Huge goals, small steps.
“Nothing is impossible, as long as you try,” is what people always say. However, sometimes your goals seem too difficult, making it very tempting to give up. But you can never win by giving up, right? Well, here are some easier ways of achieving your goals.
Think positive:
First of all, to reach your goal you should have positive thoughts. Simple words, such as “I can do it,” and strong will-power can help you conquer any task, as long as you really put your heart into it. We happen to encounter problems in our everyday lives without realizing it, whether it’s doing homework or trying to do sit-ups in P.E. Psychology plays a big role. If you’re unfit or dislike school, then determination is the key. Teaming up with a friend who has a positive attitude can help you push your way up to finishing your goals. Take time to work hard for a successful future.
Break it down:
When encountering a big task, you should break it down into smaller fragments, so it seems easier to obtain and achieve. For example, you’re in P.E. and are told to do 20 burpees or 60 step-ups. While counting, it may seem to be a huge number, and giving up seems to be a very appealing idea. Well, don’t do it; push yourself. Keep committed to your confident positive thoughts, and break down the task. Instead of counting all the way to sixty, break it down into 6 sets of 10. Same goes for the burpees: break it down into 4 sets of 5 burpees. As you complete each set, you feel more successful, more motivated, and achieving the goal will seem much easier.
Another problem may be piles of homework. Making “to-do” lists are great; they keep you organized, although they may seem like a headache. Instead of looking at it and thinking, “Do Math, then Chemistry, English, and finally, French,” you should aim for one goal at a time. That way, it won’t feel too overwhelming and focusing on one task at a time would be faster and more efficient.
With effort and determination, no goal will be unattainable. Don’t look up and think of how high the mountain is before you climb, but instead work on every bump and boulder in the way, and before you realize it, you’re already there.
By Jessica Ho
2014 Health Care Accord
As you may know, health care is a publicly funded system that is paid through tax payers in Canada. This system is referred to as “Canada’s National Health Insurance Plan” or “Medicare,” which states that all residents in Canada have equal access to services and qualities for healthcare. The Medicare is there to provide universal coverage to all Canadians according to their needs and regardless of paying. The roles and responsibilities for the governments’ institution are shared between the federal, all of Canada, and the provincial-territorial governments, by provinces, in which their main job for “Canada’s Health Care System” is to manage and conserve it.
“The Canada Health Act (or Medicare Act) is Canada’s federal legislation for publicly funded health care insurance.” It ensures that all Canadians will receive the same services of health care from one province to another. The Act sets out the primary objective of Canadian health care policy, which is “to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.” -Government of Canada.
Knowing that the place where you’re standing on provides health care does impact your life. Going into a publicly-funded hospital or getting checked up isn’t going to cost you anything. But believe it or not, various countries in the world, including the United States, follow the “private sector.”
Who was the founder for Medicare? Tommy Douglas was a Scottish-born Canadian who was a Member of Parliament that was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1935. He was also the former leader of the NDP. As a member, he introduced the idea of Medicare in Saskatchewan and lobbied for a national program in the 1940′s.
The Canada Assistance plan was legislation that stated the federal and provincial government should divide fairly the costs for health care. In other words, whatever the provincial government gives, the federal government has to come up with the same amount. In 1994, the Liberal government abolished the plan which led to having less money proceeding towards healthcare, and no consistency of funding in each province.
The 2014 Health Care Accord is a contract that sets funding and health care agreements or alliances between the federal and provincial-territorial governments. With this as our current accord, it will expire and it must be treated. The “Harper” government believes that health care should be a provincial responsibility, rather than federal, as he announced in December 2011 that it would administer limited federal financial alternation to the provinces for health care. The Harper government also lessened their representation in Canada’s health care system to writing cheques. The Council of Canadians believes that everyone should come together to protect the 2014 Health Care Accord so it would continue to provide quality health care and long term care for the aging population. They are on the left wing, which states that they believe in Socialism, where everything is based on equality for people. Opposing is the right wing, Capitalism, which fits perfectly under the Conservatives party, where they believe that “privately owned is good” and the user should pay.
Now many speakers have already addressed the federal government’s actions that it plans to apply to the 2014 Health Care Accord. A fact is that health care is always part of Canadians’ top election issue, though many people don’t realize it. As problems arise, the federal government isn’t intending to support health care in Canada. Just think of it, without the 2014 Health Care Accord, there would be no continuance of Tommy Douglas’ view of free universal health care, and no national improvements in health care.
Research has also shown that most Canadians support the public health care system, and only 27.6% are paid through a private sector. The idea of a private sector is “business like”, where they would like us to pay to receive a “much better” healthcare.
