MAN: Hi, Dr. Anderson. This is my cat, Tiger. Tiger, meet Dr. Anderson.

WOMAN: Hello, Tiger. Aren’t you a lovely cat.

MAN: I’m really worried about her. She’s usually so playful, but this past week all she’s been doing is scratching herself. Her claws are sharp, and she’s hurting herself. Look, here. WOMAN: I see what you mean. Is Tiger an indoor or an outdoor cat?

MAN: Mostly outdoors. I let her stay outside at night.

WOMAN: These marks look like flea bites. If Tiger’s going outdoors, it’s almost certain that she’s picked up fleas. I’ll give you some medication to kill them. Apply it to her skin—right here—once a month for three months.

MAN: Okay. Will the fleas get into my house?

WOMAN: Well . . . fleas only live on animals. After Tiger receives the medication, they can’t live on her anymore, so they’ll die. But you should vacuum and clean every day to get rid of any flea eggs. If need be, I can always give you a product to apply to your rugs and furniture.

MAN: We’re back! So I used the medication, but Tiger’s still been scratching a lot since her last appointment. At first, she started getting better, but now she’s getting worse.

WOMAN: Hmm. [Pause] Ooh . . . yes, I see what you mean. That must hurt. Did you give her the medication once a month, for three months?

MAN: Yes . . . [Pause] Well . . . okay, maybe I missed the last dose. It just slipped my mind. And I guess I only got around to vacuuming once.

WOMAN: You really have to give her three doses of the medication over three months . . . and you need to vacuum every day. Here are another three doses. You can pay the receptionist.

MAN: Okay, thanks. I promise I’ll be more on top of things this time. Sorry about that.

WOMAN: Okay. And think about keeping her inside at night.

WOMAN: How’s Tiger today? Still scratching? [Pause] I see you trimmed her claws.

MAN: No more fleas! But it’s weird . . . she’s gaining a lot of weight, even though she’s eating more or less the same amount as usual.

WOMAN: Hmm. She hasn’t been spayed yet, has she?

MAN: Right, no surgery yet. She’s too young to get pregnant.

WOMAN: Where’d you hear that? Actually, cats can get pregnant even at six months of age. [Pause] From the way her abdomen feels, I’d say Tiger’s going to be a mother soon.

MAN: You’re kidding! That’s the last thing I expected.

WOMAN: If she’s going to keep going outdoors, you really need to get her spayed. It’s a simple operation, I can do it after she gives birth. In the meantime, you have some things to do.

MAN: Julie, is that you? We’re going to be late to Susan and Anthony’s housewarming party!

WOMAN: Yes, it’s me, who else would it be? I was just getting groceries on the way home. You sound upset. Is something wrong?

MAN: I can’t find my favorite grey shirt, the one with the stripes. Did you put it somewhere? It’s not in the laundry or the closet.

WOMAN: Uh oh… I think I donated that one to the thrift store last week. You said you didn’t wear it anymore!

MAN: No, that was the solid grey one with the stained collar that I don’t wear anymore, the one with the stripes, I just bought recently, and it was on sale, too!

WOMAN: I’m sorry! We should make an agreement to always check with each other before we give things away or sell them. Remember last fall when you sold my tennis rackets at the garage sale and didn’t tell me?

MAN: Well, you never play tennis. You haven’t played tennis since Mary was born. That striped shirt, I’ve been wearing all the time!

WOMAN: That’s not true. I played tennis at least three times last summer, thank you very much! I played with your sister when she came to visit from London. Anyways, let’s not fight

. MAN: You’re right, fighting gets us nowhere. Okay, it’s a deal. We’ll make an effort to ask each other from now on. I guess I’ll just wear a different shirt today… I’ll wear my old blue one.

WOMAN: That blue one looks great on you, anyways. You look so handsome.

MAN: Well, you have to say that, since you gave the other one away!

WOMAN: No, it really does bring out the color of your eyes! Anyways, I need to have a shower and get ready. Were we supposed to be there at 7:00? That doesn’t leave me much time. Do you mind unpacking the groceries while I shower? MAN: Yes, of course. Here, pass me the bags. You go get ready.

WOMAN: Oh, hello. I saw a sign on the front door about apartments available in this building.

MAN: Uh huh.

WOMAN: It said to speak to the building manager in the administration office. The front door was open, so I thought I’d just come in and ask.

MAN: Well, you’re talking to the right person. Which one are you interested in?

