Bucket List

moar funny pictures

I recently watched The Bucket List (pretty sad, watch it when you're in a happy mood). So I decided to make my own.

Yea, its fairly whimsical and optimistic, but let me have my damn minute of fancy.

1. Live and work in Paris
Just for 6 months or a year or something. Why? Because I am such a sucker for all those romanticized images of Paris with all the mon cheri-ing and baguettes with brie and champagne and picnics at the Champs de Mars. Basically I'd act like a total tourist believing I was blending in with the Parisians--but I'd have fun doing it!

(1.5 Improve my French)

2. Attend high tea at a swanky hotel
...and proceed to make total ass of myself most likely. But doesn't it just sound so cutesy and old timey in the most novel way?

3. Convert a boy to feminism
Like hardcore feminist. Marching with a megaphone at pro-choice rallies and having that "this is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt in 5 colours. It's sexy.

4. Make the world a better place and stuff
Token answer. I'd honestly like to do something meaningful, but jeez, I'm 18, I don't know what yet. Something to do with feminism I'm sure. Stop pressuring me you jackasses.

5. Visit the Galapagos Islands
Yea, I was totally obsessed with them when I was a kid. All with the unique, evolutionist-theory-inspiring wildlife. Any interest I had in science faded in grade 10 when I pretty much discovered I sucked at it. I still want to hang with some Galapagos seals and booby birds though.

6. See the northern lights in person (while stoned)
OK, drugs optional. But does that not just seem like the opportune moment?

So that was more of a "shit to do" list than a "must do before I die" list. But. You know. Yay whimsy. I'm also going to call it a temporary list as I'll probably look back on it in 10 years and think I'm a total nut.

I'd also like to screw Johnny Depp, but the age difference is going to be an issue soon. Sorry, Johnny.

Also: 7. Have more than 2 people comment on a post. Seriously people, I have a hit counter. I see you reading it. Leave a comment already.

The Vagina Vote?

Classy, eh?

Here's an article written for class.

For the record, we don't have to come up with proper headlines/titles in class. So none for you.

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If Heather Noble, 24, were an American citizen she would vote for Hillary Clinton—but not because she is a woman.

“Sex has nothing to do with politics,” said Noble, a recent engineering graduate. When she votes, Noble prefers to concentrate on the policies and political parties, not the individual politicians. She said that any one candidate’s policies can be positive for women regardless of their gender.

But she does see how some women would vote for Clinton on an emotional basis, to “give the underdog a push.”

Last Thursday the New York Times published an article titled “Women’s Support for Clinton Rises in Wake of Perceived Sexism,” (link) exploring how some women are switching their support over to Clinton. It considers if personal attacks targeting her gender, such as two men shouting out “iron my shirt” in New Hampshire, and discussion of her voice pitch and cleavage, are attracting women to stand up for her through their votes. Clinton also, now famously, choked up while answering a question, which the article says “many women said they found moving.”

Some Canadian women had a different take.

If a woman were running for Prime Minister today, Noble said that would not guarantee her vote. She does however recognize that female politicians face obstacles.

“We’re still young as an independent group, we’re treated like a minority,” she said, “it’s a male society.”

Noble guessed that our Members of Parliament are 25 per cent female. She’s close. According to the Liberal Party’s website, women make up 51 per cent of the population, but only 21 per cent of MPs.

Stella Torres, 50, from Brampton, also would not vote for a woman running for Prime Minister based purely on gender, but rather says a female politician would have to prove herself as a politician, just like any other candidate.

Torres does however think that she would feel more of a connection with a female politician. “She would understand where we [women] are coming from.”

Torres says that she votes based on logic, looking at the individual running, and their party. She says that women voting based on emotional connection is “a stereotype, because that’s what they expect women to do.” She remarked how black Americans are also expected to vote for Barack Obama.

“I’d like to see some women step up to the plate and show that we can do it,” said Caitlyn Driscoll, 27, a Theatre Performance student from Peterborough.

Driscoll says she would feel swayed to vote for a female running for Prime Minister based on her gender.

“I’m definitely a feminist,” she says, and would like to counterbalance the male majority in Canadian politics.

She thinks that the backlash against Clinton stems from the public and media not being used to dealing with female politicians with such a high profile, and the they “fall back on what’s familiar when it comes to women” when focusing on Clinton’s appearance.

Ashley Mathiew, 21, a social work student and the coordinator of the Ryerson Women’s Centre would like to see a woman in the Prime Minister’s office one day, but only if she shares Mathiew’s ideologies. But she does see why women would rally behind a female politician.

“A lot of women would be proud that she would be running,” referring to the hypothetical future female running for Prime Minister, “they should be proud.”

She also said that women would feel a connection to a female politician working toward being Prime Minister. “You feel for the amount of work women do,” she said, “women do a lot, and are one of the most underpaid groups.”

Unlike the United States, Canada has had a female leader. For five months in 1993, Kim Campbell became Canada’s first and only female Prime Minister to date. She was voted leader of the Conservative Party of Canada when Brian Mulroney retired, automatically making her Prime Minister. She was then defeated in a federal election later that year.

***

PS: This is minus my prof's edits. Editors are very important in the journalistic process, but I'm way too fucking lazy to go through and put it all in.

PPS: Two posts in one day, go me.

PPPS: Expect my article about the sex toy shop Good For Her sometime next week. Be excited.

Sup Premier

I'm famous and stuff.

(photo stolen from the Premier's website)