By Annie Lai
Should Walmart’s Health Label Be Trusted?
By Tammy Lee, Grade 12
In recent years, eating healthy food has become the latest trend. From fads such as vitamin-infused drinks to the demand for organic food, more retailers are taking advantage of conscientious consumers in a way that allows the retailer—in this case, Walmart—to label what the company believes is healthy and should be well regarded by its customers. Coming soon to the Walmart near you is a green “Great for You” label that the multi-national retail giant has decided to launch.
Psychotropic Drug Use Skyrocketing among Young Children
By Sydney Emo, Grade 10
Image from DonkeyHotey's Flickr Photostream: Mona Lisa's smile courtesy of psychoactive drugs, sporting cat eye glasses, ear buds and a sheet of Xanax.
In this day and age, our knowledge about health, medicine, and drugs is stronger than ever. This doesn’t mean that we always make the right decisions, though; the question about whether or not children are being over-drugged has been asked more and more frequently in the past few years. Do parents nowadays tend to jump too quickly to the conclusion that their children need to take medication? Where does the line get drawn between disorders like ADHD and normal childhood behaviours?
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed and mistreated disorder, because it occurs mainly in younger children, who have naturally have short attention spans. It can be very difficult to determine if the way a child is acting is caused by ADHD. (more…)
Cosmetic Carcinogens
By Claire Fergusson, Grade 10
(c) The Story of Cosmetics, from The Story of Stuff Project
North Americans consume the most out of all other places in the world. You name it; we’ve bought it. Many of us live relatively comfortable lives, surrounding ourselves with stuff and constantly reinventing things to make our lives appear “happier.” Many of us succumb to the ideal that the more you buy, the more you have; only a few understand that the more you buy, the easier it is to neglect the values that make life worthy and meaningful. Cosmetics are a part of that ideal. Products that we use on our faces make us feel safer. Make-up has become a part of our daily routine, yet we fail to realize that it is eating us from the inside out—in more ways than one.
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!
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.
Re: Fighting Childhood Obesity: Is Phys. Ed. Enough?
By Sophia Yamauchi, Grade 10
In programs like Leadership, students get a chance to learn about the importance of fitness and put their learning into practice. Sadly, such programs only exist in small numbers, and many children and adolescents are not meeting the recommended levels of physical activity.
In 2009, one-quarter of Canadian children were considered either overweight or obese. That is not bad compared to American statistics. Children in Canada were healthier and had a lower average BMI. Does it mean everything is okay? Indeed, an average Canadian is “healthier” than an average American, but this is no excuse to say that we do not have a problem—we do.
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Parents Do Not Recognize Child Obesity
By: Shawna Becker
Studies show that most parents with obese children don’t even know that their children are obese. Maybe they just don’t see the truth of the matter, or are blinded by adoration towards the kids. Or is it just that they don’t want to believe that their children are obese? To them, being obese could mean being rejected, ugly or unwanted.
Here is something else to consider. Parents don’t notice their children are obese because today, everybody is actually a little chubbier because of the unhealthy choices out there that are encouraging bad habits. How can you blame somebody for not being able to tell which child has a problem when they all look the same? Personally, I would think that if they all looked the same, that is, too large, then they all need help on choosing healthier habits. Even if it doesn’t improve their curves it will have a positive effect. Lots of people are confused about obesity. There are millions of people out there that think they’re too fat and there are millions people out there who think they’re too thin.
Being on the chubby side doesn’t mean what most think it means. It is actually just an unhealthy condition that lots of people struggle with. Parents shouldn’t ignore that their children are obese. They should embrace it and give them the care and help that they need to become not thin, but healthy. Parents can’t lie to themselves about something as important as this. Being obese has nothing to do with how people think of you. It has more to do on being healthy and living well.
Overdose
By: Anchita Kaushik, Grade 9
Caffeine. Coffee. Tea. And yes, even chocolate. These are all things containing caffeine. Caffeine is what your parents might drink every morning so that they can actually stay awake or what you might drink so you don’t feel like a brainless zombie all day. Like you or other people, many Canadians love their caffeine. This group accounts for 63% of our country’s population, which is 14% more than the United States. With over 50% of the population taking caffeine in some form or another, you’d be wondering who makes the most of that caffeine addiction
If anyone reading this is screaming “Starbucks” like a crazed fan in their head, or in the hall, you’re right. Now, Starbucks, with revenue of $9.95 billion in 2009, is raising their prices once again. Their reason for doing is because of a higher bean cost; which is something they can no longer ignore. They have, however, said that they are going to maintain their popular $1.50 brewed coffee even though other drinks like a venti chai tea latte, which involves more labour, will become more expensive.
