Transcon switches to more robust search capabilities

Transcontinental's aggressive push into multi-media, particularly under the new presidency of Natalie Lariviere, has taken another step as the company adopts a new software environment to get content online. According to an article in ITBusiness,Transcontinental Media Inc. has signed a contract with a Montreal-based developer called Nstein Technologies to start using its Ntelligent Concent

The Look and Fashion 18 are closed

St. Joseph Media has suspended publication of Fashion 18 and The Look after the distribution of their quarterly issues in mid-November. Fashion 18 was a very popular ("The Canadian teen's best girl friend"), but apparently underperforming teen fashion title and it is not altogether clear whether it will carry on as a web-only brand in the way that Elle Girl and other teen titles in the U.S. have.

Jaw-droppingly awful covers...

As good as magazine covers can be, sometimes you have to ask "What were they thinking?". That's certainly the case with a reader-selected batch of cover crimes recently compiled by the Gawker blog. It is certainly a counterpoint to the American Society of Magazine Editors selection of the best.

Pinning down history stories

Here's an example of a creative way of engaging and helping readers at the same time. Canada's National History Society has hired an Education Program Coordinator, Joel Ralph, to develop online newsletters to highlight articles from The Beaver and Kayak and get them into the hands of teachers. Even cooler, however, he is hoping to expand a pilot project he worked on last summer in which, using

Quote, unquote

One of the endearing traits that separate journalists from businessmen is the belief that editorial quality will bring commercial success. Sadly, quality is rarely sufficient. To judge by some profitable publications, it is not even necessary.-- Kim Fletcher, in The Guardian, writing about the UK Press Gazette being put up for sale. (The Press Gazette is like Masthead, but covering newspapers,

Playboy cartoon editor, Winnipeg-born Michelle Urry, dies

Michelle Urry, the Canadian-born cartoon editor of Playboy magazine, has died at the age of 66. Ironically, it was of cancer of the eye.“My feeling about cartoons is that they are truth-tellers,” Urry said in a 2004 interview with the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio. “The better the cartoon, the more truth is in it.”She became Playboy’s cartoon editor in 1972, working with famous and fledgling talents.

Hachette reorganization may have long-range impacts on Canadian market

Tectonic shifts are likely, with the reorganization of Hachette Filipacchi, one of the world's largest consumer magazine publishing companies. According to a story in MediaDaily News, Hachette and its companion company,Lagardère Active (which specializes in digital and mobile media) have been put under the control of a single executive. It's early days, but it's likely that an increased push into

Seeking a young, moderate Muslim audience

A new quarterly magazine aimed at "middle of the road" Muslim youth in Canada has just been launched. Aver was profiled Saturday in a Globe and Mail article by Deirdre Kelly. Aver bills itself as the first "cross-Canada Muslim youth magazine." The first issue has a young woman in hijab and an article inside with one guy's views of hijab. It also has a piece reflecting on "what if" the Dawson

Oh, yeah? You suck, too...

“I notice roadkill too. I wouldn’t call getting run over by a truck a ‘gopher marketing strategy’”.-- blogger GuyZero commenting on Maclean's writer Steve Maich's article saying the internet sucks; the contention that it was merely a clever, and cynical, ploy to court controversy.(If you want to see how the article managed to stir things up in the blogosphere, you could start with Globe

The Celine Dion of Recipes?

Starting a week Monday, English Canada will find a version of the very popular food lifestyle magazine Ricardo on their newsstands. (The French version is shown here.) According to a story in the Montreal Gazette, Ricardo Larrivee is very optimistic about wedging himself into the crowded gourmet food market and sees himself as becoming "the Celine Dion of recipes"A single-name celebrity in

Show us the yummy; trend developing in foodish line extensions

Last May, we reported that Saltscapes magazine of Halifax was going into the restaurant business with a motel chain by opening eponymous eateries around the Atlantic provinces. While that idea hasn't matured, yet, making food and dining a line extension of magazine titles is looking like a trend. According to a story in Marketing Daily:Dennis Publishing's Maxim magazine is to open a chain of

Magazines -- are we cool, or what?

