Stolen: Words that Matter

I have a little notebook which I received from a friend as a birthday gift quite a few years ago with a little stick figure boy on it with rocks sailing at his head. "Boys are dumb. Throw rocks at them" it says. Well, I don't exactly prescribe to that belief, as it wouldn't be fair with my other dealings, but I began writing quotes in it that I liked, found inspiring or funny, or that I just wanted to remember. So, with that, I am stealing this idea from my lovely friend Lola's page and including some of my faves:

Words are amazing in their power - they can soothe, they can empower, they can hurt, they can heal, they can inspire. There are some quotes that I go back to to find centre, to remind myself of what's important...

(In no particular order...)

"Music and me, we have a special bond. Sometimes we meet in a dark room and slow dance, alone, together. Sometimes we hook up in a jam-packed arena, and yet we're the only two souls there. Sometimes I put headphones on and can hear the universe calling. Ah, music, sweet music. When it's on, when all of the rhythmic planets have aligned and I can close my eyes and feel both immersion and transcendence, I know I'm right where I want to be." - Mike Mettler-

"If you go to a big city, and a university is a big city, you are bound to run into Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Stay home, stay home." - Kurt Vonnegut-

"Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say?" -Kurt Vonnegut-

"Planet Earth is an angry place; a searing bauble of rage. All this fury, roaring around the ether - and where does it go? The answer is it simply dissipates, flitters up towards the clouds, where it hangs around making pigeons sick and causing thunderstorms. Not good enough. We've got to work out a way of harnessing all this spare rage and using it to power our kettles. Come on, science. Hurry up. You wouldn't like us when we're angry." -Charlie Brooker -

"Never join a group without being confident of your ability to speak up in disagreement." - Heather Mallick -

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed that is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead -

"It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it." - Jacob Bronowski-

"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it." - The Talmud -

"Interesting how, if you are silent, democracy is working. If you speak up, democracy is not for you." - Beth Atcheson -

"The body is lazy, the mind is vibrant and the soul is luminous." - B.K.S. Iyengar -

"Qui de nous n'a cherche le calme dans un chant?" - Victor Hugo-

"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." - Carl Jung -

"Legislation may not change the heart, but it will restrain the heartless." - Martin Luther King, Jr. -

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." - Andre Gide -

"The pollution you breathe may be your own." - graffiti -

"The things we perceive as beautiful may be different, but the actual characteristics we ascribe to beautiful objects are similar... when something strikes us as beautiful, it displays more presence and sharpness of shape and vividness of colour doesn't it? It stands out, it shines. It seems almost iridescent compared to the dullness of other objects less attractive." - James Redfield -

"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." -W.B. Yeats -

"Never let formal education get in the way of your learning." - Mark Twain -

"We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is." - Dr. Mark Vonnegut -

V-Day in the Capital - April 25th!

Friends,

As many of you know already - I, along with my friend Laurie, have spent the last few months organizing a benefit - V-Day in the Capital. We have been granted the rights for a V-Day benefit production of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer to raise money and awareness for organizations that work to stop violence against women and girls.  

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls, is a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle. These writings are inspired, funny, angry, heartfelt, tragic, and beautiful. But above all, together they create a true and profound portrait of how violence against women affects everyone, men and women.

The event takes place on Apil 25th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization and features an impressive line up including Bill Welychka (former MuchMusic VJ, current A-Channel personality), Paul Dewar (MP for Ottawa-Centre), Hedy Fry (MP for Vancouver Centre), Kerry Pither (Ottawa human rights activist and author of Dark Days:  The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror) and Todd Duckworth (actor/director). There are also some amazing items available in a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle!

I need your help to get the word out and get those tickets sold! Could you please either forward this note or send one of your own to your friends and contacts to let them know about the event? 

Tickets are only $40 and are available at the CMC box office or by calling 819.776.7000. All proceeds will go to Family Services Ottawa and the Canadian Committee for UNIFEM.

I hope that you can join us on April 25th with your friends for an evening of hope and celebration and to raise some funds for some great organizations who are making a difference.

More information can be found on our web site at: www.capitalvday.com

Thanks in advance for your support!

Laura

Excuses, excuses...Now act!

I've been meaning to write an entry for many a day now. But I always have an excuse. I'm tired. I don't know what to write about. I have too much to write about. No one will care what I write....

But at some point we have to set aside excuses and act.

Laurie has pushed me, and now we're going to act. Back in October Stephanie Nolen of The Globe and Mail wrote an article which I sent to Laurie. The article is no longer available in its entirety online, but you can get the intro here and purchase the full article. Laurie, the wonderful soul that she is, couldn't sleep for days because the idea that the word "re-rape" existed just messed with her mind too much. Not that it didn't bother me to read those words too...but I was able to push it away. Not Laurie. So she emailed me. "Laura, I've got an idea. But I need your help." I didn't know it at the time, but I had just signed up to co-produce V-Day in the Capital.

