Comments for The Sheaf

Comment on Tablets vs. textbooks: e-textbooks are not necessarily as cost-effective as expected by Catherine Nygren

Catherine Nygren — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:50:00 +0000

I didn’t buy any print books this term, just used all digital texts. Mind you, novels tend to be easier to find than traditional textbooks.

As far as resale value, half the textbooks I’ve ever bought can’t be resold for more than a few dollars, even online, because they’re not being used the following year or have been replaced by a newer edition.

The pirated ebook market will only grow as students move towards using more digital texts.

Comment on Tablets vs. textbooks: e-textbooks are not necessarily as cost-effective as expected by Martin

Martin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:29:00 +0000

The resale value of textbooks never tends to be that high in the first place, so I’m all for going digital

Comment on Stop fuelling the madness: Saskatoon Police plane is a waste of money by PrairieWarrior

PrairieWarrior — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Oh and Btw….. any real crime is not going on out doors…. also. Crime is new age, its all done over Computers ect, Deals don’t go down face to face anymore. You might catch some under age kids doing some vandalism, but you will never stop that….

Comment on Stop fuelling the madness: Saskatoon Police plane is a waste of money by PrairieWarrior

PrairieWarrior — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Whos policing the police? Fuck Um!
Need big brother eye in the sky to watch over everyone. Step up your game and don’t waste my money on stupid shit!.

Comment on “Everyone is watching Saskatchewan:” province’s HIV infections a cause for concern by Thanks

Thanks — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:11:00 +0000

Thanks for this informative, well-researched article. It’s an important subject that often gets glossed over because of the political and moral implications, but it’s something that needs to be discussed. With the success of antiretroviral drugs, a lot of us tend to assume that HIV patients in Canada are living long, productive lives despite their diagnosis. Many people are, and of course ARVs are excellent, but they only work if you have access to them. The HIV epidemic in SK won’t be contained until we remove the barriers that are preventing this population from getting care, not to mention the underlying causes of IV drug use.

Comment on To Greek, or not to Greek: our university needs frats and sororities by No thanks.

No thanks. — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:44:00 +0000

Since when are frats and sororities primarily about philanthropy? That’s a part of what they do, but it’s certainly not why they’re so popular, and everybody knows it. Why do frat/sorority members have better grades and make more money than their non-Greek peers (which translates into more donations to the alma-mater)? Because they come from privileged backgrounds and they go on to privileged futures, not because four years of excellent partying turned them into better people.

I agree that our welcome week sucks and our campus clubs leave something to be desired, but forming exclusive clubs isn’t the answer. It will only make the average student who isn’t a socialite or a party animal feel even more isolated. Not to mention all the people who wouldn’t be considered worthy of joining the club. I’ll take a pass on that, and if we had a vote, I’d wager most UofS students don’t particularly want the Greek system.

Comment on To Greek, or not to Greek: our university needs frats and sororities by Slh718

Slh718 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000

The reason that the U of S does not have fraternities or sororities is because Walter Murray – aka the man who used his vision to create the U of S – saw that in other universities, they lead to discrimination. From the very beginning in 1907, he wanted a school where any one could come and receive the same education. Frats and sororities undermined this goal in his observations.

Comment on To Greek, or not to Greek: our university needs frats and sororities by Slh718

Slh718 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000

Comment on To Greek, or not to Greek: our university needs frats and sororities by ncb370

ncb370 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:32:00 +0000

Right… A discriminatory campus club is exactly what we need to build a sense of solidarity among students.

Furthermore, it sounds like the writers of this article beileve that “success” is the equivalent of running a large company (that likely uses cheap labour), and making a 7-figure income… not really a convincing (or positive) argument for college sororities. Perhaps a little naive, though.

Comment on Stop fuelling the madness: Saskatoon Police plane is a waste of money by Doodle Burrow

Doodle Burrow — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:55:00 +0000

Thermal cameras can’t see through walls. The heat a few people inside a house produce could never be picked up.

Comment on Stop fuelling the madness: Saskatoon Police plane is a waste of money by Sean

Sean — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Where is the evidence that the plane has prevented crime?

Comment on Stop fuelling the madness: Saskatoon Police plane is a waste of money by Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:24:00 +0000

I don’t even know where to begin with how naive the person who wrote this article is when it comes to policing. I suggest they start by going on a ride along.

Comment on Stop fuelling the madness: Saskatoon Police plane is a waste of money by mike

mike — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:37:00 +0000

I like that the police are up there flying around. Bad guys get more and more sophisticated each year so it is only a matter of time before they are flying around in the sky. I can sleep easier knowing the police would fly around after them. I just hope I dont get stabbed and pick-pocketed while I am standing and looking up at the sky. Nobody seems to do anything about the ground crime.

Comment on The joys of masturbation by Shannon

Shannon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:34:00 +0000

So empowered by this article. Women are so oppressed in this society – I feel like by masturbating we are taking our shot back at the males. We need to win the selective battles against the chauvinist – and believe me girl you chose a good one.

Comment on Canadians are the truly guilty party in politics by Steven Heidel

Steven Heidel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Right, that’s how it currently works. I’m just saying that if a system were to be implemented like in the 2nd last paragraph of this article then my logic holds.

Comment on USSU sits out national lobbying campaign by Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:19:00 +0000

The USSU’s reluctance to work with the CFS is entirely misguided and childish. The national day of action was an opportunity to send a unified message to the federal government of dissatisfaction with rising tuition costs and heavy debt. The USSU’s choice not to participate is damaging to the student movement, and to the idea that a unified student voice can make a difference. That is the exact opposite message a student union should be sending their members.

