Hotline offers help Students reminded of confidential counselling service. Page 8 MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2017
SPOKE
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CONESTOGA COLLEGE, KITCHENER, ONT.
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Recycle and upcycle These items help the environment and are unique. Page 4 48TH YEAR — NO. 1
Everything in moderation BY MEGHAN WEATHERALL
Conestoga Students Inc. is encouraging students to eat healthy, which helps the mind, body and soul. As part of their initiative, the student association printed a cookbook that included a food guide and handed it out for free. All copies were snapped up, so they are planning on reprinting it for the next school year. Last semester, CSI brought in a chef to help promote dishes that can be found in the cookbook, such as a California BLT. “He was doing demos with the students to promote the recipes in the book,” said Cameron Jones, CSI president. “All the recipes in there CSI members have tried. We took them home and made them. They are all pretty good. “This stems back to our food support and food service. We know it is important for students to be eating healthy when they attend school. If you can fuel the body well, you can fuel the brain. With the cookbook, what we wanted to do was give a few easy recipes that were both cost-effective and healthy. We wanted something that could be cooked on a budget,” said Jones. “It also goes through kitchen utensils to help people get comfortable with multiple aspects in the kitchen. Often,
PHOTO BY MEGHAN WEATHERALL
Cameron Jones, CSI president, holds the student association’s cookbook that was made to promote their healthy eating initiative. CSI hopes to print it every year, and hand it out for free. you are living away from your parents and you have to cook for yourself, so we think providing students with an easy way to do that is beneficial.”
During college years, students are trying to find time to do homework, study for exams and tests, go home and visit family, work and go out with their friends.
The work week can feel long and crammed full of assignments. Brian Banks, a community development officer, encourages students to always find time to fit their
three meals and snacks into their schedule. “In your college years, you’re learning as much as you possibly can, and at that point you want to give your mind – and body – the best possibility to stay on the firmest ground. Not eating, staying up late, eating only junk food and not having breakfast can have a toll on your cognitive memories and focus,” said Banks. “Eat healthy to sustain being healthy.” Lunch money is tight when you are also paying for your education. Students will tend to pick up whatever is cheaper when walking through the cafeteria. “We eat grains and carbs which we need, but we are lacking in fruits and vegetables – which can be more expensive,” Banks said. “There are a lot of different ways to eat healthy during your school day. Snacking around the clock is OK, as long as the food is healthy, like fruits and vegetables. Have a bag of nuts or a baggy of cheese slices with crackers handy. “Also, stay hydrated. Drink lots of water during the day. Drinking coffee can dehydrate you. Also, don’t forget breakfast.” Banks believes eating healthy is a must, but you don’t have to cut out comfort foods to do so, just eat them in moderation.
73% of people break their resolutions BY DEEANNA ROLLINS
It is now halfway through January and New Year’s has come and gone. Champagne glasses were clinked, countdowns were shouted and resolutions were made. The top five resolutions in Canada are: live a healthier lifestyle (including eating healthier and working on fitness), focus on the positives, spend more time with family and friends, be true to one’s self and learn something new. These may be the top five, but that doesn’t mean they are high in numbers. Approximately only 31 per
cent of Canadians will make a New Year’s resolution, and approximately 73 per cent of those people will eventually break them according to a recent Ipsos survey. This means only 17 per cent of people actually achieve their goals, which are usually simple and tangible ones. “I’ve found for me, the smaller more specific my goals the better I am at keeping them,” said Conestoga graduate Lindsay Grisebach. “Things like lose weight and go to the gym five times a week never happen, but write in my ‘linea-day’ memory journal every day or remember to floss are
things I’ve actually stuck to.” With all of these resolutions being made and with it being the start of a new school semester, it seems as though Conestoga students aren’t any different. They tend to focus on school and shove their newly made resolutions to the side. The first two weeks of January people stick to the “new year, new me” slogan; however, it takes only two to four weeks for most students to discard their most recent commitments to bettering themselves. “I always make about five or 10 resolutions and then break them on Jan. 3,” said Heather
Firlotte, a first-year early childhood education student. “Most of them are (usually) about school or fitness.” Evidently, even making goals about school don’t last long for students. It can be easy to make and set a goal, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to follow through with it. Stress and procrastination come about in the early weeks of a new semester, and along with procrastination comes the “forgetting” of resolutions previously made. FOR AN EDITORIAL ON RESOLUTIONS, SEE PAGE 6.
