Everyone should watch this clip of Stuart Varney angrily pointing out the toxicity of weight fascist MeMe Roth's "arguments" against size 18 flight attendents.

I don't really even know what to say about this.

So I tweeted a few days ago about being upset that cfny DJ Martin Streek had killed himself (shortly after being laid off from the station he'd worked at for 20 years). I've not lived in the station's range for ten years, and stopped listening even longer ago than that, but during highschool I went to lots of cfny events and found a lot of great music through the station and have a great affection for the folks who worked there.

Anyway.

After Streek died, Now's Susan G. Cole wrote this small piece, that ended with:

He was fired from his beloved radio station in mid-May, a victim of restructuring. He had been trying to clean up over the past years – decades on the club scene had led to some dangerous excess.

But he didn't make it. Toronto's lost a true original.


Does that read sort of like maybe he had a drug problem that sort of did him in? I think it kind of does.

Many of Streeks friends wrote angry responses about how he'd been clean for years, like that he didn't even drink anymore, and that it was shitty to imply otherwise.


She posted this 'clarification' the next day:

I know that Streek was clean for years. I don't know how he died and I never intended to suggest that his death was related to substance abuse.

Now let's get back to remembering why Martin Streek mattered so much to so many people.


It's just so shitty. I mean, if she knew he'd been off drugs and alcohol for years, why characterize it as "he'd been trying to clean up" and follow it up with "he didn't make it".

I understand that someone can be off of drugs and still have addictions issues. I know it's not an on/off drugs binary. But still. I feel like her implication was really clear, and then when she was called on it she blamed people for misreading her.

I don't really have much of an emotional investment in the whole thing, I'm mostly pissed off by crummy writing and even crummier accountability.

The American Apparel coming soon page actually makes me feel like I am being punk'd.

1. ARE THEY FOR REAL?

2. DEATH IS NOT AN OPTION: What on that page would you actually wear?

Jesse's been having a tough time for ... a while. He posted about it a bit here, so I'm not sharing anything that he is fighting to keep private. There's lots of stuff going on always (who doesn't have lots of stuff?) but I what I want to address right now is that I really don't like how I've been handling it lately.

Anyone who has known Jesse (or probably me) for any length of time knows that reliablility is a big challenge for him. I (perhaps reflexively) need to clarify that it's not that he's thoughtless or doesn't care. Jesse cares more, about more things, than anyone else I've ever met. If he's not on your friends list you're missing out big time, because he's thinking feeling and writing all the time about misogyny and saving animals and our culture's fatphobia and it's all just got so much heart. You know? I can think of few things (pottery! flowers!) that I'd say Jesse doesn't care about.

Now, that doesn't change the fact that it hurts to be on the receiving end of his unreliability, even with the knowledge that it's not about me. It still sometimes leaves me feeling stranded, and lately I've been finding myself hitting a wall of patience with it.

We're pretty sure that what's going on with him is Adult ADHD, because nearly every description of its symptoms is so familar to him that gets weepy even reading them. So he's working on some coping strategies based on his readings, and still trying to find an actual psychiatrist to give him an actual diagnosis. But, like, of course things are moving slowly, because huge change takes time.

Intellectually we both know this. But emotionally we've both been feeling a bit hopeless about it. And Saturday morning things sort of came to a head and I ended up very matter of factly outlining a lot of anger I've been feeling about having to pick up Jesse's slack. And this is for sure an ongoing concern that I don't want to lose sight of.

But dudes, Jesse picks up my slack all the time, and nearly always without comment or judgment. And the way the rest of the weekend played out really draws that into sharp crucial focus for me. I'm applying to a writing position in Jack's office (more about this on another day, okay?) that was just posted internally. Because it's a big job and a big deal I needed to rework my resume, write a stellar coverletter, pull together a bunch of writing samples, and write a 500 word op ed on a subject I think the Party needs to come out on.

I didn't start on doing any of that until the afternoon of the day the job closed.

Now, many people who had been given a big lecture about procrastination and predictable outcomes might have taken this opportunity to point out to me my own shortcomings. Not Jesse. He was friendly and encouraging and genial and fantastic for 15 hours straight. And not in that kind of way a person is when they are doing you a giant favour and feeling superior to you and just waiting to remind you later. Not in that way that is sort of gentle and patronizing and judging. Not even in a remotely conspicuous way, to be honest. Just like "We are a team and this is what Team Dangerously is working on right now!"

He wasn't the only one who offered support during this time, I want to be really clear on that, but he was the only person who heard me say "I have to take over all the errands when you have to spend the entire day working on a task you had three weeks to do but just started" not 24 hours before.

