Tag: Point/counterpoint

By Kevin Rothbauer

You don’t think reality TV can get any worse? Wanna bet? It was about three years ago that FOX came up with Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire? At the time, it was one of the low points in television history. At the time, it seemed like a low-water mark that might stand for a… Continue reading … Oh, yes it can

By James Keller

The disgust that filled many an American television viewer during the now waning Survivor craze was dwarfed long ago. Then America took a short-lived trip to Temptation Island. Shortly after, we greeted The Bachelor (and then The Bachelorette), Meet My Folks and, more recently, Joe Millionaire. Now, viewers naïvely thought, things can only get better… Continue reading Reality TV can’t get any worse…

By Esther E. Steeves

Point: Esther E. Steeves says beer shouldn’t be sold in theatres. Selling booze at the movies is a bad idea. However, Famous Players doesn’t think so.According to an article in last week’s Calgary Herald, licensed areas may soon appear in local theatres. At first consideration, this might not sound like such a bad idea, and… Continue reading Booze creeps into the multiplex

By Lawrence Bailey

Ahhh, where to start?Is it the ability to expel urine while standing or the fact that men don’t bleed involuntarily once a month? Is it the accepted level of ineptitude or the ability to appreciate the finer points of most sports (read: football, soccer and hockey, not figure skating and ballroom dancing)? Whatever the reason,… Continue reading Good life or rough gig?

By Lawrence Bailey

Women have two basic advantages over men. One is greater control over their sexuality. The other is the river of male stereotypes where common sense drowned long ago.Being a guy is easy? Turn on the TV and see how easy it is. The men are dumb, shallow and driven squarely by their genitalia. While the… Continue reading Good life or rough gig?

By Natalie Sit

There’s something wonderful about a book.When you hold a book by Plato or by Shakespeare, it’s like holding their thoughts in your hand. You can touch the pages and maybe, just maybe, feel like you’re somehow connected to them. Or maybe it’s a novel by your favourite author. The pages are dog-eared, notes run along… Continue reading The evolution of the written word

By Natalie Sit

The printed page has evolved considerably since Johannes Gutenberg mass-produced the bible in 1455, Ben Frankin’s colonial lending library and the rotary press. While webbed newspapers, glossy magazines and paperback books deliver literature to billions worldwide on a daily basis, you can only carry or house so many at once.E-books may be the next innovation,… Continue reading The evolution of the written word

By James Keller

Students are so disillusioned with the Students’ Union that most probably won’t bother voting this week. But, student politics aside, there is one very good reason to log on to polling stations for this year’s general election.On the ballots (or computer screens as the case may be) is a question that will effectively add $100… Continue reading Universal or useless, you decide

By James Keller

The U-Pass is an ineffective and inexcusable attempt at wholesale redistribution of wealth. While proponents brand it with the “universal” façade, the U-Pass isn’t. Much like communist economic programs, it doesn’t reach those who need it and is incapable of serving everybody. Indeed, the success of the U-Pass is dependent upon its own disuse and… Continue reading Universal or useless, you decide

By Mike Bowerman

Would you like to see the paralyzed walk, or restore vision to the blind? What about cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, diabetes, or repairing the skin of burn victims? Then look to the science of stem cell research, send the miracle-cure evangelists packing and tell the Pope to get out of the research lab.… Continue reading Scientific progress or exploiting the unborn