Entries tagged "Canada"

What it’s like going to schools a kid with two lesbian mums

I found this piece by Kalia Douglas-Micallef in Toronto pretty interesting.

Even though she lives in a place with complete legal equality for lesbians and gay men (I’m not sure what the story is legally for trans* people) and even though she had activist parents and a supportive community she faced a lot of difficulties.

Canada can seem like an imagined utopia to Americans on social issues. It’s not. It’s a place full of people, like anywhere. I grew up there and I was given my own hard time as a kid, in part of being Jewish. In the 70s.

I don’t think you can stop everyone from being mean or hurtful. But you can set priorities as a community and consequences for behaviour and you can educate people. A kid is better off with a supportive family and a school where being gay is though, than being in school where being gay is ok but their family is not. 40% of homeless youth in the US are queer. Legal changes won’t be the thing that stops that or the kind of thing Kalia writes about.

Morning Jew: Born to Kvetch author Michael Wex on Jews sounding alike and sex in Yiddish: Morning Jew Ep. 41

This week Morning Jew (@morningJewshow) get Biblical on your tush and ask Yiddish, historical and religious expert Michael Wex some critical questions: What’s the difference between Judaism and Christianity? Why do so many Jews sound alike? And why are there so many  Yiddish words for dick?

Real Winning: My Basketball Redemption Story on CBC’s Definitely Not the Opera

I had another story on CBC’s Definitely Not the Opera which aired across Canada a few weeks ago. For those of you who don’t live in Canada, DNTO is a bit like This American Life, but with shorter stories and more of them. And Canadian towns. This story takes place in Sudbury when I was 12 years old at a Zionist camp. I was obsessed with basketball. And I had a very powerful experience which affected the course of my life as a performer and a person. I learned the power of truth and how a room can change with it. Listen here.

 

Downtown NY Artist Hannukah Joy

New York, NY

My #
We lit the 4th candle last night at Sandi Dubowski’s (http://tremblingbeforeg-d.com)
wonderful annual Hannukah bordello. He and Amichai Lau-Lavie (http://storahtelling.org) gave a wonderful performative blessing.

“the Maccabees were Jewish freedom fighters with anger management issues with their oppressive with their otherwise hot Hellenistic oppressors.”

((tags: Jewish, Hannukah, road trip, LGBT, Amichai Lau-Lavie, storahtelling, light, freedom, darkness, USA, Canada, border))

Canadians Gone Wild: My brother explains why Canada isn't sure who it's leader is right now

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper was re-elected with a minority government about a month ago. But he might lose his job any day now. He’s managed, like George W Bush, to unite everyone else against him. At least that’s my understanding after my brother explained it to me. Canada’s politics has started to sound like a dramatic nerd reality show, with a special guest role starring President-elect Obama. The whole thing is crazy, which is why I was about the 8th person to ask my political wonk brother to explain it all to me in one of Canada’s two official languages. I’m posting the answer so that other confused Canadians and bemused onlookers can get benefit. This way, Jordy doesn’t have to explain it again.

Heads up for non-Canadians: In Canada the Liberals are the name of a political party and the Conservatives believe in national health care.

Here’s the button-down versionwith reporting and stuff from Canada’s best paper.

Toronto , Ontario – 09/29/08

09/26/08



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