“Firstly, I’d like to commend Matthew Puddister for his boldness in writing ‘A virtue out of ignorance.’ In a society largely predicated on political correctness, it’s encouraging to see someone express a likely offensive opinion with evidential substantiation. Having said that, I do question the means by which he reaches his conclusion. A skim through his case studies certainly supports the idea of religion breeding violence and inhibiting human progress, and at a logical level his arguments are sound. However, they appear to be based on only a selective interpretation of the facts …”

“The one interesting part of the otherwise tiresome Dixie Chicks affair is actually perfectly exemplified by Andrew Kelly’s review of Shut up and Sing. Kelly and the majority of Queen’s students are likely to imagine that they are superior to the redneck hicks in the American heartland.”

Yes, it is that time of year again. AMS elections! This is the time of year that student politics reaches
its zenith. A more vulgar form of public politics is dominant, as several AMS hopefuls bid for your support. One way in which they deserve or attain your confidence is by stressing student issues which
the general Queen’s populace holds dear …

Jason Laker, associate vice-principal and dean of student affairs, points out that reform “requires a national commitment as well as a provincial one.” This is absolutely true, but how can we get politicians to focus on financial aid and make those commitments? Laker explained that “those commitments are important but so are safe streets and good health care.”

Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) Queen’s has initiated a targeted divestment campaign that is not being carried out in isolation. This Pan-American initiative has had great success in the United States, with successful campaigns at Harvard, Yale, Brown, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth …

“I find it difficult to understand how those involved in putting together this exposé think that raising cultural issues in such a way is going to solve any problems on campus. Are there more white people than the “other” on campus? Yes. Are the Journal and the AMS guilty of labeling people? Definitely. And so what if the school isn’t as multicultural as York or U of T?” reamarks a Journal reader.

By coming out in favour of a particular candidate, the AMS is responsible for exacerbating town-gown conflict, rather than repairing it.

Ms. Gervan mistakenly received a copy of an e-mail in which the editor of The Journal told his staff, in strong terms, not to write about “these people.” Ms. Gervan has accepted the editor’s apology, but the issue deserves attention. As someone who thinks ‘these people’not only newsworthy but an urgent example of the enormous hypocrisy of the ‘war on terror’ affecting us all, I am worried by the unprofessional bias and attitude expressed in the editor’s instructions to his staff. The Queen’s community should know that the Journal may be deliberately disallowing reporting about some significant events and issues.

” Congratulations to Brian Maxwell, ArtsSci ’08, for his entrepreneurial prowess in setting up lecturetally.com and exposing us to “the paradox of lectures.” Here’s the paradox: it can be argued that lectures are outdated, boring and certainly not the best way to help adults learn. This mode of information transmission focuses on the auditory sense, while depriving our other senses from engaging in the learning process. However, they are still used widely in most academic institutions today.”

“The declaration posed in the Journal that lecturetally.com was an example of students finding a way to get what they need without going to class is wrong. Going to class is vital in achieving an education, and the whole point of being at university in the first place,” writes-in lecturetally.com founder Brian Maxwell.