ENGL2110 Editorial Assignment

06Apr06

Paper: The Coast              Audience: Haligonians ages 18-35            Words: 488

Who wants to talk about same-sex marriage again?

After the same-sex marriage legislation passed in June 2005, many people breathed a sigh of relief. It was a glorious moment for Canada. Canadians were seen as socially progressive citizens of the world. It was the third country to instate such legislation, after the Netherlands and Belgium. It was a positive moment for many people, allowing thousands of couples to finally confirm their love before law and state. Rice was thrown and everyone cheered.

Well, almost everyone.

Since the Conservatives won the federal elections in February, same-sex couples have been worried that this newly acquired right will be taken away. Many same-sex couples are actually pushing to have their weddings earlier, before Stephen Harper can push for a free vote in Parliament to reopen the Charter for this issue. If Harper’s resolution passes, then the traditional definition of marriage (of a heterosexual nature) will be restored through legislation.

It is understandable that there are diverse opinions on this issue, as it was one of the most controversial topics that have ever been confronted in Canadian politics. However, the same-sex marriage legislation confidently passed with a 158-133 vote just last year. If the issue has already been through Parliament, then why should we bother to revisit it?

Are people having doubts about their robust support for gay marriage?

That doesn’t seem likely. Recent polls suggest that most Canadians do not want to bring the controversial issue back on the table. In a survey of 2000 people, completed in late January 2006 by Environics, only a third of the people surveyed felt that the issue should be revisited.

However, even with Harper going through these motions, the same arguments for same-sex marriages still stand. A secular government cannot have laws based on religion, therefore it does not apply to same-sex civil marriages. Denying marriage to them infringes upon the couple’s civil rights. Any couple should have the right to the benefits that come with marriage, such as joint ownership and insurance. It’s also a form of minority discrimination, as homosexuality is a biological characteristic.

Although some same-sex couples are rushing their marriages in a panic, the Liberals say that the chances of the Charter being changed by Harper are slim.

Harper’s attempt to over turn the existing legislation about same-sex marriage is tricky because it relies on the Charter’s notwithstanding clause. This particular clause is “an escape hatch which no federal government has ever used,” reports the CBC.

And so Canada will put faith into the elected MPs to accurately reflect the attitude of the population in the free vote in the fall. Hopefully the decision resulting from the vote will still reflect those values in which the original decision was based on.

As Michael Savage, Liberal MP for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, eloquently put:

"[We are] a nation that celebrates equality. We will send a statement to the world that in Canada gays and lesbians will not be considered second-class citizens."

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Almost done

05Apr06

Dear loyal readers (whom I love and cherish),

The end is near.

The only thing I have left to post is an editorial I must write for this class. After that, the direction this blog is going to take is undetermined. I've recieved a great deal of positive feedback concerning the content and I'm happy that everyone enjoys it. I've decided that I will probably continue with this blog, and it shall be something I'll post my "intelligent" thoughts on.

My other personal blog will remain solely for the documentation of my less articulated and poorly researched rants and life quandaries.

All I have to say is that I have a personal list of things that I want to investigate through this blog. The list includes (but is not limited to) urban mythology, Halifax traditions, the development of Halifax as a city, how the caramel gets into the caramilk bar, the history of tea, and whatever else I might have read in the paper that day.

It shall be very exciting.

~ Samantha

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Topic 1: Internet ADD

04Apr06

Is it just me, or does the average web user have an Attention Deficit Disorder when it comes to using the internet?

While doing the required reading for this course, I came across the statistic that 79 per cent of all web users scan web pages instead of reading them.

This article, I'm assuming, was written and published before or on October 1st of 1997. Therefore that actual statistic is probably void at this point in time, as I'm positive that there are many other studies that have been completed on eye-tracking and web usability since then.

However, more web users probably still scan than read.

One of the main arguments is that web users are constantly looking for information. Jakob Nielson's study on web usability explains:

Each page has to compete with hundreds of millions of other pages for the user's attention. Users don't know whether this page is the one they need or whether some other page would be better: they are not willing to commit the investment of reading the page in the hope that it will be good. Most pages are in fact not worth the users' time, so experience encourages them to rely on information foraging. Instead of spending a lot of time on a single page, users move between many pages and try to pick the [tastiest] segments of each.

This constant searching of information is a character trait that I feel is significantly prevalent among my group of friends. One might go so far as to say that there are people in the world with a physical addiction to Google-ing things.

Nielson explains that this need to search for information is fueled by human laziness:

Humans are under less evolutionary pressure to improve their Web use, but basic laziness is a human characteristic that might be survival-related (don't exert yourself unless you have to). In any case, people like to get maximum benefit for minimum effort. That's what makes information foraging a useful tool for analyzing online media.