WOMAN: I’m not sure which would be better. The sign said Apartments 1 and 2 are both 850 square feet, but one’s a one bedroom and the other’s a two bedroom, so I’m a bit confused.

MAN: Apartment 2 has two separate bedrooms, each with its own door—a sort of closed floor plan if you will. Apartment 1 has what we call an open floor plan. The living room and one big bedroom are adjoined like they’re one big room. WOMAN: That type of layout sounds like a bachelor apartment to me.

MAN: Yeah, except that the bedroom area is really big, and there’s sort of an archway between the living room area and the bedroom area. It’s easy to separate them with a curtain or room divider.

WOMAN: I see. Well, the apartment is just for me, and I like open spaces I can use in a flexible way. However, having a second bedroom might also be useful. And the move-in date would be July 1st with a one-year lease?

MAN: Yup. Everything’s newly renovated. New carpets, new paint, and all the appliances—fridge, stove, washer/dryer—are brand new. But it’s a walk-up—there’s no elevator. Apartment 1 is on the ground floor and Apartment 2 is on the top floor

. WOMAN: I think I’d prefer to be on the ground floor, as long as there aren’t any tap dance rehearsals going on right above me. Who’s the upstairs tenant?

MAN: The lady in the apartment above you is retired—really quiet and is hardly ever home. I can show you Apartment 1 around 3:00 p.m. if you’d like. Can you wait an hour?

WOMAN: Sure. I’ll go for coffee and come back. See you at 3:00.

A tourist in downtown Vancouver got the last laugh yesterday when pickpockets stole his wallet. Gregory Willis was about to rent bikes to tour Stanley Park with his wife when he noticed his wallet was missing. He recalled he’d been in a jostling crowd earlier that day watching a street magician performance when someone had bumped into him, but he’d taken little notice of the incident. Undaunted, Mr. Willis headed to the nearest police station and said he knew exactly where his wallet was. He’d attached a GPS chip, a small tracking device that uses the global positioning system to pinpoint location, on the inside of the wallet. Willis explained he had initially bought the chip to track their dog on their 20-acre ranch in Washington state, but had decided to take it on vacation as a precautionary measure against loss or theft. The GPS chip certainly did come in handy as the Willises, in the company of two policemen, were able to locate the wallet 30 blocks away where a group of teenagers were loitering at a park. The young thief was more than surprised when the officers showed up to arrest him.

Welcome, and thank you for attending this week’s lunchtime lecture. I am Professor Menendez, and our discussion today will be exploring the use of electronic textbooks within post-secondary institutions. To start, I will present the views of three professors at Riverbridge University.

Law professor Maria Bloomfield is one of several professors who has decided to completely eliminate print textbooks from her courses, arguing that their exorbitant cost adds an unnecessary financial burden on students who are already under heavy financial strain. While Bloomfield recognizes that certain costs, such as those associated with copyright, are unavoidable, she asserts that there are ways to cut corners. She proposes that professors create their own electronic textbooks, a move which, by avoiding the intermediary of a publishing company, could significantly reduce costs. Currently she is collaborating with several colleagues in order to create an e-textbook for an introductory course in law, something which she contends will save students thousands of dollars.

However, Ellen Bowler, a sociology professor at Riverbridge, has stated that she has no intention of tossing her print textbooks anytime soon. She argues that, although Bloomfield’s motives are honourable, requesting professors to produce their own textbooks is unrealistic. Between teaching, research, and administrative obligations, the workload of any university professor is already extremely demanding. To request that professors develop a course textbook, in addition to their regular duties, is simply not feasible. The development of a textbook, albeit digital, involves extensive research, writing and reviewing - tasks which are time consuming and should result in compensation. However, Bowler does not expect that professors would see any increase in salary if they developed their own textbooks.

While Bloomfield acknowledges that her proposal would lead to extra work, she asserts that the effort is worth it. In this digital age, the manner in which knowledge is communicated is rapidly changing, and universities, she argues, must keep up. Publishing a print textbook takes a significant amount of time from start to finish, often resulting in the inclusion of out-of-date information. However, with the speed in which information can be updated in an electronic text, professors are better able to provide students with current and accurate information.

Although history professor Marty Brown sees the potential of e-textbooks, he disagrees with professors teaching from texts that they have written themselves, arguing that, by doing such, there is a risk of students not being exposed to the multitude of perspectives in their field. Furthermore, he insists that many students actually prefer printed textbooks to electronic ones. Accordingly, he suggests that professors assign course readings that are available in both print and electronic form, leaving the choice to the students.