Occupy Toronto: Aw, Rob Ford Doesn’t Like You

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is telling the protestors occupying St. James Park they need to clear out.  Ford’s seemingly non-confrontational approach to the eviction of the Occupy Toronto group is most likely due to the political and social backlash seen across America from violent evictions, particularly Oakland, California.  The thing that Mr. Ford doesn’t seem to understand is that Occupy Toronto isn’t about giving up and going home, it’s about not bowing down to the bloated head of government.

The Occupy movement is about making the government uncomfortable and making life more difficult for the people who have continually pissed on the little guy.  We’ve grown up in a society where we’re told the only way to be a success is to follow one specific path and individualism is shunned amongst the masses.  At protests everywhere we’ve seen self-sustaining environments built from the ground up.  Everyone has an equal voice and everything is voted on. If you need clothing and can’t afford any there’s 10 people who will donate to you.  Hungry, ask and ye shall receive.  This movement has shown that even in large groups the ideas of an anarchy can work.

Anarchy in the NC

On November 12 a group of 50-75 “in solidarity with occupations everywhere” amassed in a building in downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Following the Carrboro Anarchist Bookfair, the group occupied the 10,000 square foot building and began playing films inside and hanging banners from the windows and rooftop reading “Capitalism left this building for DEAD, we brought it back to LIFE” and “Occupy Everything”.  The group wasn’t affiliated with Occupy Chapel Hill but instead just a collective interested in trying an “experiment”.

On Sunday afternoon, roughly 25 police in full riot gear carrying assault rifles stormed the abandoned building and arrested eight demonstrators.  Explained in a statement released by Sgt. Josh Mecimore, the reasons behind the high-power weapons was a fear that the group had placed traps inside the building or were planning to attack the police.  Fear that the group was destroying the building was also a factor in the move to shut down the demonstration.

Declining Hockey Enrollment in Quinte West

Hockey has long been Canada’s dominant winter sport but this year in Quinte West it appears hockey is giving rise to other organized sports…  http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=12913

Day 7/Steal This Blog

Day 7 of Movember and the ‘stache is becoming top notch (Donate: mobro.co/KyleMumford).  A little heavy on the red and blonde and I’ve still yet to pick up a new razor, I’m unemployed and I can’t afford any of the luxuriant amenities at the present time.  I’m an unemployed artist.. I smell a segue..

Movember day 7

Damn you Internet! You’ve made it possible for people to distribute music freely amongst a mass audience and the government is coming in to save the record labels, I mean artists. This is the age of machinery, a mechanical nightmare, the wonderful world of technology and Canada aims to modernize their copyright laws to reflect the age we live in.

Movember Day 5 and Fear and Loathing on the Saskatchewan Campaign Trail

Movember day 5

An interesting story I found pertaining to the Saskatchewan Party campaigning tactics with the media.  Bill Hutchinson, a Saskatchewan Party candidate staged meet and greets with campaign workers in front of CBC News cameras.  Hutchinson’s reasoning behind the ruse was that he wanted to start it with good conversation with people he knew, get into the groove to talk to total strangers.

The Saskatchewan Party was founded in 1997 by disillusioned Conservative and Liberal party members who wanted to topple the NDP in Saskatchewan.  Hutchinson represents the constituency of Regina South, according the his website he is an “architect whose record of community service includes four terms on Regina City Council”. So why does a man of that stature need to resort to staging Hollywood interviews to boost his campaign?

Arts: I’m Tired of Your Cat (a poem)

Drinking whisky from a woman’s glass
With her maiden name scrawled along the side
A badge of honor, a shame to possess it
I can’t hold my drinks let alone my tongue
And I tell you I’m tired of your cat

Movember Day 4, You Gotta Have Faith

Hey Canada, looks like we’re in the lead for donations so far in this year’s Movember.  As of 11:21 PM, Canada has raised $6,913,890 of the total $17,768,559, not too shabby considering this is only day four.  The website is updated hourly so it’s a great way to keep informed on the donations.  http://ca.movember.com/momoney/

Movember day 4

There’s just one other thing I want to touch on briefly since it’s Friday and I’m ready for the weekend.  Parliamentary secretary to the prime minister Dean Del Mastro made a trollish remark on Facebook last month regarding Justin Trudeau’s adherence to Catholicism, or purported lack of.  The post stemmed from a Peterborough, ON Catholic school invited the Liberal MP to speak, for free, on the topic ‘young people showing leadership’.

Movember Day 3 and Good Times at the G20

It’s the third day of Movember, my classmates seem to have been bitten by some rabid mustachioed wolverine because they all have the bug.  There are Mo Bros and Mo Sistas everywhere, they’re packed tighter than peaceful protestors in a G20 jail cell.. and that’s my segue.

Movember day 3

As the G20 kicks off in France, photos are being released of the jail conditions the prisoners endured during the June 2010 meeting in Toronto. The same G20 where the “Ontario’s Public Works Protection Act” was used to protect the area around the summit. The law, enacted in 1939, was meant to protect important locations like Niagara falls from enemy sabotage by allowing police to detain individuals deemed “suspicious”. Along with this law came lies about the law requiring anyone within 5 metres of the fence to show identification or be arrested. The Canadian Press later quoted police chief Bill Blair saying the law didn’t exist and he “was just trying to keep criminals out”.

Movember Day 2 and Rob Ford Sings the Blues

Shaved today, Movember day two.  Not too eventful aside from my luck running out and nicking my chin.  I think I’m going to have to invest in a better razor because these dollar store ones just don’t do the job.  Other than that it’s been a Movember to remember so far.

Movember day 2

Meanwhile.. In Toronto: Mayor Rob Ford is taking even more steps toward becoming the best mayor the city has ever seen. Councillor Adam Vaughan had put forward the ” Free Press and Democracy” motion, which would have made politicians unable to exclude any news source or journalist from media conferences, events or news releases.  That motion was unanimously shot down by Rob Ford’s executive committee.  This is the committee that Ford announced would not be about left or right but about respecting the taxpayers.

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Research

November 1 marks the beginning of Movember, 30 days of pure mustache mayhem in the name of raising awareness and money for men’s health issues.

Movember day 1: Baby fresh.

Movember focuses on removing the stigma behind prostate cancer and the attitude toward exams for the disease. In Canada, all funds raised go to Prostate Cancer Canada, who work with patients and to educate the public about the illness. So… I’m growing a moustache.