Letters to the editor

Every penny still counts

This letter is in response to the article by Michael Silicz, “why every penny counts”. The article was thought provoking and concerning for a few reasons. As long as students have to rely on food banks to eat and have several jobs many at minimum wage we have a problem. With that I ask the readers a question, when is education just for people who are able to afford it?

How does society break the cycle of poverty? I believe a good way to do this is allowing people who live below LICO (Low Income Cut Off) level, to provide them an opportunity for a post secondary degree. The University of Manitoba should be proud of are access programs. One of the reasons the U of M have done poorly in the McLean\’s

magazine yearly review is due to the support of equal education for all. When does to much become enough? The faculties of pharmacy, law, engineering and management have all voluntarily increased their tuition rates. From these faculties I know of many generations of family members where mothers, fathers and grandfathers are either

lawyers, pharmacists, engineers or management grads. These are generally higher paying occupations once you obtain a degree. Do these faculties truly represent the student population?

I know too many students who have student loans that affect there way of life. Here is a fact the Government of Manitoba have provided the Universities with the highest budgets in years. This is a good thing so why are both U of W and U of M raising the ancillary fees? Drive around both universities and you will see construction like I have never seen. If the universities were in such a financial crunch, why are they buying golf courses and roller skating rinks for expansion? As far as Business Council of Manitoba goes why they would ever disagree with expansion, it is good for business.

As a Social Work student I am concerned about poverty and the marginalization and oppresion that goes with it. A good way of ending the cycle of poverty is allowing people to break the cycle. If post secondary education is affordable why do some students have to use food banks, accumilate student loans that may take years to pay off

(if ever) or have several jobs? When does the cost of attending post secondary education become too much and is only a privalige for the wealthy.

Larry Baillie

Nice cover . . . not!

To the Editor:

Nice cover photo on the last issue — pristine northern lake & forested shore with speedboat & water skier — except for the speedboat & skier: three white guys out having fun trashing the biosphere.

Why are so many white people so diseased? Why do they have to burn fuel & pollute to do anything & everything? Why is the Manitoban glorifying this perverse abuse of our Earth?

There is a contradiction at the heart of white aspirations: they want to play in unspoiled natural surroundings, yet they also crave all the toys & trinkets (cars, trucks, motorboats, jet travel, appliances, entertainment equipment, ad nauseum) that can only be produced by destroying Nature.

Sincerely, Grant Pattullo, 2nd year law.

Turning off climate change

One day while at the movies someone started shouting “Global Warming”, “Climate Changing”, “Carbon Build-up”, “Ice Caps Melting” and “Oceans Rising”. Well just about everyone panicked and started running for the exits, people got stepped on, knocked over, even hurt and authorities had no idea what to do about it.

Those of us who staid in our seats realize that all the smoke was coming from our cell phones and we turned them off. The build-up of Carbon in the atmosphere is actually being caused by the over use of microwaves and radio waves from new wireless industries. These waves cause water molecules to vibrate faster, and by vibrating faster they get hotter. When water vapor in the atmosphere is not allowed cool down it does not become rain and Carbon is not flushed out of the atmosphere.

Over the last 20 years the cellular and wireless industry has grown by more than 400 times it original size. In an urban area we have seen it grow from using 40 frequencies to using over 16000 frequencies in the same area. It takes 4 watts of microwaves to transmit one cell phone frequency between towers. It takes four of these frequencies to make one cellular telephone call work. Thirteen — three minutes cellular telephone calls puts the same amount of energy used to boil water in a kitchen microwave directly into the atmosphere

Why now do you think the planet is getting hotter? Why is carbon now having an amplified effect on the atmosphere? We all need to take a long hard look at how important wireless technology is and how dangerous it is to use!

John Staples

Wicked!pedia after all

Hello,

I just read the debate in the August 20th edition of the Manitoban concerning Wikipedia.

I have to generally concur with Michael Silicz regarding the debate over the utility and validity of information found in Wikipedia. However, as the article points out that it’s time “all” professors come down out of our ivory towers with respect to Wikipedia, I am inclined to point out that the comment is a little too passive aggressive. Many professors already consider Wikipedia a premiere or at least a very good source of information. Perhaps the best thing about it is that the information should be read and digested and opinions formed as opposed to a cut and paste job.

Tessa Vanderhart’s rebuttal is hard to even take seriously. Surely she doesn’t actually believe reading Wikipedia is comparable to hearing a medieval scullery maid’s gossip. I am sure she must have been referring to an earlier edition of Encyclopedia Britannica rather than Wikipedia. Lastly, Tessa states that some vestige of truth will be preserved in books and in conversations. Yeah, like those are reliable sources, try citing your friend John in your next essay.