Reviewed by Konstantin Kilibarda Independent Vancouver-based filmmaker Boris Malagursky’s The Weight of Chains is the latest in a long line of misguided attempts to give an ‘alternative’ account to the wars in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s. This review seeks to directly address some of the more flawed accounts
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Politics, Re-Spun: Liveblogging Today’s NDP Leaders Debate
Today’s NDP leadership debate lands in Quebec. I’m using 14 criteria to evaluate who I’ll be voting for. Let me know if you have suggestions for improved criteria. 2012.02.12 NDP Leaders Debate February 2, 2012 — NDP Leaders, By the Numbers and the Intangibles (0) August 27, 2011 — Liveblog
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: The rebels who snubbed the Queen
The Diamond Jubilee, the extravagant international celebration throughout 2012 marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year at the helm of the declining British Empire, is finally here. British medals galore! Officer of the Order of the British …Read More
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Lazy Loitering Louts
In light of the Occupy movements, younger people will find this vintage video from Vancouver, very vivid. You have to wait until the very end too for a killer video joke. The mayor, pictured in 1968, passed away yesterday at age 85. His vision lives on in the 1%. ==
Continue readingArt Threat: What’s the value of an art school? – Contextualizing the crisis at NSCAD
NSCAD's modern new Port campus overlooks Halifax harbour. Photo by Rory Hyde. Celebrating its 125th anniversary next year, The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design is the oldest of Canada’s four dedicated art universities. With slightly over 1000 full time students and spread across three campuses in downtown Halifax,
Continue readingArt Threat: Art and inspiration meet on Montreal streets
J. R. Carpenter. Entre Ville. as appeared in Four Minutes to Midnight A text originally published in edition twelve of Four Minutes to Midnight, launched in November at Expozine in Montreal. Ideas expressed in this article largely are linked to and inspire the work of the Howl! arts collective in
Continue readingCanadian Dimension Feed: Politics après Jack
Jack Layton’s legacy by Murray Dobbin The outpouring of grief from across the country over the sudden and cruel death of Jack Layton continues to affect politics in this country. The NDP is up in the polls across the country — virtually tied with the Conservatives — and in Ontario
Continue readingThings Are Good: UforChange: Culture for a Better World
UforChange is all about using art and culture to make the world a better place! They focus on St. Jamestown in Toronto and have had great success engaging their community through participating in art projects that make the neighbourhood more welcoming and a great place to be.
UFORCHANGE: Creative Culture,Better World from Mad Ruk Entertainment on […]
Continue readingLetter to federal MP Matthew Kellway (Beaches-East York).
Dear Mr. Kellway,I am writing to you as resident of Beaches-East York to express my concerns regarding the government’s Bill C-32, An Act to Amend the Copyright Act. While this Bill does make for some reasonable reforms, it contains two serious flaws.F…
Continue readingRob Ford to attend TIFF kickoff
Toronto mayor Rob Ford and his brother, councillor Doug Ford will be at tonight’s Toronto International Film Festival world premiere of the U2 documentary From the Sky Down. The Ford brothers have been branded ‘philistines’ by many for their lack of su…
Continue readingMarginal Notes: SlutWalk is so June 2011
While some heralded SlutWalk as the future of feminism, the lack of hype around Calgary’s second attempt at SlutWalk reveals that it was little more than a trend that has already begun to fizzle out. So, I’ll keep my remarks brief and leave you with a radio interview that I
Continue readingMarginal Notes: SlutWalk is so June 2011
While some heralded SlutWalk as the future of feminism, the lack of hype around Calgary’s second attempt at SlutWalk reveals that it was little more than a trend that has already begun to fizzle out. So, I’ll keep my remarks brief and leave you with a radio interview that I
Continue readingThings Are Good: Get Cultured for a Happier Life
People who play an instrument, go to museums, or are otherwise involved in culture are happier than those who don’t according to a new study. This is great news for people who want to feel happier or generally improve your life because all you have to do is essentially go and be entertained!
Researchers led by […]
Politics, Re-Spun: Pubic Humiliation: The Case of the Ugly Vagina
Earlier in the month, when I clicked an inbox link to a webpage for a fundraising campaign, I did not expect to get lost in the political quagmire of women’s rights, feminism, grooming, surgical enhancement, self esteem and pop culture. A vaguely disinterested click of the mouse quickly sucked me into a black hole of […]
Continue readingThe Skwib: Ten indisputable facts about Canada (Part Two: Culture)
To commemorate Canada Day, I decided it would be useful to clear up some common myths people have about Canada and its culture. I thought it might be especially helpful here at The Skwib, since many of its readers come from other parts of the world. You may want to read Part One, about Canadian […]
Continue readingThings Are Good: Haydn Makes You Healthy
Well not just Haydn, or classical music for that matter – a recent study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has shown that the greater an individual’s engagement in cultural activities, the greater the benefit to their personal health. This trend exists across many different artistic and creative pursuits, and affects both […]
Continue readingopenalex: 48Hour Green Film Contest @ Cannes
Cannes wrapped up last weekend with the Palme d’Or going to Terrence Malick’s apparently slightly sprawling epic The Tree of Life. From what I’ve read, the movie looks to be a mix of personal drama and a lush celebration of the Earth’s beauty (trailer)…
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The Political Economy of Professional Wrestling: Capital, Unions and Spandex
Wage Labour on the Fringes For all the attention it received, to my knowledge, no one provided much of a political analysis of Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 award-winning motion picture The Wrestler. I suspect this is largely a function of the subject matter of the film: professional wrestling has been a long standing punch-line, after all. […]
Continue readingMarginal Notes: Exploiting the BP Oil Spill to Sell Self Tan Bronzing Gel
The August edition of Vogue Italia features a fashion spread titled ‘Water and Oil.’ I believe that ‘Violence and Destruction’ better capture the content and mood of these photos. We are accustomed to the sexualization of violence against women…
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