By Mike Leung
I grew up in a Ranchlands cul-de-sac chock full of rowdy, violent kids. The Bay, as we called it, served many purposes: it was a street hockey arena, a battlefield and a playground filled with yards, sprinklers and everything else a mostly-healthy childhood needs.These days, life isn’t what it was back then. The regular grind… Continue reading In the days of my youth…
By Andrew Ross
Unlike many other students, I fully support the idea of differential tuition. Why am I in favour of such a seemingly unpopular policy? Perhaps this would be best explained by my background as a student. I am a philosophy major. Philosophy classes are generally taught in small, poorly-lit rooms by professors without TAs, with chalk… Continue reading Paying for guinea pigs
By Вen Li
Last week, an esteemed colleague of mine invoked the names Richelieu and Tremblay while drawing an analogy to his current situation. I proclaimed rather condescendingly that "I’m a science major," implying that it was valid excuse for my ignorance, allowing my degree program speak for what I don’t know rather than what I do. Effectively,… Continue reading The beauty that lies in balance
It’s the plague of every professional that words used in their business find their way into general use and are corrupted through gratuitous abuse by an ignorant public.We may not be professionals up here, but we face the same problem. On a very regular basis, the words "good journalism" are used as leverage to force… Continue reading The art of discretion
By James Keller
In the growing tradition of Students’ Union’s do-it-yourself politics, some concerns I expressed recently were met with the challenge to "attend an SLC meeting (so [I] have some basis for [my] misguided rants)." So, much to the surprise of some SU executives, I attended the weekly Students’ Legislative Council meeting last week.Some of these "misguided… Continue reading SU drops the ball on tuition
I watched the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa this year and was struck by the difference between the attending war veterans and the "student ambassadors." The vets were teary, stalwart and lost. The students were bored.How many people truly "remember" the World Wars? My generation is not allowed to forget them and we never will,… Continue reading Generational negligence
I’ve never lost an argument with myself. It’s truly remarkable, when there is no opposition to my opinion and no one to challenge my points, I am thoroughly dominant in the adversarial arena.A redundant assertion for sure. Of course it’s impossible to lose an argument with only one viewpoint, so why is this relevant?Because the… Continue reading Discourse?
The provinces are yet again wrestling with Paul Martin for whatever money they can get. With a renewed interest in Canadian defence and security, social programs such as amateur sport are getting benched for another season.Canadians have always defined themselves by historical sporting moments such as Paul Henderson’s winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series… Continue reading High level funding
By Вen Li
I hate banks.Underneath the polished PR-droid surface, they’re big, bloated, unsightly and don’t give a rat’s ass about customers.With long line-ups, insensible "business" hours and more bank-by-phone menus than levels of hell, banking truly stretches the definition of any service industry. In fact, one might call them a disservice industry for all the annoyances they… Continue reading Damn banks
A plane crashed into a building, so what?Is it the word "building" that upsets you? Do the letters P-L-A-N-E make you violent? I didn’t think so. But ask if anyone would like to see footage of the tragic crash again and the response is an overwhelming no. The images are certainly powerful, and undoubtedly more… Continue reading Art is a weapon