10 OPINIONS unterpoise Nine - Eleven RORY CONROY COLUMNIST ‘The world watched in hortor as the twin towers vanished from the New York skyline on that fateful September day in 2001. Captured by photo — jour- nalists and private video alike, frame after terrifying frame etched our con- sciousness. Undeniably tragic, perhaps epochal, 9-11 has become a part of pres-_ ent lexicon and not to be forgotten, That such recent history is now a part of the nartative is mind-numbing; is it art or entertainment? At 8:46 EDT on a late-summer morning American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Centre. 47 minutes later, while the shock of that aviation disaster was just beginning to register in the minds of many, United Airlines 175 was com- mandeered and: flown into the South Tower. In succession, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Flight 93 both crashed; the first into the Pentagon, the second into a Pennsylvania field. In all, 2973 people were killed and 25 buildings were damaged. The 7 build- ings which comprised the World Trade Centre were reduced to rubble; ground ‘Zero. Lost were firefighters, police officers, bothers, sisters, mothers, fathers; fam- ilies torn apart never to heal, always to feel the pain of their loss, 9000 people, emergency workers, iron workers and clean-up personnel have been inflicted with cancers, infections and other dis- abilities. A nation lost its innocence. Today, 5 years aftet, we ate reminded of that ill-fated day through films, plays and song, through persistent military confrontation in Iraq and Afghanistan and through seemingly incessant reports of suicide bombings and terrorist cells. Films such as Michael Moore's Fahren- heit 9-11, Flight 93 by Paul Greengrass, and the World Trade Centre by Oliver Stone join the ranks of possible Acad- ' emy Award winners. Repugnant, they may tear at your very soul, but in time attract you they will. Lesser known is a work by Anne Nelson, an experienced journalist and teacher who volunteered to help a fire captain to write eulogies for 8 of his men and who turned the ex- perience into a play, The Guys; the film of the same name stars Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver. Ms. Nelson how- ever, struggled to protect the identity of those she interviewed and refused a ‘big budget’ film offer which would have ’ portrayed both an affair between the journalist (herself) and fire captain and scenes of the planes hitting the towers, She elected not to romanticize the lives of those involved and looked to a more intimate exposition of events. Since 9-11 the world has been fe- minded again and again that terrorism is still with us; the Madrid Train Attack (3-11, 2004), and the London Transit Bombings (7-7 and 7-21, 2005) are just a couple of peace shattering illustra- tions, Equally disturbing are attempts by nations to seal their borders against undesirables, Recent interdiction of cells plotting the destruction of transatlantic flights in Britain and bombing syspects in Canada prove that nations are better equipped to fight terrorism but are un- able to completely stem the tide. Further in effort to protect citizens, new laws are eroding the rights of citizens. The Patriot Act and Homeland Security in the US and the Anti-Terrorism Law in Canada provide that anyone can be in- carcerated for a period of time without cause or counsel. Civil liberties and the tule of law are threatened. On September 12, 2001, I wrote that, ; “We are about to witness the opportun- ity- cost of terrorism.’ In my innocence, Thad no idea of the relevancy. OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. SEPTEMBER 13, 2006 Madcaps ay Am 1a Male Feminist? | TYLER CLARKE STAFF WRITER I asked myself the question “am I a male feminist?” the other day, and I couldn't answer it. Feminism means equality of the sexes, though when most people hear that someone is a feminist they assume they're a man-hating butch lesbian. I dont mean to offend, but this is what most assume. By most, I mean myself and...I can't finish this sentence with- out incriminating myself. Frankly, using the correct definition of equality among both sexes, I’ve decided that anyone who isn't a feminist is, quite frankly, a jerk. I know quite a few people that refer to females as “broads,’ “bitches,’ and “chicks.’ I, personally, use the term “chick” from time to time. Doesn't seem. too terribly bad a term. It’s alll relative, I guess. Broad and bitch seem particu- larly, deliberately offensive, talking of females as though they're objects; which is exactly what people who use these terms generally mean to say, They're the type that treat girls as objects, and have sex with as many of them as possible. They're not feminists. They're jerks. That employer who insists that the fe- | males wear aprons, while the guys don't? That teacher who grades pretty girls easier? That creepy old guy at Denny's who gropes waitresses? I could go on, but the point of this is to say that all “of these people are not feminists, and they're all jerks. Now, I think that there are many exceptions. For example, if both a girl and a guy give me a smile, the smile I give to each of them will be significantly different. Assuming the girl is pretty, of course. Maybe I'm not a feminist at all, and am actually just another jerk? Or maybe no one, other than bisexuals and a-sexuals, are actually true feminists? Or maybe were all, deep down, just really big jerks? Probably, “Till next time. Jerks. ince we haven't been publishing over the summer, we didn't really expect much in the way of letters to the editor when we returned. However, it seems our fans are always wanting to give us feedback. Here's the best. From: Sue © Subject: metting you Hi there lovely, This kind of opportunity comes ocnes ina life. I don't want