ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CUP) — The Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente claims the 21st century “belongs to women” and that “the war for women’s rights is over. And we won.” She wrote this in a column that came a day before International Women’s Day. This purposefully ignorant argument hardly deserves a response. Unfortunately, this opinion does not seem to be an uncommon. The Chronicle Herald published an article on the same day that began with the phrase “(This 22 year old) grew ..read more

When violent incidents on city transit make the news, it may make the average student rider nervous. Be it the man who lost his leg when he fell between two cars or the individual who was stabbed on the train, these headlines can make you feel like riding public transit is similar to starring in a low budget horror movie. That’s right, your fears about taking that midnight train downtown aren’t completely invalid. While an argument can be made that perhaps people overreact ..read more

What not to do on your magical everything-machine. We live in a world of useful technology. Every other day a new update, feature, app or platform is invented to help us communicate faster, better and more clearly. Of all these continuously evolving technological tools, the cellphone sits at the top of the hierarchy. The average cellphone offers innumerable ways to talk to your friends, family or other associates. From one handy little device, you can email, text, instant message, Facebook, tweet or even ..read more

To many, student loans are a necessity, not a choice. But if the recent study showing student loan debt at an all time high is any indication, maybe this assumption should be questioned. There are, in fact, ways to survive without loans. Perhaps one of the biggest hints that you not only can, but are meant to do so, is found in the regulations that both the provincial and federal loan departments put on those applying for student loans. Whether or not you ..read more

Japan’s current troubles would bring other countries to their knees. An earthquake registering 9.0 triggered a devastating tsunami, which then damaged a series of nuclear reactors, most notably the Fukushima plant. Whole swaths of northern Japan are completely destroyed, thousands have been killed while countless others have lost their homes and livelihoods. One thing that has surprised many is the lack of looting in Japan. Not only have the Japanese remained respectful in the face of this disaster, they have also ..read more

No matter which gender you identify with, there’s a certain degree of difficulty taking advice from the opposite sex. But sometimes we need to suck it up and listen, especially when it comes to certain topics. Bathroom etiquette just so happens to be one of those topics, and there just so happens to be a lot that we can learn from each other. Weal editors Cordell Blanchette and Nicole Santerre give each other, and you, some advice on how to ..read more

March is nutrition awareness month, and if you’re like me, the last two months of neglecting resolutions to eat better and be less self-destructive are catching up. Even though some groundbreaking steps have been taken — like no more Cheez Whiz, since it’s grey before the yellow colouring is added — the garbage is still full of frozen dinner boxes, bottle caps and Tim Hortons cups. Students have limited options when it comes to buying affordable food. A loan or line of ..read more

In 1989, Charlie Sheen had a starring role in the baseball comedy movie Major League. In the film, he plays relief pitcher Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn, a fresh from prison head-case with a knack for binge drinking and sleeping with teammates’ wives. Sound familiar? How many of us now watch Two and a Half Men and can’t help but notice the similarities between Sheen the man and his character? If anything, his real-life self is worse. Why do I feel like this ..read more

With three Trojan teams currently in the hunt for medals, it’s astounding how there is little to no fanfare on campus in support of those who represent SAIT in athletic endeavors. Why isn’t the student population pumped about their collegiate teams making runs for first? Granted SAIT is a technical school and athletics may not rank high on students’ priorities list, but at the end of the day the players on the Trojan teams are students first and athletes second. They make ..read more

I have had an epiphany: Smoking is not positive for one’s health. This revelation may have occurred as a result of my 14 years of public education,  my parents’ warnings and disapproval, the many discriminatory anti-smoking advertisements or even the graphic warnings on and inside the cigarette packaging. Without a doubt, my revelation didn’t occur through ignorant non-smokers telling me about their grand concerns for my health. People tell smokers this known fact to enlighten them, to “save” them or to point out ..read more

OTTAWA (CUP) — “And then we went back to my place and (had sex),” the girl ahead of me in line at the coffee shop declared, catching her friend up on the weekend’s events. “I can’t believe you did that,” responded the second girl, incredulously. “You’re such a slut!” Both girls erupted into laughter as they grabbed their coffees and walked away. What’s wrong with this conversation? For starters, the fact that most of you silently thought “nothing” in response. The word “slut” ..read more