But that didn't even come up. He understood I had to go to Jairus's apartment-of-scarce-wireless upstairs because I couldn't stop goofing off onlne. He went and got food and warmed it up for me to eat after I let it get cold. He sent me constant texts about how capable and smart I am. And at fucking SIX IN THE MORNING he sat down with me and gave all of my work the most thourough and helpful and relentless copyediting I've ever had in my life. He tightened up my writing so much, and in his exhausted state caught things I wouldn't have at the best of times.

Half way through said copyediting I realized that when we sat down to go over my work together, what I expected was mostly a lot of "good job!" and a couple of caught typos. I underestimated him, which I think I do too much. He even made me listen to him read it outloud (me: "JESSE. IT'S FIIIIINE JUST LET ME SEND IT OFF!") which was invaluble.

Then, two hours after we went to bed, he got up and took our cats to the vet while I hit my snooze button until like 11am.

Before I left for work today, I remembered to grab my headphones, because my Zune was in my purse, all charged and loaded up with music that Jesse had downloaded for me because he thought I'd like it. When I got to work, an email from my accountant gave me a heart attack until Jesse replied to my panicked forwarding of it with "Here are scans of all those receipts he asked for, I found and filed them last week". When I go home, there will be a clean house and a giant hug for me, and probably not even any residual irritation that it is 7pm and I didn't call to say when I'd be home from work, like I said I'd be sure to start doing.

And, like, this isn't unusual. It's like this all the time, and steadily getting better bit by bit. I need to internalize this, and remind myself to squint through the white noise of even legitimate frustration with what often feels like Jesse's slowness at recognizing his own agency. I also need to make sure I notice and acknowledge that he is, as ever, infintely more patient with my ineptitude than I am with his.

I've been trying since yesterday to write all of this, after having an emotional reaction I to "Life is a Red Wagon", which was played at the funeral of my friend Barry who died in December, and was the song played when he and Andrea got married.

I'd never really listened to the words, like at all, including at the funeral. An unrelated web search led me to them yesterday, and I took the time to re-read them and thought a bit about how things have been for me and Jesse lately, and started crying.

oh, it's no big deal
but when the feet are draggin'

you pull for me
and i pull for you
you pull for me
and i pull for you

the life is the red wagon
simple and strong.

I feel like, even though I do have a lot of responsibility in my relationship with Jesse, in a lot of ways I've not been pulling for him enough, even though he is always willing to pull for me. I'm going to make sure I do better. Because I have a really great partner that I'm taking for granted, and that sucks for both of us.

Life is a Red Wagon lyrics.

I know the event is old news and everything, but have folks actually read Sarah Palin's resignation speech? Sadly they edited out the ALL CAPS that it was riddled with, but even without them, it's quite something.

Alaska’s mission – to contribute to America. We’re strategic in the world as the air crossroads of the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. Bold visionaries knew this - Alaska would be part of America's great destiny.

Our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. This land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, and oil and gas. It's energy! God gave us energy.

I also love this part:

If I have learned one thing: life is about choices!

And one chooses how to react to circumstances. You can choose to engage in things that tear down, or build up. I choose to work very hard on a path for fruitfulness and productivity. I choose not to tear down and waste precious time; but to build up this state and our country, and her industrious, generous, patriotic, free people!

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up", but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. And a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and “go with the flow”.

Nah, only dead fish "go with the flow".

No. Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to build up.

Man, finishing the term you were elected to serve? That is totally the QUITTER'S WAY OUT, dudes.

Oh also, as Jairus pointed out, all fish except for spawning salmon "Go with the flow".

Here's another one of Jack Layton:



So. Awesome.

Zingerella pointed out the hilarity of the contrast between the following two pictures of Canadian politicians at Toronto's Pride Parade.

Michael Ignatieff:


Jack and Olivia:


As my friend Ewald just said: "Whatever mister LOAFERS. Harvard is THAT WAY."

I also enjoy the contrast of their tweets!
@jacklayton: Marching in Toronto's Pride parade - Even in the rain "Can't Stop, Won't Stop."

@m_ignatieff: Taking part in the Pride Toronto parade. Skies have cleared. Lots of Liberals. What a sight the crowds are.

Jesus fucking christ, Marilyn Manson

I didn't want people to ask me every time I did an interview, "Oh, is this record about your relationship with your ex-girlfriend?" But that damage is part of it, and the song "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in The Movies" is about my fantasies. I have fantasies every day about smashing her skull in with a sledgehammer.

Full interview.

This actually has me in tears in my desk. I don't know why it's so upsetting. I guess just the brutality of it. And the fact that she's just a 21 year old kid for fucksake.

In the critical days after dozens of Manitoba aboriginals fell severely ill with swine flu, Health Canada hesitated in sending desperately needed hand sanitizer to native towns because of concerns that people would ingest the alcohol-based gel.

