Go, Maya!

World renown poet, author and activist Maya Angelou has joined the fight for marriage equality. Along with a number of other high profile citizens , she is lobbying New York Senators to vote for equality when it comes to gay marriages.

Having placed three phone calls to senators last week, it's clear that the issue is one of importance to Maya and not just some silly and useless publicity stunt. She has said,

"To love someone takes a lot of courage... So how much more is one challenged when the love is of the same sex and the laws say, ‘I forbid you from loving this person’?”

This is such a great and simple way to put it. The concept of marriage as an institution is still a complex one for me, anyway. I've never understood how we as a civilization came to regulate and legislate love in the first place. However, since we are living in the age of governed oppression where we often make up ridiculous rules for one another, I'm glad to see that Maya has chosen to fight the battle of fairness. She's reminding us to keep it real and think about the big picture.

Go, Maya!

Earth Friendly, Low-Cost Housing For Women in The Bronx

Nancy Biberman, founder of the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo), has done something that sets an example for low-income housing developers in urban areas.

Nancy has taken an old, rotting piece of property in The Bronx and converted it into eco-friendly housing for the poor. The site is called Intervale Green and, from the sounds of it, is a place that even those of us who don’t exactly fall under the low-income category would be happy to live.

It is the largest affordable apartment complex in the United States to receive a federal Energy Star certification. The appliances are all highly energy efficient and materials used for the interior include birch-esque vinyl flooring and Italian tiles donated by a flooring company. Light fixtures in and on the building are fluorescent. All of these features result in a 30 per cent decrease in utility costs in comparison to that of a conventional building.

Biberman has spent much of her career working on projects similar to Intervale Green; She has revamped over 23 abandoned buildings in The Bronx and is a dedicated advocate of improved housing for women (who make up the majority of low-income citizens) using eco-friendly solutions to make differences in poverty stricken communities.

I ‘m a firm believer that even the aesthetics of ones surroundings play a great role in the positivity of an individual’s outlook on life. Having the opportunity to live in an environment that isn’t laden with pests and decay has got to have an exceptional effect on the inhabitant.

I have great hopes for the lucky folks who will have the chance to dwell in a space like Intervale Green. Living in a building that has been constructed by organizations that have considered the residents’ place in society is likely to give any one a good boost in confidence as well as a sort of heightened self-esteem. As we’ve discussed in the past, self esteem might not be all there is… it’s just that there’s nothing without it.

Read the full article from AlterNet.org or watch the CNN feature below. You can find out about how to make a donation by visiting this link.

Tonight's Show - V-Day

Tonight's show is a bit of a mixed bag. We're discussing both Valentine's day and V-day - both of which are celebrated on February 14th.

Here are some links and information about the things we're discussing tonight:

Valentine's Day
The history of valentines day is pretty interesting - it kind of makes me respect the holiday a little bit more. To watch a brief video about the history, check out History.com.

V-Day
V-day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls. This year V-day organizers are focusing on the issue of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Another great international initiative for ending violence against women is Amnesty's International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

Violence Against Women
In light of V-day, we're talking about some recent incidents of violence against women that have been in the media.

• Obviously, the incident between Chris Brown and Rihanna has been all over the blog-o-sphere, and we'll be discussing that tonight.
• We'll also be talking about a very cool movement in India - A Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women. Check out the Facebook group and Fan Page.

Domestic Violence in Nunavut
Finally, we will be discussing the very serious issue of violence against women in northern Canada. Nunavut territory has a violent crime rate 8x greater than the rest of Canada, and 90% of the victims are women.

Iqaluit singer Lucie Idlout wrote a song called "Lovely Irene" in honour of her friend who suffered domestic abuse. When the acoustic version of the song (which is titled Angel Street) was discovered by the mayor of Iqaluit, Elisapee Sheutiapik, she started a campaign to have each capital city in Canada use the name "Angel" in a street name as a way of paying tribute to victims of domestic violence.

Below is a video about the only women's shelter in Iqaluit. The video features the acoustic version of Lucie Idlout's song Angel Street.

Remember to tune in tonight at 8:30 pm on CJSW 90.9 fm or stream it live from CJSW.com.

Must See - Eve Ensler's New Monologue

Megan, a blogger from Jezebel, writes:
I cried watching Eve Ensler performing her new piece, A Teenage Girl's Guide To Surviving Sex Slavery. She ends it, "No one can take anything from you if you do not give it to them."

Spinster Aunt: Gag rule bagged for 4 years

The blogosphere's favorite Spinster Aunt and writer behind "I Blame The Patriarchy" is exercising a little dissidence and is doing it in an interesting way as she tends to. Check out what she had to say about US President Barack Obama' s recent repeal on the global abortion gag rule a.k.a "The New Mexico Policy" , initially instilled by the Reagan Administration in 1984, repealed by Clinton in 1993 and revived again by G.Dub back in 2001.

I have to say, I appreciate her ability to strip away all the glitz and get straight to the facts... as subversive and far from straight-forward as they may be. See for yourself here. Below are a couple of links to articles on the New Mexico Policy from the past and the present.

Center for Reproductive Rights:
Obama Rescinds Global Gag Rule

Archive, from The New York Times (1987):
Abortions Abroad Are New Focus of Widening Battle Over Reagan's Policy


Thoughts...?

A Must-Watch Video for All Prop. 8 Supporters

This video is amazing - the lyrics are very touching.
"Created Equal" by MC Flow - visit her MySpace page here.