Homelessnation.org, a web site that originated in Montreal, has become a national forum to feature stories of Canada’s street people, providing them not only with a voice, but an opportunity to connect with non-homeless societies.
After finishing his first film in 1997, which aimed to relay the stories of Canada’s itinerant urban population, Montreal filmmaker Daniel Cross realized five years ago that film was an inadequate medium to convey his expansive research.
Forced to exclude the stories of the hundreds of men, women, and children he met living on the streets in The Street: A Film With The Homeless, Cross found an alternative in the internet’s emerging social networking and media technologies.
“I learned through the filmmaking process that people on the street had lot to say a lot to express and that the internet provided the perfect platform to host a broad and plural all-inclusive interactive dialogue,” Cross said.
Conceived in 2002, but officially released in 2005, Homelessnation is the product of Cross’s vision to bridge a digital communication divide that he feels isolates and alienates the homeless community from the non-homeless.
“With most people’s lives increasingly focused around computers and high-speed media, homeless people only stand to become more and more ostracized and misunderstood. One of Homelessnation’s main goals is to give the homeless community a public forum of representation through avenues created by New Media,” said Alexandra Yanofsky, National Coordinator for Homelessnation.
She cited instances in British Columbia where applications for certain social assistance programs are only available online.
Homelessnation’s 3,000-member community includes homeless people throughout Canada as well as formerly homeless people, advocacy workers, and concerned Canadians. Enforcing the concept of a unified nation among the homeless, the site calls its members citizens.
Cross explained that Homelessnation’s popularity has transformed the site’s infrastucture.
‘’Thousands of people from the streets are using the site, and are members. We’re experiencing a continual shift of control, so much so that the site becomes sustainable by the street community itself,” Cross said.
“As far as relationships with the non-homeless, [one] cannot help but learn new things, hear new ideas, new voices, and lose pre-existing negative stereotypes from the site,” he added.
Homelessnation allows members to create an email address and a unique profile that provides for a blog, photo log, video hosting capabilities, and adequate hosting for podcasts. They also have access to a variety of forums that have been used to communicate various subjects, including organizing rallies and sharing information and experiences.
While some members use the network to communicate with friends or family, others routinely post footage of protests, police brutality, or news updates relevant to homelessness.
The site fosters community and interaction among its users and, according to Yanofsky, provides an outlet for expression that could unite them with non-homeless socities.
‘’We feel that a dialogue between the homeless and non-homeless communities can’t exist if people aren’t allowed to express themselves creatively. We’re here to encourage people to strive to create,” Yanofsky said.
Homelessnation is partially funded by governmental and private film and art associations and the Canadian Human Resources and Social Development Centre. Volunteers maintain the site with the aid of 16 paid outreach employees in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, who work in shelters, day centres, and on the streets to encourage street people to join the site.
Originally published in The McGill Daily: Monday, February 11th, 2008 | Volume 97, Number 35
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Cinema L'amour: Part I
Populated mostly by the old men that seem to orbit between the theater and Cafe Portugaise like they were planets, this place is everything your brain wants it to be. Which is exactly why you may not want to go there. The twenty minutes I spent in Cinema L'amour mark a surreal sexual experience that makes rape porn seem tender.
Tuesday is couples night, meaning you and your significant other get in for free. If you really must go choose this option so as to avoid dropping $20 on what may be a short visit. To L’amour’s credit the roped off couples section helps keep a respectable distance between you and the crowd of old men who’ll be jerking off to your girlfriend.
I went with some friends to screen Rockman Entertainment’s Blowjobs gone wild We were expecting “eat my black meat” but there’d been some sort of mix up and we were left to wile out our jungle fever for another day. Either way whatever they’re screening is extraneous to what ends up happening at the front of the theater.
A few minutes into BJGW a little huddle appeared up front, some of the old guys who were too shy to spank it in front of us kids settled for a circle jerk instead. We tried to run up front to verify this ritual but as soon as we tried to leave the couples area the porn manager ordered us to leave or sit back down.
