Learning from Dudes: the Lesbian Flowchart

Even flawed logic, is a kind of logic.

Chocolate Tofu Pie and Nut Crust Recipe. You're welcome.

When ever I am going to have dinner at someone's place and there appears to be some skepticism about the potential for supreme deliciousness in vegan cuisine, I bring pie - and, most frequently, chocolate pie. What makes this pie a factual miracle, other than its ability to convert vegan doubters at first sight, is that this pie is additionally both gluten free and really, really easy to make. 


Consider this my gift to you and your entire pot-luck community. I will even give you some little tricks to amplify the beauty and taste factor of this impossibly delicious dessert.  


It starts with an all nut crust. I think pecan or hazelnuts are your best bets, but that's your decision.


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups ground nuts (place them in the blender, put some earplugs on and let 'er rip until they are mostly powder-like)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons earth balance (the best margarine)


Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C)
• Stir together ground nuts and then cinnamon, and then mix in melted butter earth balance and maple syrup. Dump this mix into a 9" deep dish pie pan. I use a pampered chef stoneware pan, and think it's pretty spectacular.   
• Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. If it sticks to your fingers, wet your fingers with some water. 
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. It's really easy to burn a nut crust, so err on the side of caution. Allow this to cool completely before filling.   

Chocolate filling.
Ingredients
600g of soft tofu (I use 2 boxes of sunrise brand soft tofu. I often use one dessert and one plain)
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
300g good quality dark chocolate
Fruit topping (raspberries and/or strawberries work exceptionally well).

Directions

• Start by preparing the fruit, you want it to be ready to go as soon as you pour the filling into the pie crust. Wash it, but make sure it's dry before placing it atop the pie.
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. While you are doing this, blend the tofu in a, well, blender. 
• Once the chocolate is melted, add it to the blended tofu, which I would imagine to still be in the blender. Blend the chocolate and tofu together until it's smooth, scrape the sides as needed. 
• Pour chocolate into cooled pie crust, top with fruit and possibly other pretty, yummy things like chocolate shavings and/or coconut flakes (as seen in the above photo).
• Chill in the fridge until serving.  

That's all you need to know. 

Knuckle Tattoos for Academics

Interdisciplinary: stuck in academic ghettos?

Oh hello Etsy!

Chocolate Lab Puppy (this one sold, but there is a new one posted)

I decided to post some of my small sketches on Etsy yesterday. I think a lot of hobby painters get to the point where they do more "warm-up" works than anything else, and I'm certainly no exception. My small apartment has one large room dedicated to my art equipment and it's over flowing with older, smaller works - so I figured I'd try putting them out there in the world. 


For example, last year, for one of my classes I painted 36 8" x 8" puppy paintings. This repetitive painting project was aimed at creating multiple similar, yet unique portraits of a number of the breeds most commonly found to be produced at puppy mills in N. America. 

Puppy Mill Project Installed

Each 8" x 8" painting is produced using a series of stencils and some freehand painting. Each painting is a unique combination of colours – so while they look remarkably similar to one another, they are each their own dog.


A number of these puppies are available on Esty for a tiny $19 - $5 of which will go to the Montreal SPCA, as I feel like those folks have to deal with a lot of unwanted dogs resulting from this kind of cruel, surplus breeding.

International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas

Next May, Montreal universities will host the first International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas. This conference presents an opportunity for students and the general public to interact with scholars, artists and professionals interested in reshaping society into one that is more just and sustainable.

"Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio, the linkage of sustainable development to economic growth requires profound rethinking. It has not offered a convincing solution to one of the most dramatic crises in history: how to avert ecological collapse while enhancing social justice and improving life’s prospects. In advance of Rio plus 20, our Conference seeks to challenge and move beyond the sustainable development agenda. A degrowth perspective will help us visualize and build towards a truly prosperous world." Read more...

There is an open call for proposals with the intent to "build a degrowth movement in the Americas with rigorous examination of issues, involving academia and social movements, arts and sciences, thought and living experiences. For this purpose it will be a "slow" one-week long conference to experience degrowth." Read more...

Propaganda Techniques Bingo!

As we enter the dark depths of winter, I would like to share with you a new take on an old game I've developed for those of you who are occasionally brave enough to watch news television. This is is a game that you can play alone or with the whole family, no matter your political persuasion - as persuasion seems to be the only thing cable news is up to these days. 


For your family entertainment pleasure: Propaganda Techniques Bingo!

  
The rules are simple: 

1. Learn a little bit about Propaganda Techniques.
2. Turn on, say Fox news, or even CBC's The Lang and O'Leary Exchange.
3. Prepare bingo card, use loose change as tokens
4. Pay less attention to the content of the program, but rather the methods of communication employed by guests and/or "journalists."
5. place a token on appropriate square when the inevitable technique to used. First one with a complete line wins. Note: you can even play alone - if there is a winning card, journalism automatically loses.

Note: The above graphic is designed using a free ecofont. Saves toner.