Starbucks feeds caffeine addictions, but there are ways to get over them if you know you have an obsession. Caffeine does wake you up when you feel terrible but if you’re wired on coffee, sometimes it can make you feel out of touch with yourself and your surroundings. This isn’t good for your health.
Addiction to caffeine isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the overuse of it is. Due to its presence in things like chocolate, it’s difficult to regulate daily caffeine intake. Some of the things containing caffeine aren’t always the healthiest.
Coffee, tea, and chocolate aren’t the only things that feed caffeine addictions. Beverages like Coke do as well. Coke has around 34 mg of caffeine, which is half the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. Other drinks like Mountain Dew have up to 54 mg which is 20 mg more than Coke. Most Arizona drinks have around 100-200 mg of caffeine in just one bottle; it’s really no wonder why some people are addicted to Arizona.
Caffeine in its different forms has good and bad components. Even though it’s addictive, it isn’t beneficial in high and continuous doses. An addiction is an addiction, coffee is coffee. No matter how you look at it, people are going to keep buying coffee, and caffeinated products because our society is too wrought up in their caffeine addictions. All the different forms of caffeine, such as coffee, tea and chocolate all have various amounts of caffeine and even though many people are addicted it doesn’t mean that you need be obsessed with it too.
Are Your Suds Really Duds?
By: Tammy Lee, Grade 11
Not all soaps are made equally, and not all soaps are equally good for your body. It probably doesn’t really trouble you, but have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a bar of soap? Considering the largest organ in our bodies is our skin, you should try to get the best for it. But if you looked at the ingredient list for a bar of Dove Soap, the highest-recommended mild soap (soap supposedly made without harsh chemicals), you would be surprised at how many times the word “sodium” pops up. Without knowing anything about all those ingredients, I first thought I was smothering salt all over my skin with this soap. Am I… preserving myself? And that’s moderate? Is this really soap? Will I eventually end up like a snail and shrivel up? What madness is this?!
I lied to you.
Dove isn’t actually soap. It’s a detergent by law. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to lie to you like that. Soaps are created by a chemical reaction between water, lye and oils. Companies make their products look like soap when they’re actually detergents. Go; find the list of ingredients for the so-called “soap” you buy at the market. How many times to you see the word “sodium” in the ingredients list? Do you even know what the ingredients are? How many of the ingredients can you even pronounce? Do you know if it will actually clean your skin without harming it with chemicals? I certainly don’t.
Detergent bars strip the natural moisturizing oils from your skin. If your skin feels dry after taking a delightful shower, you can either blame it on the extremely blistering shower you just took…or you can blame your soap. Another terrifying fact is that numerous mass produced soaps are made from petroleum. Gee, that rings a bell! Where have I heard that word before? Oh, that’s right; petroleum is one of the primary ingredients for gasoline… which fuels vehicles! Are you a bit frightened to hear what else is in that detergent camouflaged as soap that you conveniently purchase at the store? Alkali is also found in many detergents, which is almost certainly the cause of your dry, itchy, irritated skin. This is just another reason to why we ought to read and comprehend the labels on the goods we buy prior to when we actually make use of them.
So, what’s an alternative we can use rather than these detergent bars? My recommendation would be glycerin-based soaps. These soaps are known for their translucent, rich amber color. These soaps are produced with glycerol, a naturally occurring biochemical substance that is a component of fats and oils, which makes it safe for sensitive skin. Glycerol exists in our bodies in a form of sugar alcohol; it helps break down the nutrients from the food we eat into a useable form of energy. In our case with soaps, glycerol is preferably extracted from vegetable oils through a rendering process which requires the use of lye. Mass-produced soaps remove the glycerol so that it can be used in other industries. The benefits to using glycerin include leaving your skin hydrated and soft. As well, glycerin can be beneficial for those with skin disorders such as eczema and acne.
After I learned what was really in those detergent soaps I bought at the stores, I immediately switched to glycerin soaps. I regret nothing!
Resources:
http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/whatinsop.htm
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/cd_soap.html
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/all-about-glycerin-soap-451341.html
Bad Foods Gone Good
By: Jenny Ho, Grade 11
Living in North America, we are blessed to have a wide variety of food choices. However, many foods have a bad rep, better known for its high fat, sugar, sodium or calorie content or not to mention its low nutritional content. Depending on some of the choices we make, there are plenty of healthy alternatives to these foods.