Best-selling marketing guru Rex Briggs says that magazines are the most consistent of all media in delivering both brand awareness and purchase intent. You don't get much better news than that.According to a story in Ad Age, Briggs, the CEO of Marketing Evolution and co-author of the controversial new book What Sticks, told the American Magazine Conference that he set out to determine just

New lawyer job site being cross-examined

Canadian Lawyer and Law Times magazines from CLB Media of Aurora have launched a new job site for lawyers called Jobsinlaw.ca and, already, it is being panned. Precedent: The New Rules of Law and Style, a hip new site for young lawyers, says that the new site only has 20 jobs worldwide, and only seven of them are for lawyers. "It’s not bad if you want to work in sales or shipping at Dye & Durham

Saving 36,000 trees

Nineteen Canadian magazines have now moved production over to ancient forest-friendly paper or eco-paper and soon there promises to be 20 and more.Big guys remain cautious because they are in the fashion and shelter categories and feel that it may require compromise on reproduction and image. But bit by bit, publishers are being won over and paper-makers and printers are getting onside. A couple

David Hamilton steps down at Flare; associate publisher Orietta Minatel steps up

One of the worst kept secrets in the business, that David Hamilton, longtime publisher of magazine, would be retiring from Flare magazine has been confirmed. Today, it was announced that, effective in November 1, associate publisher Orietta Minatel steps up. In effect there will be a co-publisher arrangement during the transition, with Hamilton moving over to be a consultant to Rogers Consumer

Barry Blitt wins best cover award from American Society of Magazine Editors

A New Yorker cover by Barry Blitt, a well-known Canadian cartoonist and illustrator who got his start in Toronto and moved to New York in 1989, has won the "cover of the year (best overall)" award from the American Society of Magazine Editors. The cover was a devastating illustration of the denial and paralysis of the Bush administration in the face of Hurricane Katrina. Bush and his cabinet are

Laughter is the best recipe

Every once in a while, it is good fun to see someone on a full-toot, stemwinding rant; for your delectation, I present Larry Dobrow, who occasionally reviews magazines over at MediaPost. Here, he eviscerates a magazine called EAT (from the Meredith Better Homes and Gardens special interest publications group.) Enjoy.

"Canada Post may no longer be an affordable option" -- Gourlay

HALIFAX -- Jim Gourlay, Chair of the Atlantic Magazine Association and a Halifax-based publisher of several magazines including Saltscapes took the lead in speaking to the Commons Standing Committee on Finance, convened in Halifax on Monday, primarily to discuss Canada Post's

Canzine 06 in Toronto this Sunday

Canzine '06 is taking place this weekend in Toronto (last weekend, the East and West versions took place in Halifax and Vancouver). It's at the The Gladstone Hotel,1214 Queen St. West (Queen just East of Dufferin) from 1 to 7 p.m. A $5 admission includes a copy of the latest issue of the magazine about zines, Broken Pencil.There will be readings, workshops, installations and more than 150 zines

ShareOwner magazine celebrates 20 years with a money-making tournament

ShareOwner magazine has been around for 20 years, with a loyal following among people who love to follow stocks with a particular avidity. It is a combination of a publication and a buying club and now, it is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new contest or "tournament", that allows even more of a competitive flutter for readers.The grand prize in the "Double Scoop" tournament is $10,000

Elite global magazines doing well across Europe and The Economist is #1

It bodes well for the forthcoming Guardian Monthly magazine (due out next month) that a recent survey of the top-earning 4% of Europeans indicates that there is a considerable appetite for "international" magazines, according to a story in the UK Press Gazette. The Economist is leading the charge, says the Ipsos-Mori survey of media consumption among Europe's most affluent readers -- it has

Quebecor's TVA loses battle with La Semaine, closes Sensass

Quebecor Media's TVA Publications has shuttered its weekly celebrity glossy Sensass, bested in a "bruising, profit-sapping battle" with rival magzine La Semaine, published by Claude J. Charron. This, according to a story in mastheadonline (sub req'd). TVA launched Sensass in January 2005.Almost immediately after closing Sensass, TVA launched Moi et cie ("Me and my friends"), a fortnightly

Explore wins green award at Folio: show

Explore magazine won the Aveda Environmental Award at the Folio: show in New York on Sunday night. Entrants are judged on how well they incorporate environmental sustainability into their production processes (paper and use, inks, etc.) and/or how well they have improved over the previous year. Explore was a finalist in the under-250,000 circulation category, along with Mother Jones and Watershed

Bank and Profit go together on podcast

A snug relationship between Profit magazine and the BMO Bank of Montreal has resulted in a podcast called Business Coach, written for small business owners by Profit staffers and with commentary by BMO financial analysts and specialists. It will be hosted by Ian Portsmouth (left), Editor and Associate Publisher of Profit, a Rogers business group title.Michael Edmonds, senior manager, media and

Readers in food and travel categories prefer inspirational content of print magazines

