On the Way
By Dickson Liong, Grade 10
The Liew family will soon have a new addition.
At approximately 8:40 AM of January 3rd, 2012, Ms. J. Liew announced to her Socials Studies 10 class in Block 1-2 that she was pregnant.
Once Ms. J. Liew made the announcement, all the students seemed to be in absolute shock; eyebrows were raised. We had questions and wanted answers; no one saw this news coming. At the same time, we felt extremely happy for her, to the point where some students gave her a standing ovation.
Employment Prospects Vary by College Major, According to U.S. Study
By Mrs. Rajkumar
A new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce observes that the risk of unemployment for recent college graduates varies considerably, depending on their field of study.
Architecture majors face the highest unemployment rate (13.9%) as a result of the collapse of construction and home-building industries in the economic downturn. The report states that unemployment is generally higher for non-technical majors, such as in the arts (11.1%) and in social sciences (8.9%). Researchers found that unemployment rates are relatively low (5.4%) for recent graduates in education, engineering, sciences, and healthcare-related majors, as they are tied to stable or growing industry sectors and occupations.
Irrespective of major, attending college is a good bet, the study shows. The overall unemployment rate for recent bachelor’s degree holders is 8.9%, compared to 22.9% for recent high school graduates and 31.5% for recent high school dropouts. The overall unemployment rate for individuals with graduate degrees is just 3%, the report states.
In tough times, many new graduates take shelter in graduate school, and that’s not a bad strategy, the report suggests. Not just for recent graduates, but overall, graduate-degree holders face lower unemployment rates than those with only bachelor’s degrees (5%). However, the job security of an industry-oriented major may not coincide with high earnings. Health-care, science, and business majors with recent degrees have relatively low unemployment rates and high earnings; for education, psychology, and social-work majors, both unemployment rates and earnings are low.
Reference:
(n.d.). Hard Times. Retrieved from Georgetown University website: http://cew.georgetown.edu/unemployment/
YCCD Ethical Rose Grams!
It’s that time of the year again! YCCD (Youth Celebrate Canada Day Committee) will be selling ethical rose grams, and all proceeds go towards funding the RCC Canada Day event!
Why “ethical” roses?
Unfortunately, many roses are not grown properly nowadays. They have considerable impact on the environment as well as on the people who are part of the production line. Fair-trade roses guarantee several things. First of all, they have been produced using sustainable methods, meaning that they have been grown in a way so that the harm to the environment is minimized. Also, workers receive fair treatment; they have reasonable wages and working hours, as well as a safe working environment. Last but not least, no child labour or forced labour is used anywhere in the production of these roses.
PRICES:
$5 per rose
Combo: 3 for $13
Colours: Red, Pink, Yellow, Orange, White
*Delivered during Blocks 1-4 and 1-3 on February 14th
We’re selling in the foyer at lunch. Quantities are LIMITED, so get your roses ASAP!
Roses from Amoda Flowers (http://www.amodaflowers.com/)
What Should the Canucks Do with Cory Scheider?
By Gurpreet Randhawa, Grade 10
When Cory Schneider was drafted in the 2004 NHL entry draft, not many people thought that he would’ve given Roberto Luongo some competition for the starting goaltender position.
On October 18th, 2011, Schneider made his first start of the 2010-2011 NHL regular season against the Carolina Hurricanes. He stopped 32 shots in the 5-1 victory. Schneider ended the season with a 2.23 GAA and a .992 save percentage over 25 games. His record was 16-4-2, and he finished his rookie season with the William M. Jennings Trophy. Schneider has started the 2011-2012 season with a 10-5-0 record and has a save percentage of 92.7% so far. The million-dollar question is: should the Canucks deal Schneider?
Canucks Midterm
By Mike Chen, Grade 12
Hello, Warriors! I hope you all studied hard and did well on your midterms! It’s now officially halfway through the school year, and in the NHL it’s a similar situation. As the NHL trade deadline looms (February 27th at 12:00 PM PST), teams are preparing for the season’s home stretch. But before that happens, let’s take a look back at our home town Canucks’ season thus far, and since we’ve just had to go through midterms, it’s only fair to give one to the Canucks.
Why is there Mercury in Fish?
by Brandon Leo, Grade 10
There have been large concentrations of mercury in fish and shellfish. The form of mercury that is usually found in fish is methyl mercury, a highly toxic compound. Fish products have been shown to contain different amounts of heavy metals, such as pollutants from contaminated water. Species of fish that are on top of the food chain and have a long life span, including sharks and halibut, have a more concentrated level of mercury than other marine creatures, such as krill.
There are health risks with mercury being in fish, especially for young children and pregnant women. Scientists from the U.S. government tested fish from 291 different streams for mercury contamination and found that every fish they tested had mercury in them. Of the 291 fish that were tested for mercury contamination, twenty-five percent had mercury above safety levels for people who regularly consume fish. But wait, there’s more!
