tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82114810605253236572011-07-28T10:37:22.949-07:00a blog, about the world, named for a beanHilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-25856830017480643272009-01-23T08:25:00.001-08:002009-01-23T08:32:31.716-08:00

Hey Folks,Thanks so much to everyone who read this blog during its short lifetime. As I am still pursuing a career in journalism, I imagine I will contributing to a similar blog at some point (in fact I'm here to check up on this blogging project for class), but I'm closing this particular one. I apologize, but personal strife as well as the rigors of academics keep me too occupied to give what I

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-89268224347494375762008-09-01T19:05:00.000-07:002008-09-01T19:17:13.544-07:00

Journalist and Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was arrested earlier today at the Republican National Convention. Apparently she was arrested while attempting to assist her colleagues who were themselves being arrested while covering protests at the convention. She and Democracy Now! producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar are now in the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul. There's more info

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-90701484052754423772008-08-24T08:47:00.001-07:002008-08-24T09:09:01.619-07:00

Lately Barack Obama has made me rather wary. Looking closely at his policies, it's clear that his administration would not be a every progressive's dream. Obama's pretty conservative economically and his plan for Afghanistan doesn't differ much from McCain's. The United States would still have military bases across the world under his presidency and even Guantanamo is unlikely to close. Yet

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-25813433354509671372008-08-01T20:08:00.000-07:002008-08-01T20:33:39.161-07:00

From the latest Ms. Magazine:In your Spring 2008 issue ["Milestones"], Diablo Cody is quoted as saying she is a feminist. [But] in Cody's book Candy Girl, she tells about her life as a stripper, lap dancer and peep-show entertainer. Her life as a sexual entertainer and sex object for males hardly seems like a feminist activity. Perhaps she was one of those "young women" that Helen Mirren mentions

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-63233261414093192472008-07-28T06:52:00.000-07:002008-07-28T07:06:15.828-07:00

The Yacoubian Building, based off of the book by Ala Aswani, is taking the Egyptian box office by storm. The film frankly tackles taboos such as homosexuality, terrorism and abuse. It is stirring quite a debate about what is acceptable to discuss openly in Egyptian culture. Director Marwan Hamed wants to engage discussion and feels that Arabs should be more open about such issues: "In our

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-50947894797051158512008-05-22T10:06:00.000-07:002008-05-22T10:58:49.656-07:00

Last night I attended an event with the War Resisters Support Campaign here in Toronto moderated by Andy Barrie, himself a Vietnam veteran and resister who came to Canada in the 60s. Ten men and one woman from all over the United States, many of them spouses and parents, spoke about their experiences in the military and as conscientious objectors. Many did tours in Iraq and all of them are

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-33913003956429567622008-04-26T22:16:00.000-07:002008-04-26T22:18:47.109-07:00

Kudos to Drew of Married to the Sea.

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-13588905355719258052008-04-26T21:25:00.000-07:002008-04-26T22:15:45.522-07:00

I used to think of John McCain as a respectable Republican, a true compassionate conservative, an experienced war vet who was even willing to cross the proverbial aisle and work with Democrats on an anti-torture bill. Those days are long gone. For me, the first disappointment was when McCain was one of the many Republicans who were "too busy" to attend a debate at a historically black college.

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-69970622818782120152008-04-18T19:33:00.000-07:002008-04-18T20:06:36.664-07:00

As an undergraduate I have plenty of trepidation about my future in the job market. Will I be able to get a good job? Will I be able to strike a healthy balance between work and life? Will I feel good about what I do? Managing a career is complicated enough without the specter of unequal pay. But the reality is that women in the United States still earn only 77 cents of their male counterparts'

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-47919803064303522622008-04-12T18:04:00.000-07:002008-04-12T18:50:39.788-07:00

I almost feel like I shouldn't comment on this at all given my relative unfamiliarity with the feminist blogosphere. From what I've been able to piece together (Thanks Bitch, Feministe, and Alas! among others), feminist powerhouse Brownfemipower (BFP) has pulled her blog off the web. Apparently BFP's extensive work on racism and sexism in immigration was blatantly plagiarized in an article by

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-57649986850757819512008-04-08T12:49:00.001-07:002008-04-12T18:51:14.140-07:00

It's almost a cliche, white North American leaders breaking pacts with Aboriginal citizens for the silliest of excuses. Ontario is no exception. The First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI), Aboriginal owned and run since 1985, recently faced drastic federal funding cuts that almost closed the school. Luckily the province stepped in at the last minute and the Institute can complete the school

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-15183162571112953932008-04-08T01:19:00.000-07:002008-04-08T11:49:33.549-07:00

When I was 14, Neopets was the coolest thing in the world to me. I played the games, I collected Usukis, I saved up neopoints and even got myself a Lost Desert Shoyru (to use Neopets jargon). Neopets has changed a lot since I was 14, and not for the better. Controversies, from the presence of gambling games on the site to CEO Doug Dohring's Scientologist beliefs, rage about the game. In

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-83794542051408825722008-04-01T16:52:00.000-07:002008-04-01T17:36:43.119-07:00

Between 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday night the city of Toronto was temporarily transformed into a darker, mysterious and subdued version of itself. Public buildings and businesses around the city shut off non-essential lights to participate in Earth Hour. The event began last year in Sydney, Australia and has spread to major cities worldwide. Numerous downtown landmarks were eerily dark during the

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-34221954335294190592008-03-30T03:19:00.000-07:002008-03-30T03:23:48.936-07:00

Giving Iraq some human context. The whole talk of staying the course makes me sick when thinking about all-too-common cases such as this. Our presence their is a harm to the people of Iraq, not a help, no matter what any politician tells you.I'm linking to Gorilla's Guides now as well.Thanks to Feministe for the link.

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-24058580453944425992008-03-25T23:19:00.000-07:002008-03-25T23:53:21.060-07:00

Like, many I was moved by JK Rowling's admission that she considered suicide as a poor single mom. It makes her rags to riches story all the more inspiring. Granted, not all suicidal stories end as happily, but it's definitely a lesson in the value of suicide prevention.My personal favorite detail of the story however: it was broken by a student journalist! Way to go Adeel Amini of Edinburgh

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211481060525323657.post-13755955361844502462008-03-25T22:28:00.000-07:002008-03-25T22:58:21.361-07:00

Hi, my name is Hilary. I like to write, I like to blog, I like to think and discuss and maybe argue a little bit. I've been meaning to start this blog for a long time and I'm excited if a little nervous to finally be doing it. My previous attempts at serious blogging have failed but I have a good feeling this one so here we go.I'm currently a History major at the University of Toronto and I'm

Hilaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09709746480422249391noreply@blogger.com0