No more excuses. It's time to act.

Too many women in the DRC are being violated repeatedly as an act of war. In an article by Kris Kotarski for The Calgary Herald, Maj.-Gen. Patrick Cammaert, who was the commander for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Eastern Congo is quoted referring to the mass rapes saying that:

It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict.

Closer to home, a 2006 Statistics Canada study, called Measuring Violence against Women, found:

Prevalence and severity

• Women are more likely than men to be the victims of the most severe forms of spousal assault, as well as spousal

homicide, sexual assault and criminal harassment (stalking).

• The rate of spousal homicide has declined in recent years for both women and men, and survey data suggest that the

severity of non-lethal assaults against women has also declined somewhat.

• Over the past 30 years, the percentage of persons charged with fi rst degree murder in spousal homicide cases has

risen; however, men are twice as likely as women to receive this charge.

• Trends in various types of violence against women, as recorded in police statistics, are mixed:

• rates of reported sexual assault have declined since 1993;

• the number of spousal violence incidents against women has declined since 2000 while the rate of

violence perpetrated by boyfriends has increased;

• the number of male partners reported to police for criminal harassment has increased.

Impact

• Spousal violence has psychological, physical, social and economic impacts for victims, their families and society.

• Female victims of spousal violence are more likely than males to report being injured, suffer lost productivity, experience

multiple assaults, fear for their lives, and experience negative emotional consequences.

• Almost 40% of women assaulted by spouses said their children witnessed the violence against them (either directly or

indirectly) and in many cases the violence was severe. In half of cases of spousal violence against women that were

witnessed by children, the woman feared for her life.

• Studies of the economic costs of violence against women to victims and society estimate that costs to health, criminal

justice, social services and lost productivity range in the billions of dollars.

Some more (and fairly recently updated) statistics can also be found here thanks to The Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women.

But, I could spout numbers and percentages until I was blue in the face and that perhaps wouldn't get most to understand the absolute importance and prevalence of this problem.

So why not come hear a story of someone who's actually experienced it? Why not hear from someone who saw their own mother beaten? Or someone who grew up surrounded by broken women? Someone who is raising their son to Not Be One of Them.

That is where V-Day in the Capial comes in. 

Here is our first post from our blog/website:

And so it begins....

We are very pleased to announce that as part of the annual V-Day campaign, we will be staging a benefit reading of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, on April 25th, 2009 at the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls, is a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle. These diverse voices, of both men and women, rise up in a collective roar to break open, expose, and examine the insidiousness of violence at all levels: brutality, neglect, a punch, even a put-down.

What is V-Day?

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery.

The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world, in 120 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and all of North America. V-Day, a non-profit corporation, distributes funds to grassroots, national and international organizations and programs that work to stop violence against women and girls. In 2001, V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities" and in 2006 one of Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities. In ten years, the V-Day movement has raised over $60 million.

2009 Spotlight Campaign

Along with supporting local programs of education and prevention about violence against women, 2009 is also shining the spotlight on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Stop Raping our Greatest Resource: Power to Women in the DRC is a new global campaign to call attention to the wide-scale atrocities committed against women and girls in Eastern DRC and demand an end to the impunity with which these crimes are committed.

By joining this campaign, you will be supporting Congolese women and men who are demanding an end to rape. You will be supporting local efforts to demand justice and accountability. You will be supporting survivors of sexual violence to heal and rebuild their lives and communities. And you will join others around the globe to demand that women and girls in DRC are safe.

The Campaign is being initiated by V-Day and UNICEF, representing UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict

What's Next?

In the coming weeks we will be announcing our performers, where you can buy tickets and who will benefit from the money raised.

Questions? Drop us a line at capitalvday@gmail.com

I do hope you'll join us and take the time to act.

In loving memory of...

In one of the stars, I shall be living. In one of them, I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night.

Le Petit Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery



To Vanessa, Bob, Claudia, Laleah, Emma and family - my love and strength in this difficult time.

For Love of Water

Watching: Grey's Anatomy from last week

Just finished watching: FLOW - For Love Of Water

The second of my three water-themed events this week was better than the first. It was more cohesive, and had a stronger pitch for what we can do to help with the water problems we're facing.

Sadly I'm pretty tired and don't feel like writing much more than that. So, in lieu of my laziness, I think you should see the trailer here: FLOW, and then I recommend you sign their petition for Article 31 to be part of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. It's a step in the right direction.

The Myth of Water Abundance in Canada

Tonight I spent the first of three water-themed events I will attend in the next week. It was put on by the Sierra Club of Canada's Ottawa chapter at St. Paul's University and it was entitled The Myth of Water Abundance in Canada. 

