A fictional rendition of the story of King Dasharatha from the Ramayana Dasharatha could hear the mynas and macaques above him mixed with the squawking peacocks. The young king could not remember this large pond and was happy […]
Budapest Suites, I (from Grand Gnostic Central: DC Books, 1998) “Apply what you know to what you feel that’s more than enough” On Váci utca, mongrel pigeons, flapping, Mount American-style shopfront windows. Grey cops in pairs […]
There are twenty-seven sequels being released this year. The fourth of Spy Kids, the fifth X-Men, the eighth Harry Potter. Studio executives are trying to mitigate risk, the way a hedge fund manager might. This results in the investment […]
******** August 27, 2011 What a Beautiful Day. Italy. Director: Gennaro Nunziante. What we have here is what Italians know how to do best: a comedy that will make you laugh and tons of love, art, religion and […]
For the past several years, we have been justifiably looking out and beyond the city we originate from—-Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Our self-imposed mandate has been to look beyond borders and fences and peep into cultural worlds that surround us in […]
Artist Statement: The expression “motion photographer” came to me spontaneously since movement is the basis of my work: I am constantly in search of a perspective that will transmit both the beauty and the speed of the world in which […]
I – Wings in The Dust Le vieux Paris n’est plus (la forme d’une ville Change plus vite, helas! que le coeur d’un mortel… –“Le Cygne,” Charles Baudelaire, 1857 The old Paris is gone (the form of […]
On the night of the May 2, 2011 federal election which saw the NDP come out of nearly nowhere to win close to 80% of the seats in Quebec, I wondered whether and to what extent the NDP’s surprise surge […]
Jean Talon Market is without a doubt one of the most popular spaces in Montreal. Located just North of Little Italy, it offers a wide variety of goodies that everyone can enjoy. On any given day you are likely to […]
I love Montreal, tu sais because English here is charmant and French c’est cool because locals know that a ridge is really a mountain because tortillas & chapattis & pitas & bagels have no quarrel with pâté chinois because […]
Spring days are very much here. Both the sunny warm days and political hopefulness is everywhere. My sojourn in Paris was an experience to absorb in many ways. I was invited to attend the international council meeting of the […]
32nd Ave., Lachine Now night, and off the curving yellow arches, the light, usually so harsh, glows dull in summer's haze. Moths leave it alone, cavort with brighter street lights. Cars move slowly, their noise softened. Songs drift by […]
If the commercials are to be believed, there is nothing more Canadian then a Tim Horton’s donut shop where coffee is served to hockey moms and seniors on cross-country road trips. On the Tim Horton’s on the corner of […]
Montreal is a special city. Some would say that it has a European charm that is rare in North America while others would swear that no other place has as many cool bars and clubs or let’s be […]
Ten years ago, after the 9/11 attacks, many commentators in Europe and USA expressed dismay at the way some Palestinians were seen celebrating the planes crashing into skyscrapers. Today, when Americans are shown dancing in front of the […]
The CBC report on 6 December 2010 left no room for doubt: “Taser killed Ontario man: Ontario Special Investigations Unit” (1). The SIU, an independent body, had just issued its report on the death of Aron Firman in Collingwood, Ontario.
The new student came to consult with his advisor in order to establish his curriculum. The professor tried to point out to him the nobility of culture and while doing so was attempting to discover the freshman’s tendencies, […]
I have a recurrent dream in which I am flying over a large body of turquoise water. The air is balmy, the water is deep, transparent, welcoming. Just as I am about to plunge, I wake up. I have […]
*** Editors note: Gabrielle Mathews has just won the junior category prize for this poem in the "Act NOW! International Performance Writing Festival". Tabloids surround me in shades of black and outbursts of red Screaming at me to pick them […]
Does Canada need bigger prisons, as proposed by the now newly elected Conservative government and at what cost? At a time when violent crime is decreasing and costs to sustain prisons are astronomical, when half the inmates in prisons […]
The Art and Science of Healing Since Antiquity. By Daya Ram Varma, MD, PhD. www.Xlibris.com, 2011. *** Why should a book on the history of medicine be reviewed in a magazine mainly dealing with the arts, culture and politics? Because […]
Welcome to the Hotel Chanson de Geste, for once again it is pillow mint in Paris time, where the Frosty Jacques and Tom Peepers crowd the Sunday street like savages to supper, and sing how they’ll stand tippy-toes on […]
I have never been involved in politics, I had made up my mind on the whole thing a long time ago: we are a nation that has known nothing but the rule of absolute pharaohs, be they called Cheops or […]
The above words, from our prime minister’s mouth, on April 4 2011, are supposed to spread fear in our souls, as Canadians. Fear of insanity. Fear of devastation. Here is Stephen Harper’s full quote: “It just emphasizes how crazy we […]
If you observe a mappemonde carefully you will notice a large body of blue water surrounded by land on all sides. Well, almost all sides, except for some straits that allow whales in, vessels out and the back-and-forth of water […]
There is a tendency amongst a lot of liberal-minded people to go ape about Wikileaks, beyond and above what are its obvious and spectacular contributions. After all, revelations of gory illegal acts, diplomatic about turns and faux pas and sickening […]
