Could surfing really help bring Israelis and Palestinians together? Grant Shilling meets the beach bums, peace activists, and ex-soldiers who believe it’s possible Surf’s up in Ashkelon. So I hop on the train in Tel Aviv bound for the southern Israeli city with my surfboard bag in tow. The bag, stencilled with Boards Not Bombs, […] More »
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, […] More »
Nuclear power has always been controversial, but even green power sources like wind and hydro meet resistance from locals. When Nova Scotia entrepreneur Luciano Lisi unveiled a plan to blow 250 megawatts of wind-power into his province’s coal-based grid, he didn’t expect it to be this controversial. But his proposed wind-hydro hybrid project, involving 44 […] More »
We’re extremely pleased to tell you that This won last night at the Canadian Newsstand Awards in the small magazine category. This is actually the third year in a row we’ve won this particular award, which is given out annually to magazines that sell well on the newsstand. The issue that took the prize is […] More »
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario released his annual report to the provincial government yesterday and it contains some interesting tidbits. In particular, it’s interesting to note that the press release for the report highlights the problem of SLAPP suits in environmental planning governance right off the top, despite the fact that it gets just a […] More »
[This editorial appears in the November-December 2009 issue of This Magazine, in subscribers’ mailboxes, and available on newsstands, the first week of November. We preview it here today to mark the eighth anniversary of the Nato invasion on October 7, 2001] The unhappy nation of Afghanistan had a bad year in 2009. For a country […] More »
The legalization of gay marriage in Canada has coincided with an era that might be dubbed the first “queer baby boom.” As such, this generation of queer parents and their children have been forced to adopt the ambivalent role of pioneers in a social space in which the model of the “traditional” nuclear family does […] More »
Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, put out a press release today about how Canadians need to take more control of their private information online. Notably, Stoddart seems especially concerned about Facebook, reflecting the focus of her annual report to parliament from August. The Privacy Commissioner’s office seems especially concerned about young people posting […] More »
Dear Progressive Detective: I want to raise an environmentally friendly child right from the start. What’s the best diaper choice for my baby? The diaper issue is a messy one, especially since your baby will demand 5,000 to 7,000 changes before his second birthday. Currently, 85 percent of Canadian parents use disposable diapers, making them […] More »
Happy Hippo “You ate my Happy Hippo,” Dave says. “I can’t believe you ate my Happy Hippo.” There is nothing else to say so he leaves. Outside Becca’s flat, snow is rain pretending to be frozen. Susicoyote “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Becca said. She showed them a female coyote-mechanic wearing overalls, holding a wrench. “I […] More »
Intrawest, the resort company that runs the ski runs at Whistler Blackcomb and 10 other ski hills, announced yesterday that it is strongly encouraging skiers and snowboarders to wear helmets on its courses, and instituting mandatory helmet rules for all children and young-adult participants in its skiing and boarding classes. The move comes six months […] More »