May 29, 2009
All That Glitters: Canada’s toxic legacy in the Philippines
Alex Felipe witnesses the toxic effects of Canadian gold mining on three remote Philippine communities Click here for a full-screen slideshow A child plays in the creek near Cosan Admitting that I was a Canadian has never been as difficult as when I travelled to the Philippines to photograph two Canadian-owned open-pit mining sites last winter. The fact that I am also Filipino by blood didn’t... [More >>]
May 27, 2009
Four uranium spills you may not have heard about
Proponents argue that nuclear power is greener since it produces lower carbon emissions. But mining and refining the uranium that fuels reactors produces many toxic byproducts, including arsenic, thorium-230, and radioactive waste. Uranium is scarce too, which means that to produce one kilogram of uranium, you have to dig up and process one tonne of uranium ore, and more than 99 percent of that material... [More >>]
May 25, 2009
Whatever happened to “Hackers”?
The hype’s died down, but cybercrime still thrives In the 1980s and ’90s, the term hacker struck fear into a public still new to the web — basement-dwelling loafers who were happy to take down a network or website for bragging rights. Since then new online fears have popped up that have reduced hackers to the title of an early Angelina Jolie movie. So what happened to all the geeks? Did they... [More >>]
May 22, 2009
Fiction: Five Pounds Short and Apologies to Nelson Algren
Creative Commons photo by Jason Scragz No one ever tells you not to fuck the monkey. Fuck with the monkey. Get fucked by the monkey. The monkey is filled with a selfish wrath, a vengeful will, a self-loathing so encompassing it eats at the fabric of others. And the preaching and questionable advice. The late nights and empty rooms. Bent over some bar, your face in a warm puddle of bile and ochre elixirs,... [More >>]
May 20, 2009
Big screen? Big deal, say today’s viewers
Crappy image quality. Tiny screens. Scratchy sound. No thanks For modern audiences, a pair of earbuds and an ipod qualifies as a home theatre. Illustration by Alexei Vella The extent of my snobbery has wavered over my years of film-going, but I have always adhered to one fundamental principle. I was trained to believe that seeing movies projected onto a big screen was always the aesthetically correct... [More >>]
May 15, 2009
“Environmentally friendly” bottled water? No such thing
More recyclable, sure, but that doesn't make it "green" The Claim: Nestlé Waters Canada says its bottled water is a “healthy, eco-friendly choice” and, feeling so confident about this claim, ran an ad in the October 20, 2008, issue of the Globe and Mail stating that its “bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world.” [See the ad here —... [More >>]
May 12, 2009
Mi’kmaq PhD dissertation a Canadian first
This June, York University student Fred Metallic hopes to make a bit of Canadian university history. That’s when he plans to complete the first draft of his PhD dissertation, tentatively titled “Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi: Goqwei Wejguaqamultigw?” (The English working title is “Reclaiming Mi’kmaq History and Politics: Living our Responsibilities.”) Written entirely in Mi’kmaq, it will be... [More >>]
May 8, 2009
Think fast: Pecha Kucha spreads ideas in 400 seconds or less
Audience members watch a Pecha Kucha presentation in Tokyo. (CC) Photo by Ami Harikoshi On an outdoor patio in Kampala, observers lounge in the near-darkness, watching as an image is projected on a bare white sheet slung between two trees. In Reykjavik, a spellbound audience fills a basement bar and waits for the first slide to illuminate the wall. And in Toronto, a crowded pavilion is abuzz as the... [More >>]
May 5, 2009
Whaling: the latest culture war
Japan claims its annual Antarctic whale hunt is its cultural heritage. Is it racist if we tell them to stop? A report from the front lines of the whaling wars A whale being hauled up the slipway of the Japanese whaling flagship, the Nisshin Maru. Photo by Joshua Gunn It’s a sight I’ll never forget: a whale being hacked up in front of me, cut into tiny squares, its excess blood and guts discarded.... [More >>]
May 3, 2009
Don’t fight the power
We need to talk about nuclear power. Now. Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace, became a convert to nuclear power during a visit with James Lovelock, considered by many to be the godfather of the environmental movement. During a day spent strolling through the fields around Lovelock’s home, the two spoke of many things, but returned again and again to nuclear energy, which Lovelock insisted... [More >>]
