Student politics, like other political endeavors, are often instructive, valuable and inspiring; however, similar to their larger counterparts, they are occasionally disheartening or even asinine.

Ina recent SU decision, David Rabinovitch has been disqualified from candidacy in the current election for not having paid his SU fees earlier this academic year. According to the Chief Appeals Officer, Chris Samuel, their ruling in this matter is final and cannot be revisited.

This decision is based on a bylaw which, stated simply, says that an individual may not run for SU office without being a SU member by virtue of having paid their SU fees.

This bylaw is essentially correct and, in some cases, may be justifiably enforced. It makes very clear sense that a candidate for SU office should be an SU member. However, it is not correct to enforce this bylaw in such a manner that does not first give an individual the opportunity to correct this minor infraction.

In most cases, I support the following of rules to the letter. This puts necessary onus on law makers to ensure that the wordings of their laws are clear and support the spirit of their laws. In denying Rabinovitch his candidacy in this matter we have a clear example of the enforcement of a law contradicting the spirit behind its creation. The intention of the relevant bylaw is not to bar candidates from running for not having paid a small sum of money by a certain date, but rather to ensure that candidates are members of the SU. Rabinovitch claims, that for reasons unbeknownst to him, a banking error resulted in him inadvertently not paying his SU fees.

I have not read the relevant bylaw and, consequently, I am unaware of its specifications. However, it appears it may allow for a decision by the CRO that would provide Rabinovitch the opportunity to pay his SU fees and remain a candidate in this election. If it does allow this ruling it is in the interest of justice and sound judgment that the original ruling be revisited and changed. If, after having been given this opportunity, Rabinovitch does not pay his fees then it would be a justifiable decision to bar him from running for SU office.

If this mistake is not corrected and David Rabinovitch is not given the opportunity to remain a candidate in the current election I would suggest that the relevancy and character of the SU bylaws and the actions of current SU officials are more asinine and laughable than they are valuable and inspiring. However, they will remain instructive. Yet, in this case the lesson to be learned is not a positive one. (Ouch! Zing!)

Matthew MacLean

Note: Parts in bold not included in actual submission.

"Knowing's easy; everyone does that ad nauseam. I just sort of hope."

The Doctor, in "State of Decay"

I watched a lot of Doctor Who as a kid. I loved that show. I don't know what I got out of it. Not much likely. I did like the fantasy and sci-fi elements and being a nerd it was important to be versed in those kinds of things.

I certainly didn't think: The humorous, good-natured, intelligent, compassionate, optimistic yet pragmatic attitude of Doctor Who (exemplified in Tom Baker) is a hero for all time and a personal model I would certainly strive towards.

Consider the model of the enlightened master: wise, detached, eccentric, esoteric, and, if they're really good: funny as hell.

But, why? Why funny? Why not just be plain about the whole affair and say: "Listen, okay, this is easy: the key to happiness or fulfillment or whatever you want to call it. . . the key to that thing you want. . . is to buckle down, find out what it is, stay happy, and go for it with all your energy. I make no guarantees you'll get it, but what else are you going to do? Anyway, it's way more interesting than being disinterested or discouraged."

End of story. There is no need to say more. The general principle is right there: Do it, stay upbeat, have fun, and GO FOR IT. 

However, who is going to buy that? It's easy enough to understand and maybe that is sufficient for someone, but here are a few more keys:

- nothing that is easy will stick
or
- the context and/or origin/source of information is sometimes more important than the information itself
or
- you will value more what you've had to fight or work for

Now, ignoring the dangers associated with platitudes, these broad statements are meant to show that enlightenment (or whatever, no point in dickering about details) is usually only possible through struggle. Or, is better when gained through struggle, or something like that. Do you see what I am getting at? No? Good!

See, if the Doctor/Enlightened Master didn't crack wise or remain obtuse it simply would not be any fun at all. And, as a general rule, things that are fun are far more engaging than those that are not. Therefore, fun = increased engagement and motivation. And, further: fun in the form of esoteric statements, riddles and such = increased critical thought and logical analysis.

So, in conclusion: The Doctor makes learning fun.


 

What I fear is, because that in order to be a moderately successful politician in the US (or in most places, I imagine) you have to know how to play a game. You have to think, even a little bit, that if I do x I will get y. Simple, enough, right? But, that kind of cold rationality would actually be disturbing to the voter that really mattered in the US election: the human heart. You see, this past US election was so fucking emo. I don't pretend to ignore those issues having to do with important political differences between Bush and Obama (there are quite a few), but what you hear the most about, what you probably think the most about is the whole romance of it. He is the First Black President and that shit is a pretty good starter, but when you throw in his secular (er, wait, no, he IS religious - in the coldest most contrived way ever - and not that I have a problem with that I'm just letting you, the reader at home, know it too) humanism, his lanky frame to Bush's Cowboy hats and you get a pretty convincing good vs. evil story structure.

