BC Students Receive Blank Report Cards

BY SAMEER VASTA

As the labor dispute between the British Columbia teachers and the province continues some BC students may be going home with blank report cards. Teachers are refusing to write report cards but the province is reassuring parent s that they are still able to know how their children are doing in school. Parents can be in contact with teachers through email, and phone calls and other means of communication.

Some say that report cards are not an accurate way of documenting a student’s progress. Report cards are distributed three times a year; an appropriate way to document how a student is doing would be a “regularly updated website with milestones, attendance, performance” etc. If teachers are still communicating with parents and the students are aware how they are doing in class, there may be no need for report cards.

Personally, I think that report cards are an assurance that you are doing well or not. They can be a wake-up-call for some, or a bit of confidence that your hard work is paying off. I think especially for grade 12 students, report cards are absolutely needed. The marks on the report card are used for post-secondary applications and scholarship applications. For primary students the idea of a website with the students’ performance is a good idea but report cards should be mandatory for the senior grade of high school.

http://news.sympatico.ca/oped/coffee-talk/some_students_in_bc_might_be_getting_blank_report_cards/67c5f20c

H&M's human heads on computer-generated models: the new beauty ideal?

BY: ZOSIA BIELSKI

 
         The clothing store H&M is getting lots of heat for using cyborg bodies on their website to display their clothing products. It was discovered after one of H&M’s representatives told a Swedish newspaper, Aftonbladet. The process for creating the cyborg bodies is “[they] take pictures of the clothes on a doll that stands in the shop, and then create the human appearance with a program on [a] computer" Hacan Andersson stated. The result of this is getting mixed emotions and opinions. Every model has the same long skinny legs, perfectly shaped arms and doll like hands. People in the fashion industry say that this is used quite often and is completely normal, yet people who are not, feel very strongly that this is not right. Critics are saying that cyborg bodies are no worse than photoshopped bodies. A Ralph Lauren model, Filippa Hamilton was photoshopped so much that her hips were smaller than her head. Some say that if H&M is going to have virtual bodies, why not top it off with a virtual head to show it is not real. Many believe having cyborg and photoshopped bodies “set unrealistic and unhealthy ideals for women”. The bodies should be real so women don’t hope that they look like something that isn’t actually real. Academics have been pushing for a “Self-Esteem Act”. This bill would make companies have to state if the model is real or not or if the body has been photoshopped.

         I believe that all companies should use real human bodies and not Photoshop the images. H&M defended themselves by saying that their “clothes look better on cyborg models than actual humans”. If this is actually true then how do they expect real people to fit in their clothes if models can’t? The media is so bad already at portraying this perfect body that not many people have and people do drastic things to look like models in the media. For these individuals to find out that the “ideal” body they want isn’t real is horrible. The media should portray real women, not fake ones. Their goal and mission should be to show real beauty not the beauty they wish they had. I agree with the “Self-Esteem Act”, if companies are going to use fake bodies or change the shape of real models they should have to say directly what they have done. Clothing companies such as H&M should find models that relate to the clients that will be wearing their products, real humans perhaps!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/hms-human-heads-on-computer-generated-models-the-new-beauty-ideal/article2265704/?from=sec434

Would you Kill One Person to Let Five Live?

BY: DAVE MCGINN

      A study conducted by The University of Michigan revealed that most people would kill one person in order to save five others. The situation used in the study is the classic “trolley problem”; it is a classic dilemma in moral philosophy. The basic outline is a trolley goes out of control and is headed towards five people tied to the tracks. You are operating the train and have the choice to let the train continue on its path or pull the lever which puts it on a path where a single person is tied down, what path do you choose. “Study participants were put in a three-dimensional simulator that put them behind the wheel” about ninety percent chose to pull the lever. This experiment has been performed before yet this time it was published in the journal of emotion, which is a first for the dilemma. The participants had sensors attached to their fingertips to monitor emotional arousal. 133 out of 147 participants pulled the leaver which leaves fourteen that did not. Of them, three pulled the leaver to begin with and then put it back to its original position. The individuals that chose not to pull the leaver were found to be more emotionally aroused and were found to not pull the switch possibly because of their heightened anxiety of the situation. Dr. Navarrete concluded, “By rational thinking we can sometimes override it – by thinking about the people we will save, for example. But for some people, that increase in anxiety may be so overpowering that they don’t make the utilitarian choice, the choice for the greater good.” What would you do, pull the leaver or leave it? 

