New Sports Centers: Beneficial or Burdens

People’s prayers have been answered, hockey is back on and we Canadians couldn’t be more thrilled. One aspect of our national culture that tends to bring people together in mutual understanding is hockey. It is after all one of the defining parts of Canadian society.

Not all Canadians are interested in hockey, though. There are all types of sports that unite people in good-natured frivolity. Sports play a big part in people’s lives. They can serve as a sort of refuge for people after a tiresome day at the office; they can be scenes for first dates, birthdays, anniversaries; they can even be a source of one’s paycheck.

The point is people tend to spend a lot of time and money watching sports and supporting the various teams they have affiliation with. Apparently certain Canadian municipalities have noticed this too, as one of the areas of major developments in cities across Canada is that of sports stadiums and arenas.

Edmonton and Markham are only two of the cities involved in the current trend of mobilising the movement for local sporting centers. The justification for these developments goes beyond that of promoting a passion for hockey or basketball; its appeal, as you can imagine, revolves around money.

Cites involved in the building of new sporting arenas are concerned with the profits that they believe will inevitably follow after creating more job opportunities and attracting foreign visitors.

While the idea of creating a sanctuary where passionate sports lovers can drain their income on countless events seems logical, it is sadly misinformed. The profits that these cities have anticipated to produce are greatly exaggerated. While it is possible that these sports arenas would create more job opportunities for local people, the assumption that its revenue would come from outsider ticket sales is exceptionally flawed.

The first point to mention is that most of the ticket sales of these sports arenas are from the local community. Generally it is about 80% of the purchases coming from community members themselves. This just goes to show that the goal of attracting fans outside of the local constituency is not likely to be met. Now call me old fashion, but I don’t think it’s right to mislead the public into funding a project under false pretenses. While the arenas may generate revenue, I wouldn’t call it a profit for the citizens.

Furthermore, the indicated funds for these projects are only conservative estimates. Markham is already at an estimate of 325 million and Edmonton at 480 million, both of which have a large portion provided by the public. How much further are they willing to go in their dire necessity of having their own sports arenas? If today they’ve demanded 1 million from the public, are their costs still fair if they require 10 million tomorrow? The bottom line is that while everyone is supposed to benefit from these arenas, it is the municipality footing the bill.

As if that weren’t bad enough, there’s more. One’s understanding of the costs of these projects would not be complete without acknowledging the hidden expenses. Asides from costs of labour and raw materials, there are also those of subsidies and concessions given to team owners that have been conveniently left out of the equation. By this I mean the lack of property taxes that will be collected from the site. Not only does the city miss an opportunity to collect taxes, but the sporting arena projects could potentially leach public funds from other beneficial projects that could have been provided to the community.

While the idea of a city having its own sports arena does seem to have a certain appeal; providing the community members a haven in which to cheer on their local team, thereby boosting people’s pride in their cities, it comes at a price. I don’t think these benefits even begin to outweigh the costs the projects pose for the public. Don’t get me wrong, I myself enjoy watching live sports and would like having a sports arena in my city. The matter becomes more complicated, though. How fair is it for the government to demand public funds for a project when those members of the public have been so misinformed about its true profitable potential? Shouldn’t the city ensure that the public know all of the facts about a development before asking them to delve into their personal savings to pay for it? I certainly think so, but apparently my opinion differs from that of the municipalities’.

How to Cope with Exam Stress

Another school year is coming to an end. While grade school students have just recently begun a new semester, university and college students are getting ready to bid adieu to their familiar campuses. That’s right, it’s the time of year again that all students know and love: it is exam season. While most students claim that they detest this time, that it’s full of stress and sleepless nights, it does have the advantage that classes are over. Now instead of worrying themselves with waking up extra early to be on time for their lectures, students can focus on simply studying the material that they’ve already learned.

            I hear complaints all the time, friends telling me that they aren’t given sufficient time to study for their final exams because classes end too late. However, in most schools classes are known to end at least a week in advance before the final examination period actually begins. Needless to say, one can never be given enough time for something as significant as studying for final examinations. If I’ve learned anything from my years in university, it’s that finals have the potential to make or break a student. Making up a major portion of a student’s grade in a particular class, exams add to the pressure that is to pull through the year with flying colours.