Comment on Thoughts on bondage, BDSM and other family-friendly matters by Bondage gear

Bondage gear — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:54:00 +0000

Now I’ll have to rewrite my wish-list post!

Comment on The CBC is under ideological attack: if the Conservatives cut funding, Canadian identity will suffer by Catherine Nygren

Catherine Nygren — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:06:00 +0000

16th out of 18? I’m surprised by that, although admittedly I’m not terribly familiar with public broadcasting funding.

Comment on “Everyone is watching Saskatchewan:” province’s HIV infections a cause for concern by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:11:00 +0000

Thanks for pointing that out. We’ve put up a correction.

Comment on “Everyone is watching Saskatchewan:” province’s HIV infections a cause for concern by Guest

Guest — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:08:00 +0000

Your article says: “Government figures show that eight per cent of all aboriginal people living in Canada are HIV-positive…”

Uh.. no. Wrong.

You mean to say: “Government figures show that eight per cent of all __HIV-positive__ people living in Canada are __Aboriginal__…”

Or, perhaps: “Government figures show that __0.4 per cent__ of all Aboriginal people living in Canada are HIV-positive…”

Makes a BIG difference.

Comment on Canadians are the truly guilty party in politics by Thb247

Thb247 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:56:00 +0000

All major Canadian political parties promise some form of social assistance, and all Canadians pay taxes to fund the program. This is and always has been the case.

Comment on Canadians are the truly guilty party in politics by Steven Heidel

Steven Heidel — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:21:00 +0000

Under this logic though, people receiving social assistance would have to vote for the party that promised to provide it. Then they’d be forced to pay for that program, which kind of defeats the point and noone would do it. Therefore, only those who could afford it would vote, thus ensuring a Conservative government for years to come.

Comment on Am I a feminist? by Rachel

Rachel — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Thanks for this article. First of all, it’s nice to see a Christian woman talking about feminism. I know a lot of us feel reluctant to self-identify as such because we don’t want to be associated with certain aspects of the movement that we don’t support (e.g. the morality of abortion). We feel like there’s no place in our faith for feminism and no place in feminism for our faith. People often forget about the early European and American feminists who argued for equality on the basis of Christianity.

I agree with most of your article except this:

“So yes, I will say I am a feminist, even though I would not walk down the street saying I’m a slut, as people in the SlutWalk movement have done.”

I think that’s a mischaracterization of what the SlutWalk movement was about, although I sympathize with your discomfort about endorsing promiscuity. Similarly, the earlier analysis of the “downfalls” of feminism is a little misleading. Those are mostly negative stereotypes about feminists that others have perpetuated, but I think if you dig a little deeper into feminism you’ll see that “man-hating” fringe is pretty small, and largely ignored by the rest of us. Every movement has its pesky radicals, just like Christianity does. And I certainly wouldn’t want people to judge all Christians on the basis of those hateful individuals, just like I don’t want people to dismiss feminism based on a few hateful women.

But you’re absolutely right that we won’t get anywhere if we’re not prepared to forgive and respect everyone–even those who disrespect us.

Good luck with your application to medicine.

Comment on University area sidewalks could be dangerously icy, so get out there and shovel! by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Fixed. Must have gotten accidentally cut in the editing process.

Comment on What will the end of the Wheat Board look like? by Guest

Guest — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:11:00 +0000

21 tonnes, eh?

Comment on Life without modern technology: a weekend experiment to travel back to 1962 by Anon

Anon — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:23:00 +0000

Exactly.

#midnightinparis

Comment on University area sidewalks could be dangerously icy, so get out there and shovel! by Catherine Nygren

Catherine Nygren — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:59:00 +0000

The rule I’m referring to in the fourth paragraph is that debris, including ice and snow, needs to be removed from sidewalks within 48 hours. #lostparagraph

Comment on Life without modern technology: a weekend experiment to travel back to 1962 by Not quite a luddite

Not quite a luddite — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:14:00 +0000

Nice article. You have some really good insights about materialism and instant gratification, but I think that technology is probably a symptom of those aspects of our human nature rather than a cause of them. I’m not sure whether it’s fair to look back at the 60s or any other time period as if that could solve our problems. Lazy, materialistic people existed in the 60s just like today, the only difference being that they didn’t have the means to indulge their impatience in the same ways that we do. I’m also not sure that instant gratification is always a bad thing. For example, I’m definitely cool with finding faster, more effective cancer treatments. But are the technological advances of medicine enough to justify the existence of nuclear bombs and microwave meals as a side effect? Who knows. Maybe the Internet has crippled people’s ability to communicate face to face, but it’s also created possibilities for communication and connection across time and space that never existed before. For example, I wouldn’t have read these ideas of yours if it weren’t for The Sheaf website. I know it’s a cliche, but technology really is a tool. We can use it in positive ways that affirm our humanity or in negative ways that dehumanize us. That we choose the latter option is just a reflection of human weakness. Tossing out the laptop isn’t going to make us better people.

Comment on The insatiable thirst of consumers: Timmy’s steps it up a cup by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:25:00 +0000

Sorry about that. The graphic is by the Sheaf’s graphics editor, Brianna Whitmore. I’ve added the missing credit to the article.

Comment on Life without modern technology: a weekend experiment to travel back to 1962 by Steveschuck2

Steveschuck2 — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Excellent article. It might be interesting to think of technologies impact on languages as well. With google chromes translation feature will learning foreign languages become part of the past?