The Clinton Global Initiative for Universities

Again from a recent email I received, this may be of interest to some folks out there: 


"The Clinton Global Initiative for Universities is an initiative created by ex-President Clinton to engage the youth of the world to commit to social justice and concrete action that could help people in their community, and in their world.

The main activity of the Clinton Global Initiative for Universities is to raise awareness about the CGI U general meeting. In 2011, the meeting assembled thousands of student leaders, dignitaries, and national youth organizations together to discuss issues of global importance. The speakers included Mandy Moore, Sean Penn, and Bill Clinton himself.

Students can apply to this meeting by committing themselves to solving a social issue. This can be in conjunction with efforts that they are already putting in to solving either problems at the local, national, or international level. CGI U aims to foster these commitments, and then help support them with any resources available at our disposal.

While applications and commitments are on hold for CGI U 2012 as the final meeting date and place are being set, interested applicants can apply for the campus representative team at http://www.cgiu.org/about/campus_representatives.asp."

Course in Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Canada and the Global South

Montreal's Social Justice Committee is coordinating a new Certificate course on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Canada and the Global South.


From an email I received today:

The SJC invites you to take part in a new certificate course: 
Economic, social and cultural rights in Canada and the Global South 



What are economic, social and cultural rights? What are the agreements in place to protect them? What are groups doing in Canada to defend these rights at home and abroad? 

This five-week popular education course will serve an introduction to economic, social and cultural rights. Participants will learn from guest speakers, share their knowledge, and work together to develop strategies for social change.

September 20 - October 18, 2011, Tuesday evenings at 6:00pm
Cost: $35 (Contact us if a sliding scale is needed)
Location: Centre St-Pierre, 1212 Rue Panet, Montreal (Metro Beaudry)
Wheelchair accessible. Childcare available upon request. Food and drink provided. 
To register, and  for more information on participating speakers, visit www.sjc-cjs.org.
 Course schedule:
Each week guest speakers will explore specific issues related to economic, social and cultural rights, and discuss their work defending these rights in Canada and the Global South.

Week One: Introduction to economic, social and cultural rights with a focus on the right to an adequate standard of living•    Equitas on the history of economic, social and cultural rights
•    Project Genesis on anti-poverty activism in Montreal
•    Social Justice Committee on how debt and international trade affect global poverty

Week Two: The right to work and labour rights•    PINAY on the rights of migrant Filipino women workers in Quebec
•    Children’s Care International on child trafficking and international child labour

Week Three: The right to health and social security•    Head & Hands on young people's access to sexual health care and education in Quebec
•    Handicap International on anti-landmine agreements and the rights of the disabled globally

Week Four: The right to family life•    LGBT Family Coalition on the legal and social recognition of LGBT families in Quebec
•    Canadian Crossroads International on women’s rights and gender-based violence in Africa

Week Five: Self-determination and the rights of indigenous people•    Chief Ghislain Picard on Plan Nord and the self-determination of First Nations in Quebec
•    Father Ernie Schibli on Canadian mining and the rights of indigenous people in Latin America

This project is made possible by generous donations from the Human Rights Program, Canadian Heritage and L'Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI).

Materials Analysis Tool Animation

I've been keeping busy working on a project with McGill's University Services to develop a tool to help their designers and consultants make more sustainable building and maintenance product choices. The tool is called MAT, short for Materials Analysis Tool.

We are just in the testing stages right now and are hoping to launch mid-to-late September. In the meantime, I'm working on a short promotional video to for McGill's Sustainability Projects Fund, the organization that funded the project.

Here is a little teaser - this short animation introduces the criteria that are used in the framework of analysis for  MAT.

What to do with your old helmet.

an old roller derby helmet makes an excellent hanging basket for spring flowers

(for those of you who didn't get the #7734 before, I hope it's obvious now)

In any sport where hitting your head is such a risk that wearing a helmet is either a rule or generally advisable, you occasionally have to replace them. Any time you take a major blow to your helmet, it becomes is compromised in that area and may merit replacement (learn more about single v. multiple impact helmets here). As a result of several years playing derby, I have amassed a few of these and I just can't throw them out, as I feel there is too much useful material still intact. 

This year I have decided to make a few hanging flower baskets out of them - as demonstrated in the above photo. I lined them with an old plastic bag and then poked some holes in the bag through the helmet vent to allow for drainage - filled them with dirt and seeds and that's it. 

It's that time! Another Federal Election!

I don't know why I love these kind of things, but I do - so here is my first attempt at one. Meme template available here: http://obligatoryharpermeme.blogspot.com/ . Go to it. Make your own, spread the bile. 

Business Beyond Tomorrow Conference

Later this week (March 11th-12th) three of Montreal’s business schools, John Molson School of Business, Desautels Faculty of Management and HEC Montreal, will be hosting “Business Beyond Tomorrow”,  a sustainability conference for business leaders, professors, and students to share ideas on how the corporate world can develop and implement initiatives for a more sustainable future.