PHOTO BY DEEANNA ROLLINS
Resolving to eat healthy is hard when nutritious choices are placed beside junk food.
NEWS
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Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College
Monday, January 16, 2017
FILBERT CARTOONS
Random questions answered by random students
What are your personal hopes for 2017? “I hope to graduate out of school and preferably get a good job.”
Nero Ono, first-year financial planning services
LRC tech tutors answer thousands of questions BY RILEY LINSEMAN
“Hopefully we send people to Mars, that’s not a bad hope.” Liam Naysmith, first-year mechanical engineering robotics and automation
“To move forward in my program and to get some more flying time in.” Gareth Thompson, first-year aviation general arts and science
“My hopes are for the country to understand the impact of the world, to understand how we as a society will be affected going forward. And to stop global warming.” Mitchel Bortolon, third-year bachelor of environmental public health
The Library Resource Centre has been offering tech support to those who use their online resources, which were introduced 20 years ago. The big renovation last year increased the number of computers to 80, making it the biggest lab on campus. This means that staff get a lot of technical questions. But, exactly how many questions is that? In 2016, the LRC information desk answered approximately 21,000, according to Chris Woodley, the manager of instructional services and collection at the LRC. Half of those were specifically about software, hardware and Conestoga applications. To help deal with all the questions last semester, the LRC unveiled their new Tech Tutors program. The tutors are carefully chosen from the Learning Commons’ Peer Tutors program. One hundred students applied, but only eight were
hired, based on their grades and interest in technology. It might seem like the tech tutors just wander around asking people if they need help, but they also have a designated area in the library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where students who need help can go. Sessions can also be booked for those who need help with more complex things like learning (or relearning) software. One tech tutor shared her story about how she deals with her own students. “I like to guide them to the answers … (The) most common questions are how do I format this (and) how do I use this software? So, we work together … And we like to write stuff down,” Euchelle Millena said. The tech tutors answered 2,100 questions. Forty-six per cent of them were about hardware, including how to use the library’s printers, photocopiers and scanners. Twentyfour per cent were software
questions, pertaining to applications on the computers like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The final 30 per cent were about Conestoga applications, meaning the student portal, eConestoga, etc. To offer further support for the students in addition to the online resources and the many publications featured at the library, the LRC also subscribes to Lynda.com, a massive online database that offers endless lessons on every topic you can think of. “It’s a new type of resource ... They call it an online learning platform, and essentially, we’re taking a look at videos that help you learn technical skills quite often, or soft skills like interviewing or managing stress,” Woodley said about the database. Lynda.com can be accessed from the library’s website. In 2015-2016, there were 44,000 hits on the videos at the college.
ONE MILLION TEXTBOOKS FOR EAST AFRICAN SCHOOLS “To clear my PEBC board exam for pharmacy, that’s the main thing.” Sojin Perumpillkunnel Paul, first-year community and social service management
“To pass all of my classes.”
Nicole Naidin, second-year bachelor of business administration – accounting, audit and information technology Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
PHOTO BY BRANDY FULTON
Textbooks for Change is asking students all over Ontario to donate unwanted books which will be sent to Eastern Africa to help schools. Conestoga has contributed over 3,000 books toward TFC’s onemillion book goal, which they hope will be reached by 2020.
NEWS
Monday, January 16, 2017
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PHOTO BY MATTHEW EVANGELISTA
Scarlett Jarquin is one of the many students employed on campus who, thanks to a flexible work schedule, can balance school, sports and work.
Working around the school schedule BY MATTHEW EVANGELISTA
Conestoga College’s Doon campus is full of services and shops such as Tim Hortons, Pita Pit, the library, The Bookstore and even the recreation centre. Finding a parttime job while at school is easier than ever, and the college’s attitude toward their student workers shows they are quite aware of exactly who they’re hiring. “They actually work completely around my school schedule and my sports schedule so I can work between classes or after classes,” said Scarlett Jarquin, a secondyear registered nursing student who works at the rec centre.
