“How much salt is in your fast food order?” by Peter Janiszewski | ScienceBlogs
The answer: way too much. Janiszweski, an obesity researcher, cites a report on fast food from restaurants in the New York City area which found that more than half of the meals served contain more salt than the recommended daily intake. The worst sodium offenders were chicken-themed outlets, where over 80 percent of dishes exceeded daily levels.
“What Cameron should not learn from Harper” by Parker Donham | Contrarian
With David Cameron’s Conservatives poised to form a minority government following Thursday’s British general election, Donham explores what (if anything) the incoming leader can learn from Stephen Harper’s handling of the Fall 2008 prorogation crisis.
“Everything Man-Made (Except Cell Phones) Gives You Cancer, Says Presidential Cancer Panel” by Ronald Bailey | Hit & Run
This week, Barack Obama’s President’s Cancer Panel released a downright scary report on environmentally induced cancers. It concludes that nearly 80,000 chemicals commonly used in American homes have not been properly studied with regards to their carcinogenic potential. The good news? The panel found “no convincing evidence” that cell phones cause cancer — phew!
“Get ready to be inconvenienced by world leaders” by Matthew Blackett | Spacing Toronto
On June 26 and 27, our nation’s largest city will be transformed into a veritable police state complete with ID cards, a “designated speech area,” and huge cordoned-off areas accessible only to those who live and work within them. Spacing Toronto provides a primer for surviving the G-20 conference.
“Poorer Women Getting More Abortions” by Amanda Marcotte | XX Factor
According to sexual and reproductive health think tank the Guttmacher Institute, the amount of American women under the poverty line who are having abortions rose by 60 percent from 2000–2008. Marcotte explores possible reasons for this massive jump, such as reduced access to dependable contraception. (more…)
“A microscopic look at vinyl record grooves” by Lisa Katayama | Boing Boing
Months ago, my editor asked me to write a piece about what a guitar sounds like after I mocked a particularly nonsensical album review in Rolling Stone [Ed.: As I recall, it read, “clobbering you instantly with guitars louder and uglier than a psychedelic biker party at Joshua Tree's Skull Rock.”]. Although I still haven’t finished that article, we can at least see what a guitar sounds like (on vinyl), thanks to the University of Rochester researchers who have used an electron microscope to magnify record grooves.
“Paging former Justice Frank Iacobucci to the House of Commons Courtesy Phone…” by Kady O’Malley | Inside Politics
What does Speaker Peter Milliken’s ruling on redacted Afghan detainee documents mean for former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci’s PM-appointed investigation of the issue? In her attempt to find out, O’Malley runs into a Harper administration roadblock.
“Why Pick on Smokers? Because We Can!” by Jacob Sullum | Hit & Run
In discussing the US government’s recent attempts to impose a surcharge on smokers, Sullum likens tobacco users to people infected with the bubonic plague. “Smokers deserve compassion, but they also need to be ostracized, for their own good and ours.” What about those of us trying to quit? Perhaps we should be treated like lepers?
“Public Schools and Multiple Choice” by Paul Bennett | The Mark
Faced with declining enrolment and the proliferation of private schools, the Toronto District School Board has proposed creating four new specialty schools to open in the fall of 2011. Bennett, founder of the education think-tank Schoolhouse Consulting, wonders if this move will signal an end for the one-size-fits-all model of Canadian public education.
“Lesbian Teacher Loses Livelihood For Liking Ladies” by Jon Turner | Beyond Robson
Lisa Reimer, a former music teacher at Vancouver’s Little Flower Academy, a Catholic private school that receives over $2 million a year in public funding, claims she was fired because of her sexual orientation. Turner asks Vancouverites: “How does it feel knowing your tax dollars are enabling barbaric discrimination of teachers and students alike?” (more…)
“More from Eyjafjallajokull…” | FFFFound
You’ve heard about Iceland’s erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano (and its resulting travel disruptions), but have you seen it? FFFFound points to the way to boston.com’s “The Big Picture” — possibly the best feature offered by a North American newspaper website — and thirty-four more photos as amazing as this one.
“Imagining a Jet-Free Europe” by Elisabeth Rosenthal | Green Inc.
On April 15, the European Environment Agency began a workshop dedicated to creating a more sustainable transportation network for the continent. By the end of the first day’s sessions, Eyjafjallajokull’s ash cloud had grounded air traffic across the world. As event organizer Dr. Peder Jensen explains in a follow-up interview: “On Thursday morning, the participants couldn’t imagine Europe without aviation; by Friday night they were living it.”
“After Muhammad Censorship, Conservatives Rally Behind South Park” by John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
From the strange bedfellows file: this week, right-wing columnists have touted South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone as “brilliant artists” and “political heroes” for the duo’s latest attempt to depict the prophet Muhammad. Comedy Central, South Park’s network, censored the animated series upon learning of violent threats from US-based group Revolution Muslim.
