Author: Christina Rowan

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Opinions

Not such a lucky penny after all

Image via Flickr.
Image via Flickr.

The saying goes “find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck” but as of Feb. 4, 2013, it looks as though the penny has lost all of its luck.

The Royal Canadian Mint announced last Monday that the penny will no longer be produced and distributed throughout Canada. It’s dying age: 155-years-old.

In my opinion, this is a good thing. Someday, hopefully in the near future, pennies will have disappeared completely and no longer have a place in our wallets taking up unnecessary room.

The fact of the matter is that things today aren’t cheap enough to keep around a coin of such low value. Back in the day, it would mean the end of the world to get rid of the penny. For two or three cents a person could get a bag full of candy, but today, that kind of situation is unheard of.

It actually costs more than a penny to make a penny; to be exact, 1.6 cents for every penny made.

Businesses across the nation have been notified of the situation. From here on out, pay attention to your transactions as you will most likely be given change that ends with either a five or a zero.

Natasha Woytiuk, a store manager at Fairview Pointe Claire shopping mall explained the new measures she must take.

“It was our head office that sent us directions about how to start the process of eliminating pennies. Basically, we have gotten rid of all the pennies in our cash. We do accept them if a customer chooses to pay with pennies, but we no longer return pennies as change to customers,” she said. “What we do now is round up or down depending on whether it’s below five cents or above five cents.”

This certainly will be an adjustment for cashiers across the country testing their math skills. NDP member of Parliament Pat Martin hopes to test their skills even further by terminating the other coins as well, with his sights currently set on the nickel. The MP has made it publicly known how satisfied he is with the discontinuation of the penny having said, “one down, one to go.”

What Martin plans on doing in the future is change our currency to multiples of 10s, with 10, 20 and 50 cent coins as well as $1, $2 and $5 coins.

Personally, I think he is a little overzealous. Just because the penny has been eliminated from our currency doesn’t mean the other coins have to go with it. There are probably billions of nickels, dimes and quarters floating around the country, and to collect and replace all of them with different amounts is a farfetched idea at this point in time.
It would mean millions of dollars spent on new production, and not to mention a copious amount of time spent gathering the remaining coins from circulation.

Think about all the vending machines, parking meters and pay phones that would have to be changed in order to fit the new coins.

The only logical thing that could be done with a shift in our currency would be to eliminate cash altogether and rely solely on credit and debit transactions. But, I don’t see that happening for quite a few years.

For now, cash-in your piggy banks and say goodbye to the copper coin. Or, better yet, keep them. Who knows, maybe someday they’ll be worth a lot.

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Student Life

Game on Concordian video gamers!

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan
Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

Looks like gamers now have a reasonable excuse to play video games — apparently they’re good for your health!

According to a new publication by researchers at the University of Utah from the journal Science Translational Medicine, video games can be therapeutic and beneficial to one’s health; helping patients with cancer, diabetes, asthma, depression, autism and Parkinson’s disease.

Carol Bruggers, the lead author of the paper “Patient-Empowerment Interactive Technologies,” featured inthe journal, told Science Daily that “a growing number of published studies show promise in effecting specific health-related behavioral changes and self-management of obesity, neurological disorders, cancer or asthma.”

“We envision interactive ‘exergames’ designed to enhance patient empowerment, compliance and clinical outcomes for specific disease categories,” said Bruggers.

The University of Utah has even created their own video game specifically targeted towards patients called the Patient Empowerment Video Game  or PE Game.

According to the researchers, “video games can act as nonpharmacological interventions [that] may enhance patients’ resilience toward various chronic disorders via neuronal mechanisms that activate positive emotions and the reward system.”

Who knew this day would ever come? Before the news of this research surfaced, most people believed that video games had the opposite effect. I mean, it’s easy to see why. A person can just plug in a game on their computer or television game console and lounge on the couch for hours without realizing how quickly time passes; hours they could be spending outside moving and being active.

Concordia computer science and software engineering professor, Peter Grogono, shared his thoughts on the rise of the so-called exergames: “there are plenty of games for couch potatoes.  However, it is certainly possible to design specific games that encourage physical activity and that improve coordination skills.”

“Some games have been shown to help people with various medical conditions, both physical and psychological,” he said.

So, how is it possible that playing video games can be good for you? With the help of advanced computer technology, that’s how. Let’s take a momentary glance back into video game history and refresh our memory on the facts.

The first video games that came out were 2-D games such as Pong and Pac-Man in the late 1970s, typically played at an arcade which for the most part required a person to stand while playing. A somewhat healthy way to keep yourself entertained. The years progressed, technology started booming and it seemed as though the standing obligation came to a sudden stop.

