In case you weren’t aware, this last week has been National Organ Donation Awareness Week. Which is why our feature this week is a tale by Barb Godin of the family of an organ donor and the responses it brings. It’s worth remembering, at a time like this, that tragedy isn’t necessarily the final word, even if It’s the last event in a person’s life. Equal parts heart-wrenching and life-affirming, I couldn’t think of a better story to lead the issue.
Not that there wasn’t competition. This week saw a few articles come in with a theme of dealing with life when it gets hard. It’s good information, from Carla Knipe’s recent experience with burnout, to Tara Howse’s article on being a student with Lupus, and how that affects her studies.
With another aspect of tragedy, Deanna Roney reminds us that this is the last weekend before your tax return is due to the federal government. And, like the other articles, manages to find some good to come out of it in providing a balance and respite to your creative side.
But It’s not all dire, either. Because the web is all about lists, this week, we’ve brought you the list of ways to tell that You’re an AU student, or perhaps it could be better thought of as how to tell if someone else is an AU student, because you probably already know if you are. And we also include a huge interview with the band You Bred Raptors? (yes, the question mark is part of the band name, in the tradition of groups that want to make it hard for publicists). If you follow The Voice Magazine on Facebook, you’ll understand why this article makes me particularly happy to publish this week, beyond it simply being a really good read into a band that I’d heard nothing about before, but am now looking to check out. How many bands, after all, play with an eight-string bass and a cello both in subway stations and in the Museum of Modern Art? And then there’s our regular selection of news, advice, and other entertainment to keep you distracted.
However, I couldn’t let this editorial go by without noting the recent events on our political scene. To be specific, the opening of the advance polls for the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership, happening just as one of the candidates who was widely thought to be a front-runner, Kevin O?Leary, deciding to step aside. There still remain thirteen potential leadership candidates, and the differences in views between them are further than many people expected, whether That’s Maxime Bernier’s hard libertarianism, to Kellie Lietch’s immigration focussed campaign, all the way to Michael Chong who seems to be pushing hard for a return of the Progressive Conservative title. In between are several candidates who are running closer to the status quo that we already know from the CPC, with Andrew Scheer, Erin O?Toole, and Lisa Raitt having the most name recognition.
While I don’t favor conservative beliefs in general, the wide variety on offer here has me watching this race with some interest. And while Canadian politics usually ends up turning to the most unexciting outcome, meaning I fully expect Mr. Scheer or Mr. O?Toole to emerge the winner, the possibility for a sharp turn from the current policies of the CPC is an interesting one.
Enjoy the read!
P.S. If you didn’t already know, The Voice Magazine has a Facebook page and a twitter feed if You’re into that kind of thing!