“Toronto to allow shopping every day of the year?” by Eric Mang | rabble.ca
Toronto council’s economic development committee has voted to allow city businesses to ignore previous restrictions and remain open on statutory holidays. Mang looks beyond the religious reasons to oppose such a plan and poses a more universal question: “Can’t we have a few days out of 365 where we don’t buy things?”
“Top ten stories of the decade” by Dana Lacey | J-Source
From New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, a thoughtful roundup of the past decade’s best works of American journalism. Topping the heap is the New York Times’ post-9/11 special section, “A Nation Challenged,” with works from The New Yorker, Washington Post, and National Public Radio rounding out the list. As Lacey puts it: “good for… afternoon procrastination, er, research.”
“Mind the Gap: Different Kinds of Toughness” by Brendan Lowe | GOOD Main
A high school teacher in New York City’s South Bronx explains why the gang members in his classes are not the toughest kids he teaches. That distinction, Lowe writes, goes to the students who complete extra-credit assignments despite being kept awake by gunshots outside their windows, or the ones who come to class despite the stress of having family members serving in Iraq.
“Pressure cook algae to make better biofuel” by Nicole Casal Moore | Futurity
The search for carbon-neutral biofuels has taken an interesting turn. Researchers from the University of Michigan are using pressure cookers to heat and squish microalgae. “We make an algae soup,” reports the project’s principal investigator, Prof. Phillip Savage. “We heat it to about 300 degrees [Celsius] and keep the water at high enough pressure to keep it liquid as opposed to steam. We cook it for 30 minutes to an hour and we get a crude bio-oil.”
“Legalize Private Health Care” by Shaun Francis | The Mark
What’s so public about our health care system anyway? Not much, writes the chairman and CEO of Toronto’s Medcan Health Management Inc. Francis argues that preventing Canadians from purchasing services — from primary-care physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, and clinics — that would otherwise be covered by the government creates, rather than prevents, inequality in the system.
“Bolivian President Blames Homosexuality On Chicken Consumption” by Mark | Slap Upside the Head
Here’s a new one for you. Bolivian president Evo Morales has linked female hormones, used in the mass production of white chicken meat, to homosexuality. “When men eat those chickens,” he claimed, “they experience deviances in being men.” Slap Upside the Head cracks wise with the obvious — if unsafe for work — response.
“Joni Mitchell calls Bob Dylan a ‘plagiarist’” by Brad Frenette | The Ampersand
It’s a battle of the Monsters of Folk! In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Joni Mitchell called out her hallowed contemporary: “Everything about Bob is a deception. We are like night and day, he and I.” Oh Joni, why so blue?
“Planes or Volcano?” by David McCandless & Ben Bartles | Information Is Beautiful
Iceland’s erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano has caused the largest air travel disruption since 9/11. While this event has surely cost airlines millions of dollars in lost revenue, it has also saved over 200,000 pounds of CO2 from being pumped into the atmosphere. Fair trade?
“Happy Golden Lucky: Is It Over for China?” by Tim Cavanaugh | Hit & Run
The twenty-first century may not be China’s after all. Cavanaugh digs into a recent World Affairs article by Gordon G. Chang that forecasts a relatively bleak future for the Chinese economy in the wake of global financial crisis.
“Bike fees: Misinformed, misguided, and a step backwards for Toronto” by Dave Meslin | Spacing Toronto
This week, Toronto mayoral candidate Giorgio Mammoliti announced his plan to implement a bicycle registration program. If elected, he plans to charge a $20–$30 fee per bike, then use the projected $35 million per year in revenues to pay for new bicycle infrastructure projects. Sound good? Not so much: the licensing system would cost far more than it would generate, among other significant problems detailed by Meslin.
“Library of Congress archives your tweets for posterity” by Stuart Woods | Quill Blog
I know what you’re thinking, but no, this item is not from The Onion: the U.S. Library of Congress has declared Twitter “the official social network of record,” and will be archiving every tweet ever twittered by the 105 million twits using the service. Not too sure about the terminology there, but it sounds right to me.
“From the Sea to a Sushi Plate, a Trail of DNA” by John M. Broder | Green Inc.
In the interminable battle between conservationists and whalers, a new weapon is being used to stop the slaughter and sale of whales: DNA tracking. Academic researchers, alongside producers of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, have used the technique to shut down restaurants from California to South Korea for serving illegal whale sushi.
“Defining Religion under the Charter – Church of the Universe Case” by Yosie Saint-Cyr | Slaw
An Ontario court case is testing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ definition of religion. Members of the Toronto-based Church of the Universe, who face drug-trafficking charges, claim that smoking marijuana is part of their religious practice, and therefore they are therefore protected from prosecution by the Charter. Saint-Cyr, who specializes in employment and labour law, measures the strength of their legal strategy.