The rundown:

MC Adrian Harewood, CBC Radio

Presentation by Maude Barlow, Global Water Activist, Council of Canadians
Published author: Blue Gold, Blue Covenant

Panel Discussion:
Stephen Hazell, Executive Director
Maude Barlow, Chair, Council of Canadians
Meredith Brown, Executive Director, Ottawa Riverkeepers
Clive Doucet, City of Ottawa Councillor, Capital Ward

Some notes:

• One of the causes of climate change has been the changes we have caused to the hydrologic cycle
• China is creating deserts the size of Rhode Island every year by draining watersheds
• Hot spots are being found around the world now (areas running out of water) - Middle East, Australia, 22 countries in Africa, SouthWest United States, Mexico City, India, Northern China...)
• Canada's last water legislation at a federal level was the NAtional Water Act of 1970
• Water is a tradeable good (i.e.: private commodity) in NAFTA, where there is a proportional sharing agreement so hypothetically corporations could sue if we ever restricted their water usage
• Nestle (and other companies across the country, and mostly around the Great Lakes) are getting water permits and taking water out at insane levels -at only the cost of the permit!
• Four trillion liters of water a day are removed from the Great Lakes
• Lake Michigan actually had its water flow reversed because of so much water removal
• Only 3% of the wildlife in the Great Lakes are native
• There are more than 300 chemicals in the Great Lakes, including nitrates and chemical fertilizers from livestock and industrial agriculture in the area
• Alberta's tar sands, described by Maude Barlow as Canada's Mordor, have shown exceptionally high cancer rates in populations nearby - including the unseen bile cancer in children 
• Most environmental groups are fighting for a National Water Strategy where there would be a ban/limits on commercial water exports, a right to safe drinking water for all, and sustainability in our water strategy

I'll post more notes after the next two events: the Flow movie, and the Blue Gold movie.

On Packing

Packing for The Big Move began a little over a month ago...but didn't really kick into high gear until the last two weeks. First came the books. We have two overflowing book shelves, and they took up no less than ten 2 cubic feet sized boxes.

Pretty much everything is packed up now... but the big thing left are the dishes. Yes, those in the cupboards....but more so the ones in the sink. I used to like doing dishes by hand. It was soothing and quiet and didn't take very long. Now I hate it. I like to say it's because it's greener to do dishes with the washer, but really I think it's just because it means being in my small, dark, music-less, window-less kitchen.

So. I've been avoiding those dishes until the very last minute where I'll have to wash and pack them. I'm actually considering packing them dirty and then just throwing them in the dishwasher at the new house. Would that be so wrong?

I'm avoiding doing dishes so badly, in fact, that I just spent the last hour packing and cleaning up the bathroom. Including o-mop-ing the floor behind the toilet where water had dripped for gosh-knows-how-long before we finally noticed and is now stained with rust coloured cirlces of dried water.

Maybe I'll just hire a maid for the new house to solve all my cleaning problems.

On Leaving

In four days we get the keys to our new house. Our first house. And in five days we move.

T mentioned he was going to miss the apartment and the memories, but not me. I have a bad memory and don't miss my parent's place (though I do miss the cottage) and I don't think I'm going to miss this apartment.

I never liked it, and I only moved here because T was already here. My dislike of things has turned to angry hatred and disgust in the recent months as I anticipate our perfect house (shut up, that's what it is in my head! Don't ruin it for me yet -- let me learn on my own.)

The kitchen here is small, has no counter space, and really crappy lighting.

There's no real suitable place to have a dining room table and guests.

The balcony is small and overlooks the parking lot.

The road that runs out past our window has three bus routes on it and seeminly too many idiotic drivers who live to rev their engines at 2 a.m. as they speed down the street.

The master bedroom is small and I have a computer desk and chair just a few inches from my nose as I sleep.

There is no air conditioning which has been disgusting these last two summers where the average temperature of the apartment is 26 C. Don't even think of turning on the stove or oven.

The TV and video games are on the other side of the bedroom wall which isn't good for sleeping for me when T wants to stay up.

I can only do laundry at certain times and on certain days which isn't conducive to my Martha Stewart ways.

Out-of-town guests have been sleeping on our couch, in our living room where we have a towel for a curtain on the balcony door.

I don't care for any fond memories here. Everything I want to remember I'm taking with me. The cat, my books, my music and T. What else do I need?

Well, seeing as you asked.

The new house has a large kitchen with lots of counter space and natual light pouring in through the patio door.

There's a dining room and a new dining room table and chairs being delivered.

The backyard is a decent size and will have a BBQ, a patio set and overlooks parkland. There is a library, community center, park, splash park, tennis courts and two baseball diamonds all within a ten minute walk out the backyard.