In the Simpson's World George Bush is, well, George Bush:

"[Santa's Little Helper goes off running with George Bush, leaving Homer all alone]
Homer: I guess you might say he's barking up the wrong Bush.
Homer's Brain: There it is, Homer. The cleverest thing you'll ever say and nobody heard it.
Homer: D'oh. "

(I'm not sure exactly what the comment is here, but. . . it is pretty funny).

However, he is also the big cowboy hatted Texan Businessman; and, that guy was an evil buffon.

Yet, Barack Obama in the Simpsons world:
 

 

Unfamiliar Ceiling Beast
I've been re-watching NEON GENESIS EVANGELION over the past two weeks, and...and, well...

I think I finally get it.

The reason I am so hesitant to say so is because of why I am now getting it, but I'll get to that later.

The first watch through (conducted in a few pretty lengthy spurts with the regular crew at that time) left me kinda "meh" on the whole series. I mean I 'liked it', but 'love it' I did not.

However, that has definitely changed. I mean how could I not love a story with obvious yet powerful and resonant allegories? Shinji's experience, or what Shinji's experiences represent were close to something I shared at one point in my life. I was as withdrawn, unsure, awkward and sad as was common for a lot of kids then/now - but, I just didn't have enough trauma in my life to really keep that up for long. Well, that might not be it exactly - I certainly had pain too, but being as goofy/non-serious as I was stopped me from dwelling in that place for long. Perhaps more likely, however, is that I became for the most part an intensely social person and this would have by necessity prevented me from being introverted for long.

Introversion is in my mind the real culprit behind Shinji's problems - rather than his sense of abandonment or isolation. Introversion when combined with pain and fear can make us sad, lonely and alienated people on a more or less full time basis. All my personal and professional experience has shown me that the most powerful and helpful act on this planet is that of resonance with another human being. This act can provide us with a great deal of hope, happiness and healing. This can be a hard thing for Shinji's everywhere because when we open up we can also make ourselves vulnerable. If you are lucky enough to have not been hurt by someone you were vulnerable to in this way at an early age you can usually handle it if it happens to you later in life. However, if it happens to you early enough or often enough or for any number of other reasons you will learn to defend yourself from this possibility in the future and that can make the experience of resonance and understanding harder to come by.

I realize I'm not saying anything new here (about life or NGE), but I thought I'd share anyway. In fact, that is likely another reason I avoided remaining withdrawn - I usually tell all people all my shit all the time. I can honestly say there isn't a single thing about myself I haven't or wouldn't share with anyone and I have done some pretty terrible shit in my time.

Oh well, we all have.

Anyway, to return to the reason I am finally getting NGE.

The English language.

Sadly, it is as simple as that. I, just like most people with good taste, usually opt for subtitles. However, I may not be adept enough to really get the complex emotional information from reading subtitles and listening to the Japanese audio that a show like NGE can offer. This of course depends entirely on the quality of the translation and voice acting, and, hopefully my newfound understanding syncs up with the corresponding original Japanese one (though, really, either could be just as valid), but it seems that now not only do I finally get plot points, but I feel I have an understanding of what the show is trying to say and explore.

The Best Baba Ganouj In Town

It involves real roasted eggplant and actual spices and is not just flavoring and mayonnaise (the secret behind most PC and Sobey's brand dips). It costs $3.50. It is only available on Saturdays (that I know of).

Yup, the small market stall in the new section, a stall or two down from the OJ place, on the left hand aisle (coming from the other half of the indoor market) has the best Baba Ghanouj in town.

Really, try it.

The Dark Knight Was Really Good AND Stupid (and other things that have already been said on the internet a billion times by now). <SPOILERS>

When I first saw TDK I was, basically, underwhelmed. I was setup for something pretty big, and while I was mostly satisfied, I wouldn't have given it that much praise. To be fair, I was pretty close to the front (i.e. too close), and long movies are hard for me in theatres because I pee so damn much and that results in the anxious dilemma of wanting to hold it for as long as possible and also constantly evaluating each scene by thinking "How important is this scene? Should I go pee now?" That compounded with the actual unpleasant sensation of having to pee would probably diminish any movie going experience.

Still, even before the "pee factor" kicked in I found myself doubting the film in the first 5 minutes.

