On the blog
Friday FTW: Girls hacking into the tech world
You know that friend who live-tweets about the Breaking Bad episode you still haven’t seen? The friend you’re considering purging from your life? Well now, thanks to Twivo, you don’t have to. The new software lets you dodge spoilers by temporarily blocking out names of shows and characters your “friends” Tweet about. Brilliant, right? No… More »
WTF Wednesday: Woman vs. woman, that’s entertainment!
May 15, 2013 • If you didn’t hear, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the playoffs, a first since 2004. The last time they won the Stanley Cup was in 1967. This is all newsworthy stuff, history made with the youngest team in the playoffs. But it was a look between two women that made the news for days. “DRAMA!... More »
FTW Friday: Exploitative “Border Security” episode won’t air
May 10, 2013 • The separation of families and deportation make good television according to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister Vic Toews. The “de facto executive producers” approved a series that follows the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) in action. A lot of what is caught on film shows people foreign to Canada being detained, confused and intimidated.... More »
WTF Wednesday: CBC under attack…again
May 8, 2013 • The Conservatives are at it again with another sneak-attack on democracy. This time one of the targets is an old favourite—the CBC. If you search hard enough, tucked away in the 111 pages of unrelated motions, you’ll piece together the government’s plan to tighten control over crown corporations. Via Rail and Canada Post are among... More »
This Magazine picks five Canadian flicks to see before Hot Docs ends
Brave New River Saturday, May 4 at 3 p.m. TIFF Bell Lightbox 4 WHAT: Director Nicolas Renaud takes us to James Bay, where hydroelectric development has been a controversial topic for decades—especially between the government and the Cree there who’ve called the area home for centuries. WANT MORE? Check out our September 2011 story by… More »
Friday FTW: May Day roundup
May 3, 2013 • Labour rights were in the spotlight this week after a clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing 400 employees—a timely tragedy for International Workers’ Day, or May Day, as it’s known. May 1 is an official holiday in 80 countries (Canada not included) and it’s celebrated with varying degrees of unrest just about everywhere else. May... More »
WTF Wednesday: Crest’s sexist toothpaste commercial
He could be the one, soul mate, husband, loving father to your children. But first, you’ve got to get him to say hello. These are actual words from an actual Crest 3D White Arctic Fresh Toothpaste commercial that started airing last November (and is still on air). Naturally, the commercial suggests the only way to… More »
FTW Friday: Ethical shopping with Apptivism
April 26, 2013 • Earlier this month Disney stores pulled sexist Avengers girls’ T-shirts with slogans like “I need a hero” and “I only kiss heroes” off the shelves. The boys’ shirts reading, “Be a hero” remained. These old clichés were quickly called out on the internet. The message to boys that they need to be tough, the notion that... More »
One Track Mind: Anciients – Heart of Oak – Raise The Sun
April 25, 2013 • While crushing stoner metal is the easiest way to describe the vast, fuzzed-out sound of Vancouver-based Anciients, to limit them to this description is a disservice. Beneath the fat, distorted guitar tone and acrid smokiness is a deep vulnerability. There are moments of wonder, of tentative exploration on their debut, Heart of Oak, that speaks... More »
WTF Wednesday: Tech giants help pass cyber surveillance bill
Remember that day Wikipedia didn’t have all the answers? That day you turned to the world’s trustiest encyclopedia but all it said was, “Imagine a world without free knowledge”? Last year on January 18, thousands of websites protested against the major U.S. internet censorship bills, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protest IP Act (PIPA)…. More »
Friday FTW: Pakistan celebrates transgender candidates in election
Transgender candidates are running for office for the first time in the country’s history. In this country? God no (com’on—Canada just passed legislation allowing trans people to use the public washroom of their choice)—they’re running for office in Pakistan. Turns out the developing country has Canada beat when it comes to certain gender rights. Here—and… More »
WTF Wednesday: Charges worst case scenario for Rehtaeh Parsons’ case
Three days after his daughter’s suicide, Rehtaeh Parsons’ father and professional writer, Glen Canning, published a post on his blog. “[Rehtaeh was] disappointed to death,” he wrote. “Disappointed in people she thought she could trust, her school, and the police.” The post begins with 17 years worth of good things—Parsons love of animals, a box he planned… More »
April 15, 2013
Gone huntin’
Today’s super-local foodie knows how to can fruit, wear camouflage, and shoot a gun. How killing for meat became the latest eat-conscious trend It’s nearly sunrise, and Justin Stephenson is about 20 feet above the forest floor on a 32-square-foot tree stand. The November weather in Ontario cottage country is frigid. Stephenson’s bundled up in… More »