The revelation arose Tuesday during a Senate probe of the federal government's response to the H1N1 outbreak on reserves and exposes yet another fissure in the $1-billion national pandemic plan that many aboriginal leaders say has failed them.

Completely heartbreaking.

Lillian Marlene "Betty" Trower

I miss her so much.

Via asimplelife:

Horrible city of Toronto photoshop "promotes diversity"!



Story here.

As a communications person, I've certainly made sure that folks depicted in photographs or illustrations in a publication were representative of the population in question. But this is so poorly done.

Edit - I just noticed the awesome copywriting, too! This is my favourite: "Learn to Swim ... it's worth a try."

Ha ha ha ha!

I keep wanting to write updates to say what I am up to but not having time. If you read this press release I wrote on Tuesday, you'll get some idea of what my last two weeks have been like. Folks this scares the shit out of me.

----
(OTTAWA) As the H1N1 crisis becomes more dire on remote First Nations, New Democrat MP Niki Ashton held a press conference today to discuss her recent visit to affected First Nations in her riding.

At the press conference, Ashton was joined by Chief David McDougall of St. Theresa Point and Chief David Harper of the Garden Hill First Nation.

“What I saw yesterday was appalling. Living conditions like these in a country like Canada are frankly embarrassing.” said Ashton. “The ‘Pandemic Plan’ that has been sent to these First Nations is all paper. No resources. No action.”

A week after the first confirmed case of H1N1 on Manitoba’s First Nations, there are now over 100 cases on seven reserves. The amount of people infected is climbing quickly and steadily. In Manitoba, over half of the people in intensive care with this virus are Aboriginal.

“The numbers are even higher than we think,” said Chief McDougall. “Many men are walking into the nursing stations and leaving before they are treated because of the numbers of children, women, and elders waiting for care. They feel they should let those groups get help first.”

Chief Harper, who came to Ottawa less than a month ago to highlight the need for a hospital in his region, said he has lost all faith in the Harper government. Supplies to help stop the spread of H1N1 still have not arrived.

“Our community had hoped to provide all of our high school graduates with laptops this year,” said Chief Harper. “Instead, we had to use that money to buy masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.”

Both Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point lack basic infrastructure like running water, housing, roads, and health care facilities. Neither community has a doctor.

“This is a disaster,” said New Democrat leader Jack Layton, following a meeting this morning with the Chiefs. “If it was happening anywhere else in the world, Canada would be the first to step in and help. I’m very proud that we offer that international support, and we need to do the same thing here at home for our First Nations.”

While in Ottawa, Ashton and the Chiefs also met with opposition critics from the Liberal party and the Bloc Quebecois. A request has also been made for a meeting with Conservative Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, and Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl.

For more information contact:
Audra Williams: Office of Niki Ashton: 613-222-1829 or ashtoni0@parl.gc.ca

You guuuuuuys! Yesterday I totally dropped something on my laptop and the screen got screwed up big time (like a big splotch at the point of impact, with magenta and cyan lines running down from it) and I was all THIS IS A DISASTER and then Jairus was all PUT THIS PAGE UP OVER NIGHT and I was all OKAY JAIRUS (BUT THERE IS NO WAY THAT WILL WORK) and then holy crap it did! There are still a few specks here and there, but even they are still improving all the time (I run that screen on it when I'm not using the computer).

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?? It's so great! I'm so relieved! Everyone should go drop something on their screen and then try to see if this fixes it!

Oh hi! If you need me, I'll be watching this video FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE:



I love how hard he's clearly concentrating, to be drumming and rapping at once. It's so awesome.

Watching people be deft = my favourite thing.

This article is so chilling:

-----
Since the launch of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military has struggled to recruit and reenlist troops. As the conflicts have dragged on, the military has loosened regulations [...] The lax regulations have also opened the military's doors to neo-Nazis, white supremacists and gang members — with drastic consequences. Some neo-Nazis have been charged with crimes inside the military, and others have been linked to recruitment efforts for the white right. A recent Department of Homeland Security report, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," stated: "The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today." Many white supremacists join the Army to secure training for, as they see it, a future domestic race war. Others claim to be shooting Iraqis not to pursue the military's strategic goals but because killing "hajjis" is their duty as white militants.

Soldiers' associations with extremist groups, and their racist actions, contravene a host of military statutes instituted in the past three decades. But during the "war on terror," U.S. armed forces have turned a blind eye on their own regulations. A 2005 Department of Defense report states, "Effectively, the military has a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy pertaining to extremism. If individuals can perform satisfactorily, without making their extremist opinions overt … they are likely to be able to complete their contracts."

Since the movement's inception, its leaders have encouraged members to enlist in the U.S. military as a way to receive state-of-the-art combat training, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer, in preparation for a domestic race war. The concept of a race war is central to extremist groups, whose adherents imagine an eruption of violence that pits races against each other and the government.

