Earlier today there was a headline on Yahoo!’s homepage that caught my eye, “Liberals demand budget change”. What was this all about, I wondered, could we be in for some more political drama? Sadly, no. The big budget change turns out to be the inclusion of three “detailed progress reports”, something that can be summed […] More »

Michael Ignatieff’s press conference this morning was quite the performance: the Liberal interim leader told the assembled press that he was putting the prime minister “on probation.” Which is an odd metaphor to use, since probation usually follows punishment. The decision to amend the budget and pass it is more like rewriting the law after […] More »

When Lenore Skenazy admitted, last spring, that she let her nine-year-old ride the subway alone, she set off gasps from many fearful and concerned parents. After all, her son Izzy was still single-digit age and the world is a “Dangerous place these days” and “Who knows what could happen.” I could call bull-shit on those […] More »

I’d really like to write something clever about Obama and the Middle East. I’d love to comment on his commitment to end the war in Iraq, his appointment of Richard Holbrooke and George Mitchell as his special envoy to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, or even his reiteration of the right for Israel to […] More »

[Editor’s Note: From time to time we feature guest bloggers on the site. Eva Salinas, who edits news columns for the magazine, was in Washington D.C. for the Obama inauguration last week, and sends this dispatch about her experience. To propose guest blogs, email editor at thismagazine dot ca.] BY EVA SALINAS And what a […] More »

After leaving the search and recovery scene of the Japanese whaling fleet’s missing man, Sea Shepherd headed for Australia. The plan was to refuel within 48 hours and return to the southern ocean to stop illegal whaling vessels. The trip back to land became a little more complicated as the Steve Irwin was tailed by […] More »

Monday saw the return of Parliament after its long winter hibernation, a product of the Harper government’s surprise prorogue in December. And much like a hungry bear waking up from months of slumber, it was a pretty sluggish, grumpy affair. The throne speech itself provided almost nothing of substance, just refried Obama-ish platitudes about standing […] More »

Our friends at Geez magazine, the cheeky Winnipeg publication for “the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable,” is running a contest that may be of interest. The Daringly Awkward Sermon Contest — “because social change is a bit awkward” — runs until February 28, with the winning entries published in their spring 2009 […] More »

Get your own – Open publication You might have heard that educational reformer and Weather Underground co-founder Bill Ayers was turned back while trying to cross the Canadian border earlier this week. Ayers was on his way to a speaking engagement in Toronto at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, but border control agents […] More »

Showtime’s lesbian serial drama The L Word returns this week for its sixth and final season. Set in L.A., the series follows a group of women through their hook-ups and break-ups, generally providing a rough sketch of what being a lesbian is like if you’re wealthy and live in Los Angeles. The show hasn’t garnered […] More »

We consider ourselves to be pretty politically aware at This Magazine, which is why I’m excited to be attending an interesting experiment on Saturday, an “unconference” in Toronto called ChangeCamp. With the swearing in of Mr. Change himself yesterday, there’s a lot of interest and energy pouring into new ways of organizing and influencing government […] More »