tco miss it. Do you? I am coming to your place in few days and I though may be we can meet each other, If you don't mind I can send cyou my picture. I am a girl. You caan correspond with me using my email From: Ferna Benway Subject: tu test Hi, It is so common to have problems with erecxxtion, Try VIrAGRA and forget about it . Maybe for when Sue comes around... From: “con” Subject: tremendous circlet TTip Toop EEquities August Issue: A GAO Make no mistake: Our mission at Tiip TTop Equitiess is to sift through the thousands of underperforming compan- ies out there to find the golden needle in the haystack. The micro-cap diamond that can make you a fortune, More often than not, the s to c k s we profile show a sig- nificant increase in stock price, sometimes in days, not months or years. We have come across what we feel is one of those rare deals that the public has not heard about yet. With a name like ‘con,’ how could you " not trust these guys? From: “impolitic: Subject: hisory. Hey activated Otherwise sweating loves ' chemicals actually insane taking going last. couldnt possibly forever theyd long- er lasting bond keeps couples children. Important nea soul gland heist milk. cement strong child. sexes orgasm promotes bonding Subject: tremendous bichromate From: “aldermen” You might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb Do not praise your- self while going into battle; praise your- self coming out of battle He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during har- vest is a disgraceful son Prevention is better than cure Silence is golden Fools seldom differ What we see depends mainly on what we look for As you sow, so shall you reap Every Ass Loves to Hear Himself Bray Unfortunately, there is no way we could print all the free-form poetry letters we re- ceive that are similar to these two. But trust us-- we get a lot of it. From’ MR RICHARD RICHARD KAMP Subject: GREETINGS FROM RICHARD KAMP I am the personal treasurer to Mr. Mikhail Khodorkovsky the Richest man in Russia and owner of the fol- lowing companies: Chairman CEO: YUKOS OIL (Russian Largest Oil Company) Chairman CEO:Menatep SBP Bank (A well reputable financial institution with its Branches all over the world) and would like to ask. for your partnership in re-profiling funds over USD$100.5 Million. I will give the details, but in summary, All I need from you is to stand as the beneficiary of the Above quoted Sum and I will re-profile the funds with your name, which will enable The European bank transfer the sum to you.You will be paid 60% for your “management fees’. If you are in- terested, please do not hesitate in con- tacting me and I will provide further details and instructions. Please keep this confidential, Regards Mr. Richard Kamp ~ We received a similar offer from a Chi- nese businessman. For all your foreign in- vestment needs, contact Over the Edge! The opinions expressed in Over the Edge are those of the writers alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff or newspaper society. Upset by Negative Option Billing KEVIN SMYTH CONTRIBUTER The UNBC student council has voted to allow StudentCare.net, an affiliate of Koster Insurance (Michigan, USA) to automatically charge all UNBC stu- dents approximately $300 for health _ cate coverage, whether or not they re- quire the service, or are even aware that they will receive the service. Negative option billing is a business practice in which goods or services are provided automatically, and the cus- tomer must either pay for the service or specifically decline it in advance of bill- ing. To decline the goods and services: (“opt-out”) and thereby save themselves from being billed by a business, custom- ers must: be aware of the impending goods or services they will receive, opt-out with- in a specified and typically short-time period, have the means of accessing the often bureaucratic process of opting out, have their opt-out request approved by the business providing the service. Negative option billing is an easy and efficient method for a business to gain market share, as large group of customers are identified and automatic- ally billed without their consent. Nega- tive option billing, for the four reasons listed above, may not always benefit all individuals within the target market. In fact, the practice has been outlawed in Canada since 1996 after a public outcry the previous year when cable television companies decided to negative bill cus- tomers for services not requested. “Tf not all students are aware that they will be charged $300 for extra health care, then these students will be unable to opt-out within the specified two week opt-out period, which end September 26th.’ How then, is Koster Insurance, Mich- igan, USA, allowed to negative bill all UNBC students? The negative billing laws of Canada were bypassed when your UNBC student council voted to allow-Koster to automatically bill the entire UNBC student community. Has the UNBC council considered the fol- lowing: Not all students of UNBC, especially those coming from remote communities, will be aware of the $300 extra charge added to their tuition fees? If not all students are aware that they will be charged $300 for extra health care, then these students will be unable to opt-out within the specified two week opt-out period, which ends September 26. Some __ students may not have the means to access the opt-out process, which is available at the“StudentCare,net” website. Even should a student successfully complete the opt-out application, there. is no guarantee that their request will be approved, as Koster Insurance has the final say in who they will retain as their customers. Let your Student Council know today how you feel about your automatic en- rolment into a health plan, which Koster Insurance will charge you $300.