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May-June 2009

Whatever happened to “Hackers”?

Melita Kuburas

The hype’s died down, but cybercrime still thrives In the 1980s and ’90s, the term hacker struck fear into a public still new to the web — basement-dwelling loafers who were happy to take down a network or website for bragging rights. Since then new online fears have popped up that have reduced hackers to […]

“Environmentally friendly” bottled water? No such thing

Heather Kohlmann

The Claim: Nestlé Waters Canada says its bottled water is a “healthy, eco-friendly choice” and, feeling so confident about this claim, ran an ad in the October 20, 2008, issue of the Globe and Mail stating that its “bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world.” [See the ad here — […]

Mi’kmaq PhD dissertation a Canadian first

Erin Bosenberg

This June, York University student Fred Metallic hopes to make a bit of Canadian university history. That’s when he plans to complete the first draft of his PhD dissertation, tentatively titled “Mi’gmawei Mawio’mi: Goqwei Wejguaqamultigw?” (The English working title is “Reclaiming Mi’kmaq History and Politics: Living our Responsibilities.”) Written entirely in Mi’kmaq, it will be […]

Think fast: Pecha Kucha spreads ideas in 400 seconds or less

Lia Grainger

On an outdoor patio in Kampala, observers lounge in the near-darkness, watching as an image is projected on a bare white sheet slung between two trees. In Reykjavik, a spellbound audience fills a basement bar and waits for the first slide to illuminate the wall. And in Toronto, a crowded pavilion is abuzz as the […]

Whaling: the latest culture war

Emily HunterWebsite

Japan claims its annual Antarctic whale hunt is its cultural heritage. Is it racist if we tell them to stop? A report from the front lines of the whaling wars It’s a sight I’ll never forget: a whale being hacked up in front of me, cut into tiny squares, its excess blood and guts discarded. […]

Don’t fight the power

Jeremy Nelson

We need to talk about nuclear power. Now. Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace, became a convert to nuclear power during a visit with James Lovelock, considered by many to be the godfather of the environmental movement. During a day spent strolling through the fields around Lovelock’s home, the two spoke of many things, but […]