In Brief

Quebec budget short on education cash, say students

Drew Nelles
The McGill Daily (McGill University)

MONTREAL (CUP) — Following the release of the provincial budget on Thursday, Quebec’s student leaders accused the Charest government of ignoring post-secondary education in favour of paying off Quebec’s massive debt.

The 2006-07 budget includes an additional $660 million for education, an increase of 5.4 per cent from last year’s education budget. $224.5 million of this additional funding is devoted to post-secondary education, of which universities receive $148 million, an increase of seven per cent.

Aaron Donny-Clark, McGill student union vice-president (external affairs) and president-elect, described the budget as “not anything to be happy about.”

“It doesn’t show any initiative on the part of the Charest government to put any of its own money in education,” he said.

According to Donny-Clark, the additional $148 million for universities simply covers the costs associated with the growth of the system, and is not an investment of new money.

Marie-Claude Lavigne, a spokesperson for Education Minister Jean-Marc Fournier, disagreed with those student leaders who said the Charest government is not investing enough in education.

“I don’t know if they clearly read the budget. They’ll forget that we increased the university budget by eight per cent last year and seven per cent this year,” she said. “There will always be students demanding free education, but that’s just not going to happen.”

Winnipeg named Slurpee capital of world for the sixth time

Kirsten Whitehill
The Projector (Red River College)

WINNIPEG (CUP) — Twenty-three-year-old Winnipegger Amber Peter waits for her bus at the corner of River Road and St. Mary’s. Her cheeks are rosy and you can see her breath when she talks. It’s a cold winter day, but that hasn’t stopped her from buying a large Slurpee from the 7-Eleven store just behind her.

Sucking back an average of 400,000 Slurpees every month, Manitoba has won the title of Slurpee Capital of the World for the past six years, showing that Peters is not alone in her obsession.

“I’ve been trying to get my hands on one of those bumper stickers that says Slurpee Capital of the World,” said Peter. “If I can drink one of these in this weather, I think I deserve at least that.”

There are 27,900 7-Elevens worldwide, and Manitobans purchase approximately 8,300 Slurpee drinks per store each month.

Not to mention the fact that alternative frozen beverages, such as Slush Puppies and Frosters, don’t count toward the Slurpee competition.

According to 7-Eleven’s slurpee.com website, a broken soda fountain machine back in 1959 is responsible for the Slurpee creation.

Omar Knedlik, who owned a drive-in hamburger restaurant in Kansas, served semi-frozen bottled pop from his freezer as a quick fix when his fountain broke. The success of the slushy soda inspired Knedlik to develop a machine that would replicate his invention.

With the help of a Dallas machinery manufacturer, the first slush machine was invented.

When a 7-Eleven manager noticed one of the slush machines in a competitor’s store, he saw success and knew he had to buy one. By 1965, 7-Eleven had purchased three machines, and only two years later almost every 7-Eleven store was equipped with a machine. The ice drinks were later named Slurpees, after the noise they make when sipped through a straw.

Today enough Slurpee drinks are sold each year to fill up 12 Olympic swimming pools.

“I drink Slurpees all season long,” said Peter. “This city wouldn’t be the same without its Slurpees.”