Toronto

This Thursday, Arabesque will premiere their newest production, OUM, paying homage to the mother of Arab music. This spectacular belly dancing show will mesmerize and inspire-and that's where this great giveaway comes in! read more...

By Christina Miller

Toronto was added to the roster of cities this year for the 2nd annual Social Media Week. The international Social Media Week conference is designed as a series of localized events, which city partners are responsible for organizing. Since tickets to the conferences are, for the most part, free, they went fast and I was only able to secure my place in one conference, Architects of Community. It turns out, that’s all I needed to become inspired and enamored with the idea of this new media. read more...

By Rosemary Counter

Top this: Wide-eyed girl (that’s me) meets suited dude (him) following chance encounter on Craigslist’s Missed Connections. He saw me at the Drake, he wrote. A couple weeks of dinners and sexy goodtimes then boom!—not only is Dude married, but he’s never even been to the Drake. You got played, sucka.

Stories as such (and some happy endings too, I guess) abound at next Thursday’s launch of “Stories From Our Black Books.” read more...

Feb 5-7

Temples to Terrabytes @ Bread and Circus, 299 Augusta Ave. South Asian music and Kathak dance, connecting ancient India to Toronto of today. A Q & A will follow each performance. For prices and times: www.breadandcircus.ca

7 pm Bless This Mess @ DeLeon White Gallery, 1139 College St. Tentatively abstract work from a collection of artists. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=274213352929

FRIDAY

6:30 pm Great Lake Swimmers Free Live Performance @ Sonic Boom, 512 Bloor St. W. Stop by the basement with a non-perishable food item to catch the free show! read more...

THURSDAY

Dance Like You Fuck @ Strangelove 587 College St.
A wild weekly dance party presented by Toronto partyboys the Jon’s. Resident DJ Medley will be holding down the fort, along with Y-Pro. Free cover and $3 drinks before 11 p.m.

In Crowd @ Tattoo Rock Parlour 567 Queen St. West
Mods > Rockers. Bold statement, but we’re sticking to it. Beehives optional, dancing shoes are a must. This week featuring Ride The Tiger. Presented by Pink Mafia, $5 cover. read more...

By Elli Stuhler

It sounds like a religious event, and it is for those who pray to the gods of vintage clothing.

On Feb 6 and 7th, vendors will be selling hand picked vintage pieces 107 Shaw Gallery (107 Shaw St.) from 11am-6pm. Expect to find some pristine vintage finds by Sunday Girl, LAB, Philistine and Tomorrow Never Knows.

The Chosen Ones is a monthly vintage clothing event, presented by 107 Shaw Gallery.

For a lookbook of some of the goods, click here.

By Zoe Shapiro

I’ve had what must be a uniquely Toronto experience. I was hauling containers of soup (curried butternut, French onion and a tomato and peanut) homewards, and when the streetcar turfed me out, in heels, I lazily hailed a cab.

Before I knew what was what, I was being offered a chance to negate my fare if I could answer geoggers questions correctly...and I couldn’t (shameSHAME!). read more...

By Valerie Siebert

As your friendly neighbourhood spider-man of the Toronto art scene, new online talk-show Late Night in the Bedroom is out there promoting the people behind the art you view in the galleries, music you hear wafting from dingy basements, and theatre shows with those entrances that take detailed maps in order to find. With the goal of being thorough in their support, this for-the-artists-by-the-artists program casts webs across tight-knit art communities and pulls together into one room all players from all mediums. read more...

by Elli Stuhler

We all have our guilty pleasures, and the Drake Hotel is adding another to the list.

Next weekend, the Queen West culture hub will be hosting its annual guilty pleasures food and shopping event, just in time for Winterlicious. Unfortunately to all those foodies out there, tickets for the deliciously decadent brunch are all sold out, but the clothing sale is still open to the public and all those who wish to shop their faces off. read more...

By Caitlyn Holroyd

Never Again has been said many times before, but the crisis in Darfur continues, entering its 7th year of extreme violence.

STAND Canada, the country’s leading youth organization for anti-genocide advocacy and activism, was approached a few months ago by the producers of an unreleased film, titled Darfur. read more...