The street in front of us is residential but at the end of the street is a major road with a bus to take us both to work. Out of earshot.

The master bedroom is large, and though it is currently pink and mauve, it will soon be transformed into a nice oasis for us to get some fantastic shut eye in our new king sized bed...and maybe something else.

The computer and video games will all be in the basement -- also out of earshot of sleeping Laura.

I can do laundry whenever I want.

We will have A/C so we won't have to go "condo swimming" as my friend puts it (showering/bathing repeatedly before bed to try and cool off -- often ends in sleeping naked and wet to keep cool).

Our out-of-town guests (the first of which will be two weeks after we move in!) will have their own bedroom and bed to sleep in. With real curtains in their room!

I can't wait.

Time to make new memories.

When you're bored

LAYER ONE:
Spell your name with bands/artists
LoudLove
Arcade Fire
U2
Rebel Emergency
A 311...ok I couldn’t think of another A band


LAYER TWO:
-- Name: Laura Anne Marie Nicol
-- Birth date: August 13, 1983
-- Nicknames: Laur , Laura-loo, Laura-lee Laura-loo, chaton
-- Current Location: Ottawa
-- Eye Color: Blue
-- Hair Color: Brown
-- Righty or Lefty: Righty.
-- Best friend(s): Theo, Salma, Daniel, Christine, Nicole ...

LAYER THREE:
-- The shoes you wore today: black flats to and from work, 2 in black heels at work
-- Your perfect pizza: sauce, green peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese OR bbq sauce, chicken and cheese
-- The last time you cried: Probably like a week ago

LAYER FOUR:
-- Your best physical feature: Eyes? Breasts?
-- Most missed memory: I have a horrible memory. I miss my memory. And the cottage. :>

LAYER FIVE:
-- Pepsi or Coke: Coke
-- McDonald's or Burger King: McDonalds
-- Adidas or Nike: neither
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: meh
-- Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
-- Cappuccino or coffee: French vanilla

LAYER SIX:
-- Curse: I don’t know what exactly this is asking?
-- Do you sing: Yes...when I’m alone.
-- Take a shower everyday: Usually.
-- Do you think you have been in love: Yes
-- Want to go to college: Went to university and took college classes in PR. I’d go back in a heart beat
-- Get motion sickness: rarely
-- Think you're a health freak: nope
-- Get along with your parents: yes.
-- Play an instrument: I can play guitar, bass and drums in Rock Band 

LAYER SEVEN:
In the past 3 months...
-- Gone to the mall: yes
-- Kissed someone: yes
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: no, but I did share one with Mat and Theo
-- Eaten Sushi: yup
-- Been on stage: no
-- Gone skating: noooope
-- Made homemade cookies: Not cookies—but cupcakes and banana bread
-- Stolen anything: nope

LAYER EIGHT:
Have you ever...
-- Gotten in big trouble with your parents: not really
-- Used a fake id: Hmmm maybe? I don’t recall. Don’t think so?

LAYER NINE:
-- Age you hope to be married: No rush...but maybe by 27-28
--Number of Children: 2

LAYER TEN:
In a guy/girl...
-- Best eye color: don't care
-- best hair color: ditto
-- Short hair or long hair: ditto


LAYER ELEVEN:
-- Number of people I could trust with my life?: 10ish?
-- Number of cds you own: tons!!
-- Number of piercings: 4
-- Number of tattoos: none

LAYER TWELVE:
--The one place you never want to go back to: cottage, montreal, kap, toronto, NYC, D.C., boston, Vegas
--The one place where you want to die: wherever home is
--The one feeling you have never felt: loss – true, deep loss
--The one person you would like to meet: Hmmm...does 311 count as a person? If not, George Stroumboulopoulos. I’d love to go to a concert with that guy.

Banksy

I've been a fan of Banksy for a few years now. I don't recall how I first came across his graffiti/political art ... but I especially adore his recent work in Palestine/Israel. It's not mindless tagging on public property type graffiti - it's always got a point.




At Urban Outfitters I found a book of some of his work. Some of my favorite quotes:

"Once upon a time there was a Bear and a Bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long the Bee collected nectar from morning to night while the Bear lay on his back basking in the long grass.

When Winter came the Bear realised he had nothing to eat and thought to himself 'I hope that busy little Bee will share some of his honey with me.' But the Bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease."

"The human race is the most stupid and unfair kind of race. A lot of the runners don't even get decent sneakers or clean drinking water.

Some runners are born with a massive head start, every possible help along the way and still the referees seem to be on their side.

It's not surprising a lot of people have given up competing altogether and gone to sit in the grandstand, eat junk and shout abuse.

What the human race needs is a lot more streakers."

"We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves."