a shit what happens to her.

it's sad kind of, to think of what universities have done to students. but who knows, maybe ms. robinson's major aspiration in life was to become a spy.. in which case, she should reconsider because she really isn't very good at it.

more here: "between a rock and a... well, you know." yayacanada
full text of professor rancourt's grievance: http://rancourt.academicfreedom.ca/Data/Documents/grievances/G-25-grievance-covert-surveillance-Nov-22-2009.pdf

courage fail

this is my favorite fail blog ever, i've probably watched it ten thousand times in a row. for reals.

fired?? they should both get a promotion!

today i read a story in the new york daily about two high school teachers being suspended after they got caught getting it on in a classroom.

two LADY teachers!

hot.

apparently the two teachers had a little spare time while their students were at an assembly or something, so they got naked and did what teachers do.

the only problem was that the janitor was prowling around and busted them, then TOLD on them.

i bet you one million dollars the janitor only told on them after they told the janitor that he couldn't join them.

honestly, i don't see what the big deal is.
they weren't doing it with students and i'm sure this is every high schooler's fantasy, so the school should just let it go.

i think as a protest against rolling back gay-friendly curriculum in schools and the worsening hostility against queer educators all teachers should just start getting it on like this. like, if they can't get married in the states, can't teach inclusive sex ed, have to hide their sexuality, etc.. they might as well have fun at the taxpayer's expense right?

i hope one of these dudes wasn't your dad.

eleven people were arrested in a downtown health spa in toronto on wednesday.

apparently the owner is facing charges for keeping a bawdy house and the employees are being charged for working in a bawdy house.


so the employees and the owner are being charged, i guess they didn't find any customers in there procuring the services a bawdy house has to offer, because if they had they would have arrested them too right??

wrong. according to the toronto to star, when the officers entered the spa they found "four embarassed, contrite, and sheepish middle-aged men."

sheepish and contrite because they were clearly getting some kind of rub and tug deal. that's not legal right? being a john? right?

apparently it is, because the men aren't facing any charges and instead they will act as witnesses in court.

so it's only illegal to provide sexual services but not to pay for them?? i'm pretty sure that's not right. i can't believe that these guys get to testify in court against the people who probably handled their balls!! oh i'm sorry, i think it's actually called "exotic massage."

wrong on so many levels.

dear toronto police: don't criminalize people who are doing their jobs if you aren't also going to criminalize the fuckers who are on the receiving end.

maybe they haven't ever heard of supply and demand?

holy shit, cute overload!!

this kid is actually more entertaining than anybody, ever. he doesn't even need to sing the actual words to the songs because he's that good.

he's also clearly having the best time ever. someone give him ten million dollars please.

in memory...

of the fourteen women murdered in montreal, twenty years ago today, for nothing more than being women in an engineering class.

you might not want anyone to catch you watching this...

this is for a certain someone who loves vanilla ice cream.....

if this is true, heaven really sucks.

cardinal javier lozano barragan, a leading roman catholic cardinal, said on wednesday that "homosexuals and transsexuals will never enter the kindgdom of heaven" because they are an "insult to god."

apparently saint paul says this in the bible. except that in the bible the term homosexual and transsexual isn't ever used, so i guess it's just an interpretation of what saint paul said. modernized version, if you will.

he went on to say that people aren't born gay but become so for different reasons like "education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence." Also, while it might not "be their fault" they are still "acting against nature and the dignity of the human body" which is an insult to god.

he also said that while the church hates homos, this doesn't justify "discrimination" against gay and trans people.

right, because when one of the leading figures of your faith says something hateful you can just ignore it and treat everyone equally.

this is what i hate about the roman catholic church, or any organized religion really. they say these horrible things about sexual orientation, sexuality, birth control, women, whatever and then they backpedal and say "wait wait.. that's what GOD says-- we're not judging."

so they plant the seeds of hatred and bigotry into their follower's brains and hearts and abdicate any responsibility for the consequences.

i'm sure there are some catholics who feel that homosexuality is a sin but don't actively discriminate, but i just don't think it's fair for the church to do shit like this when they very well know that people are crazy and have been known to kill people who "sin against god."

maybe be more responsible, crazy cardinal, because whether or not they like to admit it people who espouse hatred always have blood on their hands.

plus, if heaven is going to be filled with gross old dudes like this one, i'd rather be in the awesomer place where they banish the "homosexuals and transsexuals."

dear scummy landlords: do your jobs, or else.

if you rent, which the majority of people do, you've probably at one time or another had a question about your apartment or your landlord that you couldn't find the answer to.

is your landlord allowed to do this, do they have to fix that, can they charge you for such and such.
renting an apartment can be extremely annoying and tense if you have a shitty landlord and if you don't know your rights.

so the other day, when i was googling a question about my apartment, i found this website:

the federation of metro tenants' association

pretty much it's the best tenant resource i have ever found, and i'm really surprised i hadn't found it earlier.

the best part about the association is that they have a tenant hotline that runs from monday-friday 8:30am-6pm

416-921-9494

i called yesterday and the person on the line had an answer to my question and it was awesome.

they let me know that i can also call the city of toronto municipal licensing and standards division if my landlord is not responsive and they'll come do an inspection to make sure everything is up to code, because sometimes you end up in an apartment that is only divided from your neighbour by a sheet of drywall, and that just isn't right.