By Jan Creaser
Parading out statistics works both for and against champions of women’s rights. How does one interpret statistics? What can be taken as accurate? Consider the following a rudimentary lesson in questioning the numbers. The following facts were taken from Statistics Canada’s Education in Canada Survey (1999). Fact 1: In 1997, there were 8,083 men and… Continue reading Statistics 101
By Jan Creaser
On the back pages of the ad-free feminist magazine, Ms., ads from other publications that showcase women appear without editorial comment. Readers are left to interpret these ads for themselves. The February/March 2001 issue shows a two-panel Vibe jeans ad in which a woman’s body appears wearing underwear and a tiny t-shirt. Between the two… Continue reading The media markets Barbie full-time
By Jan Creaser
Post-modern feminismPost-modern feminism seeks social harmony rather than gender equality by eliminating the assumption that men and women have “essential natures,” fundamental and immutable aspects which differentiate men from women and make one superior to the other. In contrast to radical feminism, post-modern feminism does seek equal rights among genders, avoids placing blame or assigning… Continue reading Feminism in all shapes and sizes
By Jan Creaser
Hunger gnaws your belly. It makes you lazy, unfocused, paranoid. Tasks are impossibly difficult to perform as weak muscles give way under the strain. Dizziness often sets in; black patches follow tiny stars across your field of vision. Will the day ever end? Will the night ever end? What do you take small pleasures in… Continue reading Take a peek at reality
By Jan Creaser
I wonder how many little boys feared they might wake up and realize that overnight they were transformed from puny runts in the throes of adolescence into tall, handsome and super-hero strong MEN, in capital letters. How many cowered in terror imagining their chests might suddenly bulge out of their hooded sweatshirts? Which ones dreaded… Continue reading Jimmy Olsen blues
By Jan Creaser
During the holidays, many people nostalgically reflect upon their lives, remembering the good times, the hard times and ultimately, their personal journey filled with both difficult and easy decisions about what direction their lives should take. This year, the Cappucino Musical Theatre Group tries to capture those moments of reflection and the emotion of tough… Continue reading Promising play
By Jan Creaser
The main criticism against section 276 of the criminal code, the rape-shield law, is that it supposedly hinders an individual from gaining information for full answer and defence in pretrial by preventing the accused from asking questions about a woman’s sexual history as outlined in sections 7 and 11 of the Canadian Charter of Rights… Continue reading Rape shield: Investigating section 276
By Jan Creaser
At least once a week, Jenny Jones or Maury Povich or some other like-minded TV moralist parades children across their stage, railing about how "out of control" the child is, how the parents "are at the end of their rope" and how "nothing seems to work" in terms of discipline. These kids are horrible, they… Continue reading Showcasing the bad kids
By Jan Creaser
According to the Bible, never "was there any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave king Solomon," and it appears that an international team of researchers excavating the Mahram Bilqis site in Yemen would consider any discovery linking the 3,000-year-old temple to the Queen of Sheba the spice of their work. Led by University… Continue reading History of biblical proportions
By Jan Creaser
In a rousing show of sportsmanship, the first event on the schedule for the send-off of Calgary’s Olympians featured Celine Dion crowing about the "power of the dream" as clips of sometimes triumphant and sometimes unsuccessful athletes flashed across the movie screen. Apparently, the emotional gains and traumas of the sporting world are meant to… Continue reading Summer Olympians say g’bye to Calgary and g’day to Sydney