What students are talking about today (November 14th edition)

1. The Eyeopener at Ryerson University has investigated local “paper mills” that will write student essays for fees. They commissioned one paper on Shakespeare’s The Tempest and found that, in their opinion, the quality wasn’t half bad. Then again, if the immorality and academic consequences of getting caught don’t scare you, the price might: four-pages cost $135.60.

2. The Toronto Blue #Jays are still trending on Twitter, many hours after GM Alex Anthopoulos pulled off what may have been one of the most lopsided trades ever. See fans’ reactions here.

3. Western University neuroscientist Adrian Owen appeared on the high-profile BBC show Panorama last night detailing his revolutionary efforts to communicate with severely brain-injured patients.

4. Also at Western, Kitchener MP Stephen Woodworth spoke last night an event hosted by the anti-abortion group Western LifeLine, despite calls that he be prevented from speaking. Aaron Zaltzman of The Gazette writes that while he’s 100 per cent pro-choice, he’s thankful Woodworth was allowed to speak because it upholds freedom of expression on campus.

5. At the Ivy League school Cornell, a student has been charged with assault after he bit another student’s ear off during a fight outside a campus lunch truck. Hunger is no excuse for violence.

6. The University of Alberta’s annual Campus Cup Dodgeball Tournament has already got 70 teams and more than 1,000 players signed up for the Nov. 23 to 25 event. The U of A used to hold the world record for “most dodgeball players.” They may try to get it back, reports The Gateway.

7. Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC’s Q, wrote a memoir, 1982, that focuses on his teenage desire to be David Bowie. The Cascade gave it a good review. “Ghomeshi writes himself like a character in a John Hughes high school movie. He taps into the heart of what it means to be a teenage outcast and a music obsessive that has severe identity issues with remarkable ease and empathy.”

8. Wealthy businessman W. Brett Wilson told a crowd at Ryerson University that he quit CBC’s Dragon’s Den, the show where entrepreneurs try to get rich “dragons” to invest in their businesses, because they didn’t treat people with dignity. “I hated that show. I thought it was stupid,” he said. Wilson also has a new book out. Read more in The Ryersonian.

9. Students at Lakehead University told The Argus student newspaper that their residence rooms were broken into by thieves who took things like laptops. They blame faulty locks.

10. You’ve probably heard about U.S. CIA director David Petraeus’s surprise resignation on Friday, the shirtless FBI agent photos and the high-paid “social liaison.” But if you’re like me, you’ve had trouble piecing it all together. Anne Kingston explains the scandal thus far on Macleans.ca.