BLOG THIS | blog.thismagazine.ca: November 2007 Archives

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 their vote on soon -- "Mister Splashy Pants" is currently winning by a mile.

More entries on: From the intern desk

November 21, 2007

In praise of taxing and spending

Posted by mason at 10:24 AM ET | Comments (0)

In These Times magazine has a refreshing article by Susan J. Douglas calling for a reclamation of the term "tax and spend liberals" in the United States -- a nice reminder that Democratic politics need not go down the pro-business road it is now. She mentions a new book by Paul Krugman, The Conscience of a Liberal, in which the case for a new New Deal is laid out. She concludes:

For years, Republicans tarred Democrats as "tax and spend liberals." Just as gays and lesbians reclaimed the word "queer" as a move of empowerment, Democrats should embrace the "tax and spend" moniker. Taxing and spending is what advanced, industrialized countries do. And they do it to promote equitable societies.

Canadians would be wise to heed this call as well.

More entries on: American Politricks

November 19, 2007

'Oil flows south, impact flow north:' Dominion graphic

Posted by mason at 02:05 AM ET | Comments (0)

As part of its continuing coverage of the Alberta tar sands, The Dominion has published a detailed map of Alberta's oil apparatus, as well as proposed and likely future hot spots for Alberta, B.C. and the North. It's an excellent graphic, and a great example of how web content need not include bells and whistles to be effective, informative and pleasing to the eye.

More entries on: Planet Earth

November 17, 2007

Weekend links: Our beautiful blue planet, Stars go green, leafblower hockey and an event

Posted by ron at 03:25 PM ET | Comments (0)

The Japanese space agency has these beautiful photos and video of an "earth rise" taken from their satellite Kaguya.

For musicians with an eco-conscience, going on tour must come with a twinge of guilt. All that driving around can't be good. Well one band we like, Toronto/Montreal indie-pop sweethearts, Stars, is carbon offsetting their tour. This makes us love Torquil, Amy and the gang just a little more.

Of course, for every good thing there's got to be some guy with a harebrained idea... like leafblower hockey. Yep, hockey, with leafblowers. The Star reports on a new league in Toronto:

Fans call it extreme air hockey.

The unconvinced say it blows.

Promoters claim it will become the new national sport, drawing fans to outdoor hockey rinks where elite athletes wearing ear protectors battle for domination of the wiffle ball in the adrenalin-charged game of... leaf blower hockey.

That is right folks, you heard it here first.

Heh. Stand too close to those leafblowers and you won't be hearing much for long.

Finally, our friends over at Descant is celebrating their new literary program Now Hear This with an event this Monday. We wrote about NHT in a previous issue.

More entries on: Weekend Links

November 15, 2007

Uganda Rising

Posted by shawnsyms at 09:42 AM ET | Comments (0)

More than a hundred people gathered in Uganda's capital city two weeks to debate the future of LGBT rights in the notoriously homophobic nation.

According to Uganda's Penal Code Act, homosexuality is a criminal offense. In 2004, the government fined a radio station $1000 for airing a positive portrayal of LGBT people. More recently, James Nsaba Buturo, Minister for Ethics and Integrity, told the All Africa news agency that gays are "trying to impose a strange, ungodly, unhealthy, unnatural, and immoral way of life on the rest of our society."

The debate was organized by Queer Youth Uganda and was a part of a conference whose other participants included several local human-rights organizations. As an outcome, a national chapter of the organization IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) was founded. The assembled group was addressed by France-based IDAHO founder Louis-Georges Tin, who is working toward a UN Declaration of Decriminalization of Homosexuality.

More entries on: LGBT

November 14, 2007

Judy's back!

Posted by nora at 01:14 PM ET | Comments (2)

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 Nation State? Language, Politics, Belonging. The tome, co-writ with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, is the latest bitchslap in the face of the political status quo. Publisher copy after the jump.

nation state.jpg

"What is contained in a state has become ever more plural whilst the boundaries of a state have become ever more fluid. No longer does a state naturally come with a nation. In a world of migration and shifting allegiances - caused by cultural, economic, military and climatic change - the state is a more provisional place and its inhabitants more stateless."

Right?? Touching on Palestine and the Star Spangled Banner [Spanish version], Who Sings promises to be a timely foray into globalization by a tag-team comprised of two of the greatest living Marxist-feminist scholars. Woo-hoo!

More entries on: From the intern desk

November 09, 2007

November-December issue now online

Posted by mason at 02:15 AM ET | Comments (0)

Never thought theatre was political? We've got a bundle of features in the new issue of This that says otherwise. Check out political puppets acting up, an award-winning playwright who bolted for TV writing, the inside scoop on a successful prison drama program and much more -- and all of it online as of right now. Just surf over to the home page and dive in.

More entries on: THIS matters

November 08, 2007

Stephen Lewis, The Hour and This Magazine

Posted by jesse at 07:19 PM ET | Comments (1)

The September/October issue of This was given some airtime on CBC's The Hour. Stephen Lewis offers his insights, and cradles that magazine like a newborn baby. He can't seem to put it down. Check it out here, at about 4:48 into the segment.

More entries on: From the intern desk | Media navel-gazing | THIS matters

November 04, 2007

Weekend links: Brijit, Guardian ponders its eco-impact, one clever ad

Posted by ron at 09:51 AM ET | Comments (1)

Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing reports on a bank in Delhi run by street kids. The kids get to save a bit of money (which otherwise would be squandered or worse stolen) and learn valuable skills.

Let's face it long-form magazine articles are pesky. I mean c'mon we all know everyone buys magazines for charticles and pretty photo spreads (and all those perfume ads). Brijit is a site that takes long-form mag articles and boils it down to 100-word summaries. I get a feeling I'll be reading this a lot in the coming months.

The Guardian, arguably the best left-leaning newspaper in the English-speaking world, ponders its own environmental impact.

Finally, the Wooster Collective point out this cheeky little ad on a drawbridge in Amsterdam.