Posts By: Sandra Livingston

Sandra Livingston

Editorial – You Don’t Know What You’ve Got

It’s raining elections. Albertans just made a trip to the polls. In the U.S., the names Obama, Clinton, and McCain are being discussed with a fervour usually reserved for major sports events. On March 9, voting begins in the Athabasca University Students’ Union (AUSU) election, and discussions are vigorous and abundant. Everyone, it seems, recognizes… Read more »

Editorial – Dear Miss Rose

Dear Miss Rose, I hate to ruin a lovely friendship, but the time has come that something must be said. At first, I tried to be understanding. You’re just a poor gal out there trying to make a buck, and even though I was suspicious of your motives, I held out hope that you were… Read more »

Editorial – Simply the Best

That old truism about everybody wanting his or her 15 minutes of fame has reached new heights. And It’s not just the occasional person who wants to be known for sitting on the flagpole the longest, or eating the most bugs on a reality-television show. Now, the desire to qualify, to put that extra shiny… Read more »

Editorial – The $54 Million Question

Ever seen a $54 million laptop? Well, an American woman has?or, more to the point, she hasn’t, which is what makes her think her laptop is worth all that dough. According to the CBC, Raelyn Campbell took her laptop to electronics giant Best Buy to have some warranty repairs done. After waiting the six weeks… Read more »

Editorial – Moral Authority

Every day we trust our lives, health, finances, and myriad other aspects of life to professionals. We visit the doctor; we trust that police, firefighters, and EMTs will be there when needed. In short, we trust these professionals? skills and put our faith in the authority their unique talents bring them. But should we also… Read more »

From the Gallery – Highs and Lows

The past week has been a time of surprises. Perhaps the most amazing news is on the AUSU election front. As the AUSU website has announced, nominations opened January 9?and the response has been unprecedented. In past elections, the usual number of candidates has been around 15. So far (and with nominations still open) the… Read more »

Editorial – One Step At a Time

It’s a funny thing about perspective: a little bit can go a long way. Last week, I was struggling with a particularly difficult assignment. It was a critical review of the work of two communication theorists. Interesting stuff (well, okay, maybe not that interesting), but it felt like climbing Everest. After two weeks of wrestling… Read more »

Editorial – Hanging Out

Given that the world’s ice cover is melting at an alarming rate, it could be said that government action to address the problem is the most glacial thing around. There’s hope, though, in a recent announcement by Gerry Phillips, Ontario’s Energy Minister. It seems that substance might finally be taking precedence over style, as the… Read more »

Editorial – In the Year 2525

In 1969, when Zager and Evans’s song In the Year 2525 became a hit, the prospect of choosing our sons and daughters from the bottom of a long glass tube looked a long way off. Today, that sci-fi vision is reality?complete with complex debates about ethics versus experimentation. Yet for all the exciting breakthroughs and… Read more »

Editorial – Deal or No Deal

First, it became possible to sue manufacturers for not putting ridiculously explicit warnings on packages to cover every potential misuse by consumers. Now, it appears that people who buy illegal substances from other people (read ?dealers?) can sue them for damages caused by their products. And not only can they sue their drug dealers?they can… Read more »