“Evil: C’est la vie?” by Paul Nesbitt-Larking | The Mark
The Game of Death (Le jeu de la mort), a documentary broadcast last month on French public television, is stirring controversy on the international stage. Producers of the film staged a game show during which — à la the 1960s’ renowned Milgram obedience-to-authority experiments — sixty-four out of eighty real-life contestants administered what they thought were lethal doses of electricity to an actor playing the victim.
“Botox may diminish the experience of emotion” by Mo Costandi | ScienceBlogs
Botox injections can diminish unseemly wrinkles, but they may also limit their recipients’ ability to feel emotions, according to a study due to be published in Psychological Science. Going back to Darwin, scientists have long suspected a link between facial expressions and feelings. Now comes evidence that without the former, we may not experience the full strength of the latter.
“What KFC’s Double Down Means for Society” by Max Fisher | The Atlantic Wire
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with KFC’s new Double Down “sandwich,” which the fast food chain’s website describes as “two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets…two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel’s Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!” Personally, I can’t wait to eat one, regardless of the coronary bypass that is sure to follow.
“Do You Want Hexane With Your Veggie Burger?” by Keith Goetzman | UTNE Reader
According to Mother Jones, many popular varieties of veggie burgers contain hexane, a neurotoxin that is also found in gasoline. While there is not yet proof that the chemical (which soaks the fat out of vegetables) is harmful to eat, no need to wait on the research: Goetzman’s post includes a lengthy list of hexane-free brands. Bon appétit.
“Crop Circles, Part Deux: Alien Glyphs, Human Myths, Blogging Bliss“ by Jacques Vallee | Boing Boing
Is it crazy to think there’s an alien conspiracy behind crop circles? I think so. But Vallee, a computer scientist and the author of more than twenty books, says otherwise. Thing is, he’s kind of convincing. So read this and judge for yourself.
“Weighing words” by Eric Mang | rabble.ca
Language has the power to reveal and illuminate, but also obscure. Mang discusses how the media’s preference for the word “abuse” — as opposed to “rape,” “sexual assault,” and “torture” — in its coverage of the Roman Catholic Church’s recent molestation controversy downplays the seriousness of charges levelled against ex and current priests.
“Canada’s Post-2011 AFG Mission: Why Communicate When We Can Pick Pepper from Fly Poop?” Tony Prudori | The Torch
Our military mission in Afghanistan is set to end next year, and, so far, the Harper administration has stuck with this timetable. However, this week Defence Minister Peter McKay announced Canada sending an additional ninety troops to help train Afghan police forces. What does that mean for the future of our mission? The Torch explores possible scenarios.
“CanCon condundrum target=”_blank”” by Dana Lacey | J-Source
According to a new poll by the Canadian Journalism Foundation, 53 percent of Canadians no longer think CanCon laws are necessary. A slim majority of respondents believe we should mothball the statutes because “we know what our identity is and we should just care about and value creating good entertainment that anyone will tune into.”
“What’s Really in Your Hand Soap?” by Siobhan O’Connor | GOOD Blog
Triclosan, an antibacterial/antifungal agent found in many hand soaps — and therefore, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the urine of 75 percent of the population — could be doing more harm than good. It’s a human allergen that’s known to disrupt hormones, the reproductive system, and thyroid function.
“Booing does no good” by Arsenalist | Raptors Republic
The Toronto Raptors are making a desperate bid to secure the last playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, a challenge that’s become considerably harder with the loss of all-star Chris Bosh to injury. The last thing the remaining players need is a home arena full of boobirds, such as the crowd they encountered this past Wednesday versus the Boston Celtics.
“Will Robert Pattinson play Kurt Cobain?” by Meghan Housley | The Ampersand
Is the world’s least talented actor set to play one of the most talented songwriters of all time? Possibly maybe. Pattinson, star of the Twilight franchise, is rumoured to be Courtney Love’s first choice to play her late husband in a planned biopic. I think I speak for everyone who’s ever been a fan of Cobain’s music when I say: “Hey! Wait! I got a new complaint!”
“The Accidental Trilogy: Logan’s Run, Soylent Green, and The Omega Man” by John Seavey | Mighty God King
In this wonderfully nerdy essay, Seavey explains why George Lucas’s Star Wars was actually the first post-Star Wars movie: “The cinema of ideas was replaced, in that instant, by the cinema of visceral experience.” And that, fellow film buffs, is why most of today’s science fiction films are “brain-dead piece[s] of eye candy.”
“Creating a Green Canada Agenda” by Roger Gibbins | The Mark
If thinking globally and acting locally is the worldwide mantra for fighting climate change, why does Canadian policy emphasize thinking and acting globally? Gibbins, the president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, argues that it’s better to take action within, rather than beyond, our borders.
