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First Blood

MMAppeal; setting the record straight

MMA’s main critics seem to have a short list of arguments against fighting, namely that it is a blood sport amounting to no more than a spectacle. Retorts from the MMA community only seem to reinforce the erroneous claims of critics; some opinions in favour even try to work with the critics and simply say: “it’s gruesome and I like it, so what?” Instead, what should be said is: “it’s gruesome but I like it.”

Will 2010 be the year of Ignatieff?

The Liberals find their footing as Harper stumbles

It is often said that a week in politics is an eternity. Consider the past two weeks in the life and fortunes of Michael Ignatieff, and this dictum seems doubly apt.

What the fuck

The evolution of the quintessential words in everyone’s vocabulary

It’s taboo, occasionally forbidden and often cathartic. Swearing – once scandalous and vulgar – is rapidly becoming a very common part of everyday language.
Cursing’s recent movement from the fringes of society into the mainstream means that it’s finally being examined by some sociolinguists, although they’re still nowhere near understanding everything about it. Researcher and linguist, Ruth Wajnryb takes “a good look at bad language” in her 2005 book Expletive Deleted, and linguist Steven Pinker devotes a chapter to the theories and functions of swearing in his latest work, The Stuff of Thought.
Both writers point out the major problem with writing about obscenities: no one has really bothered to study them, despite how prevalent they are in our language today.

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Top Story

On the ground in Haiti

Con U sends 139 boxes to Haiti

The first shipment of goods donated by Concordia students will be going to Haiti this week. The two-week drive for clothes and food items was sorted on the seventh floor of the Hall building last weekend. Full story

Equality for Montreal's black community exists only on paper

Black History Month a time for reflection, action

A black Concordia University student dropped his complaint with the Police Ethics Commissioner after 18 months, because absolutely no progress has been made, the student announced Jan. 25.
“He has spent thousands of dollars defending himself, and has undergone a lot of psychological drama,” said Fo Niemi, executive director of Center for Research-Action on Race Relations, a group that helped file the complaint and represented the student during a criminal trial. “Since the complaint was filed in July 2008, it hasn’t moved at all. He was tired, he has no faith in the process, and he felt it wasn’t worth it.”
In the meantime, the student had already gone through a trial, and was dismissed of both criminal and penal charges.

The complaint was issued after police charged the 25-year-old student, “R.C.,” in January 2008 for obstruction of justice.

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Property sale reaches final stages

Offices will be relocated to other Concordia buildings

The $3.25 million sale of Concordia's Bishop Court building is almost finalized. Having received approval from Ministry of Culture as well as the necessary legal documents from the buyer's notary, the closing date is set for February 2010.

Student lobby groups back in court, again

Quebec members of the Canadian Federation of Students are no closer to reaching an agreement over the nature of their organization after the Federation’s annual general meeting last week.