Meat: Protein from meat is found in almost all meals we consume. Try choosing foods made with leaner cuts of meat – this means most of the fat and skin is removed. Stay away from anything that is heavily coated in thick sauces/creams. Also, try to eat less meat that is coated in a batter, and then deep fried; it soaks up a lot of excess oil.
Chocolate: Who can resist chocolate? It’s always been known as a heart attack in a wrapper – that is, if we eat too much! Regular chocolate bars found in convince stores are chock full of sugar and other additives (whose names I cannot pronounce). A better alternative is dark chocolate, which has tons of antioxidants, and more cocoa content. Dark chocolate has less sugar and fat, which is usually added to cheap chocolate. To consume, melt the chocolate over a double broiler. With the melted chocolate, coat fruits, such as strawberries and bananas. Then let it harden in the refrigerator. This way, you’ll still get a satisfying portion of chocolate, and enjoy some nutritious fruit.
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It’s getting Way Too Salty
By: Cassandra Ly, Grade 11
The TV turns on and there you are: face to face with a large, perfect, mouth-watering burger. The
announcer introduces the bigger, better taste with the freshest ingredients that include strips of bacon, Monterey Jack Cheese, and fresh-cooked beef patty. At that moment, all you can think of is getting your hands on that burger. Wait one second! Before you get into the car, bus, or bike to head down to what seems like a door of heavenly goodness, have you thought about why burgers or your other favourite snacks tastes oh-so-delicious? What is it about the ingredients? There’s quite an obvious answer for everything: salt.
Would You Like Some CANCER With That?
By: Emily Chan, Grade 11
It hit me one day, while selling hot chocolate. I was sitting with a girl, and we were having a normal conversation. After
pulling out her cell phone to check the time, she then proceeded to place the phone into the side pocket of her jeans. I looked at her in alarm, and warned her to put the phone in her jacket, as my friends told me that the cell phone’s LED rays can cause bone and brain cancer.
She looked at her phone, then up at me, then back to her phone. After a few seconds of silence, she stated, “Well, everything causes cancer these days,” and stuck her phone right into her pocket. This action startled me. Why would someone knowingly expose themselves to something that could harm them? Especially something that could kill them?
The second thought that crossed my mind was this: at what point did society begin to get so used to cancer that we’re willing to openly embrace it?
To prove my point, I searched, “Things that cause cancer,” and I got a list of around 250 different things! The list ranged from pesticides to gasoline to sunlight and smoking. However, even I draw the line at things such as ’brooms’. Apparently, there was a ban on brooms because sweeping up wood chippings can provoke asthma attacks and eventually nose cancer.
Handle Your Pandemics Well
By: Valerie Wong, Grade 11
Anyone who’s seen the newspaper headlines in the last few months knows that H1N1 pandemic is no joke; hence being 
classified as a pandemic by WHO (World Health Organization). There have been reported cases of patient mortality [not representing a large percentage of reported infections] – but aside from avoiding going out and large crowds [and civilization entirely] have we all thought about more modest, suitable methods of protecting ourselves that do not involve becoming a hermit?
You might ask yourself when the last time was that you saw your neighbour. Then you realize he’s locked himself in his house, turned off all the curtains and hiding under his bed. There’s hardly a day that you can take a stroll and not spot those conformity rectangular face masks, concealing the mouth and nose of its wearer from that ‘nasty, contaminated air’ that you’re breathing. It’s a ridiculous precaution – you’ll quickly learn in first aid – those paper-thin masks do not do much in filtering the air you breathe when wearing one. It’s a scam that allows companies to get away with the customer’s money, selling them something that doctors and nurses do not wear for the same reason. You’d think, with the more-or-less recent Avian Flu and SARS outbreaks in the past few years, citizens would be less likely to freak out, panic and take drastic measures and more likely to pick up that bottle of hand-sanitizer at their local grocery store and stop avoiding pork! Eating pork will not increase your chances of contracting H1N1! It’s important to figure out what is fact and fiction when it concerns your health and lifestyle.
You Know What Grinds My Gears?
By Jenny Ho, Grade 11
You know what really grinds my gears? The media’s extremely unhealthy image of an ideal person.
As you may have seen on some websites (namely Perez Hilton’s fashion blog), Ralph Lauren, a hard-hitting brand in the world of fashion has been under a lot of flame. It all started with the advertisement with the freakishly skinny model Filippa Hamilton. Turns out, it was simply an image of her that made her look extremely malnourished, thanks to Photoshop. I personally don’t understand how the editor can make such a big mishap. Obviously, something is very wrong when her head and shoulders are considerably bigger than the rest of her body. Sadly, she reminds me of one of those bobble head dolls that sit on the corner of my desk.