The Three-Person Panel for the Enbridge Pipeline
By Thea Sample, Grade 11
Image credit: Vancouver Observer
The Enbridge Northern Gateway Project is a proposal to construct a $5.5 billion pipeline that would run from Alberta to the B.C. coast. The pipeline would transport bitumen (extracted from oil sands) from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Kitimat, British Columbia, where it would then be shipped to Asia.
Enbridge Inc. is the corporate backer of this project and has solicited support from several large oil companies as well as the Canadian federal government. (more…)
Problems Obscured by U.S. Law of Conflict Minerals Disclosure
By Anchita Kaushik, Grade 10
As the demand for electronics like smartphones, MP3’s, iPods, and cell phones increases, so does the number of consumers who inquire about the sources of metals like tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold. The Democratic Republic of Congo is in the eye of the storm for these “conflict minerals.”
Congo is a resource-rich country inhabited by 70 million people. It has already suffered decades of military conflicts, and the riches presently being extracted only make the problems faced by its citizens worse. Mines located in eastern Congo are found in isolated regions, smack-dab in the middle of armed guerillas who have claimed the areas as their own. The results are brutal. Rape and violence are commonplace. Miners, many of whom are children, work for up to 48 hours straight, under the risk of mudslides and tunnel collapses.
The Windermere List – The Facts of Love
- Saint Valentine: executed by Emperor Claudis II in 270 BC for performing marriages in secret, because marriage was banned to boost army enlistment
- “From your Valentine”: a fabled signature that’s said to have been written by one such martyr, to his girl friend before his execution
- Love potion ingredients: snow + heat (Romania); blueberries + fermentation (Finland); rum + honey + red wine + tree bark (Dominican Republic)
- 100 women vs. 120 men: for every 100 single women in their 20s, there’re 120 single men
- Aphrodisiacs: foods or scents that are said to enhance sexual desire
- Aphrodisiac foods: bananas, carrots, chili peppers, ginger, licorice, chocolate, Viagra, etc.
- 250,000,000 feet: the combined length—almost enough to go twice around the Earth—of all the candy hearts produced in 2011
- 1 billion cards: the number of Valentine’s Day cards bought in the U.S. alone, mostly received by teachers
- 7.7 million women: the number of women who buy roses for themselves in the U.S.
- Wedding rings worn on the left: this is because the left hand contains the vena amoris, or the vein of love
- In math: the graph of (x2 + y2 – 1)3 – x2 y3 = 0 has the shape of a heart
- 190 million paper Valentines: the estimated number sent by the U.S. Greeting Card Association each year
- Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: the name used to describe the murder of 7 members of an organized crime group in Chicago on February 14, 1929
- 110 million roses: the estimated number imported from South America and sold in the U.S. on Valentine’s Day
- Ophelia: Shakespearean character, from Hamlet, who mentions St. Valentine’s Day
References:
Qingru. (2011, February 11). Things about Valentine’s Day we bet you never knew. Zopim. Retrived from http://blog.zopim.com/?p=1008
Obringer, L. A. (2005, June 29). How Aphrodisiacs Work. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/aphrodisiac.htm
Wikipedia contributors. (2012, January 28). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine’s_Day
Let’s Talk About Learning
By Darius Davidson, Grade 12
Image credit: studentvoice.vsb.bc.ca
Everyone sees things through a different lens. For a long time, students have been placed into classrooms where teachers teach them based on their educational methods. Not every student learns the same way, though; some are kinesthetic learners, while others are visual learners. Students are bound to feel discontented with the way they’re taught at one point or another, but up until recently they hardly got the chance to openly discuss about the current educational system and design the future of education.
On January 31st, over 230 students from secondary schools across the entire Vancouver School District came together at the Roundhouse Community Centre for the “Let’s talk about learning” student forum. Continue reading…
Baby Harp Seals
By Samantha Chow, Grade 8
Most people may know that global warming has a very big impact on Earth. Scientists say that global warming is due to humans-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse Gases are produced in part because we burn fossil fuels.
Baby harp seals are among the many species impacted by global warming. They need 30-70 centimetres thick of ice to keep them stable. As the ocean warms, the baby seals could be drowned or crushed by broken-up chunks of ice. If the climate gets even hotter, the survival rates of their pups will drop even more greatly. These cute little creatures need help to survive. Luckily, while people do hunt them to sell their fur, skin, and meat, these seals are not yet endangered.
Renfew Youth Open Gym Nights
Renfrew Youth Open Gym, which happens every Friday from 7:00 PM-10:00 PM* at Renfrew Community Centre (RCC), has just held its first annual Winter Hoops Basketball Tournament last month! RCC was very excited to host this competition, with players ranging in age from 12 to 22 years coming out every week for the past four weeks to play against each other. A big congratulations to the winning team, the “Tigers,” and to all those who participated!
Check out the “Renfrew Youth Council” Facebook page if you want to be kept up to date with RCC’s youth activities. You can also come by the Community Centre on Fridays after school to shoot some pool, play foosball, or join in on some fun sports activities!