The mutual masturbation continued for several more minutes. During that time the chick on screen went from sucking dick, to choking on it, to puking on it, and thankfully back to sucking. The tide of cum soon ebbed and it seemed a bunch of the grandpas had finished up for a while, a devoted core of oldies kept circle splooging as their less robust counterparts trickled outside.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
24 Hour Falafel Blows up!
This is exactly it. Sometime on the night of the 4th the sign on the Falafel joint on Pins and St Laurent exploded the shit up. The formerly vibrant orange and yellow border that ringed the corner is now a charred mess of wires and busted neon. Despite a few stray wires hanging in the doorway these dudes are still open.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Link: Afghanistan Protest
Ideologies Clash Over Afghan Withdrawal
Protestors divided on strategy, united in opposition
By Tristan Lapointe & Abdullah Alhomoud
column of protestors stretching four blocks marched through the streets of downtown Montreal last Saturday, railing against Canada’s participation in the conflict in Afghanistan and the recent involvement of troops from nearby Valcartier base. A full contingent of Quebec troops left for Afghanistan in June 2007. Montreal was one of 20 Canadian cities to host a protest part of the Pan-Canadian Day of Action, organized by a loosely aligned coalition of groups led by the Canadian Peace Alliance. The local organizing was primarily overseen by the Quebec-based Collectif échec à la guerre. Protest groups ranged from the Raging Grannies to the local reps of the Communist International, a broad coalition of groups including the International Marxist Tendency, the Communist Party of Quebec, the North Eastern Federation of Anarchist Communists, Solidarité Québec and Artists For Peace. Protester Alexandre Michaud of Solidarité Québec articulated his party’s stance. “We’re anti-war because it’s undemocratic, that money could be spent on education, where it’s needed and not for an illegal war.” Among those marching in the crowd were local partisans with the New Democratic Party, including the province’s lead organizer, Piper Huggins. “Democracy has to come from within a society and within a culture,” said Huggins. “Canada should play a role that is more supportive of peace process, as opposed to war for the sake of war.” “It’s impossible to implant democracy through war,” she asserted. Representing the far left wing, ?Alexandre Michaud of Solidarité Québec was clear to differentiate his party’s stance on the conflict in Afghanistan from that of his elected compatriots. “It’s undemocratic. That money could be spent on education—where it’s needed—and not for an illegal war.”? ? Although the Conservative government was noticeably absent from the protest against their own policies, Conservative MP Allen Mackenzie, a self-described pacifist, was willing to speak about the arguments in favour of Canada’s continued presence in Afghanistan. “The Canadian mission in Afghanistan is a humanitarian one. Aside from ousting the Taliban, Canada ought to use their military to help bring social change—namely, the integration of women into roles of power in the country, which to my understanding is one of the best ways of combating religious fundamentalism.” Discussion during about protest highlighted the already wide divergence of opinion on Montreal’s campuses. “We’re in Afghanistan so that we don’t have to be in Iraq,” said Julian Schofield, professor of political science at Concordia, who argued that, humanitarian arguments aside, Canada is in Afghanistan to avoid the cost of American retaliation. “Canadians are dying so that we can maintain free trade,” he said. But McGill political science professor Stephen Saideman remains unconvinced by the demonstrators. “Canada is really a leader in the war. [...] The idea of Canada being involved simply to please the U.S. is a bit off. Since Canada relies on its allies, should Canada perhaps be a reliable ally itself?” “First, Canadians died on 9/11, and terrorism, sponsored by groups operating out of Afghanistan, poses a potential threat for Canada. Second, Canada’s national security relies upon its alliance with NATO and NATO has committed to Afghanistan.”
