Posts by Nicole Cohen

  • In the Blog

    more developments in the dove saga

    November 27th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    In this installment: upon examining Unilever’s conflicting brands and marketing tactics, the ad industry discovers there’s something strange afoot! Apparently there’s a bit of a controversy about the Dove vs. Axe advertising contradictions, which we’ve been discussing on this blog for quite some time. I wonder what will happen when industry-types start calling out Dove for its disingenuousness? In it’s defence, the company stated that “The Axe campaign is a spoof of ‘mating game’ and men’s desire … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    I also heart Tina Fey

    November 13th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Watching 30 Rock has inspired a love for Tina Fey that I didn’t know was possible to find in a prime-time female television character (but which may be emerging on a more consistent basis? I don’t watch enough TV to comment accurately on the matter). And I’m not the only one, the internet is full of love for Fey and her character, Liz Lemon. Lemon, who’s in charge of a big network sketch comedy show, is … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Malalai Joya speaks in Toronto

    November 6th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Malalai Joya has been called “the bravest women in Afghanistan.” At 28, she is the youngest member of the Afghan Parliament and has been an outspoken critic of the occupation of Afghanistan and warlords and drug lords in the government. “Today we need security and liberation, but in the name of security, the foreign troops deprived us of our liberation. We need international support, but we don’t want occupation,” she has said. Joya was expelled from parliament … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Happy Media Democracy Day

    October 18th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Media Democracy Day is being celebrated in cities across Canada from today until Oct. 26. Media activists in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have organized speakers, film screenings and alt-media fairs, including a film and panel discussion on Burma and the media at Toronto’s Brunswick Theatre today, and a media democracy and community radio conference at McGill in Montreal (where the amazing Amy Goodman will speak!). For full event listings, go here. If you know of any other … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    As We’ve Been Saying, Feminists Are Sexy

    October 18th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Finally, there’s some research to back up your “Feminists-do-it-better” T-shirt. According to this piece in the Globe and Mail, two academics at Rutgers University set out to bust the stereotype that feminists are “romantically challenged” in heterosexual love and lust. Make of this what you will, but their study found that women who identify as feminist are more likely than women who don’t to be dating or married, and that “men and women with feminist partners … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Sex Worker Co-Op

    October 15th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Here is something awesome: sex workers in Vancouver are planning to open a cooperatively-owned brothel. Being planned by British Columbia Coalition of Experiential Women, the idea is to create a safe place to work and enable sex workers to have control over their work. Thousands of women have been killed in Vancouver, many of them sex workers, and a worker-owned co-op, where women could work inside, is a step toward preventing this kind of violence. According to … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Happy voting day, Ontario

    October 10th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Ontarians are voting today, not only for the provincial government but for the kind of electoral process we wish to have in this province. The Toronto Star has a neat little video in which random people on the street say if they’re voting, and why or why not. So far I haven’t heard any compelling reasons why not to vote. Happy voting! … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Juarez Premiere

    September 26th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    The Toronto Women’s Bookstore and Amnesty International Toronto Organization present the premiere of Juarez: The City Where Women are Disposable, a documentary by Alex Flores and Lorena Vassoloon on the countless women who have “disappeared” in Ciudad Juarez, and the lack of government response to this situation. The last issue of Shameless featured a story about the horrific acts of femicide happening in the Mexico border town. Thursday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Now here’s some advertising I can get behind

    September 25th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    OCAP (the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) has put together a great video to promote tomorrow’s Anti-Poverty Day of Action – several marches led by a variety of community organizations that will converge upon Queen’s Park (at 2 p.m.). On the agenda: demands for improved social assistance, a higher minimum wage, affordable housing and access to government services for non-status people. You can join the central march, or one led by students, Raise the Rates, Don’t … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Big day coming

    September 24th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    October 10 will be a big day in Ontario. Not only will we vote on the provincial government, but we have the chance to transform our electoral system which, as many commentators have pointed out, makes little sense. In the last election, thanks to our antiquated first-past-the-post voting system, the Liberals were handed 70 percent of the seats in parliament but only earned 47 per cent of the vote! The current system also makes it very … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    contest!