“Harper and Ignatieff on Guergis: variations on a set-piece scandal” by John Geddes| Capital Read
Appearing Friday to announce that Helena Guergis, half of the country’s most beleaguered political couple, is stepping down from her federal cabinet post, Prime Minister Harper “didn’t appear angry or even particularly put out.” After the PM spoke, the leader of the opposition, not missing a chance to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, dismissed the whole issue by saying: “I don’t think Canadians want us to get in a bear pit over this.” Iggy, are you sure?
“Smashing success for Big Bang experiment” by Jim Scott | Futurity.org
After nearly two years of false starts and shutdowns, the Large Hadron Collider is finally producing a significant amount of scientific data. This week, researchers at the installation, which straddles the border of Switzerland and France, set new records for energy generated by particle collisions. However, the machine won’t be run at full power until 2012, and any major breakthroughs may have to wait until then.
“Is journalism school becoming an endangered species?” by Melissa Wilson | J-Source
A recent blog post by former journalist-turned-marketer Chris Lynch predicted the impending demise of journalism schools, and that niche journalists who train in other fields will supplant j-school graduates in newsrooms and the blogosphere. Wilson, editor of J-Source’s cyber-Students’ Lounge, responds.
“Secretly Canadian? Researchers find Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres are distant cousins with Canuck roots” by Brad Frenette | The Ampersand
Two more we can (kind of) call our own. Ancestry.ca has discovered that the celebrity A-listers are not only distant cousins, but they share Canadian roots. Hmmm. We’ll take Ellen, but America (and/or England) can keep the Material Girl.
“How to Photograph Guantánamo” by Danielle Maestretti | UTNE Reader
In spite of candidate Barack Obama’s promise to close the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay by the end of 2009, the facility remains open today. UTNE notices photojournalist and Walrus contributor Louie Palu, writing for the Virginia Quarterly Review, describing the intricate rules that must be followed when photographing one of the world’s most infamous prisons.
“1916 electric utility propaganda” by Maggie Koerth-Baker | Boing Boing
It’s hard to believe, but there was a time when consumers had to be sold on electricity as a necessity and not a luxury. Hence, this 1916 pamphlet from the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company that touts the benefits of an electrified house in verse and pictures.
“‘Globish’: Tomorrow’s Universal Language?” by Max Fisher | The Atlantic Wire
Robert McCrum, associate editor of the British weekly newspaper The Observer, has proposed a novel solution to international language barriers. He calls it “globish,” a 1,500-word dialect for non-English speakers that could serve as an easy-to-learn adjunct to their native tongues.
“U.S. rebuke kills maternal-health plan, Liberals say” by Jane Taber | Bureau Blog
It appears the maternal health initiative that Prime Minister Harper had planned to include in this summer’s G8 conference is D.O.A., due to an intervention by Hillary Clinton. Earlier this week, the US Secretary of State sharply criticized the PM’s intent to exclude access to abortion from the plan.
“Sharif Don’t Like It, Part II” by Michael C. Moynihan | Hit & Run
It’s rare to hear heavy metal discussed as an issue of national security, but that’s exactly what’s happening in Egypt. In this clip from Egyptian state television, Tuhami Muntasir, former advisor to the Mufti, accuses metal fans of being agents of Israel, and using their music to disrupt Egyptian society.
“Intermission: Metallica, as Smooth Jazz Band” by Andrew Price | GOOD Blog
Speaking of metal, I’m a huge Metallica nerd, but even if you’re not, this video mashup by Andy Rehfeldt is still quite enjoyable. Mixing live performance video and ’tallica singer James Hetfield’s original vocal with his own backing track, Rehfeldt joins the tradition of Apocalyptica, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, and Beatallica, who’ve all made careers out of re-imagining Metallica’s music.
“Tearing Up the Yellow Pages” by David Dunne | The Mark
Remember life before the Internet? I don’t. Apparently there was this book called the Yellow Pages, which contained listings that one could search to find required services. It’s still around, and has just changed its logo. I’d love to know what the new one looks like, but don’t want to wait on my doorstep for it to come. Isn’t there a faster way? Oh, right.
1. “Picture Show: Nawlins” | GOOD Blog
A week after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in the summer of 2005, Danish photographer Casper Balslev visited the city to document the storm’s aftermath — not because he was on assignment, but because he felt it was necessary. The result is “Nawlins,” a collection of battered cityscapes that has become no less powerful, moving, or haunting with the passage of time.
2. “Stuever: Obama speech edits photo ‘thrilling, gratifying, and also terribly frightening’” by Jim Romenesko | Romenesko
If George W. Bush was “The Decider,” make Barack Obama “The Editor.” Romenesko points to a longer post that deconstructs a remarkable photo from the official White House Flickr stream: the current POTUS is seen reviewing a heavily marked transcript with his director of speechwriting, Jon Favreau.