I'll be acting as a moderator for a panel discussion on Green Building. The whole event promises to be interesting as there are a number of great speakers and participants. Seems like an excellent opportunity to be involved and to meet people who are working in and on corporate sustainability

Oil Sands / Tar Sands: A Balanced Discussion

Tomorrow evening I'll be participating in a public dialogue about the Alberta oil/tar sands industry. I was invited to speak by Concordia's David O'Brien Centre for Sustainable Enterprise. 


The talk was initially part of Concordia's MBA Speaker series, and was simply a presentation by the President of the Oil Sands Developers Group as part of a continuing, government backed $25 million PR campaign, until the DOBCSE decided that this was a topic that needed some perspective. As a result, Cam Fenton from Climate Justice Montreal and myself were asked to share our thoughts on the developments in this industry from an environmental and sustainable business perspective. 


All are welcome. 


Price: $3 in advance, $5 at the door, includes snacks.
Concordia University, Hall Building H-767, 1455 De Maisonneuve W.

Wednesday, March 2 · 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Click here for the facebook event page. 

How to tie a bow tie (or: welcome to adulthood, learn a new knot)

OK. Bow ties are back in (sort of), I get it. But what is with the clip-ons? Why is it that we draw the line of learning fashion knots with the Double Windsor? Learning new things can be fun and - with the internet - so easy!

I don't want to hear "I don't know how to tie a bow tie" as an excuse to not wear proper adult attire. If you didn't know how to tie a standard neck tie, would you just give up and shop in the children's department for a clip-on? No, you would learn the old fashioned way, from your dad, girlfriend or some other source of such wisdom. As such, clip-ons are relegated to kids, who have yet to be educated on the proper technique of tying a safe knot around their own necks.

So why is the bow tie any different? It's just a blinking knot. If you couldn't learn a simple knot, you'd still be in Velcro sneakers - so you are capable of doing this. I have faith in you.

As always, if Google knows how to tie a bow tie, you know how to tie a bow tie. Problem solved.

I can hear it now: "but - I don't have a self-tying bow tie." Well you didn't have a clip-on before you bought it either, so smarten up and start shopping where people assume you have half a brain. I'm a fan of etsy for these sorts of things, as I could care less about brand names, don't like the sideways glances of sales people as a woman who shops in the "mens" department and also have a serious soft-spot for handcrafted accoutrement. I have bought several bow ties from xoelle - and would recommend that shop highly, as they used recycled fabrics (old ties, shirts etc.) and can even take your old neck ties and turn them into bow ties. I've recycled two old silk ties that were a little worse for wear and now they look fabulous - as will I, every time that I wear them. 

So there you have it - all you need to know to enter the world of the adult consumer of ties. Maybe later we'll talk ascots, as I'm starting to see those pop up in the queer community. That means it's only a matter of time to see them popping up in hipster bars and straight clubs.

n.b. Don't ever be caught in public by a very talented photographer wearing a clip-on tie if you are going to be commenting on the dubious nature of said item. Unless, of course, this is some kind of ridiculous child-like costume for a flamboyant parade - then, at least, you would have some kind of lame excuse for this mildly public contradiction.

Open doors for little paws.

This week was cold. I say that as a Canadian born in Northern Ontario and raised in Montreal. I've seen some cold days and weeks - and this past week was no exception. So on a late night walk home a few days ago, when I noticed, through the slit of space between the rim of my parka's hood and the top of my scarf, two kittens in a snow bank, my heart sunk. This kind of weather must be really hard on the animals that call the streets "home". It's been estimated that Montreal has about 1.6 million stray cats - and here were a few of the newest, most vulnerable cohort.

By the next night, they were in my bathroom, huddled in a corner - entirely due to the persistence of my partner, who, with great patience and daring had scooped them up just before the temperature dropped yet again. Her hands are a little worse for wear, but we both feel better knowing they are off the street and out of the cold. We are working to get them habituated to human contact - which is clearly a bit of a novelty, just like the regular meals they greedily lap up from our hands. We won't be keeping them, but will give them over to someone willing to but the time and resources necessary to get them comfortable as house cats.    

They are pretty sweet kitties and have already come a long way. If you know a responsible someone looking for a furry friend, please drop me a line.

UPDATE: the kittens have a new home thanks to the power of the internet! Thanks interaction between Twitter and Blogger - you're awesome! And to the lovely couple who took in these two fuzz-balls, well, you're awesome too!

Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability

I'll be speaking again at this year's Desautels Business Conference on Sustainability. This year's theme is "REdefine, REdesign, REbusiness". The conference is using the recent economic crisis and the ongoing ecological crises to revisit the concept of doing business, doing well and doing good. 

On Friday, January 21st I will deliver a presentation on "Creativity, Diversity and Transformation" where I will work with students to recognize some assumptions that many of us carry about - about change, the status quo and changing the status quo. I hope to communicate how important it is for us to harness the power of the wildly creative energies that surround us to make our business more human, while at the same time making them  more innovative.

The full conference will be held January 20-22 at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec - you can get more details on the full program at the website.