Letter from Graduate Women’s Studies Students to the York Community

Just thought I would pass on this message to EVERYONE! You don't have to be attending York to understand this, you don't have to be a a female to be concern about this.   

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The Graduate Women's Studies Students Association encourages you to pass on this letter to students in other classes, your friends, family, and all who are in and beyond the wider York community.

Open letter from Graduate Women’s Studies Students Association to the York Community.
Re: sexual assaults on campus.

We’re writing this letter because we’re angry.
Why?

First, because women at York are being attacked, sexually assaulted and raped. Like everyone, we have the right to study and work without fear of violence.

Second, we’re angry because instead of hearing a loud and repeated condemnation of sexual assault, we’re told how to avoid being raped. York administration’s security bulletin calls on us to be “vigilant” about our safety. Women have heard this before: don’t make the same mistakes as ‘those’ women; don’t go out alone at night; don’t be in the wrong place at the wrong time; basically, don’t get raped.

We’re angry because this is about our bodies, our lives, our dignity. But our anger about York’s official response does not stop with administrators: when they imply the perpetrators are strangers with no ties to York, no one has to take responsibility. Rape is a public relations nightmare, but denying its rootedness in the York community will not protect us.

Sexual assault and rape at York is done by people from York. We’re angry because we want to trust the people we live, work and study with. We want to be in a community that does not tell us, tacitly or officially, “don’t get raped,” but instead, values women enough to say, “don’t rape.” Rape is not accidental, and it is not isolated. It thrives in a culture that is tolerant of violence, especially violence against women. Currently, it thrives here, at York.

We want this culture to change, and that takes work. Security cameras and extra lighting are not the kind of “vigilance” we need.

We want to feel safe and respected. So you be vigilant: don’t rape.

The GWSSA

hhhmm.. I just finished watching this vietnamese horror movie and its pretty good and kind of sad at the same time. Some of the ghost character reminds me of the grudge, they probably borrowed the ideas from there. My parents was watching it through my wii on the internet and it seem pretty interesting, so I went to search it up on the web and came across the video.

The bonus feature of this movie is the english subtitles which helped me understand the full story, not like other vietnamese movie/show, where I had to sit there and try to make out the storyline by understanding the broken vietnamese language. I kind of feel bad, I want to learn vietnamese so that I'm not only confined to chinese or english movies without reading subtitles of course. Someone teach me my own language please! =]  

<img src=http://bp1.blogger.com/_V4y4lNOP0ao/RnL84dogI5I/AAAAAAAAAGs/-_zYbaKRg-8/s1600/spir.jpg>

This movie takes place in vietnam

Movie Information

(Retrieved from http://torturedpsyche.blogspot.com/2007/06/spirits-oan-hon.html)

YEAR - 2004

RUN TIME - 120 mins

DIRECTOR - Victor Vu

CAST - Kathleen Luong, Tuan Cuong, Catherine Thuy Ai, Kathy Nguyen

SYNOPSIS:

This movie is separated into three different acts, all telling the story/history of a family that lives in a house haunted by ghosts. Each act focuses on a different character over the years.

Heres the link if you guys want to watch it, and don't worry there are subtitles (which is a bonus since I don't really understand everything they are saying)

The first part : http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6042933146528109081

The second part: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4918078007968999449

Enjoy!

Wow since I'm on xanga right now and I haven't written anything in so long I guess I write something down for memory sake.

Today in class we watched this documentry called "Finding Dawn" it was a sad, and disturbing documentry to watch. So many aboriginal women experienced violence, abuse in their life that no one seems to give a damn in changing this for them. Even when they become missing the authorties act slow in investigating the possibilities. So sad to hear their stories about being rape and stuff. Well I'm glad the fimmaker came to talk to us today.

So Tony finally got his xbox360 elite back, well microsoft shipped him a brand new console. Microsoft was being stupid and shipped him the premium white 360 instead of the elite last time and made him ship back that 360. Hes been xboxless for like more than month! ahaha but oh no TONY MAYO is back now! (he's probably playing halo 3)

We went to watched SAW IV today, I'm a bit confuse right now but can't wait to have a SAW movie marathone night, who would want to join me in this. I think this way it will make more sense cause I don't remember some of the stuff from the other movie. I hope theres gonna be a SAW V coming out! I want the whole collection if it ever comes out in box set.

Zelda the Phanton of the Hourglass has been an addicting game on DS besides Bomberman Land touch. I still have to go beat one more boss inorder to get on to the ghost ship to save Zelda!  

Tomorrow we're going clubbing at republik but I don't even have a costume yet. I don't even know what I want to be. What should I be? What should I be? hhhmmm.. I hope I get in the morning.

I want to try IKEA's breakfast menu! I'm so hungry right now. I want food. We went to Ikea today and we ate two hot dogs a soft drink, and two cinnamon buns for less than 4 dollar! Yum I want some right now.! 

A Glass of Water

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on." "As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."