kateturner
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Marijuana laws hurt patients
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You’d think that the Harper government would be keeping its mitts firmly off the issue of medical marijuana (MMJ). The 2001 regulations allow for people with specific and severe symptoms, as well as those from a longer but less specific and doctor-approved list, to access medicinal marijuana. The Marijuana Medical Access Regulations, passed in 2008…
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The weigh-in: Rob Ford
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Against Rob Ford is back in the news again, and certainly not for the last time. Now it’s the possibility he ordered a serious prison beating. Supporters — or bemused onlookers — often claim that these allegations don’t mean that Ford has been a bad mayor. Or that this type of conduct is just personal…
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Legalization advances inevitable, admirable
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On Jan.1, the media waited in silence for something to happen on the first day of marijuana legalization in Colorado. Someone had to go crazy, yell at the police or give an embarrassing interview. Pretty much nothing happened, of course; marijuana was legal in all but name in Colorado before full legalization, and many of…
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The politics surrounding prostitution
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The Conservatives have stayed in power for as long as they have by being as milquetoast as possible. Harper has dodged social issues for years, rejecting the proposed opening of the abortion debate by his own party and allowing a vote on same-sex marriage to happen relatively unimpeded. While their economic positions are hardly beyond…
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Time to re-think the values of war
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Last October, I wrote a piece for this paper in which I bemoaned the sad state of the American elections and urged people to reject voting for the ‘lesser of two evils.’ The following edition featured the only published write-in to one of my editorials: a reader disagreeing vehemently with my opposition to voting. The…
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Smoking ban a product of public health care
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A few weeks ago, I came across a plan by the City of Waterloo to ban smoking in public places. It’s not exactly groundbreaking — there are plenty of federal, provincial and municipal smoking bans — but it reminded me of how overbearing our society can be. Smoking is not, of course, a very nice…
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The values of a privileged few
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We have a comfortably generic image of Europe as deeply liberal — multicultural, cradle-to-grave, tolerant, progressive. It’s nice to think, especially for the young liberals that populate much of higher education, that somewhere in the world there’s a liberal dream state to hold up against the US. Canada typically gets lumped in with these European…
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Orientation week is not for everyone
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That’s not meant to disparage the O-Week planning team or the many volunteers that participate in it. It’s just that a whole lot of people come to Laurier, and it’s basically impossible to design something they all enjoy. The socializing, team-building and party-like atmosphere is just not something all people can really get into. O-Week…
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Ontario liquor laws need overhaul
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Just last week, the popular student club, The Firehall had its liquor license revoked. Though ostensibly for selling alcohol to minors, The Firehall’s arbitrary inability to sell liquor is just another manifestation of government puritanism and protectionism. Ontario has always had pretty tough alcohol laws, going back to the institution of prohibition in 1916. Though…
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Zero Dark Thirty’s origins
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The recent Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty has gotten a bad rap, one that it doesn’t deserve. It has been criticized for being too pro-American, glorifying the war on terror and propagandizing for the Pentagon. These accusations are without basis. Zero Dark Thirty is a modern military thriller about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.…
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The Tie That Binds WLU Since 1926
Serving the Waterloo campus, The Cord seeks to provide students with relevant, up to date stories. We’re always interested in having more volunteer writers, photographers and graphic designers.