Many people in the world deserve respect from those around them. Most have earned it individually, but some have earned it globally. Rubin “the Hurricane” Carter is one of the few who deserve respect solely for the hardships they have struggled through. There is no way a person can hear his story and not feel respect and admiration for the 73-year-old man.

Hurricane (his boxing nickname) was on top of the world, poised to win the international middleweight boxing championship, when he was arrested and charged with a triple murder that occurred in his hometown of Paterson, N.J. Carter maintains this was a crime he did not commit.

It has been beautiful to see how the Olympics have brought unity to Canada.

The nation became electrified by the excitement of the Games, believing that

Canada is the space where we can realize our dreams.

I was impacted by the poem “We are More,” by Shane Koyczan during the opening ceremonies. Shane so beautifully opened up a true definition of Canada, and as a 21-year-old sitting in this land, I resonate with the vision that Canada is more.

It has been beautiful to see how the Olympics have brought unity to Canada.

The nation became electrified by the excitement of the Games, believing that

Canada is the space where we can realise our dreams.

I was impacted by the poem “We are More,” by Shane Koyczan during the opening ceremonies. Shane so beautifully opened up a true definition of Canada, and as a 21-year-old sitting in this land, I resonate with the vision that Canada is more.

There was a lot of talk about owning the podium during the Vancouver Olympics. The obsession for Canadian athletes to win the most medals cost the federal government almost $120 million dollars.

I don’t understand the big frenzy around this need to be No. 1 through the merit of medals. Canada did end up with the top gold medal count, but even if we hadn’t, we proved ourselves to be one of the greatest nations, not through medals won but through our hospitality and graciousness.

I’m not a big sports fan, and I was a casual observer of the Olympics games, but I’m sure there were a few moments that touched every Canadian.

Joannie Rochette went on the ice and performed an emotional skating program felt round the world just days after the death of her mother. Her poise and determination can’t be quantified in gold, silver or bronze — although she did win third place.

There was a lot of talk about owning the podium during the Vancouver Games. The obsession for Canadian athletes to win the most medals cost the federal government almost $120 million dollars.

I don’t understand the big frenzy around this need to be No. 1 through the merit of medals. Canada did end up with the top gold medal count, but even if we hadn’t, we proved ourselves to be one of the greatest nations, not through medals won but through our hospitality and graciousness.

I’m not a big sports fan, and I was a casual observer during the Olympics, but I’m sure there were a few moments that touched every Canadian.

Joannie Rochette went on the ice and performed an emotional skating program felt round the world just days after the death of her mother. Her poise and determination can’t be quantified in gold, silver or bronze — although she did win third place.

Exciting Announcement! One of the most public Muslims figures in the world, Tariq Ramadan, will come to Carleton March 19. In a lecture, he will talk about Western Muslims and the public sphere. Ramadan is known for his "reformist" interpretation of Islam. He talks about how Muslims and Western societies can co-exist, emphasizes reformation in Islam where Muslims should reinterpret Islamic texts, and moderation of religion. Because his ideas are so appealing to many Muslims struggling with dual Western versus Muslim identities, he has become sort of a "celebrity" — he's appeared on TV and radio shows, written 15 books, and is frequently cited in academic journals. He is from Switzerland and is very active in Europe, serving on many panels and engaging in interfaith dialogues. I am so excited to have the opportunity to interview him in a couple of weeks, and I will take a different approach this time.

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" — Jesus Christ For some reason while I was writing my midterm exam on Christianity, I had this quotation stuck in my head. It was so distracting; I was trying to finish my exam quickly, so I had to write this line down over and over again on a piece of paper. And on the bus, it was still in my head, repeating itself, with vivid images of Jesus on the cross (thankssss The Passion of the Christ!) "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34) This was one of the last words Jesus said before dying on the cross. I’m very confused by it. He is questioning God, but he IS GOD according to the Christians. Did he separate Godself from God and question God?

By now you must have all seen Tiger Woods’ press conference, where the professional golfer apologized for his infidelity to his wife, children, friends and fans.

He said everything he was supposed to, appearing sorry and regretful for his mistakes, and as the ensuing media firestorm proclaimed, this will be the first step for many in accepting Tiger back into their living rooms.

But where are these feelings of moral outrage coming from?

In the weeks following the car accident that spawned these events, hardly a day went by without another woman of “questionable moral character” appearing and admitting to being a mistress.

Videos of Tiger’s wife, Elin, and the couple’s two children walking from house to SUV have been presented with the tone of a national tragedy.

Day 6 — Alexisintrouble

There was a Sasquatch sighting in Whistler today. Olympic officials were resetting their scorecards in the men’s halfpipe final in preparation for the last rider when the beast made its way onto the course and into the halfpipe on a Burton Freestyle board. It landed a backside 1080 and back-to-back double corks before pulling off an impossible Double McTwist 1260 that, had the Sasquatch been in the competition, would have surely landed him the top prize. In other news, Shaun White of the United States took the gold medal in the men’s halfpipe competition.

Oh, the things I've overheard this past week . . . “Our defence is slow. We’re going to get eaten alive by Russia.” There may be a lot of people in Vancouver right now, but no one said they were all well-informed. Team Canada’s defence is not slow, by any stretch of the imagination. The only member of the defensive core that may be lacking some mobility is Chris Pronger. And we’re going to get eaten alive by Russia? I don’t know how anyone could come to that conclusion, based on how Russia has played in their first two games. They haven’t looked too great themselves.