3. “The Word of the Day: Anthropomorphism” by Butter Chicken | Food Court Lunch
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines anthropomorphism as a noun meaning “the attribution of human characteristics to a god, animal, or thing.” The good folks at Food Court Lunch plea for another word to specify forced examples of said attribution — such as the Snuggie™ For Dogs.
4. “Eating Well on Food Stamps Holds a Lens Up to Our Own Attitudes About Poverty” by Sharon Astyk | ScienceBlogs
The US Food Stamp program is often derided for encouraging “junk” diets and unhealthy eating habits among its users. There is, however, a growing movement of young unemployed who are purchasing high-quality ingredients with their stamps. Surprise: they’re being criticized, too.
5. “Will 90 be the new 40?” by Karl Bates-Duke | Futurity.org
Over the past 170 years, life expectancy has grown at a rate of six hours per day in countries with the longest average life spans. This means that most children born after the year 2000 will live to see their 100th birthday. What will be the social consequences, Bates-Duke asks, as more and more of us live past the century mark?
6. “Who wants to read some Afghan detainee documents?” by Janyce McGregor | Inside Politics
On Thursday morning, the Harper government tabled 2,628 pages of heavily redacted documents pertaining to Canada’s Afghan detainee scandal. The press and opposition have been scrutinizing them since then in an effort to find anything revelatory. Why let them have all the fun? Here, Inside Politics provides every black-markered page for your perusal. Happy hunting.
7. “Greenpeace Releases 20-Year History of Climate Denial Industry” by Jim Hoggan | De Smog Blog
This week, Greenpeace released a comprehensive report that accuses polluters of deliberately misleading the public for over two decades by creating and investing heavily in “the climate denial industry.” According to the report, companies like ExxonMobil have created anti-science, right-wing think tanks for the purpose of confusing lay-people and muddying up the climate debate with false information.
8. “Booby Trap” by Hanna Rosin | The XX Factor
British spy agencies are reporting that jihadists, on the heels of last December’s failed underwear bombing, are now attempting to outfit female suicide bombers with explosive breast implants that would be virtually impossible to detect. And for men? Boom-boom ass implants, naturally.
9. “Lost vs. Saul Bass: If Lost was made in the ’60s, here’s what the title sequence might look like” by Brad Frenette | The Ampersand
Saul Bass is a legend in design circles: he created AT&T’s “globe” logo and title sequences for classic films such as Hitchcock’s Psycho and North by Northwest. This week, a Spanish designer who calls himself Hexagonall paid tribute to the master by imagining what the title sequence for Lost would look like if Bass had designed it.
10. “The Coulter saga: The best response is to respond” by Rick Salutin | rabble.ca
What’s the best way to respond to fringe sensationalists like Ann Coulter? “Tell her to piss off, not shut up,” writes Salutin. All of us, he suggests, should follow the example of the young Muslim student who got in Coulter’s face in London, Ontario — when you dislike something, say so. Firmly.
(Photo by Casper Balslev)
1. “Legacy of War With Perfectly Made Beds” by Amanda M. Fairbanks | GOOD Blog
Saturday marked the seven-year anniversary of the Iraq War. To commemorate the dubious occasion, The New York Times Magazine presented a heartbreaking photo series of the perfectly preserved bedrooms of soldiers killed in action.
2. “Freedom’s Wrong Turn in Afghanistan” by Eric Mang |The Mark
Mang quotes American historian Howard Zinn as an entry point to discuss Canadian complicity in Afghan torture: “How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?”
3. “Canada ‘not closing doors on contraception’, PM declares” by Jane Taber | Bureau Blog
This week, Prime Minister Harper flip-flopped on the exclusion of contraception from his maternal health initiative for the developing world. On Thursday, NDP Leader Jack Layton joined a Parliamentary backlash against the plan’s apparent omission of birth control. Yesterday, Harper retrenched his position. Contraception is still on the table, the PM said, “But we do not want a debate here or elsewhere on abortion.”
4. “AP goes the extra mile to correct decades-old photo caption” by Craig Silverman | Regret the Error
From the department of better late than ever: the Associated Press has issued a correction for a sixty-five-year-old photo that was thought to depict World War II’s hellish Bataan Death March. A complaint from an eighty-seven-year-old US Army vet provoked the AP’s laudable investigation of the error.
5. “The irony of Wente, opinions, blogs and gender” by David Eaves | eaves.ca
This Wednesday, Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente published a piece called “Why are bloggers male?,” in which she stated that she doesn’t blog because “It’s more of a guy thing.” Eaves scrutinizes the statistics in her column and suggests — surprise! — that the blogosphere is actually fairly gender neutral.
