Old books are our kindred spirits

There is nothing like walking into a bookshop you have never seen before. 


You give it a double-take when you first walk by and furrow your brow as you insist against your argumentative brain that you have never, ever seen it before. You wonder if it has opened up for business recently, but by observing the poor condition of the signage on its window front you accept that there is no way it could have opened in the last week, or month, or decade for that matter. You shrug off the confusion and smirk a little, anticipating the joy you are about to feel as soon as you step inside.

You tug at the wooden door handle and pull it open. The wood has worn down where people have touched it to enter the store. This, too, is perplexing--how is it possible that any number of people have walked through this door and you hadn't even known about its existence.

You step inside. The aroma of vanilla and incense wafts in your direction. There is a haze about the space, and you notice it is dust. The dust of the characters who have galloped away from from castles in search for their adventure, the dust which is blown of old treasure chests by pirates and gypsies alike, the dust that Victorian bourgeoisie despise in Parisian salons -- this dust is familiar to you, and yet you know not how.

There is an aged man sitting behind the cashier at the far left corner of the store. His circular spectacles have slid down his nose - indeed assisting the myopia of his experienced eyes. His hair is greyed, his puce coloured overalls have dulled due to being thrown into the wash one too many times. He wears an expression of puzzlement: he is consumed by the literature he holds in front of him. He has not looked up since you have entered. He has not sensed your presence. He is not concerned with the world outside the pages of his book.

You watch his expression alter with every page he turns and chuckle. You see yourself in him. You recognize the immersion he displays. You know he is reading one damned fine piece of writing. If only you could ask what it was.

Third World Girls

"'We know for a fact that an investment in girls is the best anti-poverty measure that we can choose,' said Jo Scheuer, co-ordinator of disaster risk reduction with the United Nations Development Program."

BEN DEPP / PLAN INTERNATIONAL

This was taken from an article that was posted in the Toronto Star today, which discussed the ways girls and women are indiscriminately maltreated during times of natural disaster in developing countries. The facts were appalling. The statistics were stunning. "Girls are 14 times more likely to die in a natural disaster" than boys and men. When parents are given the choice between saving their daughters or sons in times of strife, floods and food scarcity, they choose their sons as it is these heirs that will maintain the bloodlines of the families. Their daughters are abandoned and left for dead. 

Girls are susceptible to early pregnancies, to rape, to prostitution and death in the time following national emergencies and village disasters. They are vulnerable and seeking shelter, food and warmth, and so, turn to those who offer aid, no matter what the form of aid appears in. If money or food are to come of selling their bodies, they are pushed back into a corner that offers little room for recourse. 

Please read this: Toronto Star: Why girls are 14 times more likely to die in a natural disaster. Support Plan Canada. Read the literature that Because I Am A Girl has to offer. 

Women are immaculate. Women are resilient. Women are powerful beyond measure. Far too often are we hidden in nooks and crannies around the world and forced to submit to the requests of those who offer crude and unwarranted "aid", simply because we are not offered it from any other source. Let's change this.

Let's get out there!

There are thousands of us around the world. We practically make up our own demographic. We can be studied, we can be squeezed into a mere statistic, our prospects can be stipulated. We are the unemployed, twenty-somethings.

We were promised the best education Canada has to offer. We were told that after acquiring a university degree the world would be our oyster. We were, or at least, I was, encouraged to choose a university instead of a college by my high school teachers. College was stigmatized. The girls (I went to a Catholic, all-girl high school) who skipped out on classes and hung outside smoking cigarettes and weed chose colleges. Those girls are now well on their way to obtaining full-time jobs. We, on the other hand, are well on our way to writing our hearts out on blogs like these, contacting charities and agencies who are looking for volunteers, and hoping, mightily hoping, that someone, somewhere will notice our potential and scoop us out of the misery of unemployment.

