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Kippewa, 926 Route 135, Monmouth, Maine 04259-6606, U.S.A. tel: 207-933-2993 | fax: 207-933-2996 | ematl:info@kippewa.com Options make all the difference @ducation, you can enjoy a career with a difference in the «Engineers « Physiotherapists -* Social Workers * Pilots * Doctors * Nurses * Pharmacists « Naval Officers To leam more, contact us today. Les options font toute la différence Peu importe ia nature de vos études universitaires, vous pouvez bénéficier d'une carriére différente dans tes Forces canadiennes. * ingénieurs * Physlothérapeutes * Travailieurs sociaux/ travailieuses sociales * Pilotes * Médecins * infirmiers/ infirmiéres * Pharmaciens/ pharmaciennes * Officiers de marine ‘Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuiliez communiquer avec nous: dés aujourd'hui. SSS Sea Strong. Proud. Today's Canadian Forces. Découvrez vos forces dans les Forces canadiennes. & 1 800 856-8488 Editorial February 1, 2006 + Over the Edge ANDREW KURJATA NEWS-EDITOR Despite popular belief, Over the Edge and NUGSS are not mortal enemies. That's not to say that there havent been clashes and differences of opinion between the two organizations, but that’s just a by-product of their re- spective mandates. It is a basic function of government to make deals and try to gain popular support for their projects, and it is a basic function of a news- paper to find the stories behind the press releases. This sometimes results in a conflict of interest between the two groups, such as when it is in NUGSS's interests to keep a deal or development behind closed doors until a later date, but it is the newspaper's interests to try to obtain and release as much informa- tion as possible. For both sides, the dif- ficulty lies in finding a balance between upholding the duty to provide informa- tion to students without compromis- ing potentially beneficial situations by releasing too much too soon. Here a -number of factors come into play: how newsworthy is the information? How important is it that it be released im- mediately? By not releasing it, are you failing to serve the students the news- paper/government belongs to? This is something that is discussed ~ and debated on both sides, and hope- fully the right decision gets made. The point that I'm trying to make is neither organization has it out for the other, The newspaper isn't a slan- derer trying to take NUGSS down, and NUGSS is not some oppressive dictatorship trying to control informa- tion. Unfortunately, given the conflict- ing duties and responsibilities of the two groups it can sometimes appear this way to bystanders. It should be noted that any time there is speculation or complaints about NUGSS in the newspaper, it goes into the opinion sec- tion, not the news. Students have the right to express their concerns about their government in an open forum, and the newspaper has the responsibil- ity to provide them with that forum, By the same token, anyone who feels the newspaper is stepping out of line with their-reporting is strongly encouraged to submit their complaints. If you pay the fees, it will get printed. This is how organizations like papers and govern- ment are kept in line-- by their users keeping them there. This is why it was with mixed feel- ings that I watched bylaw after. bylaw be defeated at the NUGSS AGM on January 26. While I was glad to see stu- dents exercise their democratic rights, the visible toll it took on the NUGSS board to see their proposed amend- ments go up in smoke could not help but extol some sympathy. By and large, I believe that the students who sit on NUGSS are good people with good intentions. I also imagine that they deal with many of the same problems the newspaper does-- being understaffed and compromising classes and social life to work long hours for no-to-low pay while the general student popula- tion seems for the most part to either not care about or resent your exist- Trailhead TYLER CLARKE ence. I think the reason so many of the amendments failed was because there was a knee-jerk reaction resisting change. It is a:political truism that if you are on the “No’ side of a proposed referendum, you automatically have a ten point lead over the “Yes” side, The lesson that was learned last week was not necessarily one of voters preventing a government from pushing through their own agenda, but of the need for government to actively engage students in directing policy and for students to reciprocate by becoming more involved. ‘This is where we all need to work to- gether. It was obvious at the AGM that many students have specific concerns that they want addressed. However, this is not something that should be saved for once a year-- it should happen year round. The newspaper provides a forum where students can both obtain information about the university and voice their own opinions, positive or negative. In turn, NUGSS can use these opinions to gage which direction they should take in pursuing policies. The newspaper then reports on what is happening, and students can once again express their reaction. And of course it is hoped that students will be able to talk to NUGSS representatives direct- ly in order to discuss any problems or concerns they have. Both NUGSS and Over the Edge are student-run organ- izations which are open to anyone who cares to get involved and their concerns are the same: to serve the students the best they can. We Have Become Destroyer of Worlds TARAN RALLINGS / ANNA GRADOWSKA * STAFF WRITERS At the root of a personal or cultural belief, lies the way in which one per- ceives the world around them. This takes a very literal tone when applied to environmental beliefs. The form one believes the world takes radically al- ters the way they deal. with the world. Those people who see the earth and its property as a right or as a gift from God, whose resources are there for our exploitation and enjoyment, treat it as such. This leads of course to our pres- ent challenge of unsustainable societies. If worldview and environmental ethics are intrinsically linked, then examining the perspectives of those who have lived in healthy sustainable relationship with the earth can provide insights into how we can change to better our situation. In the deep places of many non-sed- entary cultures, lies an understanding of and respect for the earth's emergent properties. To see the earth as more than the sum of its parts, and even an organism unto itself, breeds the kind of. relationship we must cultivate in order to protect the planet from the ravages of civilization. In the 1960s an atmospheric scien- tist, Sir James Lovelock, hypothesized that the living matter on the earth func- tioned as a single self regulating organ- ism. He called this organism “Gaia’, after the Greek goddess of the earth. Tt is now recognized that the living things on the face of the planet change the very processes that shape it. Plants affect air moisture, rock weathering, and other climatic elements in their regional ecosystem. More and more evidence is suggesting that living things not only influence effects in their own regions of the world, but also alter the climate and processes of the earth as a whole. The biosphere is being recog- nized as an ecosystem in its own right. Gaia hypothesis suggest that the early organism on this planet influenced the atmosphete and the soils, creating a more hospitable environment for all life, Now, after billions of years of biotic influence, the earth is kept in relative homeostasis, the stability supporting the existence of life by life, much like a body. The adoption of Gaia into our world- view will lead to environmental sustain- ability in our actions. To acknowledge that we are not the masters of the earth, but are in fact citizens of a far greater organism, is to acknowledge that we have become cancerous. Much like a cancer we pile on top of each other in densely populated cities; we leach resources from far and wide, using far more than we need; and through this we fail to recognize the necessary boundaries on our existence in order to safeguard not only our species, but the life on earth as a whole. Just like a can- cer our society will lead to our demise. - The advice given to individuals who poison themselves seems to be just as applicable to humanity as a whole: ac- ceptance is the first step to recovery.