It's Back to Black

My new post via Torontoist

Everyone has a story for that night when the lights went out.

It has now been six years since the Northeast Blackout of 2003, when on August 14, 2003, about fifty million people in Ontario and the eastern United States unexpectedly lost their power and were forced to quickly adapt without the amenity of electricity.

For Christopher Smith, a manager at La Palette, the blackout fell on his birthday, and he felt lucky to celebrate under a "sky full of stars."

Torontoist spoke briefly with Christopher before sitting down with La Palette’s co-owner Shamez Amlani, one of the organizers of the upcoming Blackout Party on Ossington Avenue on Friday, August 14.

For Amlani, the event "showed that the sense of community is just under the surface…you got to see glimpses of what Toronto can be."

Last year Amlani, one of the co-founders of Streets are for People, along with nine other community groups, organized a massive party in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Toronto blackout. It was a momentous evening, which culminated with an impromptu parade at Bloor and Spadina that, for a brief moment, turned the intersection into a public square.

This year’s event is once again organized by a broad coalition of various groups coming together to, as Amlani puts it, find the "collective spirit that we’re all in this together."

"The Blackout showed us to look at our spaces and how they serve us better. Maybe [an intersection] should be a public space for a moment. Picture a piazza in Italy. Picture the streets being given back to the people."

Three parties are planned to celebrate the anniversary of the blackout. The first (the aforementioned Blackout on Ossington Avenue) takes place on Friday between Dundas Street and Queen Street, starting from 8 p.m. with twenty-eight venues, buskers, live acoustic music, parking meter parties (you pay the parking meter and create your own mini-party), all under candlelight. There will also apparently be a not-to-be-missed "big surprise" at 10 p.m.

The second party is a group bike ride organized by Critical Mass, meeting at the Bloor and Spadina intersection at 8:45 p.m.

The third party is described as "Circus geeks and dance freaks," meeting at the northwest end of Trinity Bellwoods Park at 9 p.m. for a copious dance party and drum circle in the open air.

The celebrations will extend over the weekend with a special Pedestrian Sundays event, Kensington Market’s pedestrian-only street day, on Sunday, August 16.

The Ossington shindig is just one example of individuals commemorating a day that has also been viewed as a failure of government to respond to an emergency. Six years after the blackout hit, it is unclear if Ontario is better prepared for another crisis of that nature.

Before and after image of the 2003 blackout courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Amlani sees it as all the more reason to celebrate the good will that came out of that magical night. "All of a sudden, people had superhero capes under their clothing…we wanted to take care of each other."

"See what happens when you get out of the box, take a break from the norm?" he adds. "If you can’t come, throw a party of your own."

For some, the blackout was just an opportunity for calm and quiet and an escape from our hypersonically paced existence, as friends and neighbours gathered, pooled resources, and took care of each other. However, Amlani recognizes the blackout and its anniversary are "also an excuse to party. Bottom line: let’s have fun."

Double-Double, Day of Trouble

My new post for Torontoist

It must have been a hard day for David Morelli.

The director of public relations for Tim Hortons certainly had his hands full yesterday as he was inundated with calls from activists and news organizations (including Torontoist) demanding to know where Tim Hortons stood on marriage equality. Did the Canadian doughnut super-giant really align itself with the National Organization for Marriage to sponsor an anti–gay marriage event in Rhode Island? Could the great purveyor of Timbits and French vanilla cappuccinos really be so resentful of Canadian same-sex marriage that they were joining the battle against equal marriage south of the border? Timmy, could it be true?

The uproar began after Paul Auger, a Rhode Island resident, noticed Tim Hortons listed as a sponsor for the National Organization for Marriage's Celebrate Marriage and Family Day, scheduled for August 16. The event, which is scheduled to take place under the backdrop of the majestic Aldrich Mansion, is touted as "a great opportunity to take a stand for marriage as it was created: between a man and a woman. [Their] goal is to esteem marriage to its proper place in society and make a statement that Rhode Islanders believe strongly in this cherished institution."

Auger then tipped off Wesli Dymoke at the Providence Daily Dose, who vented:

Yes, Tim Hortons. The Dunkin Donuts of Canada. You know, Canada—where same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2005 (and since 2003 in Tim’s home, Ontario). What in the world are they doing sponsoring something like this? Their site says that they support "local initiatives that make a difference"—such as little leagues, Halloween safety, and the like. And that they sponsor community initiatives with a focus on "helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities." But not “those representing religious groups [or] political affiliates,” such as, well, how would you characterize a group like NOM?
The National Organization for Marriage was "founded in 2007 in response to the growing need for an organized opposition to same-sex marriage in state legislatures. NOM serves as a national resource for marriage-related initiatives at the state and local level." The organization skyrocketed into the public consciousness after its defence of beauty queen Carrie Prejean—the former Miss California who was stripped of her crown after she infamously claimed she only believed in opposite heterosexual marriage.


