The reign of rain By Eric Wilkins itter patter pitter patter pitter patter Pose pitter patter pitter patter THUD...(thud?)..pitter patter pitter patter pit...pat....pit. To the average Vancouverite (apologies to the other municipalities. I’m just going to lump us all together here), these are common sounds throughout the year. A new season has just fall-en upon us, and our good friend the rain will now be taking up a more permanent residence as opposed to his part time incursion during the summer. Often I hear people complaining about the rain. “It’s too depressing.” “It makes me want to stay indoors.” “It’s too wet!” As a Moving on to the more important fashion-oriented points, rain gives us a reason to haul out those skeletal bumbershoots from the recesses of our homes. To those lacking sufficient rain gear vocabulary, I am referring to umbrellas. Don’t deny it. You love taking off that brightly-coloured cover and walking down the street, completely impervious to the watery carnage around you. While on the subject of rain attire, I can’t not mention rain boots. Who doesn't like to wear those wonderful gumboots? No other footwear enables us to wade as fearlessly through puddles as galoshes do. They look pretty awesome too. My amazing sense of style predicts that they will be in “How many times have you taken one peek outside, seen the downpour, and decided that the day would be best spent curled up on the couch with a hot drink, just enjoying the shelter afforded by your home?’ rain-lover, I can’t stand to hear the endless moaning about one of life’s little miracles. Rain is a source of life. B.C. wouldn’t be as beautiful as it is if there was no rain. Why do you think our province is blooming with so much plant life? Ever wondered why it feels so good to walk outside after it rains? Believe it or not, it’s not just because you hate the rain and are happy that it’s over. Rain - causes negative ions to be released into the atmosphere. A negative what now? Thinking back to those high school science classes, one may be able to figure it out that negative ions are simply atoms with an extra electron. It has been proven that negative ions can help lift one’s spirits, even to the point of serving as a treatment for depression. Vogue this year. You heard it here first. (I’ve just been informed that they have been in Vogue for some time now... Brilliant.) How many times have you taken one peek outside, seen the downpour, and decided that the day would be best spent curled up on the couch with a hot drink, just enjoying the shelter afforded by your home? If you have never done this, shame on you. Try it! One final musing is that without rain, the quality of romantic comedies would drop dramatically. A rom-com without the timeless classic of two lovers kissing in the rain just isn’t a good movie! ...And I can’t believe I just wrote that. Excuse me. I need to go watch Die Hard for awhile. Don’t be a drip; embrace the rain! Bad news for BAs Having a bachelor’s degree doesn’t guarantee financial prosperity By Kyle Wallis ast week I read an article in the Globe and Mail detailing statistics about how some Canadians with bachelor’s degrees earn less than the Canadian annual income. The article gave a startling statistic—18.5 per cent of Canadian university graduates earn less than 2008’s Canadian median income ($37,002). It also mentions that there are variations in wage of about 12 per cent between higher-earning disciplines like engineering and lower- earning disciplines such as humanities and social sciences. I guess that means my dream job of being Noam Chomsky’s right hand man needs to be re-evaluated. Now, throughout the article the author kept talking about how education was an “investment” for the future, and I began to think about my post-secondary education in a new way. Since post-secondary education is an investment, and most investments are, at heart, just safer forms of gambling, am I more or less gambling with my future? This notion really got me thinking because not only am I going to spend around $20,000 on tuition fees for my degree, but I will also be spending four years of my life. In this sense, I’m gambling with more than just money—I’m gambling with time, an investment that can’t be returned. And this gamble isn’t really a sure win for me. After four years and $20,000, I probably won’t be assured a job right out of university. As the 18.5 per cent of Canadian graduates earning at or below the national median can attest to, that degree might not even help me earn more than someone without any post-secondary education. I’m surprised because after years of people telling me that post-secondary was the best way to ensure a successful future, I still might not get out ahead. On the other hand, the Globe and Mail article quotes TD economics reports noting that “education is still the best investment you can make.” Government studies of post graduates have also shown that post- secondary education leads to more than the chance at a better income. In a 2009 Statistics Canada study of people with student loans, it was found that “in addition to financial gains, it has been found that students acquire other skills and experiences through higher education. These include more opportunities for self-accomplishment, social interaction, and independence.” In addition, the 81.5 per cent of undergrads in Canada earn more than the national median. So with any luck, I will have an 81.5 per cent chance of earning more than the average Canadian after I finish my degree. As a previous teacher of mine used to say, “those odds are better than Vegas.”