Both food and travel magazines are showing staying power because they each offer vicarious and inspirational content that the internet can't or doesn't deliver, according to two stories in MediaDaily News out of the American Magazine Conference."Readers who want to enjoy gourmet meals or get tips on presentation might find more value in the professional photography and high production values of a

U.S. independents tell how they build circ in their own, creative ways

Lots of inspiring stories from MediaDaily News, out of the American Magazine Conference in sunny Phoenix, Arizona:Three independent magazine companies on a panel talked about how they successfully pursued valuable, but elusive, demographics and their stories were remarkably similar for their creative approach, according to a story by Erik Sass. Fabio Freyre, CEO of Latina Media Ventures, David

It's fair to say we're concerned, says Oda

Small comforts must be taken wherever they can be found. For instance, this positive, but somewhat vague response from Heritage minister Bev Oda in response to a question in the Commons last week (Oct. 18) about Canada Post's intention to pull $15 million our of the Publications Assistance Program. She had been asked by Charlie Angus, the New Democrat culture critic, whether Heritage would "step

Esprit de Corps tallies up the true cost of casualties in Afghanistan

Esprit de Corps magazine*, the unofficial, unauthorized magazine of the Canadian armed forces, features a tally in this week's issue of the Canadian casualties in Afghanistan.The article counts 274 casualties -- 43 killed, 231 wounded. They say the bland reports from official sources about "non-life-threatening injuries" of those not killed outright don't tell the whole story."We hear that

Rae uses Maclean's excerpt to extricate himself from his New Democrat past

The Maclean's issue that is on the newsstands today (Monday) and lands in letterboxes across the country over the next couple of days features an exclusive excerpt from Bob Rae's carefully timed book on himself and his views, Canada in the Balance. It is just in time to influence the Liberal leadership race.A few weeks ago, John Geddes of Maclean's wrote of Rae: Choosing a leader isn't about

The Beaver blows its own horn in offbeat TV ad

Not so long ago, The Beaver magazine was fairly dowdy and unadventurous, worthy but not very exciting. Now, having redesigned the magazine thoroughly last year, it is also venturing to tell people about it with a TV ad. The ad is going out to the public this week and with a sense of humour makes the point that the venerable history magazine has something to offer that nobody else has.

Geez to Graham: Bless our enemies

"We don't need the religious leaders backing the bravado of political leaders and military commanders. Maybe religion's role could be more of a unifying force in the world instead of making the divisions even deeper." -- Will Braun, editor of Winnipeg-based Geez Magazine. (He is part of an ad hoc group of Christians distributing leaflets about a "Bless Our Enemies" campaign, in response to the

Caught between two poles

Reaching mass audiences with branding messages will remain important -- that's the good news, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine, quoted in the Real Media Riffs column from MediaPost.The not so good news is that the advertising business is polarizing between the mass market and micro-targeted digital media and traditional print magazines (and newspapers) are being caught (

Toronto Life bash befits 40 years

Toronto Life and St. Joseph Corporation, its parent, know how to throw a bash. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the magazine took over the Carlu in Toronto Thursday night and plied its invitation-only crowd with spectacular food, drink and music. The speeches were short and to the point (including a moving and unusual tribute by John Macfarlane to Clay Felker, the founder of New York and the

Lotsa comment about TV Guide closure

The closure of the print edition of TV Guide is important because of the amount of comment it has engendered, comment which can't help but raise questions about the future of traditional print magazines. Because of TV Guide's profile, there has been a lot of chatter about the decision. Here are some snippets from various places:The Toronto Sun: Barrie Zwicker, a media analyst and publisher of

The Prestige Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer Jonathan Nolan about The Prestige

Not Currently Available

Transcon kills print version of TV Guide magazine and moves it to the web.

Transcontinental Media has given up the struggle and, after 30 years of publishing TV Guide in Canada, the print edition is ending effective with its November 25 issue.TV Guide will "transition to a web publication", according to a memorandum to staff from Francine Tremblay, Senior Vice President of Consumer Publishing. The new site will be tvguide.ca.The irony is that, three years ago, Transcon

U.S. enthusiast titles are hard hit

It's sometimes a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't...magazine publishers have gravitated in recent years to specialized niches because they thought it gave them an edge, but now the very specialized nature of their subject matter and the dimensions of their niche could be working against them, according to a story in MediaDaily News.Enthusiast magazines, particularly those with large

Ya gotta look good for fashion week

Designer duds were required at one of the events of Toronto Fashion Week (this one, a cocktail party hosted by Holt's). Here, courtesy of Canada.com's Jen cam, are (from left to right) Tammy Eckenswiller Fashion Magazine's fashion ed (in Balenciaga), Flare fashion editor Elizabeth Cabral (in Prada) and Tammy Palmer Flare's markets editor (in Zara).