    September 19th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Canadians For Choice, a non-profit that works to promote sexual and reproductive rights, is celebrating the upcoming 20th year anniversary of the Morgentaler decision, which decriminalized abortion in Canada. The contest is a way for people to raise their voices around an issue that’s often silenced. Write a piece on why a pro-choice Canada is so important and you could win a trip to Ottawa and an appearance on national TV. If you send a pro-choice … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Attention secret shoppers

    September 18th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Although I’ve had my share of retail jobs over the years, I’ve never thought very much about secret shoppers – people who are hired to pretend to be shoppers in order to evaluate employees at hotels, restaurants and stores, then report to back to management – other than to hope, as a worker, I wasn’t secret shopped. Luckily, Michelle Langlois has given the practice a thorough assessment over at Rabble.ca, revealing why secret shopping is … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Taking stock

    September 16th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    I was talking to a friend last night about The National Post’s “Women’s Issue.” Without seeing it, I jokingly asked if it centered on the latest handbag styles or how to be a good stay-at-home mom and he (who works at the Post) was mildly offended. Apparently the idea for the issue came about because, the editors figured, it’s never been a better time to be a woman. The issue’s headline reads “The new challenge … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    take back the night

    September 5th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Toronto’s 27th Take Back The Night rally and march is happening this Saturday, hosted by the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape (TRCC/MWAR) and community partners from Regent Park. This year’s theme is “We Demand Our Rights.” The aim of Take Back The Night is to draw attention to the impact of sexual violence, which we’ve been discussing a lot on this blog recently. The location is particularly important since Toronto’s east side has seen … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    On magazines and Masculinity

    August 7th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    A friend of mine is working on a really exciting project: starting a magazine for young men that deals with issues of masculinity, or exploring and challenging dominant conceptions of what it means to be a guy. Discussions of gender and popular culture so often revolve around the ways women and girls are portrayed that I think we often forget that men and boys are also constantly negotiating gender. Paul over at the CitizenShift blog accompanied … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Out of the Ivory Tower and into the Community

    August 2nd, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    As part of its Feminism in Public Spaces campaign, The Miss G_ Project and the Toronto Women’s Bookstore are hosting a workshop called Out of the Ivory Tower and into the Community: an Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies. The next workshop is Wednesday, August 15 at the TWB, and it’s free. You have to register so email Miss G at laranicole70 at gmail dot com, or themissgproject at gmail dot com. As their press release … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    big pharma wins again

    August 2nd, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    The government of Ontario just announced that it will spend $39 million to offer free, optional Gardasil vaccinations to girls in Grade 8. Gardasil, manufactured by pharma company Merck Frosst, is the commercial name for a vaccine that is supposed to protect women from contracting Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer. OHIP, Ontario’s health coverage, won’t pay for the vaccine, which is a pricey $400 per person! The high price tag for a drug … READ MORE

  • Web Features

    Media Savvy: Boys’ Club 2.0

    August 1st, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, wears Adidas sandals to work. A trivial detail, perhaps, but one that’s regularly mentioned about the 23-year-old CEO of Facebook, the social networking website that’s worth millions of dollars, has millions of members and, at last count, was the sixth-most trafficked site in the United States. Major newspapers and magazines have noted Zuckerberg’s footwear, often alongside other youthful qualities, such as his snack of choice (cereal), his apartment (rented, with a … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    stop the big media takeover

    June 28th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    Canadians for Democratic Media , one of several newly-formed Canadian media activist groups, has launched its Stop The Big Media Takeover campaign in an effort to curb the concentration of corporate-owned media and to promote media democracy in this country. Canada has the highest media concentration in the industrialized world, which means that fewer companies own more and more of our news outlets. The Tyee, one of my favourite independent news sources, has a great backgrounder … READ MORE

  • In the Blog

    Miss G_ Needs You

    June 7th, 2007     by Nicole Cohen     Comments

    The Miss G__ Project for Equity in Education, a grassroots, young feminist organization working to combat oppression in and through education, is looking for summer interns. Here’s what they need: We are looking for one or two smart, strong, sassy high school students for a six-week, part-time volunteer internship at our Toronto office this summer. In becoming part of the G__ unit for the summer, you will be doing high school outreach programming for the Miss G__ … READ MORE

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