On December 5, 2002, Dilawar, a young Afghan taxi driver, was arrested, handed over to US troops and taken to Bagram Air Force Base for interrogation. 5 days later he was dead. In his five days in that dungeon, he was hooded, chained to the ceiling of his cell, and beaten repeatedly. His legs were […] More »
Two things that have come through my life recently have me thinking about problems and solutions. The first is an incredibly well-presented online video and website called The Story of Stuff. In it, activist Annie Leonard describes her years-long investigation of the lifetime of consumer goods: where they come from, how they get in our […] More »
If you’re reading this on Monday, you’re likely able to check out live coverage of Amnesty International’s Global Write-a-thon in association with the brand new rabble endeavour, rabbletv. Wrongly accused Canadian Maher Arar will be among those speaking during the day’s events. To mark International Human Rights Day, AI is hosting letter-writing events in Ottawa […] More »
On Sunday, This Magazine writer Jennifer O’Connor participated in a march for social housing leading up to the takeover of an abandoned house in Toronto. Here is her account of the action. (PHOTO: KRISZTINA KUN) “How would you like to live with roaches, no heat, no water and no money to cover basic necessities?” asked […] More »
Philip Gourevitch, in his essential We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families, describes the ridiculousness of reading a newspaper article on Rwandan atrocities while waiting in line at the Holocaust Memorial in Washington. During a speech at the museum’s opening ceremonies, Bill Clinton called it “an investment in […] More »
Is Europe just about the most progressive society in the world today? The Independent thinks so: So, what has Europe ever done for us? Apart from… Hmmmm, it might fall under #40: Human rights legislation has protected the rights of the individual, but I am madly impressed by Europe’s longstanding refusal to accept any country […] More »
So last night, the Arcade Fire played Saturday Night Live for the first time, performing two songs from their upcoming Neon Bible album. In the above clip the band plays their first song, “Intervention,” after which frontman Win Butler smashes his acoustic guitar. Speculation as to why has been met online with a predictable array […] More »
Good editorial in the Toronto Star today about a proposal to ban panhandling in Toronto. It calls the proposal “ill-conceived…on several fronts.” Which it is, really. Personally, I don’t get the logic behind such a ban. Yes, panhandlers make tourists uncomfortable and citizens feel guilty. But what’s the point of fining people who have no […] More »
Micro loans to women attempting to escape abusive homelives. Give generously, today especially. From the website of the December 6 Fund of Toronto: On December 6, 1989 Marc Lepine entered the Ecole Polytechnique, in Montreal, Quebec. He separated the men from the women and declaring his hatred for feminists, killed the following women: Genevieve Bergeron, […] More »
Two bits of pretty scary news in the past two days: 1. World hunger ‘intolerable,’ with scant progress in decade: UN 2. Slumping Flames fall to Capitals. Er, no. Scratch that. Global warming will devastate economy: report Not that any of us are necessarily that surprised, but the news hardly comes as a welcome reminder. […] More »
Soup is Good Food directed us to a nifty campaign by Amnesty International, a campaign that now has a permanent presence in the right-hand column of Blog This. The idea is to spread the word about sites that are censored in their own countries by publishing their writings. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right […] More »