Family Care Solutions debuts,serving the "sandwich generation"

The latest joint venture between Transcontinental Media and the Yellow Pages Group is about to be launched. Some Some 460,000 copies of Family Care Solutions (Savoir Aider) will be distributed on a controlled basis to selected households and piggybacked on the circulation of Canadian Living, Good Times and Bel Age in the Greater Toronto and Greater Montreal area. (It will be available elsewhere

A long time past?

An article about an apparently endangered artifact -- the long-form magazine story -- is published today in The Tyee online magazine. It is the article that originally won Leigh Doyle her National Magazine Award for Best Student Writer.Long-form magazine articles have become scarce in Canadian magazines. Eight thousand words used to be a common length for a feature. Ten thousand words or more was

Mag industry tries to head off Canada Post 's abandonment of the postal subsidy

In what may be a last-ditch attempt to drive home to Ottawa and the Harper government the importance of postal assistance to the Canadian magazine industry, Magazines Canada is embarking on a ramped-up lobbying campaign over the next few weeks, including press briefings, an appearance before the Commons finance committee in Halifax on October 24, an e-mail blitz to MPs and an ad in the Hill

Geoff Dawe takes an extended holiday

Geoff Dawe is taking a 3-month sabbatical from his duties as group publisher of the Kontent Group (FQ, Sir and Inside Entertainment). He told mastheadonline (sub req'd) that it is to travel with his wife Wendy Muller, who recently resigned as head of ad and sales for Google Canada. He is to retain his 50% share in Kontent. The sabbatical is to start Jan. 1.

Gambling on the future: The New Quarterly rounds the 100 issue mark

The award-winning literary, The New Quarterly, based at the University of Waterloo is celebrating 25 years of publication and its 100th issue. They haven't gone crazy, but they have splashed out on a full-colour cover. There's a long and admiring article in the Record newspaper.(Shown are Editor Kim Jernigan, and managing editor Rosalynn Tyo -- photo by Peter Lee, the Record)TNQ was launched with

Quote, unquote

Culture has an altogether different meaning in Paris -- for a start, one is allowed to mention it.Late last month, at Festival America in the Parisian suburb of Vincennes, about 50 writers from across the New World were invited by French publisher Francis Geffard to celebrate "the novel." It was at this convivial first stop on my inaugural book tour that a Canadian diplomat told me of a recent

The Last King of Scotland 2nd Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews co-writer Jeremy Brock about The Last King of Scotland in the 2nd podcast for this film

Not Currently Available

Kicking a lady when she's down?

Maclean's columnist Barbara Amiel (Lady Black) continues to exert a fascination in some quarters, apparently. A longish piece in the Daily Mail of Britain, is titled The Fall of the Empress of Excess. In what is mostly a rehash from the clipping files, Amiel Black is described as "a woman whose climb up the social ladder was vertiginous, but who today spends much of her time sequestered in

More open, less dense, with broader appeal

Trust The Onion to take the mickey out of magazines, with this short, slick parody of the rationale many of us have used for one redesign or another.NEW YORK—Melissa Williams, editor-in-chief of Urbis magazine, launched a long-anticipated redesign of herself Friday. "I made a conscious decision to look more open and less dense without losing that smart edge that people have come to expect," said

Learning by doing the Natural Life way

I'm not sure how interesting it is to the readers of Natural Life magazine, but I found it fascinating to read the interview that Rolf Priesnitz, the publisher, put up on the Natural Life website. His wife Wendy is the editor, and presumably asked the questions.The interview's candour and its down-to-earth common sense would be terrifically useful to anyone who publishes or wants to publish a

Robertson wins groundbreaking freelance suit after more than a decade of struggle

“The central issue on this appeal is whether newspaper publishers are entitled as a matter of law to republish in electronic databases freelance articles they have acquired for publication in their newspapers — without compensation to the authors and without their consent. In our view, they are not."With those words, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled (go here for the complete judgement) that

MagNet officially launched and hopes to attract the whole industry

[NOTE: A comment has been posted from the President of the National Magazine Awards Foundation saying it is not a partner in MagNet. Click on comments, below.]MagNet has been launched, a joint venture of Magazines Canada, the Circulation Management Association of Canada, the Professional Writers Association of Canada [and the National Magazine Awards Foundation].The new industry conference, to be

Walrus tops up its board

The Walrus Foundation has filled the board seats vacated by a slew of resignations recently, according to a story in Mastheadonline (sub req'd). The new board members are:Mark Kingwell, University of Toronto philosophy professor and writer; Allan Gregg, pollster (and frequent Walrus contributor) ;Helga Stephenson, former executive director of the Toronto International Film Festival, and now

Oh yeah? Says who?

