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Wednesday WTF: RCMP Officer involved in Dziekanski case now in hit-and-run probe

Graham F. Scott

Some stories are sad, and some are crazy. This one is both. One of the four RCMP officers involved in the death of Robert Dziekanski in 2007 has now been arrested over a hit-and-run death two weekends ago, allegedly a drunk-driving collision. Orion Hutchinson, 21, was killed in a crash between his motorcycle and a […] More »
July-August 2009

Canadian justice for Desiré Munyaneza, but what about Afghan prisoners?

Graham F. Scott

Quebec Superior Court judge André Denis made history on May 22, 2009, when he convicted Desiré Munyaneza of seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Munyaneza, he said, had “intentionally killed dozens” during the Rwandan genocide of 1994 and “raped several women and pillaged homes and businesses.” For the first time ever, a […] More »

The African diaspora, not Western aid, is the key to true development

Siena AnstisWebsite

In the interest of full disclosure, I currently work with Project Diaspora and am getting hitched to one of the founders next year in Uganda (you might be invited). However, that said, I think myself (mostly) capable of distinguishing between these personal associations and PD’s mandate. When I first joined PD in 2008, I was […] More »
May-June 2004

The anti-vaccination movement: just the latest battle in the “Science Wars”

Clive ThompsonWebsite

Why are so many radicals rejecting science as a right-wing conspiracy—and embracing irrationality instead? [This article originally appeared in the May-June 2004 issue of This.] If you’ve spent any time in activist circles recently, you’ve probably noticed the rise of the anti-vaccination movement. In a growing number of “alternative” and progressive communities, parents are refusing […] More »
May-June 2009

Interview: Power to Save the World author Gwyneth Cravens

Paul McLaughlinWebsite

She changed her mind about nuclear power—and she wants to change yours, too Novelist, journalist, and former anti-nuclear activist Gwyneth Cravens spent 10 years researching and writing Power to Save the World: The Truth About Nuclear Energy. She tells us why she now favours nuclear. This: How did you become an advocate for nuclear power? […] More »

New study finds further evidence of Athabasca tar sands leakage

Graham F. Scott

So you may remember the little scuffle we had with the Alberta government a few months ago over one of Emily Hunter‘s blog posts about the Alberta tar sands. A spokesperson for the provincial government disputed some of the assertions the post made at the time about leakage of toxins from tailings ponds, and the […] More »

Friday FTW: Celebrate International Animation Day with the National Film Board!

Graham F. Scott

In case you didn’t know, October 28 is International Animation Day, and the National Film Board is celebrating all week with Get Animated, a series of free screenings and workshops across the country. There are 13 locations coast to coast offering programs, and for everyone else there’s a set of films available for viewing online. […] More »

Author Binyavanga Wainaina: "What the fuck is African literature?"

Siena AnstisWebsite

When I attended the Caine Prize in London last week, I was excited to listen to the voices of some of Africa’s top authors. I felt caught up in the growing literature movement: writers like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Binyavanga Wainaina topping international headlines, developing a notable reputation within their countries and abroad. However, interviewing […] More »

See Gordon Laird talk "Deglobalization" in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary

Graham F. Scott

Gordon Laird, the Alberta investigative journalist and a former This Magazine one-man-band — at one time in the early ’90s he was simultaneously the magazine’s advertising sales rep, circulator, business manager, and a member of the editorial collective — has written a new book, and it’s a doozy. He’s in the midst of launching The […] More »

Wednesday WTF: Net neutrality if necessary, but not necessarily net neutrality

Graham F. Scott

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced today new rules for how internet service providers are allowed to monitor, control, and throttle your internet access. After years of ponderous thought on the issue of how much control ISPs can wield over their customers’ web access, the CRTC has ceded the issue to the internet providers […] More »
July-August 2009

Ottawa’s Gay Guerilla Takeover turns any club into a D.I.Y. gay bar

Veronica Islas

Guests at Ottawa’s Heaven dance club expect to have a good time and dance the night away. What the mostly heterosexual crowd was not expecting this spring Saturday night was for the club to be overrun by the Gay Guerrilla Takeover. The Gay Guerrilla Takeover is an organization that does what its name says: once […] More »