            The only way to get through this tough point in time is to keep your composure! I can’t even think of the number of people I’ve known who have let all of the pressure of exams get under their skin. An important thing to remember is that no one can spend all twenty-four hours of their day studying. It just isn’t possible. Good sleep is such an important aspect to ensuring that one maximizes their potential in both studying for and writing tests. Speaking from experience, there have been many times in which I had not slept the night before a test and spent that time studying instead. It is not effective! Research has been done in this and it has been proven that lack of sleep before tests actually impairs your comprehension and ability to concentrate. A striking fact was brought to my attention by a medical professional at my university; not sleeping for an entire night can affect one’s cognitive functioning to the same extent as one who drinks a full twelve pack of beer. In other words, one who pulls an all-nighter will undergo the same effects as someone who is considered drunk by law. So students, please remember that studying is important, but sleep should also be a priority.

            Asides from sleep, the pressure in general that students are put under can be striking. Exams and tests are always stressful, regardless of what the context. Except, in terms of universities and colleges, the exams are weighted much higher. The grades students receive on exams will determine whether or not they stay in a program or institution, make the honour roll, or pass their class. That being said, I know not enough emphasis is put on the actual value of learning. In most cases on the exams I’ve written, I’ve realized either during or after the exam that I had a lot more knowledge in the subject than I had given myself credit for. Although there have been some instances in which I did not do as well as I had expected, the knowledge that I gained from the experience and the class in general seemed to make up for any disappointment I would have had. It is probably naïve to think that students are in post secondary institutions because they enjoy learning new information and love education; most students are working so hard because of the degree, diploma or certificate waiting for them at the finish line. However, I must say, at the risk of sounding credulous, that grades are not everything. Sometimes just an experience can be enough to both satisfy and please a thirsty mind.

            The gist of what I’m getting at is that sometimes, pressure can be good motivation. However, a lot of the time, the pressure needs to be controlled and you need to remember to come back down to reality and prioritize. Sleep is a necessity and no one, not even students during exam time, should use the excuse that they are too busy to sleep. Furthermore, grades are inevitably an important aspect to any student’s life, but the reality is that sometimes just gaining the knowledge is valuable enough. This insight does not apply only to students; it can be used in any context. Remember, when you are studying or working hard at something, there is a reason why it requires so much time and energy; what lies beyond the finish line once you’ve accomplished something is inexorably worth it. 

New Threats to the Internet: SOPA and PIPA

With the news of the Occupy movements dying down, people have time to focus their attention on issues that may be more relevant to their lives. SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill that originated in the United States. The goal of this bill is in its name, to stop online piracy. The major concern that I have with this bill is the same that others have been expressing; the censoring of the internet. In today’s day and age, people rely on the internet as their main source of information, news, entertainment and communication. SOPA will interfere with people’s ability to download music, movies, TV shows, e-books and other copyrighted forms of media. The bill will also impede on people’s being able to stream things online.

The main argument for this bill is that it will help to protect authors and artists from having their work plagiarized and essentially stolen.  SOPA is being paired with PIPA, the Protect Intellectual Property Act, to hinder people’s access to websites that are involved in copyright infringement. Included in the targets of SOPA and PIPA are any websites from which free downloads are made possible. However, the government does reserve the right to block any other websites that provide information on how to work around the censorship being put into place.

 I, like many others opposing SOPA and PIPA, am not looking forward to the diminishing integrity of the internet. We have become so accustomed to a certain manner of streaming, downloading and uploading over the internet, that the threat of having our rights taken away seem too shocking to process.

The question people are posing is that if the government can come up with a way to censor websites from which people download and stream media, how long until they interfere with other aspects of the internet? Censorship, in any manner of speaking, has a negative connotation. People are arguing that it is an infringement of their right to free speech and freedom of expression.

I’m sure that people are aware of the blackouts that Wikipedia and other websites like Reddit participated in a few days ago. For those people who don’t know, the whole point of the internet blackouts was to protest against SOPA and PIPA. Since then, the popular video streaming medium that we all know and love, Megaupload, has been shut down. Many of my friends expressed genuine dissatisfaction to the removal of the website, and as a result have built more anger towards the government’s new policies. After the protests held by various websites, SOPA and PIPA had apparently lost many of their supporters.  

