Happy Summertime Music

Today's post is all about cheerful dance videos for a change. Hurrah!

First off we have Ian Oliver's Bucovina. The song itself is light and Spanish flavoured and very danceable. The video is the cutest thing ever; a bunch of dudes are, like, throwing down b-boy moves while they skip and double dutch to the song, and a chick who watches them trains her ass off so that she can join in on the fun. Adorable, check it out.



And just for good measure, let's throw in Heater by Samim. The song is distinctively French sounding with the major use of an accordion. The video is a simple concept; people around the world dancing to the same song. :D

A Little Scared, A Little Sad

What the fuck is wrong with America?!

Bush wants to make any form of birth control equal to abortion. A man who raped an 11 year old girl gets a couple years in jail because girl “knew what she was doing” when she was gang-raped by 20 men. There are over 1 million individuals on their terrorist watch list.

Goddammit guys, I remember when America used to be awesome. Don’t you? Back when we were kids, and America was the Promised Land, land of opportunity, where you were free from persecution, where you could find your greatest potential. America was a breath of fresh air, revolutionary, creative, cutting-edge, as bountiful as it was complex. A place where people around the world came together to fulfill their dreams.

Now look at it. It’s shameful what the country is slowly sliding towards. Stifled, backwards, stale, shallow, oppressive, close-minded. And I’m very, very afraid of what effect this will have on Canada. Canada depends on America so much; I fear that we will try to emulate them in order to stay in their good books. I have terrible visions of Canada following the America Junior mindset. Or I have terrible visions of us sticking to our socialism, at which point America declares war and bombs us to hell. The Handmaid’s Tale was right; they’re headed towards a Christian fundamentalist theocracy. :(

*sigh* Okay, I’m going to stop being so down and concentrate on the fact that I will be seeing the Rogers Cup finals soon. And Coldplay. Woohoo!

I Was Supposed To Post This A Month Ago. Whoops.

Today's headline - My God, Stop Everything: Huckabee Shows Signs of Being Reasonable.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee warned members of his party that any attempt to undermine presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama by "demonizing" him would backfire.

"The Republicans will make a fundamental, if not fatal mistake, if they seek to win the election by demonizing Barrack Obama," Huckabee told reporters in Tokyo. "Don't underestimate the extraordinary, substantive moment that Barack Obama's nomination represents in our country."

You know when the Huckster is the one making sense, things aren't looking so good for the Repubs.

Since I'm blogging about American politics, check out this doozie: Muslim wearing head scarf denied seat at Obama rally. The reason given for not having her sitting in the audience behind him? "A sensitive political climate" in the words of a volunteer. This all boils down to the fact that Dems talk the talk but don't walk the walk because they are, let's face it, scared. Scared of alienating the unwashed masses, scared of losing those votes and the support of people sitting on the fence, who paranoidly think Muslims are terrorists. Dems talk about unity across cultures and tolerance but in the end, running a campaign is like running a business and they can't ruin their carefully constructed image.

Great Music + Grace and Strength = Yay!

I have spontaneously developed a massive love for So You Think You Can Dance. No doubt, it’s going to be my TV obsession for the summer.

When the Canadian version starts, I’m gonna be so hardcore about voting.

My Faith In Dance Music Videos Is Restored (A Little)

Just downloaded a whole pile of dance tunes and though many of the videos suck in the usual sucky way, there were some surprising victories that I discovered. Let's start at the worst and work our way towards the best.

First up, 'White Lies' by Paul Van Dyk. Wonderfully catchy song, horrendous video in that typical "woman as nothing more than a stripper/peep show fodder" way. But out of all the songs in this post, it's my tied for my favourite.

Second song is 'Like This Like That' by Se:sa. Again, the women featured are nothing more than sexual objects. Double negative points for how, near the beginning with the guy-girl couple, he pantomimes a move that looks like beating her in the face. NO, BAD. At least the moral of the video is: "What Would Asians Do? KICK YOUR ASS." ;P

Third on the docket we have 'Toca's Miracle' by Fragma. This song originally came out in 2000 with this video. The girls are dressed a little silly but at least they are playing sports! But the song has been remastered and re-released for 2008, and the new video (the After Dark version) looks thusly All I want to know is WHY ARE THOSE WOMEN SO THIN? :(

Anyway, I'm ending with the video (and song!) I really like, cause it features a woman but the whole point is not her hotness but her desire to break free from corporate slavery. Sweeeeet. The song is 'Delirious' by David Guetta and it's very cute and fun. Enjoy!

