EVERYTHING ROOF IS ALMOST THERE!

So I never post anything twice, (I akin it to the cardinal sin of putting two songs by the same band on a mix tape - an even bigger faux pas if they're back to back). But today I will make an exception, as this is such a ridiculously amazing initiave worth supporting! And as Meg put it, she "wants to throw parties on this rooftop" and I second that.

The Everything Roof has only three days left to reach it's goal, and they are so ridiculously close!! Everyone loves the eleventh hour. So if you've ever thought of supporting something, support this! It's like buying a couple beers... or a big burrito or something. Except with this you help enforce awesome, AND you can get some cool stuff in return - like neat art prints, or delicious organic coffee, or local produce boxes! If nothing else, this is a wonderful multi-purpose space worth learning more about, and trying to implement in your own city!

1920'S FGFS LADIES!

...more or less. Apparently Toronto has been home to amazing cycling ladies since the 1920's. Check out more vintage cycling photos in our hometown (and the real beginnings of the Naked Bike Ride) courtesy of blogTO. There are some serious gems.

LILLY'S LUNCHES!

Earlier this week, Snow White, Cannibal Vixen, and myself attended the delicious launch of Lilly's Lunches at the Bellevue in the market. Lilly's Lunches is a brand new food delivery service in the downtown core, via bicycle! Which, at this exact moment, means the lovely Elizabeth Callahan with an awesome delivery bike with an enormous box basket shown below. The food we sampled was great, (I think The Jane was my favourite), and overall it's a wonderful convienient local alternative during a busy work day. Not to mention, any badass business-oriented biking babe with seafoam business cards, we can get behind (DNS are an easy sell).

Also the weather's been so nice this week (27.degrees.what.) We've been doing our share of night biking hangouts! Get outside before it gets cold again!

NO HANDS.

So... too excited not to post this, but for the FIRST TIME EVER I rode with no hands last night!! For a really long time!!

While this might not be that exciting to most people, I'm ecstatic. It is something I've tried to do for so very long. As a very seasoned long time cyclist with good balance and not much fear, this has been a personal point of contention.

Then BAM. Suddenly when I least expected...it happened. No big deal. As is with all the best things in life.

Liberating and completely out of left field.

Just Ride- 6pm TONIGHT!

#BikeHour is cool! I just heard about it via iBikeTo. Going for a ride at 6 tonight to get all romantic with the love of my life. (AKA my pink and purple Mission Bike that just got her forever-name "Care Bear")



Bike Hour Website Here.

What I like is that this celebrates the Equinoxes, which are the days that are an equal balance of night and day across the world. Isn't that the best part of a bike? The magical centrifugal force of perfect balance in rotation...

I like their sign-off:

MARTYRDOM HAS BEEN SHOWN NOT TO WORK, SO RIDE SAFELY, AS ALWAYS

So just ride...

P.S. While you watch this video picture a teenage Meg (blond streaks, nails did, Silver Jeans) gettin down at a Scarbierian house party where the walls are sweating.


LoveLoveLove,

#MadeVisible- Women, Children & Poverty in America

This is a great video panel discussion on women in finance. There is a specific focus on American politics, as you may have guessed from the tittle. This means I don't think I understand all the nuances of the speakers and their messages in context with the current political atmosphere. Regardless, I think anyone who is interested in our economy and getting the world on track to a sustainable economy should watch this.

#

What I can't believe is Sherily WuDunn supporting sweat shop work in getting women out of poverty. Leaving your traditional ways of life to be a slave-wage for multinational corporations who in turn ruin natural resources and ways of life with pollution is not a good way out of poverty. It's not a good economic model to thank and give credit to. It's like tipping a rapist.

There also isn't much talk of other alternatives to traditional jobs that don't bring in "paychecks"; like home sewing, urban gardening, and other arts and crafts products and services.