When home game consoles were introduced, such as Atari, Nintendo and Playstation,people were able to play comfortably sitting alone for hours on end. Not such a healthy activity anymore.

In 2006 Japanese designers created a game console that brought back the standing element of gaming, in the form of the Wii: the latest Nintendo game console that runs off of sensory movement.

Suddenly gaming has become a healthy activity again, starting with the Wii console using games such as Wii Fit and Just Dance, forcing all players to get up off their couches and move in order to play. Other gaming companies like Xbox and Playstation recognized the growing popularity of the so called “exergames” and created sensory consoles of their own, which the University of Utah has now also done.

Thanks to computer engineers, video games have evolved from people having to stand, then sit and now move in order to play, allowing entertainment and exercise to coexist harmoniously. I think it’s safe to say that video games are literally taking a step in the right direction.

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Opinions

Everything you say can be used against you

Image of Justin Trudeau courtesy of Flickr.
Image of Justin Trudeau courtesy of Flickr.

Liberal MP and candidate for Liberal leadership Justin Trudeau has recently been criticized in the news regarding quotes he said around two years ago which are now labelling him as “anti-Albertan.”

Here’s what happened:

In 2010, Trudeau attended the Télé-Québec television program Les francs-tireurs (The Straight Shooters) for an interview and said Canada wasn’t doing well “because it’s Albertans who control our community and socio-democratic agenda.”

The comments from the interview, especially the above mentioned, set off a reaction from Conservative MPs on Parliament Hill resulting in, what some would call, an exaggerated amount of attention.

Trudeau wasn’t running for the position of Liberal leader at the time he said it, making it easier for him to get away with it. Now, all of a sudden, it’s resurfaced, and it’s making headlines.

So, is what he said two years ago really relevant in the news now? The truth is, it is… now that he’s in the spotlight and vying to be the Prime Minister of Canada.

Being in the public eye has its ups and downs, especially when it comes to politics. Politicians’ words represent who they are as a leader and what they want to achieve with their power. Every single word a politician utters is jotted down and recorded, making the ‘thinking before you speak’ rule absolutely key at all times.

Unfortunately, with good press comes bad press. In this case, Trudeau is experiencing some bad press. It appears Conservatives have been putting a lot of effort into looking back and beyond in the Justin Trudeau files to expose some negative dirt on him to the public.

Since Trudeau announced that he was running in September, the man has mostly received positive feedback from the public. He’s been called a front-runner time and time again. He’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s son, he’s young and lest we forget, handsome; an idealistic political figure.

With a reputation like that, he’s a favorite to many, except, of course, the opposition, who now see him as a threat.

As the age old saying goes, the only way to bring an enemy down is to make them look bad, in this case by digging deep into their past and finding something juicy to terrorize them with.

We’ve seen all kinds of dirt brought up about politicians in the news before, some of the more common ones being affairs, bribes, inappropriate behavior… and the list goes on.

Since the issue made headlines last week, Trudeau has appeared in front of the media in Vancouver apologizing, for the second time, for the unintentional offence.

“I’m sorry I said what I did. I was wrong to relate the area of the country that [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper is from with the people who live there and the policies that he has that don’t represent the values of most Canadians,” said Trudeau. “It was wrong to use a shorthand to say Alberta, when I was really talking about Mr. Harper’s government, and I’m sorry I did that.”

Trudeau greeted the reporters happily with a smile on his face, and no visible shame whatsoever, indicating a sense that the matter to him isn’t as serious as the news media is making it. Although the situation may not have worried Trudeau, he officially has been warned.

Trudeau, I hope you’ve learned your lesson and won’t be making the same mistake in the future. I rest my case.

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Student Life

What’s your definition of cheating?

“What do you think is the number one reason why people go to therapy?” asked my CÉGEP psychology professor. “Addiction? Paranoia? Money? None of the above. In fact, the answer is relationships.”

It may not be your first guess, but when you think about it, it makes sense.

Relationships take up a vast majority of the time in our lives. It starts as young as elementary crushes, first loves in high school, CÉGEP, and on to the most serious commitment a person can pledge to another: marriage. Until death do us part right?

So, why is something that should bring a person happiness and completeness end up taking them to a therapist’s chair? That is because one of the most common problems with relationships is cheating.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2005, an estimated 71,269 divorces occurred annually across the nation based on one of the following reasons: falling out of love, communication breakdown, unreasonable behavior, infidelity, midlife crisis, financial issues and physical, psychological, or emotional abuse.

These days, as soon as the word infidelity — or the more commonly used term, cheating — comes up, people usually tend to think of physically cheating. However, there is another way in which a person can cheat on their partner, and that is emotionally.

According to psychologist, teacher and self-development expert Michael J. Formica, emotional cheating is defined as any situation that creates or causes some degree of emotional unavailability on the part of one partner.

