Opinion pitches!

Hey everyone! Hope you've had a great holiday and are eager to get writing. I can't wait for another semester of your awesome work! Just reply to this email if you want to pick up any of these pitches, or if you want any more information about these stories. And as always, if you have an idea for an article, feel free to send it my way. Like last semester, articles will be due at 5pm on Fridays.

New opinion meeting time

From the results of the doodle poll, it looks like Tuesdays at 1pm works best for everyone, so from now on Opinion meetings will be at that time, instead of the previous time of 2pm. Hopefully that means many more of you can make it out! If you can't, please still feel free to drop by the office and say hi, reach out via email, and pick up lots of pitches :)

February magazine content

I still need people to pick up some Worth It/Not Worth it segments for the February magazine! It's super cool to see your name in print, so please don't hesitate to write a quick, fun blurb!The February edition of the magazine is all about vices -- sex, drugs, eating McDonald's until you puke, etc. etc. I'm looking for people to pick up some Worth It/Not Worth It content for the magazine (55-75 word blurbs assessing whether or not the thing is worth it). Here are the pitches I have: - Sliding into someone's DMs - Sexting with emojis (I'm assuming the eggplant would feature heavily) - Taking a class with a hot prof (are they distracting or do they give you a reason to go to class?) - The 84 Cheetos you ate while high - Anything else you want to write about!

Inhuman temperatures hit Edmonton

How have you been holding up? Do you have any strategies for handling such frigid cold? Top 5 places to live that never reach -40 (before wind chill)? Help keep your fellow students warm with some commiseration on the cold.

Carbon tax to go up 50% this year

As of January 1st, the provincial carbon tax is going up from $20 per tonne of carbon emissions to $30 per tonne. UCP leader Jason Kenney is telling Albertans this is unreasonable, while some economists say the price jump won't feel as bad as it sounds. How do you feel about the carbon tax, and about this new increase?

Some experts saying Edmonton will become a hub for health research and technology

Apparently lots of health innovation is happening in Edmonton, and according to this article, a lot of that innovation is based on research happening at the U of A. Is this the future of Edmonton's economy? Let me know what you think! It would be especially cool to get some perspective from a student involved with health sciences, or any kind of health work in Edmonton.

This year's baby names

On that note, there's this whole phenomenon of yearly most popular baby names, which I find absolutely fascinating. According to this article, upcoming trendy names include Atticus, Kai, Maeve, and Isla. I think it would be really funny to either write a critique of this year's predicted popular baby names, or come up with your own (potentially satirical) list.

Here comes 2018

I know that the "new year" is essentially just an arbitrary human construct that doesn't mean anything in a vast, uncaring universe, but I really like it. How do you feel about New Years? Are resolutions meaningful, or a waste of time? What are your predictions for what the world will look like in 2018? Were you disappointed that Edmonton put on a meagre firework display at 9pm and then called it quits? January is a great time to write about your existential crisis or your hopeful thoughts.

Alberta to give police more discretion in drunk driving cases

Bill 29 will mean that most first-time drunk drivers will receive "roadside administrative sanctions" as opposed to criminal charges, although the decision of who to charge will remain largely up to police officers. This will essentially result in a decriminalization of drunk driving. The bill has received mixed feedback, including (surprisingly) an endorsement from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). You can read more

here

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What do you think about this change?

The role of college politics on real politics

I read this really interesting article about how lots of college Republicans are conflicted about endorsing Trump. Many are hesitant, but many also see a lack of endorsement as contributing to the fracturing happening within the Republican party right now. The article claims that college Republicans actually have a fairly large influence on the party as a whole. I'm interested in your thoughts on campus politics at the U of A, and how influential or meaningful you feel they are. Do you take part in political groups on campus? Do you feel that they are an important part of the democratic process? Is there more they could be doing?

The Gateway Presents!

As you may already know, every second Friday from 5:30-6:30pm, CJSR airs a segment of our radio show, The Gateway Presents. Each segment includes an Opinion piece where two people debate on a hot-button issue. Along with pitching Opinion stories for the website or the magazine, please also feel free to pitch me content for The Gateway Presents! Whether you know someone who'd be interested in debating on the show, you have a topic you'd like to see presented, or you'd like to produce a segment all by yourself, let me know and we'll make it happen.

Shorter segments

Don't have time to write a whole 500-word article this week but still want to write something? Write one of these! They're about 200-300 words and a really good time. - Streeters: I'll match you up with a Photo volunteer and you'll hit the mean streets of campus, armed with a question and a camera, to survey some U of A students. Past questions have included: what should the university's logo be, what was your worst live music experience, and where do you poop on campus.- Burlap Sack: Rant about something that bothers you! - Marble Pedestal: Rant about something you love! - Adulting 101: Either tell us how to do something adult (how to use an iron, how actually make food, etc.) or tell us about a time you failed to do something adult (like that time you put the red sock in with the whites and now everything is pink).