“I get about 20 hours a week here so that pays for my car insurance and my other needs. I would say it’s enough for me.” Usually seeking and accepting employment can put students in a difficult position. Work along with homework, studying and classes can cause more stress for students than it alleviates. The college also realizes that if you have to work, accepting the right position can be beneficial for one’s career plans after college. Theodore Edem Kwaw Hiadzi, a fourth-year bachelor degree public relations student at Conestoga, has a passion for sports, and working at the recreation centre
gives him experience. “I proposed it to the manager a year ago to volunteer my time for a co-op position and he thought it was a pretty great idea to have someone with a communications background working at the rec centre,” Hiadzi said. “Being here has helped me figure out the steps I need to take to get to that point. I’ve had the opportunity to work with different members of the upper management. You learn a lot of things.” The college hires a block of students at the beginning of both semesters and then again for the summer. During the fall semester there was 300 students working parttime. Working around stu-
dents’ conflicting school schedules requires the college to hire several applicants for one position. Conestoga’s MyCareer website is an invaluable resource for students looking for work. A list of jobs available is so expansive that Conestoga’s human resources department doesn’t even handle the hiring process. “Each department and school is responsible for their own student hiring,” said Andrea Emile-Dodge, a human resources generalist for Conestoga College. The site is accessible from the home page of the school website and connects students to a network including internships, co-ops and part-
time work on and off campus. “We have a hiring process where we score resumes and cover letters submitted, and then from there we select people for interviews, and then a scoring process for the interviews, and then based on their score they would get the position,” said Jenni Bauer, the recreation facility co-ordinator. “We’re looking for students to develop,” said Bauer. “Hiring isn’t all hinging on experience. “I feel like it’s fair,” said Hiadzi, referring to the application process. “There is no strict criteria for working where you want to work, like customer service or maintenance staff.”
Victory at Standing Rock – for now
They did it! Protesters at Standing Rock, North Dakota, have finally gotten through to the U.S. federal government, putting a halt to the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. The pipeline was supposed to run under the Missouri River, which Native American and environmental activists feared would contaminate their water source and destroy sacred sites. After spending three-quarters of 2016 protesting peacefully, setting up camp and attracting worldwide attention, those who came together to stand up for what they believed in were finally rewarded. The Obama administration, whether it was because of some last-minute moral consciousness, or because war
veterans were showing up to support the protesters, came to the conclusion that it was time to find an alternative route for the pipeline. I really, really hope that this alternative route is found and used. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are currently responsible for the “protection” of the area surrounding Standing Rock, and also responsible for scouring the land for alternative routes to bypass the river and sacred native land. My biggest fear is when president-elect Donald Trump takes power in four days. He could have this whole deal to find an alternative route thrown out the window. Trump has made it clear that he supports the pipeline, even donating approximate-
James Wells
Opinion ly $500,000 to $1 million in support of its construction. A president who would support an oil and coal market and doesn’t believe that climate change is caused by humans should not be allowed to have a voice of power in this matter. We all know politics can be slippery at times, which makes this part really interesting. Upon seeing my news notifications about the victory at Standing Rock pop up on my phone, I thought
to myself, is this real? Well of course it is real, but is it a certainty? That was my biggest concern when I first saw the “Victory” headlines. It turns out though that I am not the only one who thinks this. From the sounds of it, after reading a couple of different articles published by CBC and Vice News, protesters are not going to be leaving Standing Rock any time soon. The encampment has been asked to pack up their things and head home now that they have been told that their protest was a success. However, as slippery as I mentioned politics can be, I think this is a wise move on the protesters’ part. Many protesters believe that this could be a ploy to remove
them from Standing Rock in order to proceed with the construction of the pipeline. I agree. It’s going to be a cold and tough endeavour to remain at the encampment this winter, but I believe it is in the best interest of the protesters to remain there until there is a guarantee that the pipeline location won’t impact the river or them. This was a great victory for the people of Standing Rock, North Dakota, as well as a victory for all humanity. Here it was proven that no matter the oppression by big business, militarized police or the government of a country, standing up for what you believe in shows us all the power people still possess in this world.
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NEWS
Monday, January 16, 2017
Upcycling has a wonderful upside
BY WENDY HUENUL-VALDES
Turning old into new, artists, including those in KitchenerWaterloo, are featuring their creations in stores and on websites. Juneandjethro is the name of local artist Emily Shield’s Etsy shop where she sells her upcycled vintage items. Upcycling is a term used to describe previously loved items that have been refurbished to either a better state or an item that’s been completely flipped and made into something different. She buys vintage dresses, shorts and shirts and either fixes them up or adds different detailings. She also sells party flags and her own journals. Shields said she got her idea to start upcycling her own items while she was in Australia visiting a few friends. She had walked into a store with many different and unique items and upon a closer look she realized everything being sold in the store was upcycled. “They had men’s clothing, women’s clothing, shoes, backpacks. That was the first time I had heard about upcycling,” Shields said.
