December 2011 | The Walrus
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December 2011

Diplomat Robert Fowler recalls his 130 days trapped in the Sahara, kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb; Tom Jokinen describes his unlikely role as a supernumerary for the Canadian Opera Company; Chris Wood investigates the drilling process known as fracking; Drew Nelles ponders Montreal’s Arcade Fire…

December 2011 / Politics

Editor’s Note

December 17, 2011April 13, 2020 - by John Macfarlane

Lauren Tamaki In his last years as prime minister, Pierre Trudeau criss-crossed the globe on a mission. Having spent much of his first twelve years in office trying to bridge …

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December 2011 / Poetry

Charlie Brown

December 12, 2011July 20, 2017 - by Troy Jollimore

When the little tree falters and droops pathetically under the weight of that innocent-looking but fatal ornament, and Charlie Brown wails, I’ve killed it, everything I touch gets ruined, I …

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December 2011

Smash and Grab

December 12, 2011April 14, 2020 - by Jason Sherman

This appeared in the December 2011 issue.

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Arts & Culture / December 2011

Pizza Night

December 12, 2011July 20, 2017 - by Dave Cameron

A quiet meal at home becomes fodder for market research

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Illustration by Matthew Forsythe
December 2011

Montreal Is Burning

December 12, 2011April 14, 2020 - by Drew Nelles

Arcade Fire’s meteoric rise changed a city and redefined a subculture

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Image courtesy of Whitfield Fine Art
December 2011

Going for Baroque

December 12, 2011June 15, 2020 - by Shannon Proudfoot

Last summer, Canada’s National Gallery sparked international debate by displaying a “new” Caravaggio

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Books / December 2011

The Walrus Reads

December 12, 2011April 14, 2020 - by Andre Mayer

Seven new titles of note

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December 2011 / Poetry

History

December 12, 2011July 20, 2017 - by Alison Pick

The empty cathedral reminds me of you— memory flares, a match struck in blackness— our old song, the late monks’ psalms, click of a latch: the Middle Ages closed. Centuries …

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December 2011 / Memoir

Kidnapped

December 12, 2011April 14, 2020 - by Robert Fowler

In December 2008, al Qaeda captured two Canadian diplomats and their driver in Niger. In an excerpt from his new book, A Season in Hell, the author recalls 130 days trapped in the Sahara

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Photograph by Andrew B. Myers
December 2011

Adventures of a Supernumerary

December 12, 2011April 14, 2020 - by Tom Jokinen

My unlikely role in the Canadian Opera Company production of Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos

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December 2011
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​​The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

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How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus


How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus

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