Restricting women's reproductive rights in any context is ridiculous, but lately American politicians have been putting forth legislation so outrageous it's hard to react. With absurd propositions to repeal abortion rights for women coming being considered across the globe, pro-choice activists have decided to fight bizarre legislation with artistic and ironic protests. An effective ironic pro-choice protest has several different aspects. This guide covers how to:

Generate ideas
Attract attention
Make it work

Generate ideas

Lobbying can be effective strategy for activists trying to effective change at all levels of government. Whether it's a national campaign targeting the Prime Minister and MPs or a grassroots effort trying to influence city hall, lobbying can successfully change policies. Regardless, activists should work with the system when lobbying politicians. Politeness, promptness, persistence and networking are essential qualities of a good lobbyist. This guide will cover:

Preparation

At the meeting

Trouble shooting

Preparations

Bird-dogging is a hunting term. The bird-dog has to run into the bushes and flush out birds into the open. Politicians hide behind rhetoric, party lines and self congratulating rather than addressing issues.

In a political context, bird-dogging means attending an elected official's event and forcing them comment, state their stance or change it. It involves raising awareness about community issues, holding a wily politician to their word or pressuring them to make a commitment. Using succinct, pointed questions bird-doggers force politicians to get on the record about a certain issue. This can provide fodder for alternative journalists, who can produce stories on the subject and expose the official to other citizens. This guide includes:

The Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty has created perhaps the best guide for squatters in Canada. The through 100 page guide covers everything you could ever want to know about reclaiming abandoned space as living space. Including:

An intro to squatting

Relevant land acts

Legal information for young people, squatters with children, migrants, youth, people with disabilities and psychiatric survivors

Strategies for dealing with the law

Hunger strikes are a form of non-violent protest that are not often used by activists. This is because they can be exceedingly dangerous if not done correctly. Fasting in protest is most successful in raising awareness about an issue. It shows personal dedication and a willingness to sacrifice for a cause that appeals to media. Though it's not always the best option, a safe hunger strike can really draw attention to injustice. This guide will cover:

History of hunger strikes

When it works best

How to stay safe

Tips for fasting

Coming off a hunger strike

History

Cinema Politica was started as a small screening series in 2001 at Langara College in British Colombia. Founder Ezra Winton teamed up with Svetla Turnin in 2003 at Concordia University in Montreal and revamped the screenings into a media arts non-profit network. Now, Cinema Politica has more than 100 locals across Canada and abroad, hosting grassroots screenings of documentaries and politically conscious Canadian films through donation. They are now the largest volunteer run campus and community screening network in the world.

Books to Prisoners has no central organization. Chapters have been springing up all over the United States and Canada since the 1970s, under various names. The main act that links all the groups together that identify with Books to Prisoners is the collection of reading material to donate to libraries in prisons. Groups typically solicit request letters of what they would like to read from people who are incarcerated and then respond at no cost with donated books. The biggest expense is often postage to mail books across the country.

Dumpster divers (also known as skippers or binners) are activists who reject the capitalist system by foraging for food and other usable items that have been trashed.

A capitalist society creates excessive waste and a constant need to consume. An estimated $12 billion worth of food is wasted in Canada, thrown away by distributors and packagers along the way to your local grocer. And once the food arrives, it doesn't stand much of a chance. 210 million kilograms of food is tossed each year by retailers in Toronto alone. Most of it is still fine to eat.

This guide will go over:

Keep an eye on occupy Wall/Bay Street, the counter-revolution might just be getting underway. Yes, the counter-revolution -- because neo-liberalism was a transformative, and, yes, revolutionary movement asserting and codifying (free trade agreements) the interests of transnational corporations and finance capital in priority over all other human, societal and ecological goals and imperatives.

While student protesters in the '60s chanted "smash the state," the business students must have been eavesdropping and thought that might not be a bad idea.