tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86571717718816918162024-03-13T06:05:49.481-04:00My Canada Includes JusticeKim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-9126860744666191482013-06-26T13:29:00.002-04:002013-06-26T13:30:05.625-04:00Why Mainstream Pride is Important - Commercialization and All...I'm aware that many people in the LGBTQ communities have little use for the big Pride celebration and its evolution into a highly commercialized event, with its attempts to bury our political past. But I think it is a mistake to claim we've moved past the need for such celebrations.
I have a different perspective than the majority of my queer friends: I did not come out until I was Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-71525198349418412642011-11-20T00:12:00.003-05:002011-11-20T02:16:10.438-05:00Police forces, I'd like to introduce you to YouTube...With the G20 debacle fresh in our minds, many Torontonians are shaking their heads at the efforts of American city authorities and police forces to break up Occupy protests. Police in some cities have been witnessed beating peaceful protesters, kettling groups, and using tear gas and rubber bullets. Police forces are now toning down the violence somewhat, after a public outcry and drop in theirKim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-72852351630514836402011-10-16T16:08:00.003-04:002011-10-16T16:20:27.947-04:00Occupy Toronto: Just Vote, and Everything will be OK.Reading through Facebook posts and comments about Occupy Toronto, I came across this comment under a friend's post:"I would like to know how many of the estimated 3000 protesters voted on May 2, 2011 and on October 6, 2011."This is one of the right-wing's tactics: to portray the Occupy movement simply as a group of unemployed, disaffected youth who have no right to complain because they didn't Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-87057559407540837882011-09-11T11:45:00.003-04:002011-09-11T16:21:52.377-04:00What I Am Thinking About on 9/11.Today I am thinking of Chile. I am thinking of 3,000 dead and tens of thousands tortured. I am thinking of a US-backed coup. I am thinking of the the psychological damage done to a people by a dictator they didn't elect.Today I am thinking of 3,000 dead in NYC and hundreds of thousands dead in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am thinking of innocence, hatred, compassion, and retaliation. I am Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-40132579644242525012011-07-28T21:30:00.000-04:002011-07-28T22:17:20.185-04:00A Reminder for Rob Ford Supporters"No service cuts, guaranteed!"- Mayor Rob Ford"No major service cuts."- Mayor Rob Ford"No service cuts in 2011."- Mayor Rob Ford"These are not service cuts but efficiencies."- Mayor Rob FordKim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-39125894466743835392011-07-05T17:50:00.002-04:002011-07-05T18:15:23.586-04:00Letter to Toronto City Council, re: Giorgio MammolitiDear Councillors: In light of Councillor Mammoliti's renewed calls for city de-funding of Pride Toronto, I want to make sure you are aware of his behaviour on Saturday. Of course, Pride is a diverse and inclusive event. But I am dismayed that an elected representative of the city attended apparently with the sole purose of looking for evidence he could use to call for the withdrawal of city Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-9653991326785358152010-11-09T21:40:00.001-05:002010-11-09T21:48:06.290-05:00Why I'm Not Wearing a Poppy This YearI used to be a schoolteacher, and every Remembrance Day, I would teach that we remember the brave people who fought for us, but also to remember the tragedies of history so as not to repeat them. This was particularly important, to ease children's fears of death brought on by discussion of war. I taught the children how to make their own poppies out of construction paper.Remembrance Day has Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-23970171691806905282010-06-29T14:03:00.010-04:002010-06-30T14:24:16.223-04:00G20 Protests: Why the Police did Nothing to Stop Black Bloc TacticsAs I walked home alone in the dark after an event last night, I came to an odd realization. I felt completely safe on empty streets or where there were other people. The only time I felt in any danger was in the presence of police. Given the events of the G20 weekend, I was justifiably worried that I might be beaten or arrested, simply for being out in public. The horror stories of police Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-5773812397314383182010-06-09T23:17:00.008-04:002010-06-09T23:59:47.409-04:00A Turning Point for Pride TorontoIn 1981, Toronto police raided four gay bath houses. The gay