February Career Centre News – Grade 12 Student Checklist
- Most post-secondary application deadlines are at the end of February. If you have not done so, start applying! SFU’s early admission deadline is February 28th.
- If necessary, call the admissions offices at post-secondary institutions to make any last-minute changes to your applications.
- Check your e-mail and your student account (provided to you by your institution(s) of choice), to get updates of your application and to find out about any missing documents.
- Grad Transitions Interviews: All grads should have already scheduled their interviews with Mr. Wiebe. They take place between January 30th and February 16th.
- Be aware of scholarships that are available in February, and read the student bulletin.
7 Reasons Why Kale is the New Beef
By Ethan Trinh, Grade 11
Ever since I “landed” my job at Whole Foods Market, my co-workers have been the best at introducing me to new foods, one of which was kale. The name sounded familiar at first, but, much like many other produce items at the store, I had no idea what to do with it. My fellow associate, Mellissa, took me to the market’s salad bar to get a taste of kale; lo and behold, it tasted great! I somehow never quite liked eating vegetables, and so I have always stayed away from them, but the kale was truly amazing. Mellissa gave me a quick rundown of the nutritional value of kale. Still, she said that she had given me only some information, not a whole lot, so I decided to do a bit of research myself.
ACTA: SOPA and PIPA for the World
By Winnie Liang, Grade 12
Image credit: The Inquisitr
How much do you know about ACTA? It wouldn’t come as any surprise if you never heard of ACTA before, because the lack of transparency since the beginning of its negotiations prevented it from garnering public attention. In fact, the majority of the world’s population weren’t aware of its existence . . . until now.
You may have used some of your favourite music and photos to put together a trailer video for a school project before. Unfortunately, there‘s a chance you may not be able to do this again, as the rigorous enforcement of ACTA makes it an illegal act of copyright infringement. So, what exactly is ACTA?
Keystone XL Rejection
By Sydney Emo, Grade 10
TransCanada has always been fully committed to the Keystone XL Pipeline Project, which aims to transport oil from Alberta’s oil sands to several different locations in the United States. However, the U.S. government has recently announced its decision to reject the establishment of the Keystone XL pipeline. The U.S. Department of State has ordered that the pipe be re-routed so as to avoid contact with the Ogallala aquifer, which supplies water to millions of people living on the plains and which is one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world. If the route is changed and re-planned, the project will have to undergo environmental review yet again. This could potentially delay the realization of the pipeline project for another year or two.
The Keystone XL pipeline has been extremely controversial ever since its proposal. The impact that such a huge pipeline would have on the environment is unbelievable. All of the areas that it would pass through could be subject to oil spills, because no pipelines could guarantee zero leakage. Frequent spills contaminate water and wildlife. Another concern is that the pipeline would, at some point, go through an active seismic area. Should an earthquake occur again as it did back in 2002, the pipeline would break and the spilt oil would completely destroy the surrounding environment.
Despite all the protests and opposition, it seems unlikely that the Keystone XL pipeline project is fully off the table, especially not if the oil companies and the Canadian government are giving their full support to the project. Steven Harper says: “This outcome is one of the scenarios we anticipated. While we are disappointed, TransCanada remains fully committed to the construction of the Keystone XL.” TransCanada will re-apply for permit; right now, they’re hoping to have the pipeline up and running by 2014.
On the other hand, Obama claims that his administration is working on ways to strengthen America’s energy security. He says: “We will do so in a way that benefits American workers and businesses without risking the health and safety of the American people and the environment.” At the moment, it seems as though the United States is actually seeing the big picture and putting more thought into the effects that this massive project could have on the world.
Unfortunately, this does not mean that the U.S. is saying “No” to this project completely; they are simply stalling. With Canada doing everything it can to get a “Yes” from the United States, there is a possibility that it will be revived. According to the John Boehner, the current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans are eyeing a massive highway bill as a way to resurrect the Keystone XL pipeline—by attaching it to the bill as an additional condition. Meanwhile, Republicans (as well as some Democrats) in the Senate are planning to introduce a Keystone bill.
Nonetheless, the new delay resulted from the Obama administration’s denial of Keystone permit proves that there is always a chance for things to change in a positive direction.
References:
Visser, J. (2012, January 18). U.S. rejects Keystone XL, TransCanada not giving up. CTV News. Retrieved from http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120118/obama-administration-keystone-xl-pipeline-decision-120118/20120118?hub=BritishColumbiaHome
Lum, Zi-Ann. (2011, November 10). U.S. to TransCanada: Find a new route for Keystone XL. Vancouver Observer. Retrieved from http://www.vancouverobserver.com/world/2011/11/10/us-transcanada-find-new-route-keystone-xl
Savage, L, Ch. (2012, January 18). TransCanada: will try again, hope for pipeline in 2014. Maclean’s. http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/01/18/transcanada-will-try-again-hope-for-pipeline-in-2014/
Dixon, K. (2010, January 29). Keystone to be linked to U.S. highway bill: Boehner. Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/29/us-usa-congress-keystone-idUSTRE80S0IX20120129