Originaly Published by The Link, Issue 11 October 30, 2007
Protestors divided on strategy, united in opposition
By Tristan Lapointe & Abdullah Alhomoud
column of protestors stretching four blocks marched through the streets of downtown Montreal last Saturday, railing against Canada’s participation in the conflict in Afghanistan and the recent involvement of troops from nearby Valcartier base. A full contingent of Quebec troops left for Afghanistan in June 2007. Montreal was one of 20 Canadian cities to host a protest part of the Pan-Canadian Day of Action, organized by a loosely aligned coalition of groups led by the Canadian Peace Alliance. The local organizing was primarily overseen by the Quebec-based Collectif échec à la guerre. Protest groups ranged from the Raging Grannies to the local reps of the Communist International, a broad coalition of groups including the International Marxist Tendency, the Communist Party of Quebec, the North Eastern Federation of Anarchist Communists, Solidarité Québec and Artists For Peace. Protester Alexandre Michaud of Solidarité Québec articulated his party’s stance. “We’re anti-war because it’s undemocratic, that money could be spent on education, where it’s needed and not for an illegal war.” Among those marching in the crowd were local partisans with the New Democratic Party, including the province’s lead organizer, Piper Huggins. “Democracy has to come from within a society and within a culture,” said Huggins. “Canada should play a role that is more supportive of peace process, as opposed to war for the sake of war.” “It’s impossible to implant democracy through war,” she asserted. Representing the far left wing, ?Alexandre Michaud of Solidarité Québec was clear to differentiate his party’s stance on the conflict in Afghanistan from that of his elected compatriots. “It’s undemocratic. That money could be spent on education—where it’s needed—and not for an illegal war.”? ? Although the Conservative government was noticeably absent from the protest against their own policies, Conservative MP Allen Mackenzie, a self-described pacifist, was willing to speak about the arguments in favour of Canada’s continued presence in Afghanistan. “The Canadian mission in Afghanistan is a humanitarian one. Aside from ousting the Taliban, Canada ought to use their military to help bring social change—namely, the integration of women into roles of power in the country, which to my understanding is one of the best ways of combating religious fundamentalism.” Discussion during about protest highlighted the already wide divergence of opinion on Montreal’s campuses. “We’re in Afghanistan so that we don’t have to be in Iraq,” said Julian Schofield, professor of political science at Concordia, who argued that, humanitarian arguments aside, Canada is in Afghanistan to avoid the cost of American retaliation. “Canadians are dying so that we can maintain free trade,” he said. But McGill political science professor Stephen Saideman remains unconvinced by the demonstrators. “Canada is really a leader in the war. [...] The idea of Canada being involved simply to please the U.S. is a bit off. Since Canada relies on its allies, should Canada perhaps be a reliable ally itself?” “First, Canadians died on 9/11, and terrorism, sponsored by groups operating out of Afghanistan, poses a potential threat for Canada. Second, Canada’s national security relies upon its alliance with NATO and NATO has committed to Afghanistan.”
Originaly Published by The Link, Issue 11 October 30, 2007
The McGill Daily: Computer Bytes
Computer store bytes the dust
Impending eviction will open up floor space in Shatner building
By Tristan LaPointe News Writer
Come March 1, Shatner's first-floor computer store University Bytes will be closed for good.
Students are already bouncing around ideas about how to use the space that University Bytes, a computer and electronics store in the Shatner building that received an official eviction notice Wednesday, must vacate by the end of the month. The move to evict the campus vendor was brought on by years of unpaid debts, late rent payments, and the store’s failure to sign a new lease, according to Dave Sunstrum, SSMU VP Finance and Operations. University Bytes is owned and managed by local Internet Service Provider Open Face, who is also responsible for paying their rent and debts. The store has been in the SSMU building since 2001, but in 2004 they acquired a new repair space in the basement for which they never paid additional rent. That difference has since accumulated a total balance of more than $8000, according to Sunstrum. “We gave them enough chances. SSMU can’t afford to have that space empty, and we can’t keep dealing with Open Face. As of now, negotiations are over,” said Sunstrum. Executives for Open Face and University Bytes refused to comment until it releases a formal statement. SSMU and University Bytes began negotiating a new lease for the next four years in October – the terms of which were agreed upon, including a repayment of the debt owed SSMU, according to Sunstrum. But after October 18, progress came to a standstill. “After [we agreed on the lease terms] I contacted Tan [Soamboonsrup, Open Face President] four times to re-sign the lease, but he was never around,” said Sunstrum. While Sunstrum would like to see the space filled by another, more reliable, rent-paying tenant, some at McGill would prefer to see the first floor storefront used as student space. The GrassRoots Association for Student Power (GRASPé), a radical McGill student group, is discussing the potential for transforming it for student use. So far, ideas are circulating about either a bookstore cooperative or a student-run café, said GRASPé member Marina Chirchikova, in an email to The Daily. But for SSMU, money may be the bottom line. “SSMU takes in over $25,000 a year from that spot. That’s money that would end up coming out of clubs and services,” said Sunstrum, adding that ideal options would either be a student-run business or another commercial enterprise. Chirchikova underlined the importance of student participation in any decisions for the new space. “Predicating from the fact that the Shatner building is student space, we think that there needs to be a consultation with students in order to decide how or for what purpose the space is to be used, with priority going to student-run projects,” continued Chirchikova. “Ultimately, students should have a chance to determine the space’s future.”