Maybe It's The Crazy Poses That Are Evil

Here's something bizarre that was brought to my attention: Christian backlash against yoga. O RLY? YA RLY! And to think, I always thought yoga was one of those things that the western world happily co-opted from the motherland. ;P

No, I'm serious here; there are actual denouncements against yoga. Firstly, a British exorcist has claimed that yoga could put people in danger of being possessed by evil spirits. Also, a children’s yoga class has been banned from two church halls because vicars say yoga is a sham and un-Christian.

I'm sorry, I can't do much more than laugh at these people. I needed a good laugh.

Eurodance is Great But the Videos Suck: Volume Eleventy Billion

Today's banality is brought to you by Olav Basoski from Amsterdam. The song is called Waterman and features the lyrical stylings of Michie One. To be honest this video is not as bad as some of the other ones I've linked to, but it's so startlingly similar to the Calabria 2007 video that I had to share. Scantily clad ladies shake their booties, as usual. But at least the booties are not anorexic looking, and the booties are more than just sexual objects. There are some kick ass dancers here, thank you very much.

Also, I love this song. So I'm a little bit of a hypocrite ;)

Numbered Musings For A Monday

1. Canadian military looking for Iron Man-type suits for overburdened soldiers. I know this isn't the same thing, but an army of Robert Downey Jr. look-alikes sounds like a fine plan to me. ;) But more importantly, this brings us one step closer to our army of Gundams, hee.

2. Snagged from a comment in Shakesville, the best current Lost theory yet (spoilers): "I think Sayid gets back to the island, picks up the six (or maybe eight?), and takes off again, intending to get another load after dropping the first off. Then... boop. The island moves. Now they can't find it, and the other losties are lost yet again." Oh Lost, I love you despite your mindfuckery. ;)

3. Any lamebrain who says that women and men are equal in today’s world should read up on Carolyn Jessop, the woman who escaped from the FLDS in 2003 and wrote a book on her harrowing journey. Last night I was reading all kinds of articles about her and even watched a video of her doing a reading of one of the chapters of her book. I find her tale fascinating in a very sad way. She often emphasizes how she is an anomaly amongst the other women in that community; she had family on the outside, only 8 children (only!), and most importantly a college education. The most heartbreaking part of the entire thing is that her oldest daughter was so indoctrinated that she went back to the FLDS once she turned 18. Plural wives, subordination of women, incest, child rape, blood atonement... it almost boggles the mind that a community like this exists in North America.

There’s an FLDS community in British Columbia, sadly. And the BC government is in the process of answering the age old question of whether (I shit thee not) Canada's laws against polygamy are constitutionally valid. Um, hasn’t it already been established that polygamy is wrong, an archaic practice where women are valued less than men? Or am I just using earth logic again? :P

Canadian Government Thwarts Women Yet Again

Stephen Harper is Bad News.

Why? I'll tell ya why! In 2007, Harper's federal government changed the objectives and funding for the Status of Women Canada (SWC) program. Notably, the word "equality" was removed from the SWC's mandate, and the SWC's budget was slashed by $5 million. As a result, associations such as NAWL (National Association of Women and the Law) faced some huge setbacks. The NAC (National Action Committee) condemned this move and blasted the government for its actions.

I bring this up because of the recent noise surrounding Proposed Bill C-484, called the "Unborn Victims of Crime Act". Basically, it's an amendment to the Criminal Code which would grant personhood to the fetus. So if a man shot and murdered woman who was carrying an unborn child, he would be arrested on two murder charges instead of one. On the surface, this may seem dandy (well, not to me).

People are unimpressed. And for good reason. If passed, this bill would be an unconstitutional infringement on women’s rights, and would result in harm against pregnant women. It's a step towards re-criminalizing abortion, plus the bill could also criminalize pregnant women for behaviours perceived to cause harm to their fetuses.

Hmm, I may have to write a letter to my MP or something.

ETA: Here is a sample letter you can send to your MP and you can go here to find your MP. Cheers y'all.

The Wonderful Future...

You know how when a decade nears its end you get a glimpse what the next one will be dominated by? Because, obviously, there's no clear-cut divide between one decade to another, it's just a general transition. So what will the 2010's be like? From what I'm seeing lately, it will be as divisive as it will be revolutionary. There will be a lot of backlash in many different arenas of life. But most noticeably, we will "go green" in a lot of ways.

Gonna Make It Out Of This One Way Town

My weekend in Ottawa was lovely. The drive up was back-breaking and went late into the night, but when I got to my friend Rachel’s house we immediately hit up the patio. She had beer and wings, I had nachos and a cocktail… good times.