The antagonism between Maclean's and the universities it says it wants onside for its Universities Issue doesn't seem to cooling off; in fact, Tony Keller, the Managing Editor, Special Projects, seems in a fairly combative mood. The tone of his "Uniblog" seems somewhat surprising coming from Maclean's. His choice of language is sometimes a bit over the top, too, at least if they truly want to

C magazine new look

The new look of C magazine is now available, designed by Antonio De Luca in collaboration with Brian Morgan. It will be launched officially tonight at a party at Bar Italia in Toronto and on a newsstand near you soon.

Monkey business from publishers of Maxim

If you're a Canadian publisher aiming at the young male market (16 - 30), it's enough to ruin your day. Dennis Publishing, the creators of Maxim, are launching a free, weekly online magazine called Monkey starting November 1. That's online, and free, as in available to anyone.Dennis has already demonstrated that it understands and knows how to serve the limited attention spans of young males with

Broadcaster starts weekly broadcast (but you have to go get it)

Broadcaster magazine, the trade publication for the radio, television and pay/specialty industries, is launching a free weekly podcast. Every Wednesday there will be a downloadable interview with a well-known expert or personality from the industry. The interviews are prepared and presented by David Bray, the senior vice-president of Hennesey and Bray Communications. It's the latest

Decision to come, at last, in Robertson suit against Globe

Word is that on Thursday morning, at long last, the decision will be handed down at the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of Heather Robertson et al v. Thomson Corporation. (Thanks to the PWAC site for alerting us to this.) A useful summary of the case is available from the Supreme Court website. Robertson's suit was turned into a class action, and so represents the interests of any and all

Rumours falls flat

It was an hour I will never get back. Rumours premiered on CBC-TV Monday night. Back-to-back half hours, purporting to be a situation comedy about working on a women's magazine. Adapted from a Quebec original. Produced by Moses Znaimer. Absolute crap.

Independent Ready Made swallowed by Meredith

Meredith Corporation, the Better Homes & Gardens publishing behemoth, has purchased the boutique Berkeley, California-based magazine Ready Made, according to a report in Media Bistro.Ready Made describes the magazine (which went from quarterly to 6-times a year in 2004) as being "for people who like to make stuff, who see the flicker of invention in everyday objects -- the

Another new lifestyle magazine: Luxe to be launched

Yet another, newspaper-delivered, high end upscale magazine is being launched, this time by Metamedia Capital Corporation. It is called Luxe and it claims to be distributing 65,000 copies an issue, 12 times a year in the National Post, starting October 26. The release announcing the new magazine is peculiar in its language and syntax and raises more questions than it answers about the genesis of

C magazine gets a makeover

C magazine, the edgy contemporary artistic cousin of the Canadian art publishing scene, has been redesigned and the new look is being unveiled on October 11. (Illustrated is the spring issue -- not the new look fall issue.) The new look has been created by Antonio de Luca of Open, Inc. De Luca is best known these days as the creative director of The Walrus. The launch party starts at 8 p.m.

All The King's Men Q&A

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews Writer-Director Steve Zaillian about All The King's Men

Not Currently Available

Thinking about magazine legend Clay Felker

It is not good news to hear that Clay Felker, the man who virtually invented the city magazine when he started New York magazine, is in a bad way. Forbes magazine reports that Felker, who has been struggling with cancer, has now moved into a New York City nursing home. Almost all magazine editors owe a debt of gratitude to Felker for his innovation and his vision. James Brady writes a nice

Toronto Life to celebrate 40 years

Toronto Life is holding a big celebration this month to mark 40 years in business. The bash is being held at the Carlu at Yonge and College in Toronto on October 19. (My invitiation must be in the mail.)Michael de Pencier, the chair of Key Publishers, bought the struggling society magazine for a buck in 1972 and turned it into one of Canada's best-known and consistently most successful magazines.

