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…
Culture
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The Bechdel Test
The Bechdel Test, sometimes called the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule is a simple test which names the following three criteria to evaluate films: (1) It has to have…
Phone Sex Operators
Who picks up the phone? Here is an interesting photo essay from Mother Jones on phone sex operators. This woman reveals: I'm 60 years old, I have a BA in…
First Take on the Public Domain Manifesto
Communia published its Public Domain Manifesto. The manifesto identifies the public domain concept with respect to historical development and more urgently, its relevance to culture today. I think it makes…
Response to Canadian Copyright Consultation
The government set up public consultations and a web site for discussion and formal submissions of responses to questions concerning copyright reform. The web site posed five questions, which I…
Power, the People, and the PMO – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
With more than a year of minority government behind us, Steve Paikin and The Agenda assemble a national panel to ask if political power in Canada is still primarily a…
Politics and Principles – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
In the wake of the Quebecois Nation issue, TV Ontario’s The Agenda asks if politics and principles are Canada’s true twin solitudes. With Steve Paikin as moderator, Val Meredith for…
Politics and Principles – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
In the wake of the Quebecois Nation issue, TV Ontario’s The Agenda asks if politics and principles are Canada’s true twin solitudes. With Steve Paikin as moderator, Val Meredith for…
Who Wants to be a Party Leader? – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
Ottawa Morning, CBC Radio One's news and current affairs programme in the national capital, explores the question of why the field of candidates for the leadership of the Liberal Party…
Interviewing Leadership Candidates, Call-In – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
Host Alan Neal of CBC Radio One's Ontario Today and I take telephone calls from across Ontario on the people's choice for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.
The Fall of Paul Martin – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
Former Cabinet Minister Herb Dhaliwal and I review the long road for Paul Martin from his triumphal entry as Liberal leader to his humble departure after the general election.
Visionary Politics – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
A feature-length CBC Radio One national debate between Judy Rebick of the NDP, Adam Daifallah of the Conservative Party, and myself on visionary politics in Canada.
Visionary Politics – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
A feature-length CBC Radio One national debate between Judy Rebick of the NDP, Adam Daifallah of the Conservative Party, and myself on visionary politics in Canada.
Political Machines – Akaash Maharaj Podcast
The CBC's Anna Maria Tremonti and I discuss the role or organisation, policy, and machine politics in the Liberal Party of Canada, in this nationally broadcast Radio One special.