What is also left out of the equation is the issue of feminism and environmentalism. This surprised me. Gender inequality hurts our national resources too. "Ecofeminism" is a serious link in the out-of-poverty chain.

In entirety , the speakers and lines of dialogue, along with the stories and advice shared created a truly informative and inspiring looking into the roles of women in getting the world out of poverty.

Thank you Travis Smiley for putting on such wonderful 2 hours of enlightening discussion.

Bicyclette Boutique

This Bicyclette Boutique video celebrates all things supper girly and fun.

xo

MAYA PEDAL.

Ingenius & just lovely. There needs to be more movements like the Maya Pedal Asociación in the world. Thanks to the equally lovely Rosalie for sending this my way.

FRIDAY TORONTO/ SUNDAY VANCOUVER

If I could only tap into the power of worm holes and bend time and space, I'd go to Toronto for Muttonhead Collective's installation with Herschel.


Friday March 16th, 2012
Lavish&Squalor, 253 Queen Street West
5-7pm, Free


Then I'd be able to go back to Vancouver for Gena's Fundraiser on Sunday.


For the Love of Two Loves, Gena Perala Fundraiser
Sunday March 18th, 2012
Prophouse, 1636 Venables Street, Vancouver (just west of Commercial Drive)
8pm/$10

Poster by my creative partner Monika at DEUXDEER.

I'll be at the door! Come with cash to bid on cool stuff!

And remember, have fun.

VISIBILITY IS EXTRA SEXY.

Thank goodness winter is almost over (not that it's been a bad one or anything.. seriously, we had like what, three real snowfalls?), but the days are still shorter than I'd like. Which is where these neat little gems off FashioningTech come into play.

Normal gloves? sort of. Cycling gloves? sort of. But when you're riding at night, you can close your fist, and LED lights on the back of your hand indicate a turn signal to drivers or other riders around you. Some leather on these guys for a bit of grip/waterproofing would make them extra great. But still pretty cool, huh?

DNS rule #431: visibility is extra sexy.

The Shock of Kony 2012

"Only a crisis, real or perceived, produces real change." Milton Freedman



I remember reading Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Home. The book tells of how a normal 12 year old , gentle caring boy can become a unfeeling killing machine. Shock and emotional tourmoil were used by the rebel army to create child soldiers.

If we want to prevent this from happening, can we do this by using shock and emotional turmoil? Can we change what happen if we don't change how it happens? Can we liberate ourselves from monsters by using the same tools and tactics they do?

I for one, react to shock and get emotional easily. It's something I am always working on, to calm down, and respect but control my emotions to see clearly. Understanding the situation, not reacting or judging, tend to lead me to better conclusions and solutions to the situation. Do I practice this all the time? No. I'm only human. We all are. Right?

"Shock wears off, it is by definition a temporary state. And the best way to stay oriented, to resist shock, is to know what is happening to you, and why. " - Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine

City / Time /Crossovers

So a few weeks back I got an email from DNS's light benefactor Mike over at Knog. He was coming into town [Vancouver] to visit NORCO and launch the Blinders, their new light line. I had just gotten them to test out a week before; lucky me, I was chosen to be a guinea pig! The dark, hilly streets of Vancouver are excellent places to test out lights (way less light pollution up in here.)

Verdict? Really bright, really stylish, with a small side button to prevent them from turning on in your bag and running out the battery. Maybe how to turn on and off the light is a bit of a learning curve, as you have to Swiss Army precision time your clickings to get the secret code to turn them on, off or change the 1,098 different light settings. Best part? It's rechargeable by USB, so you never have to pay for batteries again. Sweet.



They are even bright enough to cast a good light whilst biking along the Vancouver Seawall after a winter sunset. (I learned latter you can put them in beer!) I felt special, as I was in the same company as the Bike Snob. When I realized that I felt like Mary Tyler Moore! (Seriously, read the article, reading this blog gives me an abs work out.)



