My knowledge of American history is lacking. To an extent, it's to be expected - after all, I am Canadian. Every year on the Fourth of July I'm reminded of this. I go and seek out books about American history and add that to that list of books to read to read some day in the future. (That list never seems to get shorter.) I thought that this year I'd share my findings on what to read on Independence Day.

"I long to hear that you have declared an Independency - and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors...If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation." ---Abigail Adams

Today is Canada's 142nd birthday. W00t! From coast to coast and from the 49th parallel to the Arctic circle Canadians are celebrating today. Fireworks, barbeques and the resurrection of 80s bands (seriously, Loverboy is playing here) are on the menu at communities all across this country of ours. It is one of the few days of the year, along with World Junior Hockey finals, that we let our Canadianness shine and revel in it. Here's how Canadians are celebrating this year.

It is my belief that most Americans think that HIV/AIDS is now a global problem and almost eradicated in the United States. Sadly, this is far from the truth. According to the CDC, in 2006 approximately 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 1 in 5 are undiagnosed. Twenty-one percent!

June seems like the perfect time to talk about Pride in Canada. I mean it's Pride month and all right? Well, sorta. One of the first things you need to know about Pride in Canada is that up here in Canada we can't seem to decide on the best time for Pride so it's celebrated in different areas all through the summer. Edmonton last week, Toronto this week, Montreal's and Vancouver's in August and Calgary's is in August. We can't decide on a single point to celebrated it but we know it's important that we do.

Almost everything I know about the status of women in Iran I learned from one of four sources: 1) my friend's friend Roxanna, who was born in Iran and went back every summer to visit her family; 2) "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi; 3) the "Persepolis" graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi; and 4) articles in mainstream American newspapers.

I've been hearing a lot about the Social Innovation Fund lately, an element of the Serve America Act. A May 6th White House blog post by Jesse Lee, What is the Social Innovation Fund? says that the Fund will, "identify the most promising, results-oriented non-profit programs and expand their reach throughout the country."

Once again, I've stupidly been living my life by various feminist principles that are sure to leave me without a husband or boyfriend, unloved, unsexed, and dead in a bathtub with my face eaten off my my 98 pet rabbits* (I'm allergic to cats) before anyone even notices that I am missing. Fortunately, the ad world is here to help me out!

Kjerstin Erickson is one of those "shiny" people who lights up a room. After meeting her at the Global Engagement Summer last spring, I knew I wanted to grab her for an interview before she became too famous. Erickson founded FORGE (Facilitating Opportunities for Refugee Growth and Empowerment) in 2003 when she was a 20 year-old junior studying public policy at Stanford University.

On Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the first flu pandemic in 41 years. But there is no need to panic, the H1N1 virus (swine flu) has not become any more lethal, it's just being recognized as a pandemic now because of the numbers of cases and areas affected. From The Wall Street Journal - Flu Pandemic Is Declared...

I think that humans are naturally curious. Nothing is more tempting than telling us something is off-limits. I can't eat that pie until tomorrow? Want. Pie. Now. Someone wants to ban a book? More often than not it goes onto my must read list. We can't go into that building? There's a "secret" subway stop? People will find ways to get in. That's why I think that Doors Open days are brilliant and I'm so happy they exist across Canada.

Once in a while, I forget that women are an aberration since we are not men, who are the norm. Fortunately, the media is there to screw me head back on straight! Just last week, the New York Times ran a story titled, "Debate on Whether Female Judges Decide Different Arises Anew." Huh. What could that mean?