Canadians for Choice Toronto crew at the International Women’s Day rally

Yep, it’ll be a full six months that we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of abortion legalization in Canada tomorrow, June 28th!

20 years and 6 months ago, Dr. Henry Morgentaler won the Supreme Court of Canada case striking down the abortion law that criminalized women who exercised their inherent reproductive rights.

And since it’s Pride weekend in Toronto, what better way to go out and PARTAY for our bodies to be with whomever we want, than to honour and remember the hard-fought battle that now legally guarantees women the right to choose what we want to DO with our bodies in Canada! (Actually accessing abortion services and quality of care though is a whole other story, you need look no further than at the 2006 REALITY CHECK report we did at Canadians for Choice to see that.)

We are one of the few nations in the world with no legal restrictions on abortion, and we should be damn proud that choice is an important matter generations young and old are continuing to fight for. It’s estimated that approximately 80,000 women die every year around the world due to complications from botched illegal abortions.

It’s been one helluva year defending choice in this country that I’ll actually detail when my latest Rabble article comes out soon, but for now I’m going to march with Pride this weekend that I live in Canada, and that I’m pro-choice.

(We’d love to have you join us at Canadians for Choice marching at the Dyke march, click here for the Facebook listing!)

Ah summer, season of the construction project. No matter where I go, no matter how idyllic the park or peaceful the rooftop, there’s always some tool (and some person using it, har har) razzing up the neighbourhood. Oh well, all the more reason to stay indoors trolling YouTube for videos.

Some of the most curious and intriguing music I’ve heard in a while is being made by Montreal’s Elfin Saddle, a duo whose stage set-up could probably double as either a kitchen or toolshed - you got yer pot lids, saws, duct tape and what-all and somehow it all adds up to beeyootiful music.

Here they are playing live in Montreal at a showcase handpicked by music fans extraordinaire Said the Gramophone. I especially love Emi Honda’s skills on the singing saw; if only my neighbours’ backyard projects could sound so sweet.

You can also buy mp3s of Elfin Saddle and many other fine bands from the website Villa Villa Nola, an innovative “store” that releases rare recordings on the internet, meaning there’s a lot of opportunity to get a hold of stuff that may be too ephemeral or small-scale for a record label or large-scale distribution but still really ought to be heard. They cut out the middleman and pass the savings on to you! Um, okay, now that the spirit of Ikea has left my body, I leave you to your listening. Enjoy.

Starting today Shameless magazine is selling one-year Canadian subscriptions for ONLY TEN DOLLARS! Subscribe today and you’ll be sure to get our next fantastic issue BEFORE it hits newsstands in August!

SUBCRIBE TODAY! (it’s also a great time to renew - if you already have a subscription, we’ll tack on another year for only $10!)

In case you don’t already know, Shameless magazine is Canada’s independent voice for smart, strong, sassy young women. It’s a magazine that’s a fresh alternative to typical teen magazines, for girls who know there’s more to life than makeup and diet tips. Packed with articles about arts, culture and current events, Shameless reaches out to readers who are often ignored by mainstream media: freethinkers, queer youth, young women of colour, punk rockers, feminists, intellectuals, artists, activists — people just like you! We tackle teen life with wit and wisdom.

SUBCRIBE TODAY and get a one-year subscription FOR ONLY $10! You just can’t beat this deal!

This is one day late for Wired Wednesday, maybe we can call it post-Thursday? For all you Electro fans out there, check out toneShared, it’s a library of ringtones by Electro artists available for free. Yeah that’s right, dump Rihanna and go for Caribou, or if you’re feeling experimental maybe Chris Herbert?

Tonight Jessica Valenti, author of Full Frontal Feminism and He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, did a reading at Camera Gallery in an event co-sponsored by Shameless and The Miss G Project for Equity in Education. What followed was a lively panel discussion on contemporary feminism and the issues facing young feminists today. Shameless was on hand to take some pictures and have too many glasses of red wine.

Jessica Valenti reads from Full Frontal Feminism.

Feminists at the bar.

Sarah Wolf and Laurel Mitchell chat on the panel.

Lots of pics after the jump.

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“All these gung-ho third-wave feminists gladden the heart of an old second-waver like moi. That’s because, rather than run from the f-word while benefiting from the hard-won battles for equal rights, these women embrace it.”

-Antonia Zerbisias on Jessica Valenti, The Miss G Project for Equity in Education, Shameless magazine, and, well, you, in today’s Toronto Star.

Don’t forget to check out Jessica Valenti and the rest of the F-word panel tonight at Camera Gallery at 7:00!

So this is my first Wired Wednesday post (I forgot it was Wednesday last week, summer’ll do that to you), and in classic Miriam fashion, I want to really stretch the definition of what constitutes a “wired” subject.

See, I just came back from Detroit, where I was attending the Allied Media Conference, and I brought my computer and everything, because I am a technophile (with mild ADHD, natch) and I figured I would spend a lot of time listening to people talk and display PowerPoint presentations, leaving me with ample opportunity to do stuff like surf Metafilter or Favrd. That’s what you do at conferences, right? Show up, wear the badge and try to network. When not networking, stare at your laptop and “take notes” on the speakers.

Oh how wrong I was.

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Hello lovelies! I have had an oh so secret crush on Shameless for some time and it has been one of my personal goals to contribute to the incredible presence that it is.

For a while now I have been convinced that crafting, homework, and an overall sense of DIY has long been a place of feminist identity and resistance. Every week from now on I hope to present you with a crafty idea, a crafter, or a crafty place that is feminist! Feel free to knit along, sew along, or craft beside. Let the crafting begin!

Some Shameless self-promotion, I’ll be doing an interview on CIUT Radio 89.5 FM in Toronto this Thursday, June 26th in regards to the 20th anniversary of abortion legalization this year and what this means for young activists involved in the pro-choice movement now.

I’m on at 9:40 a.m. You can listen live here.

Wish me luck!