Off the Rack

The Tyee

What's new on the newsstand? Beginning this week The Tyee has asked me to regularly read and discuss magazines produced in our backyard, highlighting stories of interest and providing commentary. Think of it as a magazine rack report card. If you know a BC-based periodical with editorial content deserving exposure, dissection or a good prodding--and don't mind it receiving all of the above--please let us know.

Crank (#3). A relative newcomer, Crank describes itself as "urban commentary and political fiction," although there's a welcome absence of the sober stridence seen in pubs with subtitles half as portentous. Smart and funny, Crank boasts a daffy-chic retro design throughout, and it's flush with content. As for Crank's tone? It's batting for a real Canadian irony crown. Results may vary: Take heed of a former lighthouse keeper's alarming chronicle of studying erratic West Coast weather patterns next time you're contemplating offshore oil drilling in this province; an interview with sex scribe Dan Savage eruditely explores the state of our sexual mores; and, oh, and don't forget to take in the Lillooet Lake Rodeo photos montage. (Get my drift?) The Atari-or-US-Military? Quiz is great, but the longish capsule review section is best, featuring interesting titles from BC imprints, books on DIY hovels, plus "reviews" of new NHL rules and, heck, even the US military. If you sense a theme, you're wrong: Apparently the cover and marginalia is telling us there's an equine motif afoot. Entertain and edify yourself with all the horsey-talk peppered throughout in fine print (know your 'horse latitudes' from your 'horseshit'). Crankmagazine.com.

Adbusters (Nov/Dec). The Winners/Losers issue takes on complacency, rubbing our face in it (literally: see the striking cover). The internationally revered media scolds and creative anarchists at Adbusters are at it again with their trademark glossy, stark depictions of the sorry state of cultural (in)security, military adventurism and lifestyle capitalism. Are we winning yet? The West and its trappings may look like a safe bet on the world stage, but the tipping points one sick cow, one virus [market crash, power outage, nuclear detonation] has the terminal potential to crash the whole deal are modest and plentiful. There's an old joke that Adbusters has only ever published one issue, but where else are you going to see political economy and the anti-globalization agenda served up with such verve? A Dodge ad reprinted highlights itself with the tagline: You're either with us. Or behind us. Don't be alarmed by the occasional (and darn rare) sea of text, too. There are some deep-thinking waters to navigate: a story on varieties of cultural resistance and the straight numbers on the futures markets of marriage and political instability. Come on down to the culture jam. Adbusters.org.

Modern Dog (Fall). Is your canine playing head games with you and winning? It's not (all) your fault, leading pooch expert Stanley Coren reassures readers. Amid other stories in the dog fancier glossy: Learn all about pet insurance; learn that Nelson, BC has a dog-free zone; and learn what you already knew some folks spare no expense in pampering their mutts. Discover that Glenn Gould, dog-lover, once mailed his collie a wish-you-were-here postcard: You would have the field all to yourself if you were here. You would have been able to break up a cat fight this morning. Clean up your dish like a good dog. GG. The breed profile features Saint Bernards: Not just for alpine rescue anymore. As usual, the pages abound with products and services. Also, once again, the fashion spread finds a bunch of bored dogs staring off glumly as the clotheshorses vamp away. (Note: patrician country manor chic still hot.) Amusingly, the one detail to go unnoted in the spread are the animals' only accoutrements: leashes. Plus, the pros and cons of swapping spit with your pet. Moderndog.com.

Jeff MacIntyre is regularly heckled, from dangerously near and glamorously afar, at jeffmacintyre.com.