I digress. Mike arrives, and invites me out for a beer with these "Vancouver film guys" who wanted to show him their work. I ask who- and of course it's the Zenga Brothers. Mike is astonished, but I am not. Small world, right? On the other side, Benny didn't know I had met Mike while working at Momentum Magazine (check out their new website!), and was equally amused. I've realized extreme awesome runs in small circles, so I am never surprised anymore.



So we all met up in the rain for a few pints and laughs in Grandville Island in Vancouver. Benny is up to some cool stuff with Zenga Bros, has a new studio, and still rides mad tall bikes in the rain.







All photos courtesy of Mike.

KONY 2012.

Anyone want to go late night postering on April 20th? I'm down.

Uganda is easily one of the most beautiful places I've been in my life, and while every project / NGO / relief effort has its issues (often many) in regards to motivation or execution - i think that effort, or in this case wide spread knowledge is pure power. Especially in an attempt to influence / pressure governments, including ours.

And while so many of us are ready to speak out against stuff like removing bike lanes, or hypothetcial LRTs - so few have the energy to fight the things that don't directly affect us (myself included).

It's embarrassing that this has gone on for so long, without more political intervention. Joseph Kony is a complete monster. And really so is apathy.

The internets r awesome!

Here is a recap of some fancy things the internet is offering us this week...

First we have this neato party concept by GOOD Magazine, where you can win money having fun with friends.

To celebrate our latest print issue, “Beg, Borrow, or Steal,” we invite you to propose a plan for a magazine launch party that creatively reflects this theme. Submit here for a chance to win $300 and 50 copies of our latest issue to share at your event.

If you win send me a copy, mkay?

Have you heard about Girl Bike Love? It's an well done website dedicated to getting women on bikes, edited by the dedicated and funny Sarai Snyder. It's an excellent resource to get you more into your bike through tool introductions, product reviews, and cycle industry interviews. Sarai was just at NAHBS (I'm totally jealous) and snapped some great shots and is promising a few good interviews as well! GBL are also a blast to follow on the twitter.

In MORE money money money news, VanCity Credit Union here in Vancouver is offering up some serious start-up funds

The Good Money™ Impact Venture Challenge is for students and recent graduates building businesses that create positive change. We’ve got expertise, advice and financial support up for grabs. Three prizes - $50,000, $25,000 and $15,000 - will be awarded. Deadline to apply is Friday, March 16, 2012.

So if you are a new social entrepreneur, get on that!

Good luck. 1<3

Toronto Cyclist Union Video

Go to the My City Lives website and check out their video on the Toronto Cycling Union!

It's so cute! I wish I could embed it.

My City Lives seems to be quite a cool concept in itself.

"The idea for My City Lives was born out of the common problems we all shared at Creativity Killed the Recession – a grassroots community that our Co-Founders Adam and Adil started in 2009. These problems include, but are not limited to: our city's need for economic stimulus; supporting arts and culture in the region; connecting communities, and stimulating civil pride in our city and its institutions. We believe that by addressing these issues, we could help our city elevate itself out of the recession and push towards a level of prosperity that is possible on local, national, and even global levels."

NAME THIS BAG & WIN STUFF!

While we may be a bike crew by night*.... by day, Patty and I put in our time over at YNOT Cycle, helping make and design awesome cycling bags & accessories. And right now we're doing a little contest to name the newest addition to the YNOT bag family!

So put in your two cents for mad bragging rights & chance to WIN that lovely unnamed, unreleased, brand spankin' new day bag! Head on over to YNOT for more details!

Also, we're going to be at the Toronto International Bicycle Show this weekend, hanging out with our rad booth neighbours Modrobes & Bike Polo TO. So definitely come by the Better Living Centre at the Ex, and say hey at Booth 190! We'll be way more exciting that any of those awesome trick competitions or free ride demos going on.... promise.

* we are actually a bike crew at all times, not just night-time. Despite our name.