events of today

I saw today:

- six cops get two black guys off the bus. apparently for not wanting to stop at the right corner. now, I wasn’t on the bus, and I didn’t see the entire thing play out, but what I saw disgusted me.  two plain clothed cops (plain as in the guy was trying to look young by wearing a Metallica shirt… as if any young person would seriously want to wear a Metallica shirt) and BODY ARMOUR underneath it with a earphone piece.    The two black dudes played the race card to a black police officer, who challenged them on doing that, and then they started speaking French to the Latino police officer who also spoke French.  And then they encouraged us to get on the bus even though it wasn’t my bus.  I felt like filming it, and I could have, as I have a video camera on my phone now, but thought they might arrest me or something. it was power trippy and weird and totally overkill – three cop cars, six officers, to remove two average black dudes from a bus, for apparently getting mad about not wanting to stop at a predefined stop.

- the young uns drinking at SFU in the pub.  We responsible grad students started four hours earlier for our first Grad Political Science meeting.  Pays to be responsible grad students, you get to wear your dorky backpacks into the pub, unlike the trendy undergrads who are looking for something (action, maybe?)

- an undergrad student in the Political Science 100 course actually ask a question about intellectual property rights.  Impressive.  I hope that student is in one of my seminars.

That is all.  I also made espresso from fresh organic roasted beans from Trees (those in the know are really in the know. it’s fabulous.)  and it was delicious.  And I had soup from the Ladel, and I recognised some student politicians in the pub. but I didn’t engage them. go me for staying clear of that.

Oh, and I got some buttons for raising the minimum wage to $10.  Does that apply to TAs, who I fear are not even paid $10 an hour?