“Upcycling became a way that I could reflect how awesome Australian style is, because it’s different from Canadian style, or at least it was at the time. It’s just genius, and at that time it just seemed to line up with my environmental values.” Shields, who is also an advocate for environmental issues, also addresses the ethical side of fashion by trying to provide an alternative to sweatshopproduced clothing. “It’s all overwhelming actually. Upcycling for me now, provides an alternative for people who want something outside of sweatshop clothing. And I realize it doesn’t solve sweatshop issues because I’m working with clothing that most likely has been produced in such working conditions. So then it really ties in with that environmental factor where I’m prolonging the life of a garment as much as possible,” said Shields. On her journey to trying to build up her own business online, Shields ran into an issue that she had not originally thought about – minimum wages in Ontario. “I was selling my dresses for $20, sometimes less and so
the amount of hours it took me to create each dress plus costs ... I was just not getting paid enough. Even this past year I sold a journal for like $11 and ended up making like $1 in profit.” The way she has decided to tackle her issue is to keep track of every minute she has worked on a new creation and multiplying that times $11.40, Ontario’s minimum wage, plus the costs of materials. She includes the math in her posts and leaves no room for people to be confused as to where their money is going. To see her work, go to Instagram and search juneandanthro.
This is a one-sided pleather garland handmade by Shields.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMILY SHIELDS
Emily Shields models one of her altered dresses on sale now on Etsy.
NEWS
Monday, January 16, 2017
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Ocean photographer dives deep BY NICOLE CLARK
How many humans do you know who can say they have spent over 10,000 hours underwater? Brian Skerry, a National Geographic photojournalist, has done just that. Over the last 30 years, Skerry has spent that time using his camera to create stories of some of the ocean’s inhabitants. He also took the time to spend a night to be a part of the Centre in the Square’s four-part explorer series called National Geographic Live! Bob Poole, a wildlife filmmaker, Jodi Cobb, a photographer, and Nizar Ibrahim, a paleontologist, will be speaking about their discoveries in upcoming segments. On Nov. 30, Skerry took his audience into the deep as he told stories and shared crisp photos and awe-inspiring short videos that brought the adventures to life in front of the audience’s eyes at the Ocean Wild: The Light Beneath the Seas lecture. Skerry began his journey to becoming an underwater photojournalist at a young age. “I loved all exploration, I wanted to be an astronaut, I mean, I wanted to be a geologist. I loved many different things but there was something about the ocean, I think that really spoke to me,” he said. However, he had to wait until he was 15 to get his scuba diving certificate. “At that point I just wanted to be an ocean explorer, I wanted
PHOTO BY NICOLE CLARK
Underwater photographer Brian Skerry captivates his audience with stories of his adventures at Centre in the Square. to see sharks and whales and dolphins and shipwrecks and all kinds of things.” At 16, he attended a diving conference in Boston, the oldest dive show in the world, known as the Boston Sea Rovers show. In the audience, surrounded by photographers and documentary filmmakers who were showcasing their work, Skerry had a life-changing moment. “I had somewhat of an epiphany where I said, this is what I want to do, you know, that’s the perfect career, I will explore the ocean with a camera,” he said. Skerry just had his 27th article for National Geographic
published, a three-part series on sharks, and he does not show signs of stopping. He plans to begin a new series on the topic of whale wisdom in 2017 and will spend the next few years working on it. During his lecture, he touched on many things including dolphin intelligence and whale culture. In the early stages of his work on dolphin intelligence Skerry asked one of the researchers he worked with, a behaviour ecologist, just how smart dolphins really are and was met with the answer, “We don’t know, maybe the
PAINTBALL H.Q. BUILDING A PLACE TO PLAY THEIR GAMES
PHOTO BY ROLAND FLEMING
Andre Mesojedec prepares for a game of paintball on Dec. 4 in Elmira. The players build structures and create their playing field for a variety of games. For video story, go to www.spokeonline.com.
