February 25, 2010
Three Poems by Verne Good
Vitreous Something One green eye followed my footsteps thru the parking lot. I caught it in a rusted hand, surprised by my blinking palm. plucked it dryly, placed it in the ashtray so I wouldn’t squish it on the steering wheel. It blinked disapproval at the music squirping from the speakers “You’re pretty, for an eyeball,” I said, sliding the ashtray shut, “but it’s my damned car.” I’d... [More >>]
February 1, 2010
How having the web on your phone is changing urban living
In ways large and small, having the internet in your pocket changes the urban experience. Illustration by Matt Daley. I stood there on the street, squinting into my phone, needing to double check. Could the nondescript restaurant before me really have, as the anonymous web commenter put it, “the. best. hot sauce. ever.”? It didn’t seem likely. But sure enough, after popping inside, the fiery,... [More >>]
November 12, 2009
Support small farms and get tastier cheese — Legalize Raw Milk
Unpasteurized milk is better, argues outlaw milk farm Michael Schmidt, and he’s willing to go all the way to the supreme court to prove it Despite numerous guilty verdicts, rogue milk farmer Michael Schmidt will not back down. He will not pay the $55,000 in fines, and he won’t cease selling his illegal product. “It will go to the next level,” he explains in his thick German accent. “Appeal... [More >>]
October 9, 2009
5 seafood menu items that are harming the ocean
The commercial fishing industry is costing us more than just the price of our seafood platters. With seafood consumption at a record 16.7 kilogram per person, our appetite for fish is putting the entire ocean ecosystem at risk. But the seas aren’t the only thing in danger. We humans depend on those waters for food, income, and even our air. This is how our love of seafood is threatening ourselves... [More >>]
August 10, 2009
Is a 60-storey skyscraper the farm of the future?
How to get local produce in the city? Look up. Illustration by Peter Mitchell. Canadian architecture student Gordon Graff attracted worldwide interest when he designed SkyFarm, a 59-storey farm for downtown Toronto. What inspired you to design a vertical farm? Sometime in 2006, when I was first working on my masters at the University of Waterloo, I knew I wanted to focus on how to turn a city like... [More >>]
July 3, 2009
How farmers are going to save civilization
Advocates for ‘permaculture’ say it can improve our diets, heal our environment, and improve our lives. Meet a new generation of farmers with some radical ideas for untangling our food chain (and saving the world in the process) Permaculture means taking more responsibility for knowing how your food got to your plate. Photo by Zorani/iStockPhoto; photo illustration by Dave Donald. Trent... [More >>]
June 16, 2009
Quebec duo ATSA turn terrorism into art
Québécois artists Pierre Allard and Annie Roy celebrate 10 years of artistic shock and awe "ATTACK #6" (2003). Photo by Martin Savoie. Socially Acceptable Acts of Terrorism: that last word seems to just hang in the air. These days, not many organizations would choose to use the “T” word. But when Montreal’s public art duo ATSA (the group’s French acronym) first hit the streets... [More >>]
June 2, 2009
Postcard from Tokyo: Rise of the (vending) machines
Japanese vending machines, at your service any time. Creative Commons photo by David Ooms. In North America, we barely notice vending machines. They dispense soft drinks, water, sometimes coffee (or laundry soap in laundromats). In Japan, however, vending machines have been elevated to a fine art. To an outsider, these machines, called jidoohanbaiki, are ubiquitous — incredibly, there is one vending... [More >>]
May 1, 2009
Four Poems by Fraser Sutherland
Consistency When the soldiers came in their armoured vehicle they gave the little Muslim boys candy bars. They gave pieces of candy bars to barking or tail-wagging dogs. When the soldiers drove away, some of the boys ran after them, ran and ran and ran until there was only one boy, run- ning, running. The next time the men came they taught the little boys to chant in English, “I love pork! I... [More >>]