When I first think of the situation, would I pull the leaver or leave it I would say that I would pull it. However if you have the time to think about decisions you have to make you would probably do many things differently. For me it is easy to understand why some of the participants in the study didn’t pull the leaver. When you are under that much stress and pressure it is difficult to make decisions, but most people react impulsively and would pull the switch without even think about it. There is a part of our brains called the amygdala that is underneath the prefrontal cortex. When you encounter a situation of extreme stress the pre-frontal cortex flips up and your amygdala takes charge. It is able to make decisions without thinking about them, natural reactions. This is why most people in the situation would pull the leaver. The individuals that didn’t pull the leaver were very nervous and had very high anxiety. It is easy to say what you would do ahead of time but in the actual situation your actions are often different.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/would-you-kill-one-person-to-let-five-live/article2258174/

Cops Watched Porn, Skipped Work Instead of Investigating Missing Woman: Galliford

BY SUZANNE FOURNIER

          Former RCMP officer Catherine Galliford will be testifying on Tuesday November 29^th and knows her evidence will be explosive; she is not testifying for the RCMP but on behalf of the victims. She was the face and professional voice of the Missing Woman Task Force for the RCMP and while working for the RCMP she encountered mind boggling evidence. In 1999 the RCMP had enough evidence for a search warrant of serial killer, Robert Pickton’s Farm. From 1999 to 2002, 14 women were brutally murdered by Pickton, it is this fact that haunts Galliford. She will testify that both RCMP officers and VPD officers were involved in sexual behaviors in the workplace even after they were informed they continued to leave work early to go partying and drinking and watch porn. Galliford now suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome and has been out of work for over 4 years. She said while working for the NVPD she was constantly sexually harassed and bullied. Galliford says the most chilling thing that happened to her was after the details came out about how Pickton killed his victims. They were butchered and their remains were scattered about his farm and an east Vancouver rendering plant, a group of RCMP members were constantly “making jokes about sex toys” and “fist bumping”. The officers allegedly wanted to tell Galliford “their fantasy”. Also “They wanted to see Willie Pickton escape from prison, track me down and strip me naked, string me up on a meat hook and gut me like a pig” said Galliford. She states that there were many officers who were disgusted by this behavior as well, and unfortunately they didn’t last either. According to Lilliane Beaudoin, whose sister, Dianne Rock was held hostage, beaten and raped twice before Pickton murdered her in October 2001, predicts that Galliford “is going to blow this inquiry wide open.” The information Galliford is revealing has never been shared before and it is filling in some of the gaps that would never be filled by the RCMP.

My first thought when I read this article was shock. I never thought that anything like this would happen in real life; it seemed as if it was a television show script. I have always thought of police officers as good responsible people who try to set good examples for the public, but after reading this it makes you think twice. It was understandable that Galliford has been off work for so long, having to deal with rude, sexist people all the time really would bring you down. Also, having so much stress on her, knowing the fact that 14 women’s lives could have been saved just sends shivers down my spine. I feel so sorry for the families of the victims killed by Pickton. Knowing that the police officers responsible of their cases would joke about them and be involved in inappropriate behaviors in the workplace probably makes them sick. I am thankful that there are people like Galliford in our world that will go against the police because many don’t. We need more people to tell the truth and inform the public about what these so called “role models” actually do at work. I hope the inquiry is as shocked as I was when I read the news and that people are punished and things will change in our police force.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Cops+watched+porn+skipped+work+instead+investigating+missing+women+Galliford/5752470/story.html

JK Rowling Tells Leveson Inquiry of Press Intrusion

BY: BBC NEWS

       JK Rowling tells an inquiry into media ethics and the media intrusion on her personal life. Rowling stated that a reporter tried to contact her by slipping a letter in her daughters backpack. She found the letter while looking through the various papers a parent would find in their child’s backpack. Rowling stated that "I felt such a sense of invasion that my daughter's bag... it's very difficult to say how angry I felt that my five-year-old daughter's school was no longer a place of complete security from journalists." Rowling discussed that children are not able to choose their parents or the families they come from, people should respect the children’s privacy no matter who their parents are. This is not the only incident that has occurred. Ms. Millmer admitted to blaming her friends and family when personal information appeared in the press, when truly her phone had been hacked. Another person, Mr. Mosley claimed that his son was unable to cope when pictures were released of him at a sadomasochistic orgy and he turned to drugs and sadly passed away. Mr. Mosley received £60 000 from The News of the World when a judge ruled that his privacy had been invaded when the story of his sex life was released. The level of intrusion of the media is unbelievable. Rowling said in an instance she had recently moved and she received a phone call and the person claimed to be from the post office and were asking for her to confirm her address. She told them that if they were from the post office they would already have her address and hung up. There is a police investigation occurring and there may be a second inquiry following it they will examine the damage done and extent of unlawful conduct by the press.

