By Ryan Pike
Breaking up, like many things in life, is hard to do. It’s especially difficult when the relationship has been long-standing. This spring is particularly difficult for me, because I have to say goodbye to both the University of Calgary and the hit television series Lost. I started at the U of C way back in… Continue reading Ruminations on graduation
By Ryan Pike
Each and every spring, fervent hockey fans face a troubling dilemma. On one hand, the weather is getting warmer and loved ones are enticing them to join them on decks, patios and other outdoor areas. On the other hand, the National Hockey League post-season is soon to begin, and the primary way a hockey fan… Continue reading The never-ending cycle of Flames failure
By Ryan Pike
Since he became Canada’s 22nd prime minister in 2006, Stephen Harper has developed a reputation amongst his opponents for being sneaky. Granted, few in politics have gotten far by telegraphing their maneuvering, but Harper has seemingly turned political behaviour into a modern art form. While many of his predecessors utilized obscure verbiage, intellectual smoke and… Continue reading Stephen Harper shoots… Harper scores!
By Ryan Pike
Every year at roughly this time, eager prospective student politicians run around clamouring for support in the Students’ Union election. Every year the hallways are wallpapered with posters. Every year roughly nine out of 10 students summarily ignore the election and don’t vote. Nevertheless, the ones that are actively involved with the election pick up… Continue reading Ruminations on SU election endorsements
By Ryan Pike
The Canadian Olympic Committee headed into the 2010 Vancouver games with high hopes. After utter disappointment in the medal standings at the 1976 Montreal summer games and the 1988 Calgary winter games, the COC took the bull by the horns after the announcement of Vancouver as host — boldly claiming that Canada would own the… Continue reading Canada gets pwned on the podium
By Ryan Pike
The pie has an important place in Canadian society. Pies are delicious, nutritious and, as has been made evident in recent years, they are a wonderful tool for political activism. But members of the political establishment are seemingly opposed to using a pie for protest purposes. Last month, federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was the… Continue reading Pie: the creamy bastion of democracy
By Ryan Pike
Controversy reigned in Toronto over the holidays, but for once it wasn’t about the sub-par Toronto Maple Leafs or a garbage strike. On this occasion, Torontonians were all riled up about naps. Toronto Transit Commission fare collector George Robitaille kicked up the controversy several weeks back when he was photographed napping in his ticket booth… Continue reading Don’t be hating on the Toronto Transit napper
By Ryan Pike
Since 1985, the Darwin Awards have been doled out based on criteria from author Wendy Northcutt. The awards seek to point out astonishing levels of stupidity that render individuals sterile or deceased when previously they were mature and capable of sound judgement. Two recent news items have produced two strong award contenders — although only… Continue reading Protecting the stupid from themselves
By Ryan Pike
The government of Canada declared last week Citizenship Week. The week was commemorated by a series of events, including citizenship ceremonies across the country, designed to celebrate Canadian citizenship. While that notion seems great, the details given by Calgary Southeast MP and Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism minister Jason Kenney in the official press release seem… Continue reading Citizenship week misses mark
By Ryan Pike
When the average person thinks of comic books, often they think of brightly-coloured spandex and over-muscled heroes socking bad guys in the jaw to save the day. Truth told, super-hero comics make up the vast majority of sales in the industry. That said, it’s not wholly representative to think of comic books as nothing but… Continue reading The troubled adolescence of comic books