The next day we had brunch at a quaint diner down the street, walked off our greasy food by heading to the market (passing Parliament on the way). After the market we walked back to her place along the Rideau Canal (where, to her amazement, we saw an otter swimming through the shallow murk). After chilling for a bit we headed to the Glebe, which is a neighbourhood with a stupid name and probably should be called Yuppieville instead. ;) We checked out some of the stores and then went to an amazing Italian restaurant for dinner.

After dinner we went back to her place to make copious amounts of mixed drinks in martini glasses. I made some pretty amazing concoctions on the fly, my favourite being the one with melon and peach liquor, vodka, and orange juice, shaken with ice and strained. Then we were off to Elgin Street to meet with some of Rachel’s friends, maybe, and go to a club. We met up with her friends but they ended up going to a different club than us. The club we ended up going to was nice, with decent music and really cool laser/smoke/light effects. Also, we were both underdressed compared to the other chicks in the club with their three inch heels and tiny dresses, with our jeans and t-shirts, so dem boys totally left us alone. Hurrah. We left the club around 3 AM and proceeded to drink lots of water and eat some amazing leftover veggie lasagna before crashing for the night.

The next day I was feeling lazy so we stayed in and watched Firefly all morning. Then I headed back home. On the way I took a little side trip through Kingston. The first thing I wanted to do was drive past our old place, but it didn’t elicit much of a reaction out of me. Driving by Stauffer, however, gave me a huge wave of nostalgia. As much as things have changed there, so much has stayed the same.

Hooray For Entertainment

You know you're a Final Fantasy fan when you're eating sunflower seeds and you read the container then flip out because sunflower in French = tournesol. Ahahaha.

I've downloaded some fun music since last night:

1. Samim - Heater
2. Dave Armstrong - Love Is Gone
3. Ne-Yo - Closer
4. Janet Jackson ft. Ciara - Feedback

As an aside, the video for #2 makes me roll my eyes. It's one more in a long line of useless dance videos that feature gratuitously sexualized women, a la Calabria, Let Me Think About It, and Call On Me. Great songs, pathetic videos. Alas.

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

I discovered a most excellent food item last week. Lately I’ve been craving buttered popcorn at night, but I know that shit is so very unhealthy. But when I was doing my weekly grocery shopping, I came across the following: buttered popcorn flavoured rice cakes. Wow. Nutritional information showed that it was low in sodium and fat yet had a good dose of vitamins A and C. I thought, "This will either taste horrific or amazing. I MUST KNOW WHICH ONE IT IS!" I bought it and opened it up when I got home... it tastes exactly like buttered popcorn. But healthy! It’s my new favourite thing. :)

Here's another fantastic quote that's been wasting away on my computer. I think it was said by blogger Bitchy Jones.

... just shut up about how women are so lucky as if having more wardrobe options in some way makes up for, you know, all the other oppression. Cause having to fight for the right to, you know, like sex without being a dirty evil whore is such a full time job I don’t really spend a lot of time marveling that I can wear trousers *or* a skirt to do it in.

Heh, damn skippy.

Current State Of Affairs

List of things I need to do:

- Buy TP and juice boxes
- Send in a bunch of clothes for dry-cleaning
- Bring back my spring shoes from home

I'm having one of those moments where I wish I was making more money. Six figures would be so nice. Excessive for just me, but nice nevertheless. One of these days...

Isn't it interesting how we force ourselves to drink foul substances just because of their effect on us, and because of their socially acceptable nature? Or is that just me? I'm talking about alcohol and coffee of course. BLRAGH, this French Vanilla concoction is disgusting.

Chain Of Logic

Last night in the shower I was thinking about stuff and ending up mixing math with feminism. Like, there's an equation that links power, respect and femininity together. Seriously...

Respect directed towards a woman = (Amount of socialized femininity she practices) - (Power she possess due to other privileges i.e. race, education, class, etc.)

This means that the more power a woman has due to various reasons factors, the more she is encouraged to embraced the traditional trappings of femininity: high heels, perfectly coiffed hair, manicured nails, and an eating disorder a slim, bikini-worthy figure. This is why, in my mind, Hilary Clinton gets so much flack. She doesn't dress in a typically feminine manner, but she is a powerful woman, and it irks everyone to high hell. It's almost as if with a woman with a good deal of power, her potential must be negated by practices that serve to remind her that she is a woman above all, not just a person.