better question is how do we know dolphins are smart?” He went on to tell of dolphins’ unique feeding strategies that change depending on where in the world they live. There are bottlenose dolphins doing craterfeeding by echolocation and orca in Patagonia going up on the beach to grab seal pups – they are the only pod in the world known to exhibit this behaviour. He also spoke about Denise Herzing, who has spent much of her life researching and communicating with wild dolphins after developing the technology to do so. “So, she’s correlated the
clicks and whistles with certain things that they’re saying, so if they see something in the water, like a piece of seaweed, there’s a certain pattern of whistles; they have a word, essentially, for seaweed,” said Skerry. Herzing, along with a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, created a wearable device that allows her to communicate with the dolphins. Skerry has spent years exploring the sea. With National Geographic as his platform he has been able to bring attention to the beauty, enormity and state of the ocean and its inhabitants. “We need to do that, we need to, somehow, not see ourselves above or apart from nature but what we need to be, connected and a part of it,” he said, adding he hopes that the world will soon grasp the ocean’s importance. “I believe that it’s not too late, that if we protect big places in the ocean, productive places, biodiverse places, that it will do great things,” Skerry said. As the National Geographic Live! series continues in 2017 at the Centre in the Square, wildlife filmmaker Bob Poole will take the stage Feb. 23, photographer Jodi Cobb will be on March 30 and paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim will appear on May 31. For more information and to view ticket details visit centreinthesquare.com or call 519578-1570.
COMMENTARY
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Don’t make a resolution
Monday, January 16, 2017
The only New Year’s resolution we ever seem to achieve:
BY ROBERT JANES
Is it safe to assume that you have given up your New Year’s resolution yet? This year my New Year’s resolution was not to have one. Instead, I promised myself I would make small changes every day to better myself. After all, the calendar can’t tell me when I need to change. The first of January marks the beginning of a new year and a day to promise self-improvement. Each year millions of people create resolutions which are quickly abandoned, including to give up smoking, coffee or chocolate, to make more money, or to become more active by joining a local gym. While plenty of people sign up for gyms in January to help them lose weight or get fit, memberships begin to dwindle soon after. Joining the gym is in the top five resolution goals but approximately 80 per cent of January memberships are cancelled by the second week of February. In 2016, Stats Canada polls found only one-third of Canadians create a New Year’s resolution, and 73 per cent of those usually break them. New Year’s Day is the perfect day to re-evaluate goals and to acknowledge past accomplishments. However, it is not the only date to set goals or resolve and should not be viewed as such. Change is beautiful because it can happen at any time and the deciding factor is none other than you. Resolutions have been around for thousands of years. As part of a 12-day festival in mid-March, Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed loyalty to the reigning king, and also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return borrowed objects. If they kept their word, they thought the gods would bestow favour on them for the coming year. The Romans had a similar practice, but offered sacrifices. But, we should not limit ourselves to making change or resolutions once per year and on such a tight schedule. Instead, try to better yourself each day. Change is easiest when there is a plan and when it is not rushed. You can sit and think about the things you would like to change, just remember to take it one step at a time. Today try to be a better you than you were yesterday, and tomorrow try to be better than you were today. The views herein represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contacted for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter for publication. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1C30, Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4M4
New Year’s resolutions: Casual promises to oneself that no one intends to keep.
New abortion pill a great option Women across the country will soon have another choice in terms of abortion, with the long-expected arrival of an abortion pill.. This new nonsurgical option for Canadian women, which has been delayed since November, comes in the form of the pill, Mifegymiso, which was approved by Health Canada in July 2015. The exact date of the release is still unknown, but the Canadian distribution company responsible for the drug, Celopharma Inc., said that sometime this month is still the anticipated time frame, despite unforeseen changes to the products’ manufacturing site. Mifegymiso, also commonly referred to as RU-486, will be a large step forward for pro-choice advocates in Canada, once introduced. With only one in six Canadian hospitals offering access to abortion services, making a new method available for doctors to prescribe will allow more women across the nation to get the aid they need, when they need it. Canada’s Minster of
Andrew Benney
Opinion Health, Jane Philpott, acknowledged that Canadians need other methods, saying, “abortion services remain patchy in parts of the country, and rural women in particular face barriers to access.”
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This is both a terrific new option for Canadian women as well as a benchmark in the fight for choice.
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Medical abortions have been available in Canada for a number of years, but due to the procedures requiring what would normally be unrecommended doses of drugs, many doctors would not provide the service. Now, they will be able to pre-
scribe a medically tested and sanctioned method, thereby increasing the availability for women in need. The pill, which must be prescribed by a medical professional and taken within the first seven weeks of pregnancy, is actually administered through two different stages occurring on different days. The first stage involves taking a dose of mifepristone, a drug which blocks the effects of progesterone, a hormone that is needed for pregnancy to continue. The second stage occurs one or two days after this with the ingestion of four tablets of misoprostol, which essentially begins the process of a miscarriage. Mifegymiso is accompanied by a steep $300 price tag, and a number of fairly common side effects, but has already been available in other countries for over 20 years and is now used in 60 more around the globe. This is both a terrific new option for Canadian women as well as a benchmark in the fight for choice.