6. “Beck and Palin: ‘Violence is Not The Answer’” by Ari Melber | The Notion
Responding to “fringe” elements that advocate armed resistance against the US government, Fox News commentators Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin have decried violence as a solution to right-wing outrage. What’s next, Ronald McDonald and the Burger King coming out against french fries as a delicious snack?
7. “Grieving on Facebook” by Julie Hanus | Utne Daily
Is there an appropriate way to mourn the dead online? Facebook thinks so. “Memorialized” profiles of deceased users have become a place for their friends to gather, share stories, and grieve together.
8. “Baby boomers sit atop a ticking pension time-bomb” by Max Fawcett | This Magazine
A crisis is looming for the Canada Pension Plan. When baby boomers retire, the system will be stretched to its absolute limit. But rather than plan for this eventuality, boomers are apparently content to pass the buck to the next generation. Lucky us.
9. “A whole lot of ‘kvetching’ going on” by Rick Salutin | rabble.ca
Tune into the Canadian or American media, and you’ll hear a lot of complaining about “broken” government. Salutin takes an unconventional approach to this topic by claiming that the democratic system hasn’t collapsed: rather, it was built broken.
10. “Congrats Seth!” by Peggy Burns | Drawn and Quarterly
Seth, the great Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and friend of The Walrus, has been nominated for a National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award in the “Best Graphic Novel” category for his work George Sprott. Congrats, Seth! And keep an eye out for The Walrus‘s Readers’ Choice Cover Contest featuring his artwork, coming to walrusmagazine.com tomorrow.
1. “Every Japanese Arnold Schwarzenegger commercial ever made” by Ron Nurwisah | The Ampersand
The Japanese have advanced the surrealist form of advertising more than any other culture. In this spirit of innovation in the field, I present this video post. Really, it’s not just because listening to Arnie attempt to speak Japanese is downright hilarious.
2. “Avatar and the politics of our time” by Rick Salutin | rabble.ca
Salutin, a former seminarian, ponders why, in the current political discourse, left wing equals secular and right wing equals religious. Is there no room in the middle?
3. “Toronto’s Disenfranchised Voters” by Myer Siemiatycki | The Mark
Toronto is gearing up for municipal elections this October. Come voting time, however, only a third of eligible electors will turn out at the polls. Is it time to let the city’s massive non-citizen population — about one in seven residents — vote in local elections?
4. “Rogier van der Zwaag” by Jeff Hamada | BOOOOOOOM!
And the belated Oscar for Best Direction of an Incredibly Complicated Music Video That Looks Like CG, But Is Actually an Animated Sequence of 4,085 Photos goes to… Rogier van der Zwaag, for “Grindin’” by (Dutch electro group) Nobody Beats the Drum.
5. “Gracias, Sean!” by Michael C. Moynihan | Hit & Run
After his incoherent speech at this year’s actual Oscars, Sean Penn kept up the craziness by appearing on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher and suggesting that critics of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez should be jailed for their “biases.” Um, Sean? You’re not exactly known as Mr. Fair and Balanced.
6. “French village went insane after CIA spiked its bread with LSD” by Cory Doctorow | Boing Boing
Fifty years ago, residents of the French town Pont-Saint-Esprit became temporarily insane after eating bread from their local bakery. Five people died, and dozens were sent to the asylum. The mystery of the “cursed bread incident” is finally solved. Uncovered documents reveal that the American CIA spiked the bread with LSD: yet another of its notorious tests of the drug’s efficacy as a weapon.
7. “Is Torture a Leading U.S. Export?” by Scott Horton | No Comment
This week, a former director of the British Intelligence service MI5 made a surprise public accusation about US motives for interrogating captured Al Qaeda members. “Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld certainly watched 24. The Americans were very keen that people like us did not discover what they were doing,” said Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, reigniting a fiery debate about the allied countries’ treatment of terror suspects.
8. “Liberals take another shot at Tory ‘Bonnie and Clyde’” by Jane Taber | Bureau Blog
Lately, her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition has likened former Alberta Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer and his wife, junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis, to the infamous crime duo because of his sweetheart deal to dismiss a cocaine possession charge and her blowup at the Charlottetown Airport. Taber points out the illogic of the association: Bonnie and Clyde paid for their crime spree with their lives.
9. “World’s Richest Man: The Carlos Slim Story” by John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
Forbes has released its annual list of the world’s wealthiest people. At the top of the heap this time is Lebanese-Mexican mogul Carlos Slim Helú, worth an astonishing $53.5 billion (US). His companies are responsible for about 7 percent of Mexico’s entire economic output.
10. “How Cars Are Killing Us” by Andrew Price | GOOD Blog
It wouldn’t be Weekend Links without an infographic. This one, using data compiled by the World Health Organization’s global status report on road safety, shows how cars are killing us with more than pollution.
1. “The State of the Internet, in Infographics and Video” by Patrick James | GOOD Blog
So many good infographics out there. This one, by creative agency Jess3, condenses the net’s mind-boggling growth into a handy four-minute video.
