Shameless blogger and contributor Thea Lim has just published her first novel, The Same Woman (Invisible Publishing). There’s a great interview with her by another Shameless blogger and contributor, Stacey May Fowles, over at Until Monday. Way to go, Thea! We’re proud of you.
One of the more thoughtful responses to the horrible shootings at Virginia Tech comes from Mark Ames at Alternet. The piece, based on the arguments he makes in his book Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion: From Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine and Beyond (available from Soft Skull Press) can be summed up like this:
Media: Cho Seung-Hui did it because he was crazy and “evil.”
History: Schoolyard massacres are rebellions against oppressive and bullying environments by students who can’t take it anymore.
He critiques the mainstream media’s handling of the shooting with gems like this one: “… revealing, if anything, a culture that is so insanely delusional and incapable of self-reflection that it almost makes these rampage massacres seem relatively natural.” He also thoughtfully provides a history of school massacres and brings up some of the bigger cultural, social and political questions these tragedies raise.
Ames shows that when you take the actions of these youth seriously, a lot more is revealed than the shallow accusation that they’re “crazy” and “evil” (hmm, where have we heard that one before?).
Finally, it’s springtime in Toronto, and I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to peel off the woolen layers and re-clothe. Thankfully, the Fat Femme Mafia is making that task real easy for you next weekend with their Fat Femme Flea Market. Best part? You can score a 5 dollar deal in your size. Stellar.
For those of you unfamiliar with the mafia in question, they “are Toronto based fat activists commited to tipping the scale. We believe that ALL bodies should be celebrated. We attempt to resist and challenge the limited and destructive ways that the media portrays bodies.”
The details:
FAT FEMME MAFIA PRESENTS:
The Fat Flea Market!
A clothing sale for size 14 and above!
From glitz to gitz~!
Get a fabulous new wardrobe!
All under $5!
Sunday April 29th
10am-5pm
at The Gladstone Hotel in the Art Bar
email fatfemmemafia@hotmail.com for details
*people are more than welcome to bring clothing for donation
The mafia:
From today through April 29th, Toronto is playing host to the Hot Docs film festival.
Every year I get the programme for Hot Docs mailed to me, and every year I sit down with a mug of tea and happily highlight /all/ of the films I’m /definitely/ going to go see.
I have an overly ambitious highlighter (bad, bad over-committing highlighter).
But I always manage to go and see at least a couple of films. And the quality (with only one notable and painfully long exception) is always guaranteed to at least measure up to the $10 ticket, and usually exceeds it.
And it is certainly worth free. As in:
“Q: How can I obtain free student/senior tickets?A: Hot Docs is pleased to offer FREE daytime screenings (before 6 pm) for seniors and students. Tickets for free daytime screenings must be obtained at the screening venue on the day of the screening, subject to availability.”
I can’t be bothered to fight it out to go to TIFF, but Hot Docs I would stand in a rainy long line up for (<-but I don't have to, because Hot Docs is general public friendly. Do you see how that works TIFF, do you?). Hot Docs' programming is diverse, and is often the first showing of the film. There are many independent films, international films, showcases, and (why I'm especially posting it here) films made by women, or about women. This year also has a very pleasing selection of films on environmental issues and food production.
A few examples (and some of my personal selections) behind the more... (more inside…)
The company that brought you the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is sending you another message: Don’t let yourself go. Unilever, which owns Dove, has launched a new ad for Suave brand hair and beauty products. The new ads show a sexy twentysomething woman transformed through marriage, pregnancy, motherhood and housework into a frumpy mom.
The “pretty mommy” campaign is in stark contrast to the “Dove evolution” spot that swept the internet last year with a high speed video showing how models are transformed through makeup, lighting and digital imaging software into advertising images. (The Dove campaign has sparked some pretty interesting debate — if you haven’t already, check out Nicole’s great article in the Summer 2006 issue of Shameless [link])
There’s a good article in Ad Age about the contradictory campaigns [link], and this quote jumped out at me:
“The fact that Unilever makes both brands probably doesn’t occur to most women, so I doubt in a true business sense whether the Dove brand will suffer from a very different message coming from Suave, or vice versa,” said Janie Curtis, managing director of consulting firm Frank About Women.
The article also mentions that the Dove Real Beauty campaign has meant real money:
Both approaches seem to be working. Dove has grown double digits in each of the past two years since the Campaign for Real Beauty started at two to three times the rate of the categories in which it competes. Dove sales rose 10.1% to $589.2 million in 2006, according to Information Resources Inc., after a 12.5% increase in 2005. That compares to only 2% in 2004, when the campaign launched in September.
