On Campus

What students are talking about today (November 27th edition)

The real Scumbag Steve, by-elections & marijuana research

Scumbag Steve Memes (KnowYourMeme.com)

1. You know that guy Scumbag Steve with the backwards hat and fur-collared coat? You’ve probably seen him posted on Facebook walls with captions like “Yo, whose house is this?/My bros need directions.” It turns out he’s more than just a meme. His name is Blake Boston, 22, and he lives in New England. He tells the Boston Globe the photo was taken when he was 16 and then lifted off his Myspace page. Now, he’s recognized by strangers with regularity. Let that be a lesson to us all about forgotten Myspace pages.

2. Humboldt State University in California has announced a new interdisciplinary research unit dedicated to studying marijuana. Eleven faculty members from fields including economics, geography, politics and sociology will conduct the research, reports local newspaper The Times-Standard.

3. Three by-elections made Monday an interesting night in federal politics. The Conservatives easily took Durham, the Ontario riding Bev Oda vacated after her $16 orange juice. In Calgary Centre the Conservatives won with just 37 per cent of the vote while the Liberals got 33 per cent and the Greens took 25 per cent. The Greens also had a strong second place showing in Victoria where the New Democrat prevailed. Here’s a post mortem of the race for Calgary Centre.

4. Angus T. Jones, the child actor from Two And A Half Men, says he received a personal message from God urging him to “get it together.” The 19-year-old has joined the Forerunner Christian Church and posted a video online referring to the show Charlie Sheen made famous “filth.”

5. Think music students are innocent? Maybe not. Four students from the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music in Ohio operated a drug lab that made ecstasy, reports Cleveland.com. The students allegedly stole lab equipment and chemicals from campus.

6. The University of British Columbia wants a rapid transit line all the way out to the university without any more delays, reports The Globe and Mail. Construction was already delayed once when transit plans changed to accommodate the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

7. Members of the local chapter of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) have built a make-shift refugee camp to show University of Regina students what it’s like to be displaced by war. WUSC helps bring refugees to Canada for university. More in the Leader-Post.

8.The People’s Daily, China’s Communist Party newspaper, quoted satirical newspaper The Onion when it declared North Korean dictator Kim Jong un the Sexiest Man Alive. Here’s what they lifted: “With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-bred heartthrob is every woman’s dream come true.” Via National Post.

9. The Manitoban has five tips to get a great tattoo. Ink isn’t for everyone, but avoiding the acronym YOLO for the sake of your future self seems like advice worth considering.

10. Some Torontonians are celebrating the removal of Mayor Rob Ford from office, while at least 1,300 have Facebook “liked” a page linked to the WeSupportFord.ca petition. In case you’re wondering, his last two-day council meeting starts today. After that, it’s football as usual.

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