2. “Gender-neutral O Canada: An idea whose time already happened—130 years ago” by Luke Champion | This Magazine
Introducing gender-neutrality into the lyrics of our national anthem is not a new idea. Calixa Lavallée and Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier’s original French version was sans bias, and R. Stanley Weir’s 1908 English poem includes the line now being proposed to replace “in all thy sons command” — “thou dost in us command.” Personally, I think we should adopt “The Maple Leaf Forever” and be done with it.
3. “Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Epilogue: Why Educators Need A ‘Cultural Utility Belt’” by Linda Holmes | Monkey See
Neil deGrasse Tyson is probably the most charismatic astrophysicist alive, as evidenced by his numerous Daily Show and Colbert Report appearances. In this account of a speech he gave to 2,000 physics teachers, he argues that to really connect with students, teachers must be attuned to young people’s cultural reference points.
4. “Does Google Books Do No Evil?” by Mark Leslie Lefebvre | The Mark
In a deal struck between Google and the Authors Guild of America, writers will receive a paltry $60 (US) per book available for unlimited viewings on Google Books. According to Lefebvre, this agreement could lead to the company gaining monopolistic control over digitized literature. Does that sound like its informal slogan: “Don’t be evil”?
5. “Shorts Program: Animated Oscar Edition” by Jandy Stone | Row Three
The Oscars air this Sunday, and once again I am woefully behind on seeing the films up for best picture. But, thanks to the fine folks over at Row Three, I’ve now caught up on the nominees for best animated short.
6. “Polytechnique leads the Genie Awards with 11 nominations” by Melissa Leong | The Ampersand
With so much interest focused on the Oscars, our very own Genie Awards may, once again, get swept under the rug. A shame, because truly great Canadian films like Polytechnique (eleven nominations) and Nurse.Fighter.Boy (ten nominations) deserve our attention.
7. “Michael O’Donoghue Is Plunging Steel Needles into His Eyes From the Grave” by Matt Welch | Hit & Run
Welch laments what he sees as Saturday Night Live‘s fall from anti-establishment greatness and loss of cultural relevance. You may quibble with his assertions, but this post is worth it for the Ron Howard–directed presidential reunion sketch starring current and former SNL greats — created for Funny or Die, not the venerable TV franchise.
8. “Open your wallets for plastic cash” by Steven Chase | Ottawa Notebook
Perhaps the most surprising element of Stephen Harper’s new budget is the announcement that, starting in late 2011, plastic will replace paper-cotton as the material of choice for bank notes. The polymer material is apparently very hard to counterfeit, and will allow for more complex designs and security features.
9. “Marketers can (literally) read your mind” by Karl Bates | Futurity
Advertisers have been experimenting with a technique called “neuromarketing,” which uses brain scans to detect a consumer’s reactions to various products. Basically it’s a high-tech focus group, but I think it’s the first step down a slippery slope that leads to commercials being beamed into our dreams à la Futurama.
10. “Changes at Chatelaine” | Masthead Online
Thursday was a brain drainer at Chatelaine — six employees were laid off, including most of the editors who handled the magazine’s newsiest articles. The title has recently slipped in both subscriptions and single-copy sales, but lobotomizing its content seems like an odd plan to reverse course.
1. “Cash graffiti” by Xeni Jardin | Boing Boing
When I was a child, I thought drawing on cash was a serious crime that invited easy prosecution. Obviously these guerrilla artists had no such fear. Follow Jardin’s link to see thirty examples of hilarious money art. (My personal favourite: “The Boba Fett Dollar.”)
2. “Snake Oil? Scientific evidence for health supplements” by David McCandless and Andy Perkins | Information Is Beautiful
Ever wondered if drinking green tea or taking fish oil actually benefits your health? Puzzle no longer. This info-graphic separates the bunk from the benefits when it comes to popular health supplements.
3. “How to Be a Skating Score Nerd: The Futile Search For Understanding” by Linda Holmes | Monkey See
According to the Globe and Mail‘s John Doyle, we’re a figure skating nation, and for once I’m inclined to agree with him. On the heels of Joannie Rochette’s heroic bronze-medal performance at the Vancouver Winter Games, Monkey See offers a guide to (perhaps) better understanding the sport’s Byzantine scoring system.
4. “Olympic economic impacts much smaller than promised” by Andrew MacLeod | The Hook
Residents of Vancouver and B.C. were promised a $10 billion economic boom for hosting the Winter Games; it now looks like they’ll get substantially less. The Conference Board of Canada and an independent accounting firm put the actual figure at roughly $1.6 billion, much lower than even the province’s revised estimate of $4 billion.
