George Pope: “Hiring disabled people is an excellent choice”

Years, days, minutes… when it comes to the important moments which build our lives, the scales of time involved often vary. In a matter of seconds on a morning in January 1990, George Pope’s life changed forever. While getting dressed to go to work, a violent headache suddenly knocked him out. Victim of a cerebral aneurysm, he was in a coma for two and a half days before learning that he would remain paralyzed for the rest of his life.

Elie Wiesel: “Whomever listens to a witness becomes one themself”

Well before he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel was just another series of numbers lost in the horror of the extermination camp of Auschwitz: A-7713. It was in the atrocities of Auschwitz that he lost several members of his family and some hope. At 83 years old, this native of Sighet, Rumania, continues to travel the world to testify and fight against indifference. Wiesel will be in Vancouver on Monday September 10 for a conference organized by the Jewish Federation.

Cuban Cigars

Canada, the place to spend $10,000 on a Cuban cigar

When former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger openly disclosed his taste for expensive Cuban cigars, it sparked a bit of a controversy. Indeed Cuban cigars – as well as many other Cuban goods – are still under embargo in the United States and therefore illegal for American citizens to purchase. This is a ban that doesn’t exist in Canada where commercial ties with the Castro regime have never been cut. [Read more…]

Interview with Kenan Malik

Kenan Malik: “I am critical of multiculturalism precisely because I defend diversity”

“What’s wrong with multiculturalism?” This is the question that English writer, Kenan Malik, will try to answer on Sunday June 3 at a conference organized by the Laurier Institution. Before his lecture, the author of From Fatwa to Jihad (2009) and Strange Fruit (2008) compares the European and Canadian systems of integration.

Nikohl Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy in the movie Circumstance

Nikohl Boosheri (Circumstance):
What would my parents think of the lesbian scenes?

As in any good scenario, Nikohl Boosheri’s life is molded by new developments and different points of view. Born in Pakistan from Iranian parents, the young actress grew up in Ontario before moving to Vancouver where she studied acting. She made her public debut in the movie Circumstance, last year, in which she played Atafeh, a young Iranian from Teheran in love with her best friend Shireen (Sarah Kazemy). [Read more…]

Murray Porter

Aboriginal Blues to grace the Yale Club one more time

The Yale Hotel is closing its doors. After more than 30 years of being the home of live rhythm and blues, the venue is seeing its last days of music. Throughout the years singers and bands from all over the world have graced the stage at The Yale. But now with just a few days of music to go, you better get your groove on to buy some tickets. [Read More…]

Tuesdays with Morrie

Intimate lives in death at Pacific Theatre

The novel and play Tuesdays with Morrie has been a hit all over the world. Vancouver can rejoice that it is now on stage at the Pacific Theatre until September 24. The story revolves around just two characters: a college student named Mitch Albom who becomes a big time sports journalist in Detroit, and his former college professor Morrie Schwartz who is dying and has been featured on Nightline. [Read more]