I grew up in the Greater Toronto Area, home to the most diverse region in all of Canada, perhaps the world, in a Hong Kong immigrant household (caveat: my Man U-loving dad raised me on soccer). I’m intensely proud of that fact. So it ruffles my feathers that, hockey so often precludes all other events — […] More »

Progressive media, it seems, is one of the very few bright spots in today’s bleak world of journalism. Despite the cash-strapped economy, rather than succumbing to the heavy hand of advertisers or clinging to sensationalized coverage—as their corporate counterparts have been obliged to do—independent progressive media has managed to survive and flourish by simply sticking […] More »

This editorial appears in the March-April 2010 issue of This, which will be in subscribers‘ mailboxes and on newsstands next week. The earthquake that devastated Haiti on the afternoon of January 12, 2010, viscerally illustrated the need for responsible, long-term, sustainable development. For many thousands of Haitians, poverty must be considered the true cause of […] More »

Tonight’s inaugural David Lewis Lecture featuring internationally acclaimed author (and former This Magazine editor!) Naomi Klein is graciously being livestreamed by our friends at Rabble.ca. You can tune in on their website at RabbleTV, or on their Livestream channel. Or you can watch it right here starting at 8:45 PM EST: More »

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 […] More »

A group of American pediatricians think the hot dog needs a makeover. In a study released Monday, the team singled out the long tubular shape as the single highest choking hazard for small children and called out to the industry to redesign the Franken-meat. Now I get we need to me mindful of the food […] More »

We’ve been having a spot of trouble with the commenting system on the blog for the last few days; comments mysteriously changing which post they appear on; comments suddenly appearing on every post on the blog, stuff like that. The magazine and podcast comments work fine. It appears to be a problem with the comment […] More »

As the world prepares for H1N1’s much-touted fall resurgence, Dr. Bonnie Henry’s approachable, non-technical guide to flu preparedness fails to deliver on its promise, offering neither protection nor peace of mind. Readers in search of preventative measures won’t find much insight beyond the obvious: wash your hands. True to her title, Dr. Henry, the director […] More »

Well played, Mr. Harper, well played. While you’re probably sitting comfortably at 24 Sussex, sipping Chianti and learning how to play “Hey Jude” for Laureen’s next fundraiser, I’m sitting in bed at 11pm Monday night trying to rack my brain for what to say this week about the state of climate change in Canada. How […] More »

[Editor’s Note: Siena Anstis, who has served as our Africa correspondent on the blog over the past few months, is moving on to new projects. She’ll continue to contribute to the blog, but wanted to pass on some of the things she’s learned during her time working and reporting in Uganda, Kenya, and elsewhere for […] More »

If ever there was a conspiracy theory that had every likelihood of being true, it’s that a shadowy cabal of billionaires are meeting at some remote location in the Swiss Alps (perhaps the Hotel Mont Pelerin, or the latest Bilderberg stronghold) to plot how to most effectively screw the rest of the world. Michael Moore’s […] More »