We begin in Germany during the 2006 World Cup of soccer. There are thousands of fans inside the main stadium at Dortmund, watching Brazil take on Ghana for a berth in the quarterfinals. The majority support Brazil. They won’t be disappointed; within six minutes the South Americans are up 1–0. The stadium erupts as fans dressed in yellow,… Continue reading Fixated
Category: The Magazine
The media diet
Few shoppers here are in a hurry. It’s a hot, late-August afternoon, and Carrot Common is dappled with shade. Two young women sit outside with organic takeout boxes, their feet sporting charity-chic Toms shoes. To their left, a bulletin board advertises holistic nutritionists and alternative health therapies. To their right, a juice bar churns out murky green detox smoothies and blood-red beet juice. At… Continue reading The media diet
In memoriam
It’s May 2012, and I’m visiting my grandparents in Karachi, Pakistan. Though it’s spring, the city has been hit with a heat wave. Luckily, there haven’t been any power outages in the past few hours; my hair is off my neck in a loose bun at the top of my head, and I can feel the light breeze from a ceiling… Continue reading In memoriam
Fed up and craving change
STEPPING INSIDE A GOLDEN GROCERIES IN BRAMPTON, ONTARIO, on a Thursday evening in October, visitors are greeted with the scent of Indian spices and a song from a famous Hindi movie soundtrack playing over the PA. Shoppers at the Indian chain select their Haldiram snacks and Parle-G biscuits along with their tomatoes and soda. Many of the patrons here also come… Continue reading Fed up and craving change
Silence of the labs
ENVIRONMENT CANADA SCIENTIST David Tarasick helped identify the largest ozone hole in the Arctic, and Postmedia reporter Mike De Souza has finally secured an interview in late October 2011, after almost three weeks of bureaucratic delays. Towards the end of the conversation, De Souza asks why the phone call took so long to set up. “Have you been extremely busy and… Continue reading Silence of the labs