(Yes, yes, I realize there's a crapload of faulty logic here. :P)

Some People Say Awesome Things

(Courtesy of Twisty)

Femininity, in fact, can’t even be practiced without stuff (which is one way of debunking the argument that it is an inherited sex trait). It is simply not possible for a woman without makeup and deodorant and lingerie and kitten heels and diet pills and clothes without pockets and anti-wrinkle cream that promises “glowing skin” and self-help books explaining the best ways to suck up to men and jewelry and razors and tweezers and lemon-scented cleaning products and boxes of Lean Cuisine in the freezer — all stuff that must be bought — to be fully feminine.

Femininity — selling it, doing it, approving of it, pinking it, drinking it — is antifeminist, fool.

A Green Hour Or So

I decided to check out Nathan Phillips Square yesterday, where the Earth Hour concert with Nelly Furtado headlining was gonna be. I saw Anwar Knight and tried my best to get in the background of his spot on a solar car. ;) Then I headed towards the main stage.

-- Video : people gathering before the event started.

I was two hours too early for the concert, so I contemplated going home instead of waiting around in the cold. But then I called my sister and she said she would beat me if I didn't stay and watch Nelly Furtado, hahahahaha. My mom also encouraged me to stay, so I did. I stood around listening to the DJ test out his music and random local acts warming up the stage.

Finally, the people promoting the event (David Miller, CEOs of Toronto Star and Virgin Mobile, Susan Hays) turned the damn lights out and the concert began. First up was Jon Levine, the pianist from the Philosopher Kings. He did a couple solo songs. Then out came Nelly Furtado, who the crowd was clamoring for. Appropriately enough, she sang Turn Off The Lights. ;) After her one song, the Philosopher Kings came on and did three songs, the last of which was Cry. Then, Fefe Dobson! She sang two new songs and then sang Everything.

-- Video : Fefe Dobson singing Everything.

After Fefe Dobson finished, Nelly Furtado came back on. She sang Say It Right and I'm Like A Bird. It should be noted that she did all her songs with only the accompaniment of a guitar and a thousand screaming fans. ;)

-- Video : Nelly Furtado singing Say It Right.

When Nelly Furtado finished I started moving away from my prime spot cause I figured it would be a good idea to head out and beat the crowd. But as I moved away from the stage, the Philosopher Kings came back on and starting singing Hurts To Love You, my favourite song by them! I just had to stay. Sorry about the quality of this video; I was surrounded by a bunch of enthusiastic fans who were dancing around happily to the music. ;)

-- Video : Philosopher Kings singing Hurts To Love You.

All in all, fun times. I'm glad it wasn't just Nelly Furtado I got to see; I love Philosopher Kings and Fefe too. :) As for the whole Earth Hour thing, as much as there was talk about conserving energy, a lot of it was about increasing awareness.

Revisiting Old Haunts

Six days to Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z!

I ended up back in Whitby today. Turns out one of our clients is the Oshawa Center, and I got there early for a morning training session so I popped by my old house for kicks. It was... odd. There was a massive black pick-up truck in the driveway. And don't get me started on the Oshawa Center! WTF Dynamite. They want to be the new Abercrombie & Fitch or something. Espirit is gone. Blacks and Ben Moss are suddenly there. And the side near Sears, where I didn't go, looked pretty unrecognizable. *shakes head* I was actually amazed at how run down Whitby looked. Seems like everyone is packing up and heading north. You know, like where the "new" Wal-Mart is, on... Taunton, right? Yeah, everyone and everything (and therefore all the money) is heading up north. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. *nods*

Wow, 10 PM and I'm already exhausted. LAMESAUCE.

I Can Be A Superstar

So I started a my new job last week, after a couple months of intense searching. So far so good. It's the attitude of my the new office that pleases me the most, lots of cool, humourous people my age. One of the girls in HR, we had this crazy conversation that consisted of a series of sucessive "ohmigod"s as we realized how much we had in common. :)

So needless to say, life has been good over the past few days. It's taken a while for it to sink in that this is my new employer, but I'm slowly accepting this new shift in my life.

Not Gonna Talk About Eating Issues Though...

The post-Second Wave feminism dilemma:

After Second Wave feminism, women had so many more opportunities than ever. The only problem was that now, women were expected to do it all: raise the kids, keep a clean house, look fashionable and thin, excel in the workplace, and be a sex-kitten in the bedroom. Not only that, but they had to do it with effortless perfection in order to be taken seriously by their male peers.

Someone explained it better over here. The post topic is about the issues women have with food and thinness, but it's what got me thinking about this.

In other news, I am so ready for winter to be over.