Originally Published by The McGill Daily, Monday, February 12th, 2007 Volume 96, Number 35
Impending eviction will open up floor space in Shatner building
By Tristan LaPointe News Writer
Come March 1, Shatner's first-floor computer store University Bytes will be closed for good.
Students are already bouncing around ideas about how to use the space that University Bytes, a computer and electronics store in the Shatner building that received an official eviction notice Wednesday, must vacate by the end of the month. The move to evict the campus vendor was brought on by years of unpaid debts, late rent payments, and the store’s failure to sign a new lease, according to Dave Sunstrum, SSMU VP Finance and Operations. University Bytes is owned and managed by local Internet Service Provider Open Face, who is also responsible for paying their rent and debts. The store has been in the SSMU building since 2001, but in 2004 they acquired a new repair space in the basement for which they never paid additional rent. That difference has since accumulated a total balance of more than $8000, according to Sunstrum. “We gave them enough chances. SSMU can’t afford to have that space empty, and we can’t keep dealing with Open Face. As of now, negotiations are over,” said Sunstrum. Executives for Open Face and University Bytes refused to comment until it releases a formal statement. SSMU and University Bytes began negotiating a new lease for the next four years in October – the terms of which were agreed upon, including a repayment of the debt owed SSMU, according to Sunstrum. But after October 18, progress came to a standstill. “After [we agreed on the lease terms] I contacted Tan [Soamboonsrup, Open Face President] four times to re-sign the lease, but he was never around,” said Sunstrum. While Sunstrum would like to see the space filled by another, more reliable, rent-paying tenant, some at McGill would prefer to see the first floor storefront used as student space. The GrassRoots Association for Student Power (GRASPé), a radical McGill student group, is discussing the potential for transforming it for student use. So far, ideas are circulating about either a bookstore cooperative or a student-run café, said GRASPé member Marina Chirchikova, in an email to The Daily. But for SSMU, money may be the bottom line. “SSMU takes in over $25,000 a year from that spot. That’s money that would end up coming out of clubs and services,” said Sunstrum, adding that ideal options would either be a student-run business or another commercial enterprise. Chirchikova underlined the importance of student participation in any decisions for the new space. “Predicating from the fact that the Shatner building is student space, we think that there needs to be a consultation with students in order to decide how or for what purpose the space is to be used, with priority going to student-run projects,” continued Chirchikova. “Ultimately, students should have a chance to determine the space’s future.”
Originally Published by The McGill Daily, Monday, February 12th, 2007 Volume 96, Number 35
McGill Daily: Bluenotes Shirts
Date-rape T-shirts pulled from shelves
CFS challenges Bluenotes clothing company for copyright infringement, bad taste
By Tristan Lapointe News Writer
Bluenotes sold this shirt in their 116 stores – until the CFS protested.
