Of Self and Society

“Femen started as a protest movement that protested with our clothes on. And then nobody listens to women, nobody listens to women’s protests, it’s always marginal, it’s not really society, it’s just women. At some point, you realize there’s only one thing that the system and patriarchy is interested in: women’s bodies. You see it all around, so we decided to use that, but speak for ourselves and take back our bodies and identities and make them subjects, not objects.” 

CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes takes on pick-up artists and Shaun Majumder is so bad it's good I'm in stitches laughing Susan Kent is perfect. 

Greek Life keeps hitting rock bottom — and reaching for jackhammers.

I tried to come up with a catchy, sharp title but really this one is already effective. 

It took a crack-smoking mayor and an existential crisis for Toronto voters to come out in record numbers for the municipal election this year. Does it require that kind of scandal to get us to participate in our democracy?

We’re gradually choosing to not be fully engaged citizens. Just look at our national voter record over the years — 59% in 2008; 61% in 2011. Or ask the average 20-something who the leader of the Official Opposition is (hint: it’s not Justin Trudeau).

Many say it’s because government is ineffective and our political system is corrupt. If those ideas are true, they’re only so because we let them.

We’re better than that, Canada. We’re the most educated we’ve ever been and we’re more connected to each other — and the world — than ever before. And there’s more than enough talent and determination among us to make positive change.

So, how about it? Interested? inForum wants you.

This is my call to action to my generation, the Millennial generation, in Canada. 

I'm hosting a youth political conference next May in Toronto for 18-30 year olds to discuss national issues and network with political players (and journalists, civic organizations, non-profit organizations, etc). What matters to us? What do our elected officials need to do on our behalf? 

inForum 2015 will also be a day intended to increase civic participation and political engagement among young Canadians. We avoid the political process because of a whole host of reasons, one of which is that we don't think politics and government work for us. It's time for that to change.

This place is SO. COOL. 

"The chief obstacle to having an intelligent, or even intelligible, conversation across the racial divide is that on average white Americans live in communities that face far fewer problems and talk mostly to other white people."

'Scandalous' verdict condemned by politicians and anti-racist groups after case that revealed migrant workers' plight

Angela Merkel's leadership style has proved more effective than her male opponents could ever expect. It has changed Germany for the better.

Read more HERE.

I finished my reporting contract at the CBC’s Parliamentary bureau/CBC Ottawa at the end of March, fell into a whirlwind romance, took off for a holiday in Washington D.C., moved back to Toronto and got a job as a senior writer with the CBC’s national online desk, celebrated my 23rd birthday and then got summoned back to our nation’s capital for a three-week gig web reporting for the Parliamentary bureau.

I only just back to Toronto last night and am now getting ready to take off once more. I’m heading to Europe in mere days for a long-anticipated vacation. First stop: Rome!

Forgive me if this sounds like a laundry list - life has been moving a bit fast and I haven’t yet stopped to take everything in and deal with it emotionally or mentally. I only know I wouldn’t have it any other way.