community was accustomed to harrassment, but the scale of these raids pushed the community past a breaking point. As with the 1969 Stonewall riots in NYC, gays in Toronto finally stood up for their rights and fought back. Massive protests and rallies led to the annual Pride celebration which has become one of the largest of its kind Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-51727681861388150242009-12-01T02:09:00.002-05:002009-12-01T02:22:07.641-05:00Canadian Labour International Film Festival a SuccessToronto has become a city of film festivals. We have festivals focusing solely on documentaries, on the GLBT community, and many on specific ethnic communities. And now we have the Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLiFF).When I first heard about this festival, I couldn’t understand why a film festival would focus solely on labour issues; attending the grand opening of the fest, Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-64483032893309774492009-12-01T00:50:00.002-05:002009-12-01T01:00:16.674-05:00Letter from André Shepherd, Iraq War Resister in GermanyBeing a supporter of American war resisters in Canada, I heard about André Shepherd's case a year ago, and sent him a letter of support. I got this email just today. It's a great summary of his past year and the status of his case, but more than that, it's a great summary of all that is wrong with American military strategy. It gives me hope for a positive outcome in his case - and in the Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-77197903179680180662009-09-04T16:52:00.001-04:002009-09-04T16:54:12.995-04:00District 9 looks at how we treat the aliens among usDistrict 9 is one of the rare summer blockbuster films with some depth. It is a fantastical account of a period in earth’s history, beginning 28 years ago, when a giant alien ship appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. A comparison with Independence Day (1996) is tempting, but beyond the ship and its gruesome, slimy aliens, the parallels soon disappear. District 9 is much more realistic, Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-60412952820160024702009-06-24T15:58:00.005-04:002010-10-08T22:40:03.620-04:00The Death of Neda Agha-Soltan: YouTube's Most Important MomentLast Saturday, I watched a woman die. It was not something I set out to do, and had I known what I was going to see, I probably would have opted not to watch. But I was checking FaceBook updates as usual, and clicked on a link posted by a friend, urging me to "watch before the video was deleted". I hadn't scrolled the entire post into view; had I done so, I would have seen his warning that Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-89155410545144927272009-06-16T23:27:00.010-04:002010-06-10T13:12:10.745-04:00On "Immigrants" Who Protest in CanadaAs our headlines have turned to the turmoil in Iran over concerns about election fraud and the resulting protests and violent action to suppress the dissent, I have watched with increasing concern the distress of my neighbour, who is Iranian. Normally very quiet on FaceBook, she was suddenly posting frequently throughout the day - photos, video clips, news reports and politcal analysis, and Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-86793362166115842472009-05-16T01:09:00.002-04:002009-05-16T01:12:40.330-04:00Genocide is not a "Fair Weather" IssueSince the Tamil protests began, there has been much confusion over whether they deserve support from the rest of the population. I can't tell you how many times I have read or heard, "I support them, but..."• "They are flying those red flags."• "Aren't the Tamil Tigers terrorists?"• "They shouldn't block traffic."• "Isn't there some other way they can protest?"• "This has nothing to do with Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-20536766317930602822009-05-16T00:52:00.003-04:002009-05-16T09:10:06.389-04:00Anti-Tamil-Tiger Propaganda Muddies the Real IssuesPapers, blogs, Facebook, and all manner of online sites are abuzz with discussion of the Tamils' plight. I'm encouraged to read that while many Canadians remain uninvolved in the struggle, they are at least aware (or becoming more aware) of the situation. But of course, there remains a stubborn group which insists that Tamils should not be supported because of the actions of the Tamil Tigers (Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-22027744303884513542009-05-10T20:04:00.004-04:002009-05-10T20:33:51.054-04:00For us, an inconvenience. For them, life or death.I just got home to read headlines about Tamil protesters blocking Toronto's Gardiner Expressway, in both directions. If you need attention, that's a pretty good way to get it. Pretty good trick, but you need