Although SOPA and PIPA had originated in the United States, they are affecting people all around the world. The censorship of websites includes those all over the internet. Megaupload itself was not based in the United States, but Hong Kong. It is not just Americans who must be concerned about the acts that are threatening the internet, but people all around the world. There is a provision to the Canadian copyright bill in the process of being made that gives the Canadian government the authority to block pirating websites in order to “protect the Canadian marketplace”.

In my opinion, SOPA, PIPA and other forms of legislation alike, pose the risk of us losing the integrity of the internet, a source that we have become so dependent on. I don’t think it’s over. The blackout protests that those many websites participated in definitely raised awareness, but something more needs to be done to protect our online community.

Reflecting on 2011 and bringing in the New Year

Before anything else, I’d like to apologize for my lack of having written anything in such a long time. Exams and work have been keeping me busy.

It seems like this year has just flown by. I guess that the busier you are, the faster time passes, and since I’ve spent most of the year studying and in classes, that has aided in the passing of the year. In anticipation of the New Year, a good friend and I have been doing some reflecting on what we’ve learned this past year. She asked me a couple questions, and I was baffled at the time it took me to think of an appropriate response. I invite you all to do some reflecting today. Before going out, partying, and bringing in the New Year with family and friends, think about the significance of 2011 to your life.

Can you think of the most memorable and special moment of this year? What is it that makes this so memorable?

What is one thing that you have learned this year? Will you carry this wisdom with you through to the New Year?

Did you make a resolution last year? Did you accomplish it? Will you be making one again this year?

Did you meet anyone special who has had a profound impact on you?

What is your worst memory of the year? How have you, or do you plan to make the best of it?

These questions are just a few that have been flooding my mind. I’d love to hear what you think of them! Thanks everyone for reading. Remember to have fun when you go out tonight, but don’t forget to be safe. Don’t drink and drive or get into the car with anyone who has been drinking. Designated drivers are always a good way to go, and cabs are endless.

Happy New Year, everyone!      

Silence is lovely

Hello all. I’d like to start off by saying how glad I am that the vow of silence is only one day long.  I honestly don’t think that I could handle being silent for more than  a 24 hour span, if you know me, I’m sure you’ll agree. Here is a list of the 5 things that I considered to be the most difficult part of my day.

1)     Not being able to use my phone while making the long trek to my university campus. Usually, I text or talk on my phone while walking, but today I obviously didn’t have the option to do so and as a result, my trip seemed so much longer.

2)       Not being able to answer questions in class. It seemed as though my professor was purposely asking questions that I knew the answers to. Even when I had a question or needed clarification, I was unable to have my thoughts heard.

3)       Not being able to say things like “thank you” when someone held the door open for me. I dislike it when people don’t do so, and when I wasn’t able to, I felt like I was being rude.

4)       On the bus, I wasn’t able to say excuse me to people when I was trying to get by, so I had to just push through them. Once again, I can just imagine how rude this must have seemed to the others.

5)       Not being able to talk to people, in general. There aren’t very many people that I know at my university, but when I happen to see someone that I do know, it’s nice to chat with them for a while. Today, when passing by some of my friends and acquaintances, it was difficult not being able to converse with them. It was especially lonely considering that everyone else on campus seemed to be in groups or pairs, chatting away. I must have come off as pretty socially awkward all day, the way I avoided eye contact with others.

I expected that I would have had more trouble not being able to communicate via email or facebook or other internet sources, but it was surprisingly easy. I guess I got through all of this pretty painlessly since I had the thought in my mind that it was only for today. Knowing that I didn’t have to endure the silence for a long time span was a sobering thought and helped me get through the day. However, I did manage to sneak in a lesson; it’s important to value your voice because there are people who don’t have the same luxuries as we do. People who don’t have the opportunity to speak up in class- or even attend class for that matter, people who don’t have cell phones or computers, people who don’t have friends.  We have so many privileges that we should be thankful for and today really helped me see how important it is to be able to communicate with others.

