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Protection’s worth the price

Former American President George W. Bush’s new career initiative as a speaker-for-hire will bring him to Canadian cities frequently with a hefty security bill in tow, the Globe and Mail reported Sept. 26. Bush’s speaking gigs north of the border are estimated to cost Canadian taxpayers over $500,000 this year.

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These pixels aren’t perfect

Airbrushed photos of magazine models might not keep their seamless perfection for long if a group of British and French lawmakers have their way, the New York Times reported Sept. 28. The group is proposing magazine advertisements with retouched pictures of models should carry a disclaimer stating exactly what has been altered in the creation of the image.

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A step in the right direction

The Aberdeen Street party came and went with a few arrests, some broken bottles and horse droppings galore. What was a street party in previous years became a lawn-and-sidewalk party this year, with the street reserved for police cars and the occasional officer on horseback.

Previously in Editorials

September 25, 2009

Avoid Aberdeen, already

Last year Principal Tom Williams officially cancelled Homecoming, but that hasn’t stopped the Queen’s community from speculating if the dangerous and unsanctioned Aberdeen Street party will rear its ugly head again this weekend. The City of Kingston has elected not to close Aberdeen Street as they have in the past, and Queen’s Red Hat volunteers will no longer be present. Police forces will be in the area to protect community safety and provide crowd control.

September 25, 2009

Taxi trouble unreasonable

Montreal taxi driver Arieh Perecowicz will head to municipal court next week to fight for his freedom of expression after being instructed to remove several small personal artifacts from his taxicab, the Globe and Mail reported Sept. 22. The artifacts included photos of Perecowicz’s family, a Remembrance Day poppy and two small Jewish prayer scrolls.

September 25, 2009

Maybe a ham, not a coconut

This summer, someone called me a coconut, or brown on the outside and white on the inside. It pissed me off. What does it mean to be a “coconut”?

September 22, 2009

Take pressure off professors

In her Sept. 21 opinion piece “Want to know why professors don’t teach?” Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente argues university professors are less concerned with educating undergraduates than increasing their volume of published work, regardless of who reads it.

September 22, 2009

Uncover suicide coverage

A law student at the University of Ottawa recently jumped to his death from the fifteenth floor of a residence building, the Globe and Mail reported Sept. 19. Globe columnist André Picard cites media coverage of this young student’s death as an example of the tough ethical choice facing journalists responsible for covering suicides in the news.