I have applied for jobs in the retail industry, jobs for reception, administrative assistants, entry-level-anything, everywhere. To no avail. Because I am an intern from 9-5 for three days a week, I am unemployable. I would not trade the skills I am gaining for any administrative assistant positions. It is providing me with a solid foundation to demonstrate the best of my skills, and for that I am remarkably lucky.

However, for those who have not landed an internship, who cannot afford to go back to school, and are regrettably unemployed, there is hope for you and it comes in the form of philanthropy.

There are associations, foundations, clubs, charities and NGOs all over the globe that are seeking people like us--people who have copious amounts of energy to employ and no one to give us the shot. Whether it be assisting those who courageously defend the decrepit state of the environment, those who defend the rights of women internationally, or those who are concerned about the homeless men in your municipality, they want us. They are looking for us. Of course, it won't rack in the dough, but it will fulfil us in ways we might not have completely been aware of before. We will be learning about diplomacy, solidarity, pragmatism, development, government assistance (or lackthereof) and will be able to help those that need it as well as ourselves. We might even make a connection with someone who is looking for an employee just like us. 

Who knows. What I'm saying is, we might as well step outside and help out where we can instead of pity ourselves in the bleakness of our rooms.

I live in the fabulous, vibrant city of Toronto. If you do too, here are some associations who are regularly looking for volunteers, and could use someone like you:

UNWomen Canada

Free Them - For Freedom Sake

UNICEF Canada

USC Canada

Canada World Youth

Crossroads International

For more information about NGOs in your city, check out Foreign Affairs, Trade and International Development Canada and Charity Village.

Good luck!

Musings, Fixations, Worries, Queries

Ever just stop for an hour and think about where your life is headed? Ever map out where you've been, where you are, and where you'd like to be? I seem to be doing that more often than I'd like, these days. I suppose at twenty-two this is normal of the transition from student-worker bee; figuring shit out. While half of my twenty-two year old counterparts seem to have their shit together, the remaining half is caught fostering a complacency which should not be allowed. I have friends who are captivated by inspiration, and in turn, motivation. However, I also have friends who sincerely cannot fathom finding the confidence, or in my opinion, desire, to quit their poor-paying, menial part-time job.

I love to write. I do. I would love to go into journalism, but my portfolio is poor. I do not know where to look for the opportunities to expand my experience. I need to be taught how to write like a journalist and yet I cannot find the time. 

Currently I am "employed" as an intern for a Toronto-based parenting magazine. It is an unpaid position, hence the use of quotations. I enjoy the experience I am gaining there. I am hosting interviews, writing movie reviews, blurbs and pieces that will be publishing in the next issue. But is that enough? Will employers see this experience as something that sets me apart from other writers my age? I can't help but think negatively.

It is difficult to obtain the positions you seek that require a minimum of three to five years in the industry of choice. Where do we get this experience if employers are not willing to take a chance on those who have not met the requirement? It is difficult proliferating your name at this age. It is difficult establishing a rapport in the presentation of your work which warrants respect for one's craft. However, one way or another, things fall into place.

I often envy my father's employment path. In his last year of university, a professor approached him to applaud my father's talent for writing, and asked if he had ever considered applying for a position at the Windsor Star. He hadn't, but after Mr. Professor's intimation, it was all he could think about. My Dad had a connection at the Star and was soon given a job. Yes, just like that. There was no portfolio, there were merely essays which had been handed to the hirer. Heck, if it was that easy we'd all be journalists. I suppose that's the point, after all; to weed out those who are dutifully passionate about writing as objective, sensitive journalists, from those who sloppily aggregate facts and quotes for the sake of meeting the assigned quota.

Anyhow, I know this is quite irrelevant to most of the content I provide you on this blog, however, I know I am not alone when I say that: currently, I am lost. I know there are millions of others who are desperately researching for avenues which give them a leg up and offer them the chance to acquire the experience they need to reach their next goal. 