“It’s an expression of either the need or the desire to absent oneself from one’s primary relationship, without actually leaving that relationship,” wrote Formica in his article for Psychology Today. “It’s a crush that’s reciprocated, but not acted upon.”

So which one affects men and women more?

Psychologist Erica Diamond, founder and editor-in-chief of her website womenonthefence.com says that men are more affected by physical cheating because men relate to everything in a physical way first. Men are protective by nature of their possessions, much like they were as cavemen.

“The reality is that while men don’t care with whom you shop, talk, eat, or text, men do care deeply about who looks at you, smells your hair, holds your hand, and takes you to bed,” wrote Diamond.

For women, emotional cheating affects them more. Women are more likely to forgive a one night affair than an on-going connection.

“The thought of a husband’s connection with another woman, telling her his intimate secrets, without even physically touching her is worse than a one night stand,” wrote Diamond.

When it comes to cheating, perhaps the biggest concern of all is who cheats more and who will admit to it. Stereotypically, it is assumed men cheat more than women, but let’s look at the facts.

According to a study in the College Student Journal in 2008, 1,394 undergraduate students from a large southeastern university were asked whether or not they had ever experienced sexual behaviour with others while in a monogamous relationship. The results showed that more men, 19.7 per cent, had cheated on their partner as opposed to women, 14.2 per cent.

When asked whether or not they had told their partner they cheated on them, more men, 60.2 per cent said they hadn’t, as opposed to women, 46.8 per cent.

Of course, this is just one study. Nevertheless, if the world debate concerned which gender cheats, men, unfortunately, would live up to their stereotype of being strictly physical beings. That is not to say that women are innocent in the matter.

According to the 2012 UK Adultery Survey, although men are more adulterous in pursuit of an ego boost through sexual encounters, when women begin to steer away from their relationships, they are more prone to playing the field for emotional purposes and falling in love with their illicit lover. Interestingly, while men, on average, begin to stray away at age 42 and take on 1 – 2 mistresses, women become unfaithful at 37 with 2 – 3 lovers.

The problem with a monogamous relationship is that on paper, and in the movies, it looks like a great idea. However keeping that faithful promise can be quite challenging as the years go by. Whether it be a monogamous college relationship or 20 years of marriage, there are always alternatives to cheating on your partner. Anyone up for some couple counselling?

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Opinions

Pros and Cons: Star Wars…Disney is your father

There are some films that are so influential they will be engrained in film culture for years and years to come. There are some stories that are so appealing that they are rendered classics almost immediately. Star Wars is one of those films. Alas, the question we ask is this: Disney has bought the the rights to the series for a pretty penny, but should more Star Wars movies be made? Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons.

PRO: Why fans should rejoice
by Jenna Cocullo

I sense a disturbance in the force; Disney Studios has bought LucasFilm for $4.05 billion with the intention of making three brand new films. Some fans were upset with the news. However, there is no reason to fret and here are four reasons why.

1. Once you hit rock bottom the only way to go is up.
Let’s face it, Star Wars episodes I to III were not exactly the most satisfying films. Matthew Hays, critic and film studies professor at Concordia University, agrees.

“The first Star Wars film was a lot of fun, and was very creative and new. The next two weren’t as good. The next three, the prequels, were generally quite rotten.”

The good news? Well it seems that it cannot get any more rotten as anything could be better than the last three films to hit theaters.

“I think a new sequel could be fun, and it couldn’t be much worse than the last few,” said Hays.

Disney is starting off favourably since expectations will be very low for any new Star Wars movies because the last few disappointed so intensely.

2. It’s Disney!
Besides supposedly putting subliminal messages in our beloved childhood films, have they ever really done anything bad? They are responsible for this summer’s greatest blockbuster, The Avengers, recent favourites like Pirates of the Caribbean and creating childhood classics such as the epic Toy Story trilogy. It is safe to say that the Star Wars legacy will be in good hands.

3. A fresh new storyline with a fresh new perspective
Had Disney decided to reboot the films, that would have been a problem (even though it would be kind of cool to see what they would look like in the 21st century).

“I like the idea of creating new storylines and not rebooting the old films,” explained Hays. “There are too many reboots going on right now, it just feels like so much recycling.”

Fortunately, that is not the case. New story lines are in the making — ones which do not involve the original cast at all. The fact that George Lucas is not the one producing them is even better because Disney can provide a new take on the films.

4. A classic movie is immortal
Star Wars will live on with the making of three new movies. Of course, they will never be as good as the originals, nothing ever leaves an impression like the first, but that is no reason to stop the legacy. Many enthusiasts have expressed their feelings of joy on Internet forums discussing the topic. They feel that they can relive a great part of their childhood. At the end of the day, a franchise so many love is coming back to the big screen. If it sucks, so what? The originals will always be there. So for any doubtful people out there, my advice to you would be to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

CON: Don’t mess with a good thing
by Christina Rowan

Disney making three more Star Wars films instead of Lucasfilm is the equivalent of a modern day artist adding onto to Michelangelo’s oeuvre in the Sistine Chapel. What’s done is done!

