I am caged in this corner full of melancholy and sorrow … my wings are closed and I cannot fly … I am an Afghan woman and so must wail. – Nadia Anjuman, Afghan poet, murdered by her husband in 2005. One hundred and sixty-five. That’s how many Afghan women set themselves on fire in […] More »
Bob Lovelace, an ex-chief and negotiator for Ardoch Algonquin First Nations, is facing six months in prison and was fined $25,000 for participating in an ongoing protest over uranium exploration on Algonquin land, in and around Sharbot Lake, Ontario. He was charged with contempt of court. The protest was in response to a license the […] More »
For the past twenty years, the Chinese state has been luring foreign capital to their country with the promise of cheap wages, abundant natural resources, good infrastructure, and a massive internal market. The hope is that the flows of foreign cash will spur development that will vault China into developed-country-status by 2050. The problem, as […] More »
Today marks the 12th anniversary of the initiation of the revolution in Nepal. Led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the revolution, called a “People’s War” by its proponents, began with sporadic actions in Nepal’s isolated rural areas in 1996 and now sees the rebels controlling 80% of the country. Mystifyingly ignored by North […] More »
The recent decision by the Toronto District School Board to open Canada’s first black-focused school is being called, by some, a step towards segregation. Though Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty did not use the words himself, he stated that he is disappointed with the board’s decision and that Queen’s Park will not fund Afrocentric schools. His […] More »
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, a recently-released film about the Clash front man who died in 2002, opens with a young and fierce looking Strummer in the recording studio. Headphones on, he starts spitting out the lyrics to White Riot: “An’ everybody’s doing / just what they’re told to / an’ nobody wants / […] More »
It’s that time of the year again…Israeli Apartheid Week. Born on the campuses of Toronto in 2005, IAW has spread internationally, this year taking place in Palestine, South Africa, the UK, Norway, and in cities across Canada and the U.S. The series of events are being held this week (February 3rd to 11th) in Canada, […] More »
Oscar nominations are out! In keeping with the spirit of the event, I would like to personally thank the Academy for its inclusion of the powerful and timely Persepolis, which has been nominated in the Best Animated Feature category. The hand-drawn cartoon, directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, is adapted from Satrapi’s graphic novel […] More »
In an effort to humanize our cetacean friends, Greenpeace is currently conducting an online poll of 30 possible names for the humpback whales travelling on the “Great Whale Trail”. The names are mostly cribbed from Pacific languages and international dignitaries. That said, anyone with a soft spot for the propogation of Maori culture better get […] More »
She’s the sassy American philosopher who took Simone de Beauvoir’s assertion that “one is not born a woman, but rather becomes one”, and brought it to it’s logical conclusion in 1990’s Gender Trouble. That’s right, Judith Butler is totally back and she’s blowing minds. Yesterday marked the launch of Judy’s newest book, Who Sings the […] More »