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. To help or not to help is no longer the way of foreign aid, especially in a world increasingly complex, nuanced, and yet still stuck in black and white, Liberal or Conservative. Making blind donations in the hopes that someone will direct your money towards a good cause likely isn’t the best giving strategy. The charity, while heart-warming, can lead to more damage than benefit. An example of this is the ..read more

The days of aristocracy are over. There are no ladies or lords to attend to anymore. However, the lifestyles of our ancestors are still alive thanks to modern-day celebrity. For whatever reason, people love them despite – or perhaps because of – their drug habits, rehab trips, sex tapes, DUIs, and other catastrophic failings that would mean complete disaster for a human being not in the limelight. In the wake of the Grammys and upcoming Oscars, people seem to scraping the bottom ..read more

WATERLOO, Ont. (CUP) — My grandparents were born into what has been called the “greatest generation,” when people appreciated the little things in a period full of war and hardship. My parents are the product of that generation, the “baby boomers,” who lived through a time when people celebrated their newfound prosperity and rallied for rights and change. So, what does that make us? Some call us “Generation Y.” To me, we’re a generation of pathetic human beings who can’t do anything on ..read more

Proud of our Canadian identity as a “multi-cultural” society, Canada used to be known for its immigration policy, specifically its once glorious stance on refugee and asylum-seekers. This year, Canada decided it didn’t want to be the shining beacon of hope to all the war-torn, persecuted, oppressed and/or otherwise downtrodden people of the world striving to make a better life for themselves on new turf. Passed in a first reading in October of last year, Bill C-49 will change not only our ..read more

My classmates and I were recently very offended by the article Weal Web Picks – Jan. 27, 2011. “Purchase used firearms for rock bottom prices from the classifieds forum. Owning a handgun has never been this easy or affordable.” This piece scared us all so deeply that we thought it was joke at first. We believe that this topic should not be promoted through any college newspaper, no matter what audience you may be targeting; it is completely unsafe. SAIT is promoted ..read more

Imagine for a moment that you no longer have Facebook, Twitter, or Google. You’re in the middle of a war-zone because your government has, for the past 30 years, denied your human rights and existed as an oppressive, dictatorial regime. Your countrymen have decided to put an end to this, and the military — sent to shoot you into peace — has instead decided to disobey orders. Because of this, the government removes all internet and mobile communication (phone and texting) ..read more

We’re bombarded with talk about body image issues in our culture. From women in our lives who are starving themselves to those who are so famished they’re barely able to walk down a runway, it seems the idea that thinner is better just won’t go away. Most of us, by now, have seen ad campaigns, educational seminars, and inspirational mediums asserting that this dictate simply isn’t true. And we’ve learned body image issues can become so deep seated, they manifest as ..read more

As children, we were constantly plagued with two questions: how old are you and what do you want to be when you grow up? Responding to the first question by holding up fingers came as no challenge, but answering the latter was much more challenging. Naturally as a six-year-old girl enrolled to play a toy soldier in the Nutcracker Ballet, my answer was ballerina. As I grew older, it shifted from pop-star to lawyer, human rights activist, visual artist and finally ..read more

SAIT campus, and Calgary as a whole, is brimming with a new sense of purpose as we once again begin the season of failed and failing New Year’s` resolutions. Sure, some people make a year-long effort to change certain aspects of their lives, because January once again showed its champagne-soaked face. However, most people give up after they’ve denied themselves long enough to feel they’re suffering, justifying a dip into the temptation pool and drowning in it until they wade out ..read more

The number 2011 sounds awfully futuristic, especially with the invention of flying cars – a feat achieved by SAIT alum Paul Moller. Looking back at the 1950s, when Moller attended SAIT, people thought up some pretty wacky stuff when they peered into their crystal balls. After all, we certainly aren’t the aluminum-wearing, tin-foil hat donning space-travelers whose clothing adjusts for atmospheric discrepancies as we vacation on Mars for the weekend that they thought we’d be. But in the dawn of a new decade, ..read more

When was the last time you asked your pharmacist about the side effects of your birth control pill, patch, or shot? If the answer is never, then maybe it’s time to talk to your doctor. A recent lawsuit against Bayer, the maker of two birth control pills called Yaz and Yasmin, is attempting to prove that Yaz and Yasmin have caused nearly 50 deaths. That doesn’t seem like a lot of people, not when over 100 million women have taken Yaz since ..read more