Many were surprised that Tim Hortons would appear as a corporate sponsor for the anti–gay marriage event.

Calls to petition and boycott Tim Hortons quickly followed as the company scrambled to respond. While the corporate website notes that "many Tim Hortons store owners are involved in their community and are proud to support a variety of programs and events on both a local and regional level," it is also true that "nearly 95% of Tim Hortons locations are owned and operated by independent business people, so the final decision to make a donation is at the discretion of the store owner."

Ultimately, by the afternoon, Tim Hortons rescinded its sponsorship agreement with a statement:

Recently, Tim Hortons was approached in Rhode Island to provide free coffee and products for a local event, as we do thousands of times a year across Canada and the United States.
For 45 years, Tim Hortons and its storeowners have practiced a philosophy of giving back to the communities in which we operate. As a company, our primary focus is on helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities. For this reason, Tim Hortons has not sponsored those representing religious groups, political affiliates or lobby groups.

It has come to our attention that the Rhode Island event organizer and purpose of the event fall outside of our sponsorship guidelines. As such, Tim Hortons can not provide support at the event.

Done deal, right? Good for Tim Hortons for clearing things up. You have to wonder though, how did Tims get in this position in the first place?

Christopher Plante, NOM's executive director, seemed shocked at the interest in this story from Canada and told Torontoist that "an advisory board member dealt directly with the Tim Hortons branch in Rhode Island." He also made a point to mention how "the event is open to the public with no prerequisite or pre-screening" and that [they were] "not a religious organization."

Uh-huh. Something tells us that gays and lesbians still won’t be welcome.

Most notable about this story was the warp speed at which the blogosphere organized, rallied, and responded to the news. Through electronic grassroots campaigning, they forced a major multi-national company to scramble to enact damage control on a controversial decision mostly likely made by a rogue franchisee.

However, for Tims, it makes you wonder how successful their American expansion has been. While Tim Hortons recently received some good news with a quarterly sales up-tick, the expansion has not been without its bumps. One wonders what the fallout will be for their Rhode Island chapters, which currently operate forty-six out of the more than five hundred Tim Hortons restaurants in the United States. Something tells us this is not the publicity they need.

Ultimately, this is a victory for American LGBT bloggers and organizations who are fighting for their right to marry. It’s clear, after losing Proposition 8 this year, that they are eager and ready to mobilize.

Do Americans care more than Canadians about their country?

At least, that's what John Ibbitson thinks.

In his latest commentary for the Globe and Mail, Ibbitson argues while much of the American political discourse is based on perpetuating lies, at least they care:

Americans love to argue, and much of what they yell at each other is crazy talk. Nothing in the health-care bill would encourage euthanasia, and Mr. Boehner knows it. But in American politics, it's fair game to just flat out lie. This can lead to scenes like the one in South Carolina, where an angry voter warned Congressman Bob Inglis at a town hall to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” Mr. Inglis, according to The New York Times, tried to explain that Medicare actually is run by the government, but the voter “was having none of it.”

On the left, some Americans loathed George W. Bush so intensely, they believed his administration was behind the Sept. 11 attacks. On the opposite end are the birthers, who maintain Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, making his presidency an illegal travesty. Hawaii officials repeatedly and wearily insist Mr. Obama has a Hawaii birth certificate, but there is no direct line between reason and the birthers. The unholy thing about the birther movement is that it is stoked by both the right and the left. Some conservative commentators have embraced the nonsense, knowing that it appeals to racist voters who simply won't accept an African-American president.

Liberal commentators (and that means you, MSNBC) egg them on, knowing sensible independents will flee from a party in which, according to a recent Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll, only 42 per cent of self-identifying Republicans believed Mr. Obama was born in the U.S. The rest thought he wasn't, or weren't sure.

As I noted in my previous post, it bugs me when journalists feel the need to criticize one side to balance their critique of another. John Ibbitson often tends to default to this faulty practice as he does here, but makes a provocative point nonetheless:

Americans argue so furiously because there is much to argue about: the health-care and immigration systems are utterly dysfunctional, and the administration and Congress are racking up trillion-dollar deficits with no clear understanding of how to bring them down.

They argue because U.S. society is cleaved by region, race and class more deeply than in Canada. But they also argue because they care. They believe their federal government matters and they have strong opinions about how that government should act.

Canada always struggled to define itself as a nation, and in recent years appears to have given up that struggle, retreating into regional isolation. What Canadian federal politician has a clear sense of what this country should look like in the 21st century?

Politics in America is loud, rude, messy and sometimes deeply weird. But at least the U.S. matters to its citizens.

The only problems with John's assertion are that he fails to mention that Republicans are lying to their constituents about policy details, and that the recent health care outrage has been orchestrated by lobbyists and insurance companies with much to lose if a reform package is passed. However, Americans are currently more invested in their political discourse then Canadians. Is it really because we don't care?

