LETTINOR

 

We're really into the heart of the semester now
Kittlings. Sweat is breaking on furrowed brows, beer is
being occasionally set aside for late-night caffeine fixes,
and academic standards have slipped to the point where
“aiming for a B-minus on this one” sounds like a per-
fectly acceptable idea. On the one hand, three months
sptints past you like a long-awaited night on the town.
On the other, it’s a slog not fit for (wo)man nor beast
(unless said (wo)man/beast is a student/instructor). But
the semester system is what we’ve got, and gal-darn-it, I
prefer it to any of the communist systems of 11-
straight months of classes they preach at those hoity-
toity private institutions.

The semester system works because it has the
appearance of forgiveness. Three months per semester
is the right number for the job, because it allows you to
believe you can slip and recover, hand “just this one” in
late and still get the grades you desire, screw-up and still
catch-up. There’s always time left at this point in the
semester, whether you know it or not. You could still
change should you so desire. So buckle up you lily-liv-
ered sissies and get down to business, right after that
next cup of tea. And a break for mental sanity. And a
perusing of this week’s Other Press, of course.

I know I say it every week, but this edition is the
P.T. Barnum of weekly newspapers. It’s got the bells,
the whistles, and even a couple of pricks. Itll amaze,
entertain, and cure what ails you. It’s a carnival barker
crossed with the love child of Neil Young and a beauti-
ful Nobel laureate. Even if it’s not entirely all that and a
bag of chips, hey, it’s free and you’re already reading it,
so what the hell, why stop now?

News has got all the latest on the 12-round-bout
still being waged between DSU and the College Board
over funding. This week’s twists and turns include an
anonymous manifesto, “draft documents” previously
referred to as “final copies,” and a tanned midget in a

 

Features 16

Mexican Wrestling mask. I kid. I kid. But there’s also
student support for the BCTF and an informative piece
on a program to breakdown traditional stereotypes sur-
rounding women and higher education.

This week’s Opinions section ranges from rumina-
tions on masculinity to ruminations on North
American “cronyism” in national politics. The link
between media coverage and how much money people
donate following disasters is also ruminated on.
Basically, it’s a cavalcade of rumination to delight,
instruct, and bamboozle. And those are always my
favourite cavalcades of rumination.

A&E brings the noise like Public Enemy and
Anthrax this week, and features a Vancouver Film Fest
Review-fest, four songs to get you laid, the Killers con-
cert highlights, and an evening with Neil Gaiman.
Basically, even if you don’t like arts and entertainment
in completely entrancing packages, you shouldn’t put
this paper down anytime soon because we believe this
section could save your life. Confused yet? Me too.

In this week’s features, Editor Kevin Welsh will help
bring clarity to the conundrum that is the BCTF job
action. It’s a two-pager, and the amount of words may
look daunting, but trust me, this article alone is worth
the price of Other Press admission.

Sports is a three-ring circus of Douglas sports with
some hockey thoughts thrown in for balance. There’s
volleyball, soccer, and basketball just waiting for you in
the back pages.

You may as well read it three times, from cover to
cover to cover, because we got you covered in the midst
of your mid-semester blues this week folks. Try saying
that three times fast. Enjoy.

—Colin Miley, Managing Editor

 

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