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…
Editor’s Note
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 …
Read MoreSmash and Grab
This appeared in the December 2011 issue.
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Charlie Brown
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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Montreal Is Burning
Arcade Fire’s meteoric rise changed a city and redefined a subculture
Read MorePizza Night
A quiet meal at home becomes fodder for market research
Read MoreGoing for Baroque
Last summer, Canada’s National Gallery sparked international debate by displaying a “new” Caravaggio
Read MoreThe Walrus Reads
Seven new titles of note
Read MoreA Rock and a Hard Place
The energy industry calls fracking a game changer, but environmentalists compare it to coal and oil. As energy demands collide with climate change, the question becomes whether fracking is worth the risk
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