When the Joker pulls out in the school bus that just crashed into the bank and merges seamlessly into traffic between a bunch of other buses I was confused and disappointed. Isn’t someone going to notice that?  It was covered in dust; there was a bunch of people around and, oh yeah: IT JUST PULLED OUT OF A BANK THAT IT CRASHED INTO AND KNOCKED DOWN A CONCRETE WALL. 

Now, that could all be explained away I agree. Maybe all the other busses were driven by Joker henchman or maybe someone did notice it and call it, but by then it was too late, etc....

Fine. And, of course, it is a movie. I'm not one to point out things and go "That would never happen!" Of course, it would in all likelihood, never happen, it's a goddam movie! It’s fiction!

However, this Batman reboot is supposed to be a more realistic approach and while that still means you can have ninjas and secret assassin societies and pretty much everything Batman does, you still have to let us think "that was sweet AND it could totally work, even if it was kinda unrealistic". Violate that rule too much and you end up making something look cartoonish.

This brings me to my next point: I found I enjoyed TDK a lot more when I started to think of it as a cartoon. When we say something is cartoonish we mean that it is over-the-top, improbable, comedic, or even just brightly colored. Basically it means that it is not to be taken seriously. This doesn’t mean it still can’t be meaningful, but we are far more forgiving of cartoons in this regard then we are with live action media. This seems to be an odd distinction. Both are representations not of reality necessarily (although they could be), but definitely involve data of some kind – which can include any or none of: stories, plot, characters, words, ideas¹ , action, etc. Furthermore, something that looks live action but doesn’t involve a record of light travelling off people through a lens and burning onto film and then later shining light through the semi-transparent film onto another surface is just around the corner, if not here already. I don’t have the energy to really get into how technology can change our or reveal the inconsistencies in our behavior (thinking included!), but just imagine it here anyway. Or, Google it and imagine that’s what I’m telling you now.

Three final points about TDK:

1)      Despite my newfound filter I still found the setup of the final plot device (boats go boom!) too hackneyed and ridiculous (I did, however, like seeing the prisoner’s dilemma being mined for ideas). Here is my note to Directors everywhere: You don’t have to go with the first cool idea you think of for MAJOR PLOT POINTS. First of all, it just seemed to stretch the plausibility of the idea that not only is the Joker a force of chaos and disorder but that he is a master strategist and organizer that maintains and coordinates the necessary work force to accomplish such a task, but als that if the police were so concerned, and presumably were directly involved with putting the prisoners and perhaps the non-prisoners on the boats someone would have checked them out a little. I mean, not much, maybe just A FUCKING GLANCE INTO THE ENGINE ROOM that would have revealed the many dozen barrels of explosives.

2)      If you ever find yourself on a boat with a button that will explode another boat filled with prisoners who you know also have a button that will blow you up and that you can either push the button first and save yourself for sure or wait it out until a certain time when you will both be safe then you should PUSH THAT FUCKING BUTTON. The guys in the other boats were criminals – have you seen the stats on the link between criminal behavior and mental illness? AT LEAST one of those guys was going to be unstable enough to think “Shit! The people in the other boat think we are a bunch of no good scum – I’ll show them!” and then pushed the button. Now, please don’t think that my mention of mental illness means I think an individual with mental illness is necessarily criminal, evil, or unstable, but, based on pure probability, it is more likely when compared to your average person without mental illness. I don’t have a similar and seemingly accurate way to frame the odds from the point of view of the prisoner boat people, but I think it still results in pushing the button. Anyways, lucky for the people on the non-prisoner boat being a “magical negroe” is apparently illegal, because along comes the actor who played another such character in ‘The Green Mile’ to portray the large, tattooed, black criminal to make the supposedly surprising choice to throw away the device.

3)      Finally, I found Lucius Fox’s stance against the cell-phone imaging technology incongruous with his character and an obvious tack on comment on recent US domestic and foreign policy. I think that as a man of intelligence and science he would have recognized its usefulness and felt that if proper safeguards were provided to prevent its abuse he would support it. Furthermore, he had NO PROBLEM INVENTING IT AND THEN USING IT AGAINST SOMEBODY HIMSELF. Sure, the scope was different, but is Lucius Fox then saying “Well, that just makes it too easy! Batman, if you want to spy on people using this technology I demand you fly me first class or rent me a limo and have me plant the necessary technology where it is needed myself. . . I just want to feel useful is all.”

Okay, that’s all.

Oh, except this, my favorite quote from BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT:

“CLOWNS ARE HOSTAGES! DOCTORS ARE TARGETS!"

¹Although, what could possible have no idea attached to it? At the very least someone thought of doing x and then actually did x – as well, anything you perceive automatically becomes something and has meaning attached to it.