Bruce Wark

It was hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy on August 29 as Barry Barnet, minister of health promotion, faced an onslaught of media questions over his plans to curb Nova Scotians’ thirst for hootch. “One in five Nova Scotians who drink alcohol do so in a way that harmfully affects their own health […]

Anyone strolling near the main gate of the Public Gardens at noon on Monday would have witnessed a strange scene. There, in the bright sunshine, stood George W. Bush and his buddy, Steve Harper. “We need a secure supply of oil and gas, and we’d like your water,” Bush bellowed. “Well, I think it’s a […]

Now that Conrad Black has been convicted of corporate thievery, we might ask whether the journalistic system he presided over is itself a gigantic fraud. Black once owned daily newspapers in every major Canadian city. He also founded the National Post. He used his papers to push for tax cuts for the rich, privatized health […]

Those of us who imagine our lives as glamourous Hollywood movies with ourselves in the starring roles might have felt a tiny twinge of relief last week on hearing of the deaths of two famous European film directors. Sweden’s Ingmar Bergman and Italy’s Michelangelo Antonioni died on the same day—a noteworthy coincidence since, as Dan […]

Last week turned out to be terrible for “troubled actress” Lindsay Lohan and “foundering pop star” Britney Spears. Lohan got herself arrested (again) on suspicion of drunk driving and cocaine possession while Spears supposedly sat back and watched as her doggie pooped on a $6,700 gown at a publicity photo shoot that was supposed to […]

Wasn’t it Marshall McLuhan who called commercials the best thing on TV? Obviously, he never saw that hideous chocolate cake ad showing Marie Antoinette being carted to the guillotine. She thrusts out a gloved hand and snatches a slice from among the throng of jeering peasants lining her route. As she climbs the gory steps […]

My hero, the American English prof William Lutz, wrote “Mao Tse-tung was wrong; power doesn’t come from the barrel of a gun. Power in modern society resides in language.” That statement is from Lutz’s book, The New Doublespeak. In it, he explains that doublespeak is language that is carefully constructed to disguise its real meaning. […]

I was tempted to pour myself a stiff drink when I heard that the provincial government is allowing 51 liquor stores (27 in Metro) to open seven days a week, starting this Sunday. Dozens of rural convenience stores will also be permitted to sell booze from noon to 5pm on Sundays. The Nova Scotia Liquor […]

If you want to understand the brouhaha over equalization and the Atlantic Accord, just visit a local supermarket. There you’ll find shelves stacked with brightly coloured boxes, bottles and cans trucked all the way from Toronto. Crackers and cheese from Don Mills, pickles and jams from Markham and baby food from North York. Upper Canada, […]

“We have nothing against the Canadian people,” Euvonie Georges-Auguste, a Haitian women’s rights leader, told an audience of about 35 at the One World Cafe on Agricola Street last week. But the 51-year-old activist made it clear that desperately poor people in Haiti are very angry at Canada’s politicians. It’s widely known in Haiti that […]

Rick Emberley was in full rhetorical flight last Thursday when he proclaimed that “the science attached to branding has migrated into destinations.” The Halifax pollster was addressing marketing types, business execs and government officials lunching in a windowless auditorium at the World Trade and Convention Centre. The well-dressed crowd had gathered to celebrate the new […]

Your bosses are being jerks. You’re feeling exploited, overworked and underpaid. You’d like to quit, but can’t afford to and besides, you actually love your job and the city where you work. Your last resort? Join your fellow workers and hit the bricks to get a fair contract. That’s what 600 IWK health care professionals […]