I’m not sure the moms I know will go in for this much. After unglamourous days feeding, changing, cleaning and (sometimes) sleeping, being told they’re not pretty enough will probably spark rage rather than rampant consumerism.
Concordia University TeleVision (CUTV) in Montreal is offering a two-week summer day camp in July for youth ages 14 to 19 to learn filming techniques (shooting, editing, directing, etc). At the end of the camp, you’ll have made your own short film!
The fee is $150 or pay-what-you-can. The only criteria is enthusiasm, and preference will be given to youth who come from low-income situations.
If you’re interested contact Jason: jason at geek4hire dot ca.
First Doris Anderson, now June Callwood — it seems that ‘tis the season for saying goodbye to older Canadian feminists. I just read the Toronto Star’s obituary for Callwood and the quotes they have from her last public interview (with George Strombo, of all people) really resonated with me.
On the afterlife: Theres nothing next, she said. Thats alright. What you get is a life. A baby is a miracle. You open a babys fist and theyll close their hand on your hand and hold on. What theyve got is a life to live as best as they can. Thats what you get. You dont need anything else if youve got that.On not believing in God: I believe in kindness. I believe its very communicable just as meanness is. Strangers hold doors for one another. Sometimes they say thank you, sometimes they dont. Something in us says: `If I hold this door it helps this person, and that person is slightly changed. Great consideration for one another - thats whats going to save the world.
On death: Im okay, Im 82 years old for heavens sake. Dust to dust is the way it ought to be. The death of the young is inexcusable.
June Callwood was the kind of woman who got shit done. Throughout her long career as a journalist, author and activist, she got received everything from the Order of Canada to her pilot’s licence (not to mention 15 honorary doctorates!). I can only hope that when I die, I leave the planet with half as much grace and peace of mind as she displayed in that last interview.
Have you guys seen this garbage?
A new law may be passed in South Carolina requiring that women seeking abortions be forced to view an ultrasound image of their developing fetus, clearly with the intention of making her feel guilty for her decision and turning her away from it. (With of course the oh-so-American addition of “except in cases of rape or incest.”)
According to this MSNBC news piece,
‘The bills sponsor, Rep. Greg Delleney, a Republican, said the measure would save lives and a lifetime of regret for some women. She can determine for herself whether she is carrying an unborn child deserving of protection or whether its just an inconvenient, unnecessary part of her body and an abortion fits her circumstances at that time, Delleney told NBC affiliate WIS-TV of Columbia.’
Correction. The woman has already determined for herself what to do. It’s called the right to choose, jerk.
Krudar Muay Thai is launching a beginner women’s class. As of April 14th, it will be held every Saturday at 2pm. It’s a drop-in class, so if you can’t go this week, go next week, and if you can’t go next week (and so on). This is the gym where I started doing Muay Thai; I’ve met the instructor for this class, Lucy, who is one of the Krudar fighters, and is fabulous.
And the first month is free! How could you not try it?
Krudar Muay Thai Gym
570 King St West, Unit 102
On King between Bathurst & Spadina
Closet Subway: St. Andrew Station
So we’ve had a lot of fun in the past debating the merits of pink tasers, pepper spray, and a good old fashioned kick in the balls as rape deterrents.
Now a South African inventor, Sonette Ehlers, has given us another way to exact revenge upon our assaulters: Rapex, the toothed condom.
It’s a bit like a female condom - except the inside is lined with 25 sharp spikes that latch onto any penis that attempts penetration. Not only will it hurt the rapist probably worse than anything he’s ever felt in his life - he won’t be able to get it off without an embarrassing (and incriminating) visit to the hospital. And better yet, it should only cost around 20 cents.
According to this South African news piece:
“The United Nations says South Africa has the world’s highest per capita rate of reported rapes - 119 per 100,000 people. Analysts say the total, including unreported rapes, could be nine times higher.
Ms Ehlers sees her invention as particularly attractive to poorer black women, because they often walk long distances through unsafe areas to and from work. She foresees women inserting the device as part of a daily security routine.”
Already the device has drawn criticism. First, because it doesn’t stop the rapist from hurting you in any other way (and will most certainly make him angrier and more violent). And second, for putting the onus on women to prevent rape (as opposed to society at large, and men in particular).
The first criticism is valid.
But my response to the second? PSHT. Please. The onus has been on women to protect themselves for a hundred thousand years, and things show little sign of changing. Why wait for the world to change when you can walk around with an iron maiden between your legs?
Plus: How to get published, pay for school, and bind your own books.
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