All students are equal, but some are more equal than others. That's the basic principle behind the voting system for the Table de Concertation, a new association of which the Students' Society will soon be a founding member.
Winston Churchill quipped that "democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." That's worth bearing in mind when evaluating recent events in Afghanistan. This past week, a proposed law to regulate Shia marital relations sparked outrage in the international community-and rightly so.
Over the past two years, I've been writing columns in the Tribune about reducing the size and scope of government, removing trade barriers, and rethinking whether restrictive regulations are necessary. My intention was to increase the diversity of opinions on campus, which is why I stayed away from addressing solutions that come from the perceived consensus at McGill, which is usually liberal.
Someone recently told me that international bee populations are on the decline. It's expected that bees who perform the vital act of pollination-a key part of the old "birds and bees" story-will soon be extinct. Following this event, agriculture is expected to enter a tailspin that will result in the greatest food crisis humanity has ever faced.
There are many people in the world who you're better than in some respect. Other people may be slower than you, worse at cooking, or bad at telling stories. Sometimes, I get mad that other people don't live up to a standard I have in mind. I forget that they're probably good at things I'm terrible at-like surfing and chemistry.
I really didn't want to write this column. It's bitter, pathetic, melodramatic, and self-indulgent. It also makes my life seem like a bad emo song. But I've written this column a thousand times in my head, and I have nobody left to impress by not sharing my thoughts.
Be responsible when reforming McGill residences I spent four years living and working in the McGill residence system: one as a first year student, and three more as a member of the Floor Fellow team in Gardner Hall (2003-2006). These years were incredibly formative for me and the innumerable students I worked with.
In last week's article, "University of Winnipeg bans bottled water," University of Winnipeg Students' Association President Vijay Iyer's name was incorrectly listed as Vinay Iyer. Also, in the article "Activist Weeks discusses poverty in Africa," Mathew Cherian's name was incorrectly listed as Mathew Cherlan.
The Tribune extends a huge thanks to all of our contributors from the 2008-09 year. If we missed your name in this list, we're very sorry, but we've really appreciated you taking the time to write stories. Ada Sonnenfeld, Adam Laidlaw, Adam Levine, Adrian Taylor, Alan Boileau, Alana Levine, Alex Eidman, Alexandra Swann, Alice Walker, Alison Bailey, Amélie Gouin, Amrita Kumar-Ratta, Andrew Miller, Andrew Seo, Andrew Sullivan, Andy Yu, Arielle Frank, Arik Schwartz, Ariq EmtenanAustin del Rio, Bean Brenner, Bianca Van Bavel, Brahna Siegelberg, Brittany Paterson, Byron Tau, Cara Wilson, Carly Orleach, Charles Garfinkle, Christie Lee, Cleve Higgins, Danai Reynolds, Daniel Otis Smith, Danielle Cherkas, David Benson, Diane Salema, Elizabeth Perle, Emma Cabrera-Aragon, Emma Quail, Eric Weiss, Greg Osadec, Harpreet Grewal, Haruki Nakagawa, Holly Stewart, Huge Galdones, I.
A special thanks to Eric, Max, Riva, RJ, Tim, and Zoe from your persnickety, but eternally grateful, editor. You've been a great slate of columnists, and it's been a pleasure editing your work this year. May you continue to be insightful, funny, and judicious in your use of adjectives.