I've been checking this out for some inspiration. So far, it has helped. FastCompany's list of the Most Creative People In Business: 2012-2013. Check it out: FastCompany: The Most Creative People in Business: 2012-2013

Good luck, chaps!

xx

Free People x Roshambo

Free People presents a short film to convey the story behind the theme of their February 2013 catalogue. Whimsical love, Christopher Abbott, Sheila Marquez, Bohemian-chic, wanderers, turquoise and silver, tassels and crocheted fabrics, Rio de Janeiro, beach waves, serendipity.

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Part 1 - Roshambo

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Part 2 - Rock 

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Part 3 - Paper-Scissors

Washington Post: Four Reasons Russia Protects Syria

As Al Jazeera streams its dialogue about Russia's participation and stance on Syria's civil war (which can be watched here: http://stream.aljazeera.com/), I decided it is imperative we clearly understand the reasons Russia backs Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad. Those the AJ journalists interviewed have provided several repeated reasons, namely, for strategic interest and for the Russian naval base situated in Syria.

Keep in mind: Moscow blocks the United Nation Security Council from interfering with Syrian regime developments. Under international law, if America were to take military action against Syria it would be illegal. Because of Moscow's guardianship, they can transport arms to the Assad regime without disruption. Sending massive amounts of weaponry to Syria is an affluent source of revenue for Russia. Russia likes the revenue.

According to the Washington Post, the four most prevalent reasons President Putin supports Assad's battalion are:

1. Russia's naval base in Syria is strategically important and happens to be the last foreign military installation outside the former Soviet Union.

2. What political scientists care calling "Cold War mentality". Along with a sense of national insecurity, Russia holds firmly to the ideals of maintaining one of its last military alliances.

3. Russia believes in domestic responsibilty and consequence. They refute the concept of "international intervention", especially against countries like Syria, because they view this as reminiscent of the Western imperialism which dominated during the Cold War. This threat makes Syria's protection all the more appealing to Putin.

4. As I stated earlier: revenue. They like money; they need money.






Hope that helps. Cheers.

Sandra Day O'Connor x Madeleine Albright x Anne-Marie Slaughter

LIVE From the New York Public Library

On March 28^th this year, three female powerhouses met to discuss their contributions as members of government as well as the overarching issue of female leadership in America. Anne-Marie Slaughter, the first woman to serve as Director of Policy Planning for the United States was joined by Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, and Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State.

The first female Supreme Court Justice, the first female Secretary of State and the first woman to serve as Director of Policy Planning in the United States Department of State.

These women will go down in history for breaking the mould of a primarily patriarchal state of American government. Their successors thank them and women around the world venerate them for their perseverance and eloquent demand of authority and respect. They are authors; they are teachers. O’ Connor served as an Associate Justice under the appointment of President Ronald Regan in 1981 and Albright was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

                Both women nourished a passion for expanding their intellect. O’Connor attended Stanford University and continued into Stanford Law School to earn her law degree. Albright attended Wellesley College before joining the College Democrats of America.  Both are published authors of multiple works and this year O’Connor presented her new addition Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court.

                Anne-Marie Slaughter is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. She was dean of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and received the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award after leaving the State Department. These feats make her an ideal candidate worthy of any little girl’s awe and esteem.

                Watching a video like this is necessary for our regular dose of female empowerment. It will provide you with crucial pieces of information for the all the times little girls may ask you, “Who are some famous women I should know about?” You will be able to give her three incredible examples of female leaders who stood up to the constructs of society as they stood at the time, and did not back down when others scoffed at the idea.

                The content may be too heavy for children to understand, however keep it in mind. There is an increasing need for girls to admire women for their intellect and philanthropy. Admiring women for their aesthetic only goes so far! They should be encouraged to look up to women who can express themselves plainly, who have stared in the face of doubt and told it to ‘shove off’, and who spend their affluence on others, especially those who lack it. My ideal female idol is one who could debate until she is hoarse in the throat and walk into a room full of influential CEOs and not break a sweat. I hope the next generation agrees!