Old Sock Drawer

Currently listening to: “Bratislava” – Beirut

Fret not, for our days of cruel oppression under the staggering weight of obscene tuition costs have finally come to an end!

UN storms the Knoll

I shan’t be redundant, for the resolutions from last night’s AMS meeting have been liveblogged and generally quite widely disseminated on a number of sources (1, 2, 3, 4 – sorry if I’ve missed anything).

And yes, this update was mostly just an excuse to post the link to that wickedly brilliant YouTube video.

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Liveblogging today’s emergency AMS Council meeting at 5 pm

Tags:   student politics2 Comments

Currently listening to: “Babylon” – Mad Men Season 1 OST

So, the UBC blogosphere (and beyond) has been all aflutter about AMS President Blake Frederick’s UN debacle (also, see UBC Insiders for an extensive overview). Quick summary, for your lack of attention spans: basically, Frederick launched a human rights complaint with the UN, claiming that rising tuition fees point to the failure of both the Provincial and Federal governments in providing affordable post-secondary education.

Feel free to join me in a collective “what was he thinking?” No, make that a “Was he thinking?!”

Now, I understand tuition is a problem for many students, myself included. I am all for lower tuition costs but perspective, people! How this can conceivably be viewed as a violation of our human rights is sheer arrogance speaking out of a position of privilege. Not having access to food, water, and security are all quite rightly considered to be human rights violations. Our risk of running a relatively small student loan debt compared to the cost incurred in universities in the US and UK of equal calibre? Not quite on the same scale. Though we may be having a little more difficulty paying for our education than in an ideal situation, we should be incredibly thankful that post-secondary education is available to us while people in so many countries barely even have the opportunity to attend basic primary education. Calling this a “human rights violation” simply cheapens the idea of what constitutes a human rights violation and draws attention away from legitimate human rights violations both within Canada and worldwide.

To be part of the discussion, come on out to the emergency council meeting tomorrow, or submit your comments here.

I will be liveblogging the proceedings of the meeting tomorrow, so feel free to keep a lookout for that, along with the Ubyssey’s.

Tags:   rant1 Comment

Currently listening to: “Camilo (The Magician)” – Said the Whale

Imagine sitting down with a mug of coffee and a biscuit at breakfast-time, and reaching for a copy of the newspaper. Imagine your newspaper coming in this form:

A sample article in the newspaper:

editorsweblog.org provides a fascinating profile of i, a newly-established Portugese newspaper which seems to be bucking the worldwide trend of a decline in print media. This is all extremely exciting and quite heartening, even as we hear of newspapers in Canada going under due to falling readership and advertising (and let’s not even get into the issue of Who Reads the News Nowadays Anyway, because being uninformed is Simply Irksome).

On first glance, it can be a little disconcerting. The print layouts are more reminiscent of Nylon Magazine than Time Magazine; likewise, the website seems a little National Enquirer meets Lomography. But of course, this shift in aesthetic is key. The way people absorb and obtain news has changed dramatically in the past twenty years. Media sensationalism is at an all-time high with tons of on-line outlets providing up-to-the-second updates satiating our need to know on a per-second basis and somehow, the act of picking up a print newspaper and leafing through it to find what you’re interested in just seems so trite all of a sudden. I mean, why would you do that when you could just click on the link? (I was actually having a chat about this with my roommate the other day, not knowing that I’d be spurred on to write this entry so soon after!)

But there is no reason why perfectly legitimate, well-written print journalism cannot keep up a competitive edge by aligning itself to these changes in how people absorb information without compromising its content. In decrying the dearth of literacy, print journalism has to counteract it not by dumbing itself down, but rather, by maintaining high levels of journalism in combination with mainstream stylistic appeal. And I think that’s essential- not compromising the actual quality of news and writing simply to appeal to the masses.

Well, what can I say for myself? Even as I digitalize and trot along reading the news on-line from a good three to five different newspapers/magazines a day, it’d be difficult to resist the charms of a sleekly laid-out newspaper, accompanied by a steaming mug of coffee.

Tags:   media4 Comments

or, “How to be capitalist without being a twit”

Currently listening to: “Pangea” – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Both Rabi and Erica have written splendid entries replete with pictures about their experiences at the conference held by Enterprize Canada, so I shall make this concise. Suffice to say, it was quite brilliant. My usual reading and discussion in social justice issues tend to lean towards change enacted through government policy and legislation, so this brief but jolly jaunt on the other side of the public/private rainbow was fascinating and informative.

Numbered Bullet Points For Your Lack of Attention Span:

1. Ethics, not exploitation!

2. Emotions shouldn’t be glossed over in the decision-making process. (Cognitive Psychology, holla!)

3. Extended metaphors involving flying primates are most excellent.

4. Exciting things discussed: fair trade coffee! (with the legitimate definition, you have no idea how happy-making this was), environmental stewardship, opportunities for empowering women, solutions for homelessness

5. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable and inspiring speakers. Ken Lyotier is basically the coolest guy ever. Case in point: as a result of his own life experiences, he founded United We Can, a sustainable venture combining environmental efforts with poverty reduction. /commence geeking out, I seem to be doing a lot of that lately.

So, all-around absolutely wicked conference, and I’m incredibly glad I attended. Hurrah!

Now, back to the murky world of Montaigne (inventor of the essay, oh you devil)…

Tags:   conferences · SEEComments Off on #077: Social Enterpreneurship Experience