“We didn’t know how to help”
Mental illness has historically been a difficult topic for discussion, for such reasons as a lack of knowledge of its effects or the naive belief that it’s a rarity even in today’s society.
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Closing the STEM gender gap
When I was 13 years old, I was selected by my school to attend a “Women in Information Technology” seminar at the University of Winnipeg. The goal of the event was to encourage young female students to consider a technical career in information technology. It was one of many initiatives held across Canada in an attempt to close the gender gap in STEM fields – sciences, technology, engineering, and math.
Building momentum for Shoal Lake 40’s Freedom Road
This past September, nearly 1,000 Winnipeggers gathered at the Legislative Building to participate in the Winnipeg Water Walk, an event which called for hard commitments from the local, provincial, and federal governments towards the building of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation’s “Freedom Road.” At this event, Premier Greg Selinger announced that Freedom Road would be included in the next provincial budget.
The end is nigh
The world is burning. Over the summer, for days, the sun was veiled in smoke, a gibbous and hideous orange. At midday you could look directly at it. An old neighbour commented that he had not seen such a thing since the eruption of Mount St. Helens. That was the first time the sun was dimmed, when it was fires in Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
Legalize it – and by ‘it,’ I mean ‘all of it’
Commanding a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, and with the already-established support of the courts, there is no reason the incoming Liberal government cannot make good on its promise to legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana. The ending of the prohibition on marijuana is the proper time to reconsider our society’s stance on other drugs as well.
Many drugs, like marijuana, are not illegal because they are inherently addictive or harmful – the arguments put forward as justification for the legalization of marijuana apply to them also. There is no reason (other than the weight of tradition and old attitudes) that a significant part of currently outlawed substances cannot be legalized, taxed, and sold.
Don’t be an idiot
One of the first articles I ever contributed to the Manitoban was an indictment of one individual who on Halloween of 2013 chose to hit Stereo Nightclub in blackface. The photo of the individual was shared hundreds of times on social media, according to the CBC. The image was posted as a part of Stereo’s promotional photography albums. Thus the establishment also came under rightful fire for allowing the individual in.
This Halloween, save everyone the grief and the media circus.
If you, as a non-black individual, want to dress up like a culturally iconic black celebrity such as Jimi Hendrix, then I’ll applaud your right to do so, but only if you leave your face the colour it is.
Elections and Canadian values
Stephen Harper is no longer the driving force of Canadian politics. Though I’m less than happy with the results of the federal election, it is a relief to be able to say that.
While most Canadians seem glad to see the back of him, the usual gadflies have predictably emerged to salvage what they can of Harper’s reputation in an effort to construe him as some kind of noble, tragic hero. This simply cannot be allowed.
Saving the CBC
The CBC has been hobbled.
Decades of funding cuts under both the Liberal and Conservative governments and political interference through board appointments by Stephen Harper have severely hampered the national broadcaster’s ability to meet its mandate: to “provide radio and television services incorporating a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains,” according to the 1991 Broadcasting Act.
RE: Give us a break
In his response to Tom Ingram’s Oct. 8 article “Give us a break,” Mike Still apologized for “trying to put the bulk of the blame on students for not showing up” to Bisons Sports events. While I think Still’s Sept. 30 article was taken out of context by Ingram, Still’s editorial from last March was more critical, arguing that despite incentives encouraging students to attend, “home game attendance is still abysmal.”
RE: Give us a break
I’m also not a fan of calling attendance pathetic or voicing frustration at the student body for not attending. Using that kind of language and…