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Canada's Line in the Ice
Canada is ditching the jolly Mountie act and getting tough about sovereignty over the Arctic Archipelago, with its 19,000 islands and surrounding territorial seas. According to a report in Canadian Geographic (Jan./Feb. 2007), Canada's territorial ambitions are heating up just as the ice caps are melting down, and that's no coincidence; global warming is opening 'Panama Canal North,' a shortcut passage from Europe to East Asia that's being eyed by world powers. Canadian Forces has changed the name of the Northwest Passage to Canadian Internal Waters. And to bolster its territorial claims, Canada has put on some formidable ice capades, including expeditions around the area in the country's flagship Coast Guard vessel and a series of grueling Arctic military exercises last year called Operation Nunalivut I (Inuktitut for 'land that is ours') -- missions captured in a photo essay in Up Here (Oct. 2006). According to Prospect (Jan. 2007), Canada owes much of its recent tough-guy gusto to conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has publicly rebuked the United States' contention that the passage is an 'international strait.' Now Harper wants to buy three icebreaker vessels for an estimated Canadian $450 million (about $384 million U.S.) each, and he has approved plans for a new Arctic-specific military training center.

Luxury Vending
Pocket change won't get you much from the vending machines in malls these days. The latest wares on offer for instant consumption cater to high-rolling consumers. According to the Times of London (July 15, 2006) and the Christian Science Monitor (Jan. 18, 2007), several hundred vending machines are currently selling luxury items such as iPods and Reebok trainers. There's also tyke-friendly vending, with fare such as fruit snacks and diapers, and risquŽ machines from the sex-toy company Tabooboo. Holding up the low-cost (but highbrow) front, the Zine Machine at the University of Iowa is selling zines and minicomics at affordable prices. It's a literary spin-off of the ingenious Art-o-mats found in several states that dispense original artworks from vintage cigarette machines.

India's Dream McJobs
Many middle-class Anglophones in India enjoy lives of relative luxury, with drivers, maids, and cushy desk jobs. But an emerging class of young idealists are signing up in droves for low-paying fast food jobs. And guess what? They're lovin' it. As reported in Tank (Vol. 4 #8), these rebellious Indians view McJobs as hip, safe, even glamorous. Drawn by the working-class cachet, they log long hours working side by side with 'vernies' (shorthand for 'vernacular,' people from remote villages) and other young singles. The trend has led some to speculate that fast food could help chip away at India's caste and arranged marriage systems.

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