Opinion
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Rules are Made to be Broken
Since the beginning, hip-hop music has always had rules – unwritten dos-and-don’ts. It was a way of making sure new jacks paid their dues. It was a way of weeding out biters. After all, hip-hop was/is a culture, and it had to be protected from being overrun by suckers. So, if you were a young upstart hoping to enter the fray, you had to know the rules. Because sooner or later, you were gonna get called out.
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Sounds like white guilt
Rex Murphy is an accomplished rhetorician with a swift tongue. He pontificates with flowery rhetoric on CBC Television, dogmatizes to guests on talk radio and often scribbles a demagogic quill for nationally-syndicated newspaper columns.
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Throne Speech? More like Groan Speech
To those who watched this year’s Speech from the Throne on October 16 without being paid to do so, I commend you. To those who did not, I envy your formidable foresight. The throne speech is a curious relic, wherein the ruling party crafts a message to be delivered by the Queen’s representative, in our case the Governor General, on its behalf.
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Canada’s national security institutions are far from innocent
Unlike the NSA, which is constantly written about and criticized by a small but significant fold of journalists, Canada has no such adversarial watchdogs; though we should. Canada is just as much a part of the nefarious “national security” complex that has seen priorities shift from the Threat of Terrorism in 2001, to the Threat of Everything in 2013.
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Still breathing but barely
Travelling is hard for a Winnipeg apologist. Spending time in a city that has it pretty together makes your own city’s shortcomings that much harder to swallow.
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Dangerous double standards
If you are looking for reasons to distrust the perennial narrative about Canada as a just and equitable society, try having a conversation with Ethiopian-Canadian Ali Saeed about the saga of Tarek Loubani and John Greyson – two men just released from an Egyptian prison after weeks in captivity.
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Student Dispatch with Bilan Arte
Throughout September, the University of Winnipeg faced student and community outrage against the University’s agreement with global oil giant, Enbridge, to fund the Eco-Kids Program.
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I’ll be gentle
There’s this pretty lame idea floating around out there that sex toys are only for people who can’t get “the real thing.” Well, I’m here to tell you that just isn’t true.
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Reflections On democracy
On the evening of September 19, I (along with about twenty other people) was treated to a panel discussion at the University of Winnipeg focusing on whether or not Canada’s political party system contributes or detracts from a healthy and vibrant democratic process.
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It’s time for Canada to adopt a carbon tax
At the time of this writing, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, used to measure greenhouse gas emissions and track climate change, sit around 395 parts per million. That figure is higher than at any point in the last 3 million years. Scientists unanimously agree: reliance on dirty fossil fuels has to change. Humanity depends upon it, and our time is running out.
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Critical Hit with Drew Nordman
War never changes – console war that is.
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Twitter, Star Trek and vegan strippers
On September 25, the New York Times posted a story – lifted largely from Internet-hype publication BuzzFeed – commenting on Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker’s relationship with Portland, OR-based exotic dancer Lynsie Lee.
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A diehard Bomber fan’s problem with Winnipeg’s love of the Jets
It is human nature to despise losing. Losing a job, a game, a fight, even losing a cellphone, is something humans are not programmed to like, or even tolerate.
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Culture Consciousness with Tom Baril-Bissett
This past week saw the release of Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games’ latest instalment in the infamous video game series. The saga is known for its high level of design and complexity but also for its condescending attitudes toward women and glorification of violence.
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Empathy is cute, or whatever
I don’t think there are a whole lot of people out there who disagree with the concept of charity – helping out your fellow human is a basic part of being a good or at least an empathetic person.
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Sexism isn’t funny
What does violence against women look like? Many people on campus may be asking this question in light of recent news exposing the disgusting Frosh Week chants at St. Mary’s University and the University of British Columbia. Does a song, or a joke, or a slogan on a t-shirt constitute violence? In short, the answer is “yes”.
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Still breathing but barely
Some years ago, I spent a lost evening exploring the city in my parents’ station wagon.
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Go do things!
With the opportune timing of the first month back, I write this for everyone: the first years, the second years, and yes, those in the 17th year of their three-year B.A.
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Student Dispatch with Bilan Arte
Welcome back to campus for another year filled with textbooks, term papers, and all-nighters. While you were enjoying the summer working (or looking for work), spending time with family and friends, or taking a summer class, a lot was happening on the post-secondary education front.
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Your future is calling!
In Twisted Sister’s famous music video for “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, Mark Metcalf demandingly asks his son “What do you want to do with your life?”