 Now, I must say that I really do hope more people will participate in this vow in some way in the future; whether you take it yourself or you donate to someone’s cause. I’m not usually the biggest participant in fundraising events, but it actually does feel amazing contributing to charity. Thanks for reading, everyone!

Are you willing to give up your voice?

I am about to do something for which I am both excited and nervous. Many of us have experiences in giving up things that are important to us, for whatever period of time. However, have any of you ever given up your voice? When I say that, I don’t mean your physical capability to speak, but your ability to be heard. If you haven’t already guessed, tomorrow I’m taking part in the Vow of Silence that was started by the Free the Children Organization. The Vow of Silence happens once yearly. Basically, one who is participating takes the vow to give up their voice for the whole 24 hour span of the day. By giving up your voice, you’re not simply promising to not speak; you’re giving up texting, email, any form of communication, really. Some true visionaries choose to give up the use of their vehicles, computers, televisions, and other material items that are available to us as a privilege; things that children growing up in third world countries are deprived of.

I realize that there are people who think that this vow is a farfetched idea, that giving up our voices for one day isn’t going to help give others around the world a voice. However, what people fail to understand is that this day revolves around awareness and fundraising. People taking the vow will spread the word. I can honestly say that before two years ago, when I first took the vow, I didn’t pay any mind to the issues people on the other side of the world were facing. Of course, I knew that people in third world countries didn’t have the same luxuries as I, a Canadian, have, but I never thought about how hard it must have been to live in a place where my voice was neither valued, nor heard.

Long story short, the main reason I’m posting this blog is because I wanted to let people know that starting midnight tonight, I won’t say a word, neither verbally nor electronically. Those of you who know me personally already know how difficult this will be for me, so I’ll spare you an explanation of how much I normally talk.

I’ll post a link to my fundraising page and if you could PLEASE donate, I’d greatly appreciate it. Also, I’ll post a link for those of you who want to sign up to take the vow yourselves, you can create your own page and get started. I’ll update you either midnight tomorrow night or on Thursday letting you know how my day went. Thanks for reading!

My page: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=3216822&langPref=en-CA

If you want to sign up: http://www.freethechildren.com/vowofsilence/

Protesters pepper sprayed at UC Davis

            There’s been a lot of critique around the news of the police officer pepper spraying the students protesting for the Occupy movement at UC Davis yesterday. I thought that I should address this because a bunch of people that I had spoken to about it had differing opinions. I just want to clarify that I in no way agree with how the police officers decided to handle the situation. Under no circumstances do I think it justified for law enforcers to use pepper spray, a tool that is meant for the purpose of self defense, on innocent students. I agree that I don’t know a lot about laws in America, as I am Canadian myself, but I do know that under the Constitution, the right to freedom of assembly is outlined in the First Amendment.

            According to the Chancellor of UC Davis, the whole reason that the authorities were called was to help ensure the safety and protection of the students. Now what I really want to know is how the use of pepper spray, especially by those who are supposed to be looked up to and respected by civilians, equates protection. I mean, it is true that some of the students probably were out of line in what they were saying, but overall, it was a peaceful protest. The students remained seated along one of the campus’ sidewalks, blocking people from passing them. The way I see it, people that really were in dire need to get to the other side of those students could have gone around them, walking on the grass to get through. Sure, it would have taken a couple more seconds to get by, but hey, sometimes life gives you lemons. What confuses me the most about all of this is that the University agreed that the actions of the police were justified and necessary to ensure students’ “health and safety”. It’s as though the immediately affected students’ health and safety is completely disregarded in this situation.

            I realize that protestors may cause inconvenience for others who don’t share the same passion for standing on the street in the freezing cold weather, waving around signs, displaying their discontent with the establishment to passersby, but it is a right that is ensured to all civilians. That being said, I do not think that the government, police officers, university  officials, or anyone for that matter, reserve the right to remove those protesters off a public premises by means of a weapon.


View: an image of the protest taking place http://i.imgur.com/0UoEz.jpg
View: an image of the email from the Chancellor at UC Davis http://i.imgur.com/WZeNW.png