the numbers to pull it off.Fortunately for the Tamil community, they do. Weeks ago, as I walked home from work, I came across one of the earlier protests in which the community did a marchKim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-67497355344648569592009-03-17T23:24:00.001-04:002009-03-17T23:26:35.238-04:00Harper and Kenney to Close the Door to Gay RefugeesThe erosion of Canada's reputation as a diverse country, welcoming of immigrants, took another step backward today as Immigration Minister Jason Kenney appointed an anti-gay conservative to the IRB. Doug Cryer, former director of public policy for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, says churches have the right to denounce homosexuality.I have very dear gay friends who have immigrated to Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-58477195586376436042009-03-16T00:40:00.002-04:002009-03-16T01:59:22.783-04:00Get on side.Remind Stephen Harper that we live in a democracy! A decisive majority believes that American Iraq-war resisters should be allowed to stay in Canada. A majority in the House of Commons voted to allow them to stay as well. And Harper said himself (on April 13, 2005), "The Prime Minister has the moral responsibility to respect the will of the House."So why has Harper not acted on his Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-79099767707238532882009-03-04T18:28:00.002-05:002009-03-04T21:35:32.393-05:00I hate you all.Yes, that's me at the wheel of a Hummer. And if you look closely, I am showing you some disrespect with a hand gesture. Not that it's needed! By driving one of these things, you are basically saying, "Fuck the environment, and fuck YOU".Who the hell drives these things? It's 2009. There's talk about whether it might be too late to reverse the damage we've done to the environment. There was Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-29226706702805064142008-11-29T09:56:00.002-05:002008-11-29T20:57:04.205-05:00Death by Terrorism... versus Death by CapitalismFor those who have grown up in a country like Canada, it's difficult to imagine what things must be like in Mumbai at the moment. For the families of the victims, there is anguish and anger - at the loss of their loved ones, at the perpetrators, and at the politics of terrorism which punishes the innocent. Unlike 9/11 in the US, terrorism in India is an ongoing phenomenon, yet because the Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-55760328360519847052008-11-13T23:12:00.004-05:002008-11-13T23:26:44.479-05:00Gay Bashing is a Hate CrimeOn November 3, Jane Currie and her partner, Anji Dimitriou, were assaulted by a man as they were picking up their children after school. The same man had verbally abused them on previous occasions. This time, the man swore at Anji, accused her of talking to his child, spat in her face, and then attacked her without warning. When Jane intervened, she was hit as well, until other parents Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-54736986189042621362008-11-11T21:52:00.002-05:002008-11-11T22:00:29.916-05:00Who or what are we honouring today?Remembrance Day takes me back to my teaching days. I could never ignore such an occasion, with everyone walking around wearing poppies, and soldiers in uniform on the streets, on tv, and in newspapers. As a grade one teacher, it was an opportunity and a duty to introduce an important concept and start a foundation for further learning. I maintain that there is almost nothing you cannot teach Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-6612330088947818692008-11-02T23:55:00.003-05:002008-11-03T00:14:56.294-05:00Life gets in the way...There's so much to blog about, with the US election days away and the Republican clown-car/horror-show drama in the news daily. It's been difficult to decide what to blog about: Republicans purging Democrats from the voter lists, Republicans claiming the misspelling of "Obama" on ballots as "Osama" was a typo, Republican racists using the word "nigger" at McCain rallies...But I've been short Kim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657171771881691816.post-37881144080583312242008-10-23T18:41:00.005-04:002008-10-23T19:07:04.112-04:00Palin Campaign's Quote of the DayIf you're running for the vice-presidency of the US, but are too stupid to understand (or bother finding out) what the job entails, you'd better at least look good in front of the cameras. Sarah Palin understands this - if nothing else. So lest the common American think they can be like her - or dress like her, think again. Joe the Plumber will need to raise his rates if he wants to be able toKim_in_TOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06204297974869073245noreply@blogger.com4