        The first time I heard of problems with the press in Britain was when a girl was missing and the press hacked into her cellphone and deleted messages making the family think that she was still alive. It is unbelievable what the press is capable of getting away with and the damage they do to families. For Mr.Mosely, the releasing of the photos lead to the death of his son, he could not cope with it and began taking drugs. JK Rowling covers her children in blankets when they go out publically to protect her children from the paparazzi. And Ms.Miller lost friendships when blaming the people close to her for exposing her personal information. The press is ruining and damaging people’s lives drastically. The press should not be able to take pictures of whoever they want and receive any information that they want. In my opinion anyone who is personally violated by the press should receive compensation, and a direct apology. It is not fair for these people to change the way they live their lives due to worry of what the press may find out about them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15876194

Wrong Twin Fetus Aborted in Australia

BY: CBC NEWS

          At a hospital in Melbourne Australia, a staff member accidentally terminated a healthy fetus instead of its twin that was suffering from heart defects and would not have survived the birth. The mother was thirty-two weeks into her pregnancy and was asked to have the unhealthy fetus terminated by her doctor. After the accident was discovered the woman underwent a cesarean section to abort the remaining fetus. The hospital immediately released a statement that “a distressing clinical accident occurred” and they apologized for “the loss suffered by the woman and her family.” The family is most likely going to receive compensation for the accident. The state premier, Ted Baillieu, stated “There’s no question that this is an incident that everyone would have preferred had not occurred” and he didn’t want anyone to draw any conclusions of the incident. The family gave a brief statement to BBC asking for privacy through the difficult time. 

        When I first read this story I was shocked, and wondered how an accident like this could occur. It was very saddening and I have much gratitude for the family. It would be tragedy enough learning that one of your children’s lives has to be terminated because of a heart defect. Then the worst possible outcome occurs and the healthy child is killed by accident. Coping with a tragedy like this would be very difficult and it is understandable how the family would want privacy. For a mistake like this to occur there must have been an error in the write up, or an equipment error. You hope for mistakes such as this to not happen but unfortunately they do. The world is not perfect, mistakes happen and we learn from them. Hopefully the cause of the accident is determined and the issue is fixed so no other family will have to experience the pain that this family did.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/11/24/wrong-foetus-aborted-australia.html

Ballet BC Pushing Into New Territory

BY ERIN MCPHEE

        Last year, the 2010/2011 dance year Ballet BC got a new artistic director, Emily Molnar. She has changed Ballet BC into a classical and contemporary ballet company but more on the contemporary side. From this change Ballet BC is becoming one of the leaders in contemporary ballet both nationally and internationally. They are not entirely a contemporary ballet company; they continue to perform the nutcracker annually which is a classical ballet yet most of their other performances are very contemporary. However, they are moving rapidly to being an entirely contemporary ballet company. Contemporary ballet is enjoyable for everyone to watch even those who are not interested in dance. Ballet BC encourages people to come and watch one of their pieces. You will learn something about dance, be provided with entertainment and help out the provinces only ballet company. One piece called Diversion is strongly focused on movement. One of the dancers Ellis said, “We had to do it perfectly in synch next to each another. It's really cool to watch, it's kind of almost robotic, kind of weird.” It is mainly based on progression. It starts of small and as the piece progresses the movements get bigger and at the end it is like an explosion. The idea of contemporary ballet companies is very new in the world of ballet and Ballet BC is leading the way.

       For me personally being a classical ballet dancer, it is somewhat disappointing that Ballet BC is so contemporary. They may perform their dances en pointe but that alone is not enough to be called a ballet company. Ballet BC has become so contemporary that it should almost be called a contemporary dance company not a ballet company. Having only one strict classical ballet piece is not enough to please the classical ballet dancers. If they only did one other classical ballet piece such a Cinderella, Don Quixote or Paquita then they would fit under the category of a ballet company. Even though Ballet BC may not be pleasing the classical ballet dancers they are introducing a new form of dance that many are following. Starting this year at my dance school they offer a contemporary ballet company which they wouldn’t have offered before if Ballet BC hadn’t become so contemporary. Ballet BC may not be pleasing me personally with their style change but they are drawing in a larger crowd which is necessary with the economy being where it is.

http://www.nsnews.com/entertainment/Ballet+pushing+into+territory/5730623/story.html

The Isle Seat, Is It Worth It?