However, in exact contradiction to this statement, Neilson also lists the need to be productive as reason for users to scan instead of read. He says that users require that feeling of productivity, constantly moving and clicking on things, never staying in one place for long.

Now, if only there was something available to counteract this form of ADD…

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Topic 5: A Response to BComms

03Apr06

 

This entry is dedicated to fellow classmates, KD and GA, who feel that their Bachelor of Commerce is THE hottest thing.

As I mentioned in my entry addressing my very own BJH (Bachelor of Journalism Honors), I do not feel that any program is superior to any other, as people enter university to harness personal strengths and investigate interests. Therefore I feel that I do not have the right to judge people based on degree choice. This is also because I haven’t exactly taken a whole many different kinds of programs myself (I’m only 19), so it’d be unfair of me to criticise something I barely know anything about.

To solve this dilemma, I decided to get an insider opinion on the not-so-glamorous aspects of the BComm.

The following commentary is based mostly on conversations I’ve had with my friend Chris, a second-year Commerce student at Dalhousie.

Because the BComm is a blanket degree, many people enter the program because he/she did not know what else to take. It seems like a good idea: it’s a business degree, not an arts degree (giving it a bit more respect in the eyes of your grandparents), you’ll make money, you’ll get a job with it.

However, having a Bachelor of Commerce does not necessarily mean that one will be successful in the world of business upon graduation. Some of the most successful people in business have little or no post-secondary education at all. One has to have a strong drive and mind for ideas in order to truly stand out of the crowd of aspiring business people trying to make a name for themselves today.

So then, what does a BComm give you?

It gives you training. This training, despite what KD says, is about number crunching, business ethics and money motivation. So, GA, this explains why a BComm is such a highly sought out degree for employers. It is a known fact that companies are no longer interested in paying to extensively train their employees from scratch. A BComm means that you are already trained… to do the grunt work. And as it happens, that does make many people happy.

This wasn’t meant to come across as overly cynical. These theories can be applied to any degree:

Education? You’re getting trained to baby-sit brats, but maybe you’ll make a difference in their lives.

Philosophy? So, where are you getting your PhD?

Film? Keep waiting for that big break. But in the meantime, can you just run over to Starbucks and get me another coffee, kid?

The point is that personal motivation and talent is what will make an individual successful in any field that is chosen, not the degree.

 

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Topic 9: Values and Sex Ed for Young Children

03Apr06

The comments that I received from my commentary on the effects of porn on modern society called into question the values behind sex, religious or otherwise. So for this entry, I’ve decided to investigate the controversy behind teaching sexual health education in schools.

There are several issues that I came across while doing research:

1) Responsibility. What amount of authority that lies with the school (the government) and what falls upon the parent has been continuously debated. This past November, a judge ruled that:

There is no fundamental right of parents to be the exclusive provider of information regarding sexual matters to their children…Parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students.

The parents of the school were outraged. They felt that parents have the right to introduce their children to the matters regarding sex and sexuality in accordance to personal values. Personal opinions on this issue seem to vary in extremes.

2) Values vs. the facts. It is of a growing concern of parents that certain values are being taught to their children. Michele Hastings wrote an article for Christianity.ca titled “Spiritual Sex-Ed.” She emphasizes the point of encouraging the idea of saving sex for marriage, as “it’s also crucial to paint a picture for them of what God wants them to focus on during their teen years.” However, all she found was that the children only liked sexual pop songs because they were pleasing to the ear, and that there wasn’t a “whole lot of difference between Christian teens and their un-churched peers when it comes to matters such as male-female relationships and even modesty in clothing.” This just goes to show how the facts won’t change what kids feel about God or marriage. The facts, if anything, will just answer questions about puberty and warn about sexually transmitted diseases. If the facts call into question their values, then they have the right to question them. What I feel is lacking is the knowledge that children who know about sex won’t necessarily have it, just as not telling them won’t guarantee that they will abstain.

3) What kids want to know. Parents, meet the internet. There are filter programs available to keep Mary and Joe away from any site that uses the word sex. But children will get the information no matter what anyone does to keep it away from them. There are a countless numbers of websites that address issues about sexuality and sex, and if information isn’t available in school or from parents, this will always be here.

I’m aware that I’ve only just touched this issue. There are many facets to this: other cultures, religions and perspectives. However, I strongly feel that it is important that children be taught the biological facts regarding human sexuality. Whatever religious, ethical or personal values attached to sex should be developed after the kid knows what it is he/she feeling guilty about, holding out for, and/or enjoying.

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Topic 10: Security is an issue in my all-female residence

02Apr06

I currently live in Alexandra Hall at the University of King’s College. It is an all-female residence with a population of 150.

(Isn’t it pretty in the summer?)