Dear Love Gurus, I’ve been with my girlfriend for a while and I really love her. Sex is great and she always wears the sexiest bras and underwear to bed. I appreciate her effort to look good for me, and I want to return the favour. Our one-year anniversary is coming up and I am wondering if there is a sexy underwear option for guys. Do girls like skimpy briefs? My body’s OK, but not amazing.  I saw some mesh and ..read more

I understand the thought process behind doing drugs for fun. As I’ve watched my friends try various chemical drugs over the years, I have sometimes wanted to join in because it looks exciting. But watching my friends go through myriad experiences with substances is exactly the same reason I’ve stayed away from drugs like cocaine, ecstasy, meth, and acid. I’ve witnessed everything that can go wrong, and that’s enough to keep me away. I’ve seen the life of someone close to me spiral ..read more

It’s all to do with perspective and what we’re told by the government. Caffeine is legal and it’s so widely integrated in our daily lives. I know I wouldn’t survive school without it. Cigarettes are legal. I’m a dumbass for smoking them, but I enjoy the experience. Despite recently being battered by legislation to keep the coughing, hacking and panting portion of the population from smoking inside or within five kilometres (sarcasm) of a door, smokers keep puffing along and accelerating our ..read more

The music is loud, the lights are low and the air stinks of stale beer. It’s Friday night, 9 p.m., and my friends have “designated” me as the driver. But soon I’ll be policing their behaviour like a babysitter. As people shuffle in and the bar staff hustle to fill drink orders, my enjoyment of the evening quickly dims. Drinking Coke doesn’t quite cut it. I can’t drink. Not because I’m a recovering addict or smugly perched on some moral high-ground. It’s called ..read more

Seniors A GoGo is a performance group led by Mariette Sluyter of the Foundation Lab, Inc. and funded by Calgary Sexual Health. The performances are powerful, real-life stories of human sexuality told by seven diverse Calgary seniors. I’ve been volunteering with the group this fall and felt moved by the powerful and courageous stories these brave seniors are bringing to our city. Before I got involved in the Seniors A GoGo group, I didn’t think seniors even had sex. Well, boy was I wrong! The ..read more

Founded by Vancouver artist Ted Dave in September 1992 and promoted by Adbusters magazine, Buy Nothing Day encourages movers and shakers to bust out of their consumer shells and “stop living our five-planet lifestyle.” The premise of Buy Nothing Day is good; as a country, we consistently live beyond our means, accumulate debt, fall into depression and make up for it by buying the next big toy. In our massive spending obsession, we have laid relationships and empathy by the wayside. Buy ..read more

Male donors: have you had sex with a man – even once – since 1977? If you answered yes, then congratulations: you will never give blood. This question is one of many on the Record of Donation form, the questionnaire potential donors fill out when giving blood. But it’s also the single most controversial question on the questionnaire. The argument is that homosexual males are statistically more likely to carry the AIDS virus or be HIV-positive. Both of these illnesses are blood borne. While studies ..read more

Buy Nothing Day is an attempt to remind us of the authenticity that can be found in living simply. This is the immeasurable goal after all, an authentic life. Inauthentic is buying, driving, preening, scoring, trying, vying, etc. But we are a culture of consumers. We have chosen flashy and attractive customs through consistent and long-standing behaviour. And yet, we should protest against it? Remote tribes of people, untouched by the “evils” of Western society, value wealth too. Their homes and harvests establish ..read more

“Look! A crazy person!” someone screams as a student exits a therapist’s office. “Quick! Quarantine them before we all catch depression.” Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, it is. But for some strange reason, therapy holds the same stigma it did back in the ‘60s. People still feel ashamed to be taking responsibility for their emotions and actively trying to be happy and healthy. Yet, in institutions across the globe, students are experiencing higher levels of mental illness. According to a 2009 study by the American ..read more

Poor Eric Lindros. If only his career would’ve began during the 2010-2011 season, perhaps he might have had a chance to realize the potential that coaches and scouts believed he possessed. Drafted first overall in the 1991 NHL entry draft, Lindros fit the bill for the prototypical power forward. His hard-nosed playing style was supposed to be his biggest asset, though ultimately it was his biggest flaw. Lindros suffered numerous severe concussions during his career. Because of these concussions, his skill declined ..read more