When Did Facts Leave Journalism?

Happy Birthday, U.S President Barack Hussein Obama, or is it?

So let's review.

In June, 2008, right-wing bloggers questioned whether Barack Obama was really born in the United States.

Under increased pressure to fight the smears, the campaign released his birth certificate.

However, this was not enough - conspiracy theorists still claimed it was a fake, prompting the campaign to further debunk the rumors and bring in non-partisan FactCheck.org to verify it's authenticity.

Yada, yada, yada, the campaign continued with issue presented as fact, the election took place, and Barack Obama was elected President of the United States.

So why is the birther movement still gaining traction in the media?

Rush Limbaugh and CNN's Lou Dobbs have been spinning the story, which has been covered heavily by the media-yet journalists don't seem eager to quickly claim that these statements are baseless.

Wherein lies the problem. The conspiracy theorists, lead by Orly Taitz, enabled by the journalists mentioned above- are certifiably crazy, but are given airtime and a platform to spew nonsense. At least Rachael Maddow, following the lead of Jon Stewart, knows that these people are meant to be made fun of, while getting to the heart of what this birther madness is about.

Journalists are supposed to report the facts, not just report both sides of every debate even though they know one side is lying. It's misleading to viewers and ultimately can lead to scary, unhinged behaviour.

Irresponsible U.S Members of Congress who cannot answer the question of his birth are even worse.

A Pride and Caribana Mash-Up

My posting for Torontoist

Photo of Caribana revellers by Phil Marion, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Electrifying music, stunning costumes, and enthusiastic crowds are what you can expect at this year’s Caribana festivities. Yet while the largest North American cultural festival of its kind celebrates Toronto’s ethnic diversity with events designed for all ages, cultural backgrounds, and musical preferences, noticeably absent are any activities designed to include the LGBT community. Moreover, Caribana is increasingly criticized for its promotion of artists known for venomous and homophobic lyrics.

One artist who particularly stands out is controversial dancehall musician Elephant Man, who apparently has been banned from headlining a Caribana-related event at CiRCA Nightclub on Sunday night due to an outcry from local activists. These stories often lead to the impression that Caribana is intrinsically homophobic, because in a nation such as Canada, which cherishes its rights and freedoms, how can an organization even remotely associate itself with artists whose music has indirectly contributed to the death, rape, and exile of Jamaican citizens?

Caught at the crossroads in this debate are queers of African-Caribbean descent.

In 2006, Toronto Splash, an initiative between three promoters—DJ Black Cat, Murchy P Productions, and Anopenmind Productions—was created to provide a safe space for locals and travellers visiting Toronto to celebrate Caribana in an LGBT-friendly environment. “Toronto Splash is a time when we can enjoy each other and be proud of ourselves amongst other Black men and women around us and in our community,” says DJ Black Cat. “We saw a need that was not being filled, and we filled it.”

Toronto Splash started off as three days of mainly free-spirited and libidinous parties, but has evolved to become "Toronto’s Black Pride," and is now an official member of the International Federation of Black Prides. The IFBP is a coalition joined to promote a multinational network of LGBT/SGL (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Same-Gender-Loving) Prides and community-based organizations.

“Earl Folkes [president and CEO of the IFBP], received so much positive feedback from travellers visiting Toronto from the U.S to come to our parties that he personally asked us if we wanted to expand and take this on,” says Polly Watkis of Anopenmind Productions. "We jumped at the chance because we’re too often divided within our own community.”

This all sounds like great fun, but one wonders why this is happening now and not as part of the mainstream Pride festivities that took place a little more than a month ago. Recent debate over President Barack Obama’s slowness to undo the wrongs afflicting gays and lesbians in the United States, coupled with columnists such as Dan Savage blaming African-Americans for the passing of the now-infamous Proposition 8, has led some to wonder how aligned Black gays and lesbians are with the wider LGBT community.

Is there a rift? DJ Black Cat insists this is not the case, but notes, “We didn’t want to get lost in the shuffle of Gay Pride. Toronto Splash needs its own moment, and Caribana is the perfect time for it. For many young and old Black gay men and women still not out, it is important for them to see faces like themselves in a supportive environment.”

Not to be downplayed is that event attendees are likely to be in the closet, or "on the down low," a phenomenon that's come to public consciousness, thanks to Oprah Winfrey, due to the rise in HIV rates amongst African-American and African-Canadian women. The committee plans to expand Toronto Black Gay Pride with more educational workshops and art events designed to build confidence and networks.

So, will Toronto Black Pride become an official Caribana event? "I certainly believe so," opines Pitter. “They know what we are doing and have been very supportive.”

Adds Watkis, “The Caribana festival attracts over one million visitors from around the world, and Toronto Splash has already been dubbed 'Queeribana.' Toronto Splash is one of the largest gay urban events in the country, so it’s just a matter of time before we become an official part of the festivities.”