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A feature in the current issue of the magazine, entitled "Staying the course: Why Canada shouldn't pull its troops out of Afghanistan," has generated its fair share of discussion, as our next issue's Letters pages will attest. The discussion continues to evolve as Canada's involvement in the NATO mission in Afghanistan carries on -- and obviously yesterday's loss of six soldiers makes it a very emotional discussion.

On Wednesday, the writer of our feature article, Jared Ferrie, will participate in a presentation on Afghanistan in Vancouver, with proceeds from the event going toward educational initiatives for Afghan children.

Details on the event after the jump...

PHOTO: JARED FERRIE

When: Wednesday, April 11th - 7:30 p.m.
Where: H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Auditorium, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver

This presentation will feature frontline photos of Canadian troops in combat, and behind-the-scenes images of an imperiled people. Vancouver photojournalists Leslie Knott, Jared Ferrie, and Ethan Baron will provide a window into a land where beauty and hope struggle against violence and injustice, and where Canada is embarked on a controversial military effort to bring stability to a country shattered by three decades of war.

Tickets are $15 at the door, and all money raised will go directly to CW4WA (Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan) and will be used to fund educational projects and schoolteachers' salaries in Afghanistan.

More entries on: Happenings | War and peace

April 04, 2007

Visit Iran -- get a free suit

Posted by john_d at 02:27 PM ET | Comments (2)

I know all this is just deadly serious, and I don't want to downplay any of the anguish of the familes of the British sailors, nor in fact the concerns of Iranians regarding sovereign waters, etc., but the stories out of Iran today are just flat-out strange.

From The Guardian:

In a surprise announcement during a news conference at the presidential palace in Tehran, Mr Ahmadinejad said the 14 men and one woman would be "going back home" in a move marking the birthday of the prophet Muhammad last Saturday and acknowledging Easter.

The story goes on to describe some lighthearted kibitzing between the President and the captive sailors on the steps of the palace, and includes the details of what the sailors were wearing:

Dressed in grey suits, apart from the sole female captive, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, who was wearing a striped top and a headscarf, they appeared delighted.

Do they get to keep the suits, because presumably they weren't wearing them when their ship was boarded?

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February 19, 2007

Google's Universe-like Expansion Continues-- did I say Universe? I Meant Matrix.

Posted by john_d at 12:36 PM ET | Comments (0)

I'm assuming that at some point in the near future, I'll just be lying in bed mumbling the word Google while my "consciousness" experiences a world entirely created and controlled by the multi-gazillion dollar search engine. I hope at least, in Googleality, I'll be able to fly across the landscape like in Google Earth.

In the meantime, here's some new Google, and some less new Google:

Google sues a bunch of Polish poets for building a Polish poetry website that, when acronymed in Polish, spells out GMAIL. As we all know, Google loves and respects the intellectual property conventions. Shouldn't Google actually be thanking poets and the sovereign country of Poland for getting their name out there and giving the word gmail all sorts of great PR. So what if they don't have control over their intellectual property. With the interest in gmail Polish poets will be fostering, Google can make up for their lost revenues with appearance fees and t-shirt sales. (thanks to bookinja for the tip).

Google gives money to Stanford University's law-talking department. No word on whether Stanford or Lawrence Lessig will be signing Michael Geist's copyright funding related pledge of financial do-goodery, or some such equivalent. I know, there's a public/private distinction here, but is that relevant when the world's leading and most influential experts on the law and the Internet are taking money from a company with a vested interest in world opinion going in one specific direction? I'm just asking, but is this not sort of like a tobacco company funding university cancer research?

Google...

More entries on: Happenings

December 04, 2006

in the spirit of Ignatieff, this is all about me

Posted by john_d at 12:20 PM ET | Comments (0)

There is much to read, and much more still to be written about the wonderfully entertaining Liberal leadership convention on the weekend. Forced away from the TV Saturday afternoon by my two kids who desperately wanted to see the Superhero exhibit at the Science Centre (crazy expensive, but really fun) I timed it perfectly so I could subject them to final ballot counting and the speeches on CBC radio as we drove to the cottage that evening. Oh Canada, I love that you can still give me moments like that -- a dark, snowy highway; gripping, real-life drama on the airwaves.

I worked for Bob Rae's campaign when he won in Ontario, and it hasn't worn off. I was for Bob all the way. Did they make a mistake not electing him? No, not at all. I hope he runs for Parliament and ends up in the cabinet. Yes, I am assuming the Liberals will win. I think they will win the very next election, regardless of when Harper calls it. All the many analyses of "which candidate makes Harper more nervous" are forcing distinctions unnecessarily. I would guess Harper and Co. were sick with nerves the entire weekend, while the Liberal party proved once again that they can fill a huge room with fascinating electable people.

Who should be even more nervous? Jack Layton.

Bob Rae would have been very bad for Jack, for obvious reasons, as he would have taken back all those disaffected Liberals Jack so masterfully stole since his rise to power. Dion is potentially worse news for the federal NDP, since his election wave came in green, and Ontarians hold nothing against him. The coming election should be a fascinating fight, and I hope the NDP is polishing some big guns, because they'll need them.

Finally, to the guy who accused me of single-handedly giving Michael Ignatieff the keys to 24 Sussex when I split the NDP vote in Etobicoke-Lakeshore allowing a rookie to run against the great professor... I told you so. Canadian politics is bigger than you or me. Thank god.

More entries on: Happenings

August 01, 2006

hot enough for ya?

Posted by john_d at 02:50 PM ET | Comments (3)

Somebody, please mail Toronto a cold glass of water. Maybe send the army with a bucketload of ice.

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July 11, 2006

I got 99 problems but The Dude ain't one

Posted by joyceb at 06:36 AM ET | Comments (1)

It is time to start making, with earnest, your summer vacation plans. I got a list of about 99 things to do before I die, like most of you, and while Burning Man is so not on there, LebowskiFest taking place September 29/30 in Kentucky, is number nine with a bullet. For those of you who can't make it (can you walk to Kentucky from Alberta?) there's the t-shirts and the bumper stickers. Oh, to escape, however briefly, from the reality of the dominion of the Shrub.

The Dude abides.

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THIS MAGAZINE: BECAUSE EVERTHING IS POLITICAL

April 09, 2007

Vancouver journalists to give presentation on Afghanistan

April 04, 2007

Visit Iran -- get a free suit

February 19, 2007

Google's Universe-like Expansion Continues-- did I say Universe? I Meant Matrix.

December 04, 2006

in the spirit of Ignatieff, this is all about me

August 01, 2006

hot enough for ya?

July 11, 2006

I got 99 problems but The Dude ain't one