The New Year has begun. Holiday jollification has been stored away for other times, next to tree ornaments and tangled lines of lights. What remains –at least in my house- are the crumbs of indulgence: a few cracked candy canes and an abundance of chocolate that we are all hoping will magically disappear, anywhere… except for our waistlines. A new year welcomes a certain routine back into our lives. A new year offers bountiful potential and an opportunity to start...
My earliest and fondest memories have happened outside. I remember trying to dig to China with my little brother and best friend. I remember countless days spent at the beach, navigating jellyfish and spending hours in the water. My childhood gave me the foundations for...
All good things must come to an end, and Caper Times is no exception. For the last 32 years, dedicated student journalists have been documenting life at Cape Breton University, being a voice on campus, but also on the island. Editors have come and gone, as well as talented contributors, leaving their stamp on student life. As is the nature with any student organization, leadership is constantly being renewed and refreshed, year after year. With new leaders come new ideas, new perspectives, and of course, new ways of doing things. The new hires, so to speak, are optimistic, and usually so because they really don’t know what to expect. I...
An audience sat transfixed as Maran Turner, Executive Director of Freedom Now, spoke about the NGO and how she became involved with the organization. Maran addressed students, staff, and other community members as part of the Centre for International Studies annual Human Security Forum, a participatory forum; this year aimed at rethinking crime and punishment. Although Maran usually takes a behind the scenes role in her work, she was a natural in front of a crowd. The young human rights...
I don’t remember being asked what I thought of higher tuition fees. In my eyes, this is a problem. I may not have much say in this year’s fashions; but as a young individual, I do feel as though I have a voice in the...
Last week I received a ‘letter to the editor’ that was particularly worrisome. It accused a student and management of cheating the system when dropping courses. Due to the Caper Times Editorial Policy, we will not print letters that do not include a real name. Nonetheless, some of the issues raised in the letter will be addressed below. The student demanded answers that apparently were not being found throughout the university; so, as a journalist, I was committed to helping...
Welcome Capers from near and far into 2011. I won’t get too sentimental about the last decade, but it was one that offered many causes for change, celebration, and hopes for a better future. In Cape Breton we have witnessed warmer winters, more culture being...
A number of events in recent weeks have brought issues of social justice to the fore in Cape Breton. Not the least of which was the conviction of two young men in Hants County, Nova Scotia for criminal harassment and inciting hatred following a cross burning this past February. An important event was held at the end of October when Philip Riteman spoke at CBU of his life and experiences as a holocaust survivor and as a new Canadian after WWII. The classroom that had been booked for the event slowly but steadily filled to well over capacity, and at the last minute, the venue was changed to the RBC...
The Beatles were on to something with their hit-song “Revolution.” The song was released in 1968, during an era of war and a time of protest. You have probably sung it before, but pay close attention to some of the lyrics, like: “when you talk about destruction, don’t you know that you can count me out.” These few words are more than just catchy lyrics; they are a timeless mantra of protest and a strong voice of opposition to violence...
Here in North America, we are overprotective. We also overeat, overwork, and over consume… but those are tales for other times. As parent’s become more over-active than pro-active, their children (our future) slowly get less and less imaginative, duller and exponentially safer. This is not necessarily a bad thing, at least the safety part. We do not want to read headlines about packs of children with broken bones because they thought they could fly, or tight walk, or drive cars....
Currently the average tuition in Nova Scotia is $5,495 per year. That is 7% higher than other provinces, the highest tuition in Canada, according to Statistics Canada. A tuition hike would be crippling for students who attend one of the 11 universities in Nova Scotia. Even at the current rates students are struggling to stay on top of the debt they accumulate by attending university here.
This year, we’re not getting stuck in our thoughts (only day dreams,) and we certainly are not looking back at last year (come on, that’s just unnecessary.) This year, we are starting fresh.
Over the years, I have suggested to more than one person that sexual orientation is just about the least interesting facet of an individual. Although it can have an impact on personality or the direction of one’s life, it is hardly a defining factor. Education,...
As the academic year at Cape Breton University draws to a close, so too does the 2009-2010 publishing year for the Caper Times. The successes of this year’s Caper Times are due in no small part to the dedicated team of students without whom the newspaper would not have happened. Associate Editor Matthew Campbell, Business Manager Connor Hewson, Layout Assistant Chris Csernyik, and everyone who contributed articles and photography: all these people played their part in making each issue of...
Some would argue that our world is in the midst of an ecological crisis. They would not be Stephen Harper's government. The Canadian government is doing its letter best to sell tar sands petroleum products to as many nations as possible. Far more difficult to...