SPOKE
IS PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED WEEKLY BY THE JOURNALISM STUDENTS OF CONESTOGA COLLEGE Editor: DeeAnna Rollins Assignment Editor: Robert Janes Advertising Manager: James Wells Spoke Online Editors: Scott Blinkhorn, Cassidy Foulds
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FUN & GAMES
Monday, January 16, 2017
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Useless Facts
Oh Cliff!
Horoscope
The name Wendy was made up for the book “Peter Pan.” There was never a recorded Wendy before.
Week of January 16, 2017
Aries
March 21 April 19 Don’t be afraid to show your leadership qualities. The people in your life may appreciate you more for the initiative you take. The smallest spark can light the biggest fire: be both.
Taurus April 20 May 20
Remember to smile more, keep your chin up, and dance every chance you get. In a world filled with insecurity you are responsible for making your own happiness.
Gemini May 21 June 21
Keep your ear to the ground. Forgetting about your own problems and listening to others can give you a new awareness of your own situation.
Cancer June 22 July 22
Time to drop your nasty habit. It’s time to find something more productive to do. You can do it, and you might even see the cash start stacking up again.
Leo
July 23 August 22 Tone is an important part of dialogue. Watch how you speak this week; opportunities may arise when your voice and demeanour is kind.
Virgo
August 23 September 22 Ice cream is a delicious treat best enjoyed with family. If you have a family then ask them everything you’ve ever wanted to know. One day they might be gone.
Libra
The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in the Second World War killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
September 23 October 22 Are you seeing anyone? Good eyesight is important, and sometimes it’s safe to see the signs of a toxic relationship before you or someone you know gets hurt.
The first CD pressed in the U.S. was Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. The original name for butterfly was flutterby.
Scorpio
October 23 November 21 Your peace of mind is important but so are your grades. Sometimes you need to lose a couple nights of sleep to get ahead in life, and you know you can handle it.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is today, to commemorate the values of courage, truth, justice and compassion.
Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet.
Sudoku Puzzle
Sagittarius November 22 December 21
Fill in the grid with digits in such a manner that every row, every column and every 3x3 box accommodates the digits 1-9, without repeating any.
Luck is overrated. Your hard-working nature will bring you happiness, but only if you put your faith in yourself.
Capricorn December 22 January 19
Stay hydrated. It might not do anything for you physically, but breaking routine can be good for your mental health.
Aquarius January 20 February 18
Don’t let your peace of mind be wasted on the computer. In the coming weeks your stress will return. Use this time now to enjoy your favourite hobby or time with your closest friends.
Pisces
February 19 March 20 It will never get better. That fear inside you will exist forever. Use this knowledge to your advantage; take risks you fantasize about when you’re alone.
Ephram Strange dabbles in forces beyond mortal comprehension on a regular basis. He also enjoys young adult novels and taxidermy.
Word Search
NEWS
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Monday, January 16, 2017
Have we all become nerds?
There has never been a better time to be a nerd. Gone are the days when the label could mean bullying or harassment. Now it is a label of pride for millions and elements of geek culture have even become mainstream. Only a few decades ago it was normal for someone who preferred video games to sports, or science documentaries to cartoons, to be ruthlessly picked on and bullied. For years the only solace that a geeky kid had was that there was a good chance they would be more successful than their bullies and for the smartest geeks that was true, but not everyone who reads comic books gets to found a tech company. So the nerds did what many subcultures before them had
and conquered popular culture. Two of the top TV shows are Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead. The former is based off a bestselling fantasy series, while the latter started life as a comic book. A similar phenomenon has occurred in film, with science fiction and comic book movies dominating the box office in 2016. Shows that delve into nerd culture are among the most original out there. The Netflix series Stranger Things, for example, was one of the most talked about new shows of 2016, and the show is chock full of nerdy goodness. Dungeons and Dragons, the popular roleplaying game, gives the series its launch point and
Scott Blinkhorn Opinion
contextualizes how several of the characters view the events of the show. The expansion of nerd culture is not just a takeover of film and TV. Video games, one of the standard-bearers of geekiness, are now a primary competitor for film and TV. The video-game industry is worth approximately $100 billion and growing. Many gamers feel that their hobby provides more entertainment than TV, movies and music.
