© Opinions the other press e Kalithurber opinionsubmit@hotmail.com October 15, 2003 Laziness Shadows Redeeming Qualities Kali Thurber Opinions Editor So, what is with the extreme level of lethargy that is rampant in our school? Seriously, I would like to know. Is there perhaps some hidden disease that at least half of Douglas College students are suffering from, perpe- trating this lack of energy? It must be men- tioned that the laziness I speak of is present all around the campus, and not excluding the washroom, I might add. There are several issues involved here, that I so desperately need to address, but the first and most impor- tant is the situation with the automatic doors. Countless times have I found groups of stu- dents and staff standing in front of the doors within our school, waiting for them to open, having already pushed the oh-so-handy but- ton. Those doors are meant for people with physical disabilities, and unless I see a cast around your arm, or wheels under your legs (and skateboards don’t count here) I expect that those doors are not too heavy for you. Is it so hard to use the muscles that are waiting dormant inside of you? Sure you're exercising your brain in the classroom, but it does not mean that you should disregard your body altogether. And it’s not like it’s a time-saver, since it actually takes longer to wait for the damn door to open than to open it yourself. So get a grip, people! Open your own bloody doors, and while you're at it, maybe you could hold them open for someone else once in awhile. The second issue is the abhorrent use of airport (pulley) bags within our school. These nuisances should be banned from the proper- ty. It is appalling that even the puller of these bags can stay sane while constantly hearing the click, click, rattle, rattle of their own awful, laziness-breeding carrying case. Are these things really that useful? I highly doubt that they have any use superior to the func- tion of a backpack apart from being far enough away from the user’s body that it doesn’t disturb their fashion ensemble. And all the while everyone within a seven metre radius is developing a migraine from the hor- ribly bothersome sound. Is there something so wrong with a nice shoulder bag? Maybe it is that people don’t want to ruin their backs with the constant strain on one side of their body. Well, then I would suggest a lovely fanny-pack. They come in all different colors and sizes, perfect for the student on the go. Well there you go, I’ve solved two impend- ing problems of the day. Be glad that you have an opinions editor so very much dedi- cated to discovering solutions to your other- wise dull and monotonous lives. Don’t both- er yourselves too much though—a simple shrine of neon fanny-packs in the concourse would do just fine. Page 6 Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come for You? Erin Culhane OP Contributor Bad people bug me. Maybe that’s why performing my civic duty gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. To some I guess I’m just a glorified tattletale, but when I see someone breaking the law, I call the police. There was the guy in New West who ran over a pedestrian and fled the scene, the guy in Burnaby who hit a concrete medi- an and tried to flee, but in his inebri- ated state was unable to. I write down the licence plate numbers of law- breaking idiots and I call the police. If that makes me a nerd, a rat, a wannabe cop, that’s fine. In my mind though, I’m just doing my civic duty. Admittedly there have been occa- sions when I’ve taken it too far. One Example: I was chatting with a girl- friend in the parking lot of a local arena after hockey one night, when a car stopped, buddy got out and smashed in all of the windows on the driver’s side of a minivan. That’s when the familiar gotta-get-the-bad- guy feeling came over me, my heart started racing and I was all, “Yeah, that’s real funny, punk-ass,” and I did the only reasonable thing I could think of—I got in my vehicle, dialed the police and started to follow the car. I told the operator what hap- pened and gave a description of the car. “Did you get a licence plate num- ber ma'am?” the operator asked. “Uh, not yet, but I'll have it in a minute,” I answered “Ma’am are you following the vehi- cle?” “Yeah, they just went down a dead- end. I think they’re on to me.” “Ma’am, you really shouldn't follow the vehicle. I'll send someone out.” “Oh, okay,” I said. We ended the call and I tried, I really tried, to go home. But then I got to thinking, “By the time the police get here, the window-smashing losers will be long gone.” So I contin- ued to chase them down. My persist- ence was awarded—lI got the plate number. And of course you can imag- ine how impressed my “other half” was. While I was “just doing my civic duty,” the girlfriend I had left in the arena parking lot had called him. Yeah, he was thrilled. “What the hell are you doing? What if they had a gun? You need to get home right now.” Like I said, sometimes I take it too far. Lately something else has been bugging me. No longer is it just the bad guys I take issue with, but the people who cover for the bad guys. Recently I was in a group setting when an RCMP officer approached us and asked if we knew of a Joe Criminal*. I had never heard of him, and everyone was quite adamant that they hadn't seen him, didn’t know him, never heard of him, etc. Eventually the officer left, without learning anything new about Joe. That’s when I got a big shock, as a debate ensued about what Joe might have done to have the police looking for him. “Well, I haven't seen him...today,” someone joked. “Wasn't he in here earlier?” said someone else. Okay, so here was a group of intelligent adults with fami- lies, jobs, homes...who had just bla- tantly lied to a police officer for no other reason than to protect some guy they hardly knew. Was it just a case of “I don’t want to get involved” or an opportunity to stick it to the cops? Maybe, just maybe, the officer wasn’t out to bust Joe Criminal for the ounce of pot in his glove box. Maybe Joe killed his wife, or robbed a bank, or raped your sister. That’s right—we live in a nasty world and the same cop who doles out a $200 speeding ticket just might be the one who finds your missing kid. And not to get all new- age on you, but I’m pretty sure that lying makes for really bad karma. I acknowledge that my car-chasing behaviour borders on (okay—sits right on top of) stupid, but ignoring life’s law-breakers is certainly not a reasonable alternative. *Real names have been withheld to protect the allegedly guilty. Apologies to people named Joe. ( Third Degree OP Photographer I think it’s pretty much fair, there are lots of accidents with young drivers. LS Arthur e http://www.otherpress.ca How do you feel about the recent restrictions for new drivers I don’t like it. My younger sister is learning and I’m not old enough to go out driving with her anymore, but my parents don't have enough time. It makes it difficult for her to learn. Vanora \ It will probably be safer for the new drivers if they have to have more time to learn. Selina