As residences go, it’s clean, spacious, and friendly. Each residence room comes fully furnished; most of it is fully functional. The walls are painted a nice non-offensive cream colour and the ceiling is white stucco. With a couple of artfully placed plants and some books on the shelves, I’d say it’s rather homey.

(This is a picture of a residence room off of the king’s website)

And yet, I’m still not completely satisfied with my surroundings. Here before me are all of the comforts of home, and yet, I can’t stand living in a residence room.

Although there are many things that irritate me (noisy neighbours, not being able to control the heat in the room, having a roommate, the cafeteria food, sharing a washroom with 18 other girls), the biggest hassle is the sign-in system implemented for Alex Hall. All male guests have to sign in at the front desk if they enter the residence, and must leave by 1am, or 3am on weekends. The exact details can be read in the Yellow Book on page 10.

I have two problems with this policy:

1) This policy gender discriminates against males. Any female can wander up into the residence, and no one will question it. Dangerous strangers aren’t just male. I know there have definitely been random strangers that have knocked on my door, handing out pieces of paper saying that they are deaf and poor, or selling roses. I was shocked that they were allowed in. But they were female, so there are no rules against it.
2) There are loopholes in the male sign in policy. The DONs (also known as RAs or Floor Supervisors) do not require their guests to be signed in because they live in the residence under a different contract. This means that any male guest can just walk up to the front desk, say “I’m here to see a DON” and go on in. No call up to the DON to ask if they can come in, no sign in. The fact that this policy exists renders the sign in policy completely useless. It’s also incredibly unfair for the student residents, as the DONs all live in the same building too, they should abide by the same rules for security’s sake.

Solution: Get rid of the sign in policy. It's not doing anything anyway. An electronic swipe card system would be more efficient security at the front doors as it isn’t gender discriminatory. This way, all guests would have to call up to the residents (much similar to the intercom systems in most apartments).

The security procedures regarding Alexandra Hall are currently under review by the administration. They’ve decided to make some floors co-ed next year and further decisions on the sign in policy are yet to be announced.

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Topic 8: pr0n pop rocks

01Apr06

Pornography is arguably the oldest and one of the more popular forms of visual entertainment available to the international public today. Although pornography is associated with taboo in society, it is continuously spilling out into the mainstream and becoming an integral part of popular culture, and as a result, being embraced by society.

Porn used to be considered a crass form of entertainment because it stimulated a person to such an extent that it produced involuntary feelings. It seems that, in the North American culture of video games and IMAX movies, stimulation is the measurement of the effectiveness of art. The masses now seek to feel scared, sad, and aroused. The era worshipping the intellectually abstract is coming to a close.

The growing popularity of porn may not be entirely attributed to this fact, however. This trend may also be because it is now felt that everything is fair game in the effort to entertain. This can be seen in how traditional social boundaries are surpassed and thrown out in television, movies and the internet today. This can be seen in the phenomenon of Naked News, several television shows and documentaries.

Porn, as a result, has been accepted by many people as a viable form of entertainment (although not ALL people). But in the end, it isn’t just porn, it is the acceptance of the sexual act and human sexuality.

Take, for instance, Eros Blog. It is a sex blog, but not just about the finer details of how to do the dirty act. It has postings that can be taken as strangely ironic. For instance, there is a posting about a wedding dress made entirely out of condoms. From far away, it looks like something Barbie may wear, but the dress is a statement. It communicates that the person wearing it on his/her wedding day has a sense of humour about sexuality and, to an extent, disregard the sacredness associated with sex and marriage.

It is through these outlets that one can see how sexuality and the act of sex is something that is starting to be regarded with a more intellectual gaze while remaining endlessly entertaining. It is for these reasons why it is not surprising that the young generation feeds such forms of entertainment out of their wallets with such willingness.

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Topic 2: On the issue of voter turn-out

01Apr06

 

With every election, there are always people criticizing voter turn out.

In Canada’s 39^th federal election, held this past January, the turn out was 64.9 percent. That means that there were 7,997,003 registered voters who did not properly exercise this democratic privilege.

But is that enough of a cause to introduce mandatory voting in Canada?

Eric Weiner examines the effectiveness of the Australian system of mandatory voting in his article You Must Vote. It’s the Law. for Slate Magazine. In his commentary, he debunks the common conceptions about the effectiveness of mandatory voting. He writes that:

[...] the voting part of "mandatory voting" is a misnomer. All Australian citizens over the age of 18 must register and show up at a polling station, but they need not actually vote. They can deface their ballot or write in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo (Australia's version of Lassie)—or do nothing at all.

If one does not show up to a polling station, one is sent a polite letter from the government explaining that one is being fined $15 unless a valid excuse is offered.