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has charged a major clothing company with copyright infringement by incorporating its design into what it sees as an offensive and dangerous T-shirt slogan. Last month, Bluenotes, one of Canada’s largest retail chains, began selling a t-shirt modeled after the “No Means No” slogan design of a CFS campaign against dating violence and date rape. The Bluenotes shirt bears the same slogan, with the wording changed to “NO MEANS have aNOther drink.” The CFS, which has an open trademark on the image design, contacted Bluenotes with both ethical and legal complaints about the way that the clothing company was using their trademarked image. The garment was pulled from all 116 of Bluenotes’ stores last week. Brent Farrington, Deputy Chairman and Vice President of CFS as well as current leader of the NMN campaign, said that the attitude expressed by the shirt is partially responsible for perpetuating dating violence. “Initially when I asked why they made this shirt, I got the response that people think it’s funny. [But] even in irony it’s not particularly amusing,” said Farrington. In a letter to the CFS, Bluenotes president Michael Roden apologized for the offensive tee and asserted that his company was “committed to reflecting the values of its customers.” Roden also offered his design services to the CFS. This new partnership will create an edgier look for ‘No Means No’ and will probably do much to raise the profile of the campaign, according to Farrington. “They’ve offered to completely redesign our logos and to sell our shirts in their stores, which will give a portion of their proceeds to women’s charities. We applaud them for righting this wrong,” said Farrington. The No Means No campaign has been active since 1994, after a study by the World March of Women in 1990 concluded that one in four women will be sexually assaulted or attacked at some point. This, along with other statistics on dating violence and date rape, spurred the creation of the awareness campaign – which includes distributing No Means No paraphernalia at bars and other places where women are likely to drink. “Date rape and sexual assault are not going away. In fact, they’re become a bigger problem than ever as we’ll likely see in a new study on the issue coming out this year,” said Farrington. Dating violence and sexual assault remain a problem on university campuses across Canada – including McGill, said Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) external coordinator and former floor fellow Carly Boyce. “While we don’t keep statistics or records of the cases we handle here, I’ve learned through my time in Rez and at SACOMSS that there is still a huge problem with sexual assault at McGill,” Boyce said. A spokesperson for Bluenotes was not available for comment.
Originally published by The McGill Daily, Thursday, March 1st, 2007 Volume 96, Number 37
CFS challenges Bluenotes clothing company for copyright infringement, bad taste
By Tristan Lapointe News Writer
Bluenotes sold this shirt in their 116 stores – until the CFS protested.
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has charged a major clothing company with copyright infringement by incorporating its design into what it sees as an offensive and dangerous T-shirt slogan. Last month, Bluenotes, one of Canada’s largest retail chains, began selling a t-shirt modeled after the “No Means No” slogan design of a CFS campaign against dating violence and date rape. The Bluenotes shirt bears the same slogan, with the wording changed to “NO MEANS have aNOther drink.” The CFS, which has an open trademark on the image design, contacted Bluenotes with both ethical and legal complaints about the way that the clothing company was using their trademarked image. The garment was pulled from all 116 of Bluenotes’ stores last week. Brent Farrington, Deputy Chairman and Vice President of CFS as well as current leader of the NMN campaign, said that the attitude expressed by the shirt is partially responsible for perpetuating dating violence. “Initially when I asked why they made this shirt, I got the response that people think it’s funny. [But] even in irony it’s not particularly amusing,” said Farrington. In a letter to the CFS, Bluenotes president Michael Roden apologized for the offensive tee and asserted that his company was “committed to reflecting the values of its customers.” Roden also offered his design services to the CFS. This new partnership will create an edgier look for ‘No Means No’ and will probably do much to raise the profile of the campaign, according to Farrington. “They’ve offered to completely redesign our logos and to sell our shirts in their stores, which will give a portion of their proceeds to women’s charities. We applaud them for righting this wrong,” said Farrington. The No Means No campaign has been active since 1994, after a study by the World March of Women in 1990 concluded that one in four women will be sexually assaulted or attacked at some point. This, along with other statistics on dating violence and date rape, spurred the creation of the awareness campaign – which includes distributing No Means No paraphernalia at bars and other places where women are likely to drink. “Date rape and sexual assault are not going away. In fact, they’re become a bigger problem than ever as we’ll likely see in a new study on the issue coming out this year,” said Farrington. Dating violence and sexual assault remain a problem on university campuses across Canada – including McGill, said Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) external coordinator and former floor fellow Carly Boyce. “While we don’t keep statistics or records of the cases we handle here, I’ve learned through my time in Rez and at SACOMSS that there is still a huge problem with sexual assault at McGill,” Boyce said. A spokesperson for Bluenotes was not available for comment.
Originally published by The McGill Daily, Thursday, March 1st, 2007 Volume 96, Number 37
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)