BY: PAUL LYNCH

 

When you go to book your plane ticket usually you want the window seat, but, you may want to think twice. Paul lynch is now an aisle-seat convert after suffering from Exploding Bladder Syndrome, EBS on his last plane ride. Being trapped in the window seat for a lengthy flight can be very uncomfortable and sitting in the aisle seat removes such issues. According to a recent survey by the U.S. Lahey Clinic Medical Centre, people who sat in the aisle seat were less likely to develop deep-vein thrombosis, DVT. When sitting in the aisle seat you are more likely to stand up walk around, and go to the washroom as you please while not worrying about disrupting your neighbors. However the downside to the aisle seat is that you will have to move anytime the people sitting next to you want to get up. Also if you fall asleep you may have an unexpected awakening. 

From my experience on planes, I have always prefered the window seat. I find I am able to get more comfortable, and the ride is more enjoyable. It is nice having the wall to lean against and you have a bit more elbow room. For the problem with having to go to the washroom during the flight, you have to not be afraid and politely ask the people sitting next to you to move. Most people are very understanding and will move without thinking twice about it. The problem that arises is if the people sitting next to you fall asleep, then you are stuck. Luckily for me I am not that large of a person and I am able to squeeze by without disturbing the people next to me. For people that are larger, the aisle seat may be the best option for you. If you don’t mind not looking out the window or having a surface to lean against then, the aisle seat should be your first choice! For me, I will continue to sit in the window seat because it is the most comfortable option me and it makes my flight the most enjoyable.

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Tales+aisle+seat+convert/5735085/story.html

Cut Out All Wheat Products

BY TRACEY TUFNAIL

A Wisconsin Cardiologist, Dr. William Davis wrote a book on a nutrition change many of his patients made to get back to good health. His advice is quite simple, avoid all wheat products. He found that his patients that went on a wheat-free diet, lost weight and many other problems were cured such as insomnia, joint pain, skin rashes and diabetes. The reason why wheat was the cause of certain illnesses is not very simple. It has to do with the cross breading of wheat. When two types of wheat were bread together the product was not the same as the parent, 95% was but 5% was not connected to either parent. This is what causes the sensitivity in some people, Davis says. He also states that wheat is the leading cause of belly fat, and he linked wheat to “seizures, dementia and even brain damage”. Davis supports his theory with lots of research, yet many people still do not believe Davis’s theory.

I personally think that cutting out all wheat products from your diet is a very unreasonable request. For a person to follow this they would be cutting out a large amount of food options, which may cause them to not get the vitamins and minerals found in wheat products. For one to cut out all wheat products from their diet they would have to make extreme lifestyle changes. They would not be able to eat any cookies, cakes, pastries, bread, pasta, cereal and much more. It is asking a lot of a person to follow this, what Davis calls a “simple” task. I don’t think that in order to lose weight and be healthy it is necessary to cut out all wheat products. A reasonable alternative would be to monitor your wheat consumption and consume mainly whole grain wheat products. These provide protein, fiber and other vitamins and minerals. By removing all wheat products from ones diet they may rapidly improve their health, and lose weight yet they are decreasing their quality of life and freedom, which is be worth more than anything else.

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Doctor+advice+wheat+products/5704519/story.html

Baby Formula Controversy

BY SARAH SCHMIDT

        When people are caring for their babies they want to do what is best for them. Early childhood is when the brain and bone structure develops, both are very important. When parents choose a formula for their baby often what is written on the package has an influence on their decision. Now parents are being told that there are false and unproven claims on the packaging of baby formula and it is still being passed by health Canada. This is very upsetting to many because you want to know exactly what you are buying and the benefits you will receive from the product. Especially in this case, when babies are growing and developing it does not seem right to many that formula producers should be able to get away with having false claims of their packaging. The CFIA indicates that only if there is a health or safety risk then the product will be taken out of store, “making unproven claims” will not take the products of the shelves.

I believe that companies should not be able to make claims to enhance the selling of their product unless their claims can be proved. In this case, of baby formula, parents want to know exactly what their child is consuming and with invalid information it makes it very difficult. A mother said that "It is very overwhelming in that aisle," already, now you have to decipher what is true and what isn't. I wonder if this is the case with baby formula, what about other products? On your toothpaste box, that your teeth will be whiter after 14 days of use or on the cereal box that the cereal will keep you fuller than two eggs, are the claims true? It makes you think about what you can trust and what you can believe, which doesn’t seem like very much anymore!

http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Government+allows+infant+formula+claims+despite+acceptable+evidence/5692445/story.html