From here on out, the legacy of George Lucas’ cinematic ventures runs the risk of being credited to Disney, which initially, had nothing to do with it.

Lucas will remain a consultant to the Star Wars franchise. However, Disney ultimately holds the cards, allowing them to take directions Lucas wouldn’t if it were solely up to him.

Lucas was clearly in no need of financial aid. He has made beyond what is considered a fortune on his franchise — an estimated $27 billion, through the films, television shows, action figures, video games, board games, you name it — yet still sold to mass film corporation Disney.

Since the sale, the announcement of three new possible Star Wars films has become public, but what more can Disney add to the story?

Everyone is already familiar with the the intergalactic empire, life-threatening lightsaber battles, epic pod races and the ultimate fight between good and evil. We’ve seen what happens from beginning to end to Luke, Princess Leia, and their villainous father, Darth Vader. Even the Emperor fell to his doom in Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi.

So, is the production of three more Star Wars movies really necessary? Three new films may only tarnish the glory it possesses.

The entertainment business today seems to be popping out the same types of movies all the time, most recently, superhero films like Batman, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. They’ve been recycled and updated with clearer graphics, bigger explosions and louder sound effects. It’s becoming a little repetitive, when you think about it.

For Star Wars fans who were disappointed with the prequel films released since 1999, it will only be more of the same disappointment with three Disney-made Star Wars films.

Lucas said in an interview with IGN that when he made the first Star Wars installments back in the 1970s, everybody in Hollywood said it was a movie Disney should have made. He didn’t give in then so why now? In the end, Lucas made some of the greatest movies of all time. Can Disney really live up to that reputation? I don’t think so.

I’m sure the new movies will be enormous box office hits, action-packed blockbusters. They might even be great films in themselves, but we should be looking to new ideas, not revamping old ones.

Despite all the excitement and all the hype, the classics will always be the innovative, new world brought to life by George Lucas, and no remake or newer movie can live up to that.

Graphic by Phil Waheed.

Categories
Student Life

Side effects not included

Graphic Phil Waheed

Some of the most common and inescapable symptoms one gets when down with a cold or flu include coughing, sneezing, sore throat, itching, body ache and fatigue, fever and good old nasal congestion.

Graphic Phil Waheed

The fact of the matter is, once a virus is caught the only thing that is sure to eliminate it is time. However, there are many ways in which a person can prevent and relieve irritating symptoms.

Commercial ads for big medicine companies such as Nyquil, Robitussin and Advil publicize the idea that just one pill or dose will make a person look and feel completely back to normal. However, medicines don’t always do the trick.

More and more people today are looking to natural remedies such as herbs when relieving themselves of cold and flu symptoms as opposed to popping pills every couple of hours.

“Herbs help us feel better because they treat the symptoms as well as the root of the problem, unlike many pharmaceuticals which mask the symptoms,” said Monica Giacomin, a herbalist and native skills professor at Marianopolis College.

“Using herbs as preventative medicine is an even better solution for maintaining optimum health and energy long-term,” she said.

Some tonic herbs she suggests to try when sick are burdock, garlic, stinging nettle, holy basil, medicinal mushrooms, and seaweed.

For those constantly on the go even through sickness, try a cup of tea instead of a morning coffee. Available at David’s Tea, Cold 911 (without caffeine) and Gail’s Cold Remedy (with caffeine) have mint and are said to release pressure in the nose and soothe the throat.

Once you’ve had your tea for the day and are on your way home, check out some recommended at-home remedies.

Take a hot steam shower. Not only does the hot water feel good, it relieves symptoms of chest congestion and the steam opens your airways, allowing you to breathe easier.

A Neti Pot literally flushes the nose of mucus, bacteria and viruses using a saline solution. Here’s what you have to do to make your own nasal spray at home. Boil eight ounces of water and then allow the water to cool to room temperature. Pour the water into a sterilized jar or Neti Pot. Add 1 / 4 teaspoon of salt and 1 / 2 teaspoon of baking soda to the water and you’re ready to go.

You can also try sucking on some Zinc Lozenges. Just like vitamins, they can be consumed after a meal and are said to boost the immune system’s virus-fighting power.

Lastly, try a spoonful of honey or lemon in your tea. It’s a classic for a reason. It tastes great and  is said to help relieve coughing.

So, next time you think to grab a bottle of something from the medicine cabinet, try some of these natural remedies instead. You might be better off!

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