Excuses include:

• Illness (no doctor’s note necessary)
• Travel
• Religious obligations
• Forgetfulness

So this ensures a high level of participation, but it does not actually secure valid votes from the participants. There has been a high level of criticism on the lax policies on getting people to vote. It is generally agreed that the government would have to institute a stricter policy in order for mandatory voting to become effective. However, there is no real solution or proposed plan to do so, as tying the policies tighter would infringe upon constitutional rights.

Where is Canada in all of this? I don’t know if this is any indication, but it seems like Canadians are further justifying the right not to vote. The ethics of this are highly debatable, however, one thing is certain: voting is an issue to many people, whether they vote or not. And I personally do not feel that Canada’s ready to take the step into mandatory voting.

Perhaps if there were more campaigns like votergasm then there will be a higher turn out rate.

P.S. I quite enjoy the votergasm campaign anthem.

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Topic 6: The Inhibitions of Spring Break

31Mar06

I’ve never been to Cancun, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico or Jamaica with my peers on a non-school sanctioned trip. Nor do I ever really plan to.

I find the entire concept of the teen spring break vacation mentally revolting.

Just review this promotional video.

The first thing that turns me off is the pressure to do something wild, crazy and teen milestone-y. The narrator even asks the viewer if he/she has plans for spring break in a doubtful tone. In the video you can see a lot of dancing, drinking, pretty girls wearing revealing clothing and groups of friends just yelling until they turn blue.

“Eat the jerk chicken, make love to all the beautiful ladies, and drink all of the Jamaican Rum you can because it’s a hell of a ride,” says the attractive male tourist as he looks into the camera. Truer words may’ve not been spoken before.

But what makes this experience so special?

What I personally don’t understand is the motivation for going to another country for a vacation of this nature. Think about it: You’re going to a hotel that is comfortably stocked with everything from home. You have running water, a buffet, a swimming pool, organised activities… even the people are from home. So what’s the difference?

The mentality of being free and the sunny weather.

The only obvious motivations would be to

1) Escape the cold of the North

2) Drink (most destinations have lower drinking ages)

3) Completely lose one’s inhibitions

Is North American society so stuck up now that people feel a need to completely escape to another country to have fun?

Personally, I do not find pleasure in lying on a crowded beach full of sweaty people, wearing an uncomfortably revealing bikini, sipping a drink that may give me hepatitis C, while quickly turning a crispy tomato red from the smoggy sun. And I can’t imagine the nightlife being much better, as grinding up against a complete stranger while complete sun burnt must be painful. Although, I guess that’s what all of the alcohol is for.

I’m not judging the people who do find pleasure in such things. I’m only critiquing the stereotypes that are associated with the high school and university spring breaks.

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Topic 7: The World Blowing Hot and Cold

30Mar06

I wouldn’t call myself an environmental activist. I recycle glass, plastic and paper. I don’t litter. I turn off the lights when I leave the room. But when it comes to global warming, I have to say that, while I believe that theory is valid, just about everything I’ve come across about it is alarmist bullshit [sorry if that was considered a swearword for some of you out there, but I felt that it adequately expressed the idea I was conveying].

Global Warming

Last term, I went to hear one of the speakers of the Killam Lecture series. The talk was titled Can Civilization Withstand Climate Change? The speaker was Elizabeth May, the Executive Director of Sierra Club of Canada.

According to her and the Pentagon, the world is going to end in four years:

It suggested that it was plausible that the Gulf Stream could stall by 2010. This would be caused by rapidly melting polar ice changing the salinity of the ocean. The ice is fresh water and its release would push down on the more saline currents, slowing and potentially stopping the vast ocean conveyor belt of currents. If the Gulf Stream were to stall, the Pentagon study anticipated widespread social and institutional collapse as droughts led to collapses in food production, displaced environmental refugees pressed on other borders for resources, soil erosion increased and wind speeds across Texas picked up … The Pentagon concluded that the risks of climate change were more significant than the risk of terrorism.

In the question and answer period, someone asked why we didn’t see more apparent effects of global warming. I don’t remember getting a clear answer.

So I did a bit of research on my own. And I think I found a plausible reason why this may be.

Global Dimming

I found an article on BBC News Online about a phenomenon aptly named “Global Dimming.”

Global dimming is basically the tiny pollution particles in the clouds reflecting back sunlight into space. This is significant because if more sunlight is being reflected, then the earth produces less heat as a result. Therefore, the earth is undergoing a cooling process in conjunction with a heating process. In the end, it is barely balancing itself out.

The danger lies in the kinds of programs implemented to ‘fix’ either global warming or global dimming. If one problem is fixed, then the other will just take full reign.

Don’t grab the paper bag quite yet

Sometimes I have this urge to take the heads of some activists and throw them into the Harbor. Then I’d say, “Look at how huge this planet is. It is not going to end in four years. Chill out (pun intended).”

There are more pressing issues at hand that demand our attention more than how sunny it is today.

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