WINTER WEATHER AND CONSTRUCTION IS A BAD MIX
PHOTO BY SCOTT BLINKHORN
Workers are trying hard to complete construction on King Street, which is being altered to accommodate the LRT. However, it is still ongoing, from Victoria to Union streets. With the winter weather, traffic in the area will likely only get worse.
The nerds have taken over popular culture by dominating film and TV with their subjects and bringing video games into the mainstream, but things become more pronounced once you look past major industries. The Internet, particularly social media, has allowed people to connect on a level that would have been unheard of only a few decades ago, and no one has benefited more than nerds. YouTube, the largest player in online video, is dominated by channels devoted to gaming. Outside of digital media, things are much less pronounced, and you have to look a little harder to see how things are improving for geeks. Board game cafés are the newest trend in the food
industry. These restaurants supplement their menus with selections of games, which diners can enjoy with a latté, beer or sandwich. The selection of games on offer is distinctly in the nerd camp with a heavy emphasis on abstract strategy games, a longtime geeky staple. It is now OK to be a geek, and the label has begun to lose much of its negative connotations. Of course, popularity sometimes comes with its own set of problems, and nerds can sometimes be heard arguing over who is a real nerd, in the same way a film snob might tell you that if you haven’t seen Citizen Kane, you know nothing about movies. On the whole, however, the 2010s are a good time to be a nerd.
FINDING HARMONY TO END MS
PHOTO BY SHAFAQ PARWEZ
Tory Miller performs at the third annual MS concert, In Harmony to End MS, at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts in Kitchener on Dec. 3. For video story, visit www.spokeonline.com.
Good2Talk is all ears for post-secondary students
BY CASSIDY FOULDS
Every post-secondary student in Ontario has felt the heavy weight of stress. Whether that stress is due to studies, home life, familial matters, work or addictions, they all agree it feels great to get it off their chests in a healthy, safe way. An Ontario helpline can help with that. “The latest National College Health Assessment survey found that nearly 90 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students feel overwhelmed during school, and 13 per cent had seriously considered suicide,” said Megan Van Massenhoven, outreach co-ordinator at Good2Talk. “Those numbers are really high – higher than they
should be – and that’s why Good2Talk is so important.” Good2Talk provides students with confidential, bilingual, professional counselling. They also provide information and referral services all day, every day, 365 days of the year. The program is promoting help-seeking in 37 different Ontario post-secondary campuses. Conestoga College is one of the post-secondary schools that is working in conjunction with Good2Talk. “I hope it’s a good stepping stone for students to feel comfortable with them getting the help that they need,” said Lynn Robbins White, a counsellor at Conestoga College. “It’s good that, if a counselling office is very busy, students can reach out and get
that help. You go to school, it’s busy, it’s stressful, there’s lots going on. You’ve mental health and financial concerns for students, demands and pressures. It’s a good option to be able to find someone at the end of a phone who can help with those services or crisis.” Good2Talk posters have been put up around Conestoga, advertising the helpline. Students can also go to the Counselling Services office to find cards and pamphlets regarding the service. The service is especially good for students with high anxieties and different social barriers, and it eases help-seekers into a service they may not have ever experienced. “It’s completely free to
call Good2Talk, and through the campaign we’re helping students understand that it doesn’t have to be a crisis to give Good2Talk a call,” said Van Massenhoven. “Professional counsellors on the helpline can help students work through any challenge impacting their well-being, as well as help them locate additional resources on and off campus.” So far, the service has been successful. According to a Good2Talk evaluation summary, 94 per cent of the callers who used Good2Talk said they’d call again, 89 per cent said they felt less distressed after a call, 85 per cent felt more aware of their personal strengths and 87 per cent felt there were more options.
“We want post-secondary students in Ontario to know that, if something is stressing them out, it is a big deal and they should seek the support they need. What we’ve found is that, with growing public awareness about mental health, students are far more likely to be willing to reach out about mental health concerns, but many students are still not sure where to turn when they need help,” said Van Massenhoven. ”We’re excited to bring it to the attention of thousands of students across Ontario.” Students can access Good2Talk’s assistance and resources at 1-866-925-5454. They can find additional information and options at Good2Talk.ca.