----

Full article.

Hello internet!

I've got some contract work happening (and I still have my job! Don't worry!), and I'm looking to use the opportunity to get as many gigs for rad people as possible.

I'm working on pulling together a directory of progressive communications folks (mostly in Canada, though I'm open to international superstars!), so I'm putting out a call.

These are specifically the skills that I'm looking for:

illustration
print design
web design
photograph
yweb development
copywriting
scriptwriting
animation
film/video
social media
fine art
polling
consumer research
event planning
campaign planning
audio recording/editing
video recording/editin
gmusic composition
translation

If any of that is what you like to do, and you're interested in freelance work, please fill out this form, to be added to the list. It's not ever going to be made public, and you won't be spammed or anything, I'm just going to have it on hand, and make it available to clients looking for talent.

If you could pass around the link, and post it on any message boards you may participate in (Sarah? Halifaxlocals?) I'd really appreciate it.

----
OTTAWA – Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt calls the medical isotope crisis "sexy," looks forward to getting credit for fixing it, and expresses doubts about the skill of Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq in a recording made public by a Halifax newspaper.

Raitt made the comments to her then-aide, Jasmine MacDonnell, who appears to have inadvertently recorded the conversation, the Halifax Chronicle Herald reported.

MacDonnell misplaced the voice recorder in the Ottawa press gallery. She asked the Chronicle Herald to hold it for her until she could collect it, the paper reported. Five months later, she hadn't picked it up. The newspaper's editors decided to listen to the device after the aide resigned last week after a binder full of sensitive government documents concerning Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the troubled Chalk River reactor were forgotten at the CTV Ottawa bureau.

----

Full story.

Man I have had a jam packed time full of the greatest people.

Wednesday Jesse and I went to Montreal to visit Nic and Emilie and watch TV on the Radio!!

Awesome: Jesse planning and arranging for a glorious overnight adventure for us.

Less awesome: H1N1 was confirmed in Niki's riding 5 minutes after I got on the bus.
(sugarmommaless talked me off of my ledge of panic about it, and gave me a million fantastic ideas and bits of information about the virus. BIG UPS.)

In spite of that unexpected work stress, the show ruled. My feet hurt which upset me, but when I think about the show my memories are of ONLY RADNESS. Added bonus: seeing Nic and Emily and Rosie.

On Thursday, loopfrog got up at friggin FIVE IN THE MORNING with me to walk me to the Metro station so I could get my bus back to Ottawa. That is the most amazing thing I can think of.

On Friday, we hung out with loolica and her daughter Z. Jesse and I had this exchange before planning it:

Me - Marnie has invited us over tonight! She wants to see me and Z wants to see you.
Jesse - Great!
Me - Uh, it's not that Marnie doesn't also want to see you.
Jesse - No, I know. I've carried Z around the apartment upside down by her feet more than I have Marnie, though.

That is his secret! He is also famous for: letting your kid stay up way past their bedtime, and encouraging them to play with your laptop. Oh also children totally love him and his babysitting includes bonus beatboxing lesson.

On Saturday Jairus and Jesse and zamp and I did some doors open Ottawa stuff (the best thing was a model train display at the former Union Station), after a delicious breakfast. We then went to cyborg_kitty100 and writer_grrrrl's place for a barbecue and game of APPLES TO APPLES. I'm not gonna lie to you, internet. We drank a LOT of chocolate milk. It ruled.

Yesterday was more Doors Open Ottawa, this time with me and Jesse and Jairus and Caitlyn! We went to the fantastic Canada Science and Technology Museum Collection Storage Facility and oh man was it ever the BEST. Pictures from both days here.

Last night Jesse and Jairus and I watched the incredibly stressful Rachel Getting Married From the Wikipedia entry: "Demme has commented that he loved Jenny's flagrant disregard for the rules of formula, her lack of concern for making her characters likable in the conventional sense and for what he considered to be her bold approach to truth, pain, and humor."

Indeed! It was just like being at a wedding. Which is to say, often awkward, boring, and draggy in parts. I think it would have made a good short film. There wasn't enough story for a full length, so it was padded out with A MILLION WEDDING SPEECHES and A TON OF WEDDING MUSIC. I'm glad I saw it, because I've been wanting to, but didn't enjoy watching it.

This entry begins and ends with Tunde Adebimpe! In summary: He is great to see on stage with his band, but that is not enough reason to watch a movie with him in it.

I can't block web ads at work, which means I was treated today to this on Facebook:



AUGH I HATE IT.

The BC Cancer Agency is communicating to us that "the world needs women":
1. Because they are pretty to look at.
2. Unlike this dude who is totally fat.

THERE IS NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THIS AD.