5. “Should NBC Ditch Olympics Announcers?” by Heather Horn | The Atlantic Wire
I found myself wondering something similar when I heard TSN’s James Duthie recite the lyrics to Kool and the Gang’s “Ladies’ Night” — without the slightest hint of irony — while describing Canadian female athletes’ four-medal performance on Wednesday.
6. “Bullies in public office” by Eric Mang | rabble.ca
Bullying extends beyond the schoolyard; it often rears an ugly fist in the political arena. Mang, who served as an aide in both the Ontario and B.C. provincial governments, laments how foul-mouthed, hot-headed types often rise to the top at the expense of others.
7. “The Science Guy Takes on Climate Change Deniers” by Alicia Capetillo | GOOD Main
Climate change denial is like a sunburn that refuses to heal. Even Conservative MPs are getting in on the act, despite the Harper government’s official position that global warming is a real and serious threat. Who better to step to the plate to defend real science than Bill “The Science Guy” Nye?
8. “The Italian (Boob) Job” by Margaret Wheeler Johnson | XX Factor
In what must be a distorted form of feminism, breast augmentation has been the springboard for the political careers of many female Italian politicians. While the Italian parliament considers a ban on such procedures for minors, Johnson investigates the country’s strange relationship between breasts and politics.
9. “Leaner, Meaner Innovation” by April Dunford | The Mark
Venture capital firms have been tightening their belts recently, providing less money for start-ups than ever before. This dearth of funds is leading firms to develop business models that, while costing less, offer a better chance of success by engaging customers at an earlier stage of development.
10. “When Canada flouts its own aid promises, we fail Haitians — again” by Graham F. Scott | This Magazine
Canada is first in the world in per capita donations to post-earthquake Haiti, and second only to the United States in overall giving. However, this does not give us license to pat ourselves on the back. Haiti was in trouble before the disaster, Scott reminds, and there is much work left to be done.
(Illustration by What To Do?)
1. "Greening the Games" by David Suzuki | The Mark
Canada’s preeminent environmentalist compares the carbon footprints of Olympic Games past, present, and future.
2. “16 Years of International Hockey Memories” by Mike Chen | From the Rink
On the eve of tomorrow’s shinny showdown — Canada vs. USA on the big pond — look back on the best of Olympic and World Cup men’s hockey since 1994. (Or worst, depending on rooting interest: the video gallery begins and ends with Sweden winning gold.)
3. “John Babcock, 1900–2010, R.I.P.” by Milnews.ca | The Torch
Contrary to hasty reports, Gordon Lightfoot endures, but this week still ends with one less hero. Rest easy, John Babcock, the last Canadian veteran of World War I.
4. “Bowerbirds / In Our Talons” by Jeff Hamada | Booooooom
Booooooom notices an old-but-very-good video for Bowerbirds’ infectious “In Our Talons.” Director Alan Poon employs stop-motion animation to maximum effect here — and again in Zeus’s “Marching Through Your Head,” a more recent project that he co-directed with Walrus contributor Adam Makarenko.
5. “Road scholarship: the slippery facts about road salt” by Nick Taylor-Vaisey | This Magazine
Everything you never wanted to know about the substance that’s been officially considered harmful to the environment since 2001, yet shows no sign of disappearing from winter roads any year soon.
6. “Way Too Similar?” by Jörg Colberg | Conscientious
Literary plagiarism is easy to spot; artistic poaching is harder to prove. Vancouver photographer David Burdeny is under scrutiny over similarities between several of his pictures and earlier compositions by several of his peers. Click this link to decide for yourself.
7. “In defence of Jim Jones” by Shaun Usher | Letters of Note
Nine months before Jones orchestrated the mass suicide of more than 900 of his cult followers, San Francisco politician and gay activist Harvey Milk sent this odd letter of support to Jimmy Carter: “Rev. Jones is widely known in the minority communities here and elsewhere as a man of the highest character, who has undertaken constructive remedies for social problems which have been amazing in their scope and effectiveness.” Milk’s unrelated murder happened ten days after the Jonestown Massacre.
8. “The Hidden History of Resistance in Womens’ Prisons” by Danielle Maestretti | Utne Blogs
In The Walrus’s March issue, Marian Botsford Fraser writes about prisoner Renée Acoby in the feature “Life on the Instalment Plan.” In this post, Maestretti points to related stories — including one of her own, about prisoners who self-publish zines — in recent issues of New Politics and the Utne Reader.
9. “Four Infographical Morsels No. 4” by David McCandless | Information is Beautiful
There’s a lot to recommend in this post, but the dazzler is “Timelines,” an elegant, painstaking survey of films and television shows that mess with time travel.
10. “NBC confuses Terry Fox and Michael J. Fox” by Craig Silverman | Regret the Error
Hey, America: Bill Clinton sucked in Parliament, and George Clinton was your second-worst president ever.
(Photo by focusedcapture available via Creative Commons license)
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