Sharing the wealth of knowledge

Canadian Gardening magazine's website has a number of nice features, but the most generous is its highlighting of the "site of the month", pointing its readers to other, interesting websites in the gardening world. This month (October), they've put the spotlight on the weblog Garden Rant and its three co-founders, Amy Stewart, Michele Owens and Susan Harris."

How low can they go?

"As for prices, they are just insanely low." So says SmartCanucks.ca, a website devoted to finding deals. And they were referring to the rates that are being offered to Rogers cable subscribers for Rogers magazines under the Reader's Advantage program:Maclean’s - $2.00/month i.e. $0.50/issue!Canadian Business - $1.00/monthChatelaine - $1.00/monthMoneySense - $1.00/monthToday’s Parent - $1.00/

Who tells who gets what? You do

Masthead magazine annually compiles the results of a salary survey. While it is not scientifically valid in that it is self-selecting and not taken from a genuine random sample, it is still one of the best and only sources of such information available. It can be made even more so if enough people on Canadian magazines take the time to fill out the easy questionnaire; either the one that came

Out from behind the pay wall

A chink in the pay wall at the Globe and Mail? The launch today of globesports.com means that the likes of Stephen Brunt, Eric Duhatschek, Dave Shoalts, indeed all of the Globe sports columnists, are henceforth available free, to subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Even the Globe trumpeted on its sports front that they were "coming out from behind the pay wall".Previously a fee had to be paid

Fall Submission Period Open

We are now reading for LIT 13. We will read submissions until December.

Please send previously unpublished poetry, fiction and non-fiction to

LIT
Writing Program
New School University
66 West 12th Street, Room 514
New York, NY 10011

Poetry: 3-6 poems, or 10 pages of poetry
Fiction & Non-Fiction: no more than 25 double spaced pgs.

Please do not submit more than once per reading period. Response time is 3-6 months. Include SASE for response. Simultaneous submissions welcome, but please inform us immediately if a piece is taken elsewhere.

But can they spell Maisonneuve?

Maisonneuve magazine is holding a spelling bee. I'm a sucker for spelling bees. Teams of 3, of any age, can compete for gift certificates from Nicholas Hoare, Maisonneuve's funky boxsets and some airplay on CBC (the bee is hosted by News at 6's Michel Godbout. Regrettably, this is only in Montreal. Saturday, October 21st, 3:00pm - 5:00pm, Grande Bibliotheque Nationale du Quebec, 475 de

Sunset for the flyer?

For now, it is just a streamer in the wind. But if the chatter in New York is anywhere close to the truth, a cataclysmic change may be coming in printed media -- the decline of flyers and free-standintog inserts in newspapers. On top of declines in classified and the apparent flight of ad dollars to the online realm, it would be serious bad news for beleagured publishers.This may seem somewhat

New inflight magazine to launch in the Yukon

A new inflight magazine, with a circulation of approximately 20,000, is to be launched in Yukon in February. The quarterly is being produced for Air North by Harper Street Publishing and is called Yukon Magazine, North of Ordinary. It will be distributed on flights between Whitehorse, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Dawson City, Fairbanks and Inuvik as well as hotel rooms. The February 1 launch

Dating service starts online magazine

Lavalife, the humongous online dating service, is launching an online magazine about...dating. "Lavalife Magazine is designed to foster a sense of community among singles," said Kim Hughes, the Editor in Chief. The magazine's tag line is "Dating, Life & Style".Weekly feature articles will include such items as "A History of Sex Toys" to the heavy "Dating after the Death of a Partner" to the

Martha's magazine turns 15

Martha Stewart Living celebrated 15 years of publishing this weekend, with herself in attendance at a show on Pier 94 in Manhattan. According to a story in the Daily News, the only people mentioning her recent stretch in federal prison for lying about a stock trade were her adoring fans, and then only because it made them love her more: "The lady has panache. I think she rocks," said Janette

Turning up the heat and vitriol in the Afghan issue

Scott Taylor, the editor of Esprit de Corps, the independent magazine for the Canadian Armed Forces, has written a column saying that some of the most fervent supporters of the war in Afghanistan have forgotten why Canadians are fighting there in their zeal to demonize anyone who thinks that the troops should be brought home. His column appeared in the Halifax Chronicle Herald newspaper."These

Become creative crew for a cushy cruise

Thanks to a tip, we were directed to this somewhat odd entry on the website of The Beaver, the magazine published by Canada's National History Society out of Winnipeg (which, come to think of it, is about as far from an ocean as you can get in Canada). Not presented as an advertisement, but more of a news item, it appears in the part of the website devoted to news about its authors and