My DEMF Review

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I’m not witnessing stadium rock or stadium love, like pop band Metric’s new song depicts in their newest album. No - Instead I’m witnessing stadium techno. It’s Saturday night, May 24th 2009 in Detroit, and Carl Cox is playing some pounding techno anthems to a crowd of fans with their hands in the air, fists pumping, feet moving and heads bouncing.

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Videos from Movement, DEMF 2009

You might want to turn your speakers down! The sound is really distorted in these videos, sorry. The need for some earplugs (which I had) and a proper recording device is evident. However, if you're interested to know what the Detroit Electronic Music festival was like, this is an alright sampling of a few sets I caught.

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Planning a trip to Detroit

I'm looking forward to seeing Detroit again, for all its deserted downtrodden streets and buildings just steps from the techno festival that transforms it for one weekend each year. It's not just that I crave techno music... I enjoy the discordant contrast between the vibrant international musical scene and the nearly abandoned city that hosts it each year. It's not without some thought that I wander looking for a restaurant each year during quiet moments of the festival. This city and the people here gave so much to the techno scene, as many of the originators came from here. But this city also seems like a ghost of its illustrious past, and it reminds me of the failings of large unsustainable economies and previous recessions that have taken their toll on the human and ecological life that are struggling to survive.

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Pillow fight sparks curiosity

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On a mild Saturday afternoon in March at Dundas Square, twenty-two year old, Kevin Bracken, the organizer of the large outdoor pillow fight which is to take place, waits calmly. Within a number of minutes, there are a few more people gathering. The pillow fight is set to start at 3pm, and so far only twenty of the more than 2700 facebook event 'Yes' RSVPs are there.

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'RiP: A Remix Manifesto' film

Interview with Brett Gaylor Check out my interview in audio submitted to CKLN for the Word of Mouth show.... and, below, a different version of my original article which appeared in the Ryerson Free Press.

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Our city's Safe Streets Act doesn't deal with poverty

This article was published in the Ryerson Free Press, February 2009 issue. Here's a look at panhandling and the Safe Streets Act in Toronto. The city needs a better way to deal with real poverty. -
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(photo originally on: http://therandomizer.wordpress.com)

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Can Gourmet Burgers do well in the recession?

Cabbagetown was my local neighbourhood beat for my reporting class last term. I wrote this article in November 2008 . It appeared in the Ryerson Free Press in February. Read the whole article below for details on the ever-changing Cabbagetown neighbourhood!

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Berlin Calling Screening in Toronto

I wrote this article for Beatportal.com in September 2008.
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Sunday night in Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival in the heart of downtown (Little Italy to be exact), Paul Kalkbrenner stood outside of the Royal Theatre as people lined up to go inside.

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A Look at OCAP that defies stereotypes

Published in February 2009, for the Ryerson Free Press. At the office of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), three desks are squished together in a bunker-like room without windows. Three metal filing cabinets are labelled “Immigration”, “OCAP”, and “Organization History.” A pile of protest banners leans against the wall. The walls are plastered with posters such as: “Fight to Win: March on Queens Park, 2000” and “Convergence 2010. No Olympics on Stolen Land. No Social Cleansing. No Eco-Destruction.” Others are in Portuguese with images of Brazilian workers. It’s clear that the coalition’s work in Toronto is connected to global struggles.

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Twitter for everyone

Since I wrote this post on January 23 2009, I've been on Twitter. Now with over 100 people that I'm following and 72 followers, I think I actually understand how Twitter works. Daily, I get updates from Richard Florida, George Strombo, Jay Rosen (NYU professor), Atrak, and an eclectic dose of friends and social media experts. I get updates from some of my favourite media groups too! The Agenda with Steve Paikin, The Walrus Magazine, and classmates... I enjoy getting links. Add me if you want: www.twitter.com/Amanda_C_U.

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