Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth.
YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them.
Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.
Any views or opinions expressed on this blog belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people or organizations that the blog may be associated with, unless explicitly stated. All content is for informational purposes only.
One weekend, I was busy admiring the sound of Frankie Avalon, the guy who sang “Beauty School Dropout” from The original Grease movie. I saw footage of him performing at the Saturday Night Beech-Nut show on November 28, 1959, on Youtube. The girls in the audience went wild as he was just in his early twenties, and was indeed eye-candy at that age. I then found related footage of a certain Frankie Lyman performing at the same show, and, every time the camera cut to the audience, you saw the same type of white girls, except they weren’t as cheerful, in fact, the audience looked disappointed and reluctantly clapped to the beat as Frankie Lymon, seemingly indifferent, just danced and sang “Little Bitty Pretty One” to the beat of the audiences’ applause that did not match their unenthusiastic expressions on their faces. This aired on August 13, 1960. The faces of the white audience were in confusion as to how to react to a talented black young man singing with his irresistible passion and hopeful, dimpled smile. I had just found out about him, and I would not stop listening to him after that. I would also find out later, that eight years after that performance, Frankie would be found dead in his apartment.
Frankie Lymon achieved fame at age of 14, in a group called the Teenagers, making hit singles such as “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?”, and “Goody Goody”, leading the name to be changed into Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.
Lymon had to grow up very soon. At the age of eleven, he worked at the corner grocery store in Harlem, New York, helping his family make ends meet, with his father being a truck driver, his mother a domestic in white people’s homes.
Just two years later, Lymon would become a pop idol with the group Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, with “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” topping the Billboard R&B singles chart for about five weeks in 1956.
Later, “Goody Goody” would be released, becoming a number 20 pop hit on the Billboard Chart. His song titled “I Want You to Be My Girl” was a hit as well and managed to impress the public. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Fate did not stand by Lymon for too long. Soon after the split from The Teenagers in early 1957, Lymon was unable to bring back the power in his solo pieces, and his fame went into a steady decline. He started developing drug habits that would have lead to his eventual death on February 27, 1968.
Lymon was not the perfect individual, but his story is still quite remarkable. A young black teenage boy was able to wow the largely white audience through his mellifluous voice and shining confidence in 1960s America. Even if they masked their admiration for his music at the Beech-Nut Show, the charts tell the truth that music really can make people move past even the most strongly held prejudices, at least somewhat.
I seem to have a real issue when it comes to spending money. And not like the typical “I spend so much money I have no control it’s an issue” kind of thing. It’s more of a fear that I’ll spend too much money. Whenever I go out, I constantly worry about how much money I’m going to spend. It happens all the time, and I know it’s because, as a teenager, I’m not able to have a steady source of income. I could probably get a job but school is really important to me, and I want to make sure I always have time for that. Besides, I don’t have many qualifications that’d help me get a job at 14. On top of that, even if I did get a job, it’d be hard to find one close to where I live? I’m too young to drive and lord knows public transit can be unreliable, so I know that it wouldn’t work. But that knowledge doesn’t stop me from worrying about money or worrying about having to take care of myself, even though I don’t fully need to yet.
I know i’m not the only one who has these fears. I’ve talked to a few of my friends about it and they definitely understand. No ones wants to spend money that they don’t really have, especially when they have no way of gaining more.
When I’m a little older, I know I’ll get a job and get myself out of this little “money crises”. But for now, I absolutely hate, spending money.
English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Around 360 million people speak English as their first language and approximately more than 50 countries speak English as its official language. This language has had changes to its pronunciation and written skills a few times and now there are three types of English known today:
Old English
Middle English
Modern English
2. Spanish
This language is often one of the two options for languages to learn in most countries. The two options are Spanish and French. Around 437 million people speak Spanish as a native language as well as around 20 countries have Spanish as their official language.
3. French
French is often one of the two options of languages to learn in most countries. French is a language that is spoken by about 80 million native speakers. After Spanish, it is the second most spoken language in Europe. There are 29 countries that has French as their national language and this language is more spoken by non – native speakers than native speakers.
4. Mandarin
Mandarin has about 1 billion native speakers in the world and is spoken by the majority of people living in central China. China is not the only country that has Mandarin as its official language, and this language is being learned more by language learning apps than courses found online or in school.
5. German
German has approximately 110 million native speakers and about 52 million non – native speakers. German is one of the 3 official languages in the European Union and actually shares the same roots with the languages Dutch and English. There are 6 countries that have German as their official language and is gaining popularity on social media platforms.
You can get a drink from your local Starbucks. I personally haven’t had this drink as yet but it looks appetizing so I plan to try it the next time I go to Starbucks. This drink is only available during the fall to give you that seasonal spirit.
Decorate/Prepare for Halloween
Carve pumpkins, put up Halloween decorations, buy candy for trick-or-treaters, go to or host Halloween parties/Haunted houses and even go trick-or-treating! This year will be my first time trick-or-treating, hopefully it can be a marvellous experience for you and me both.
Spend time outside
Fall is a lovely time to spend outside, with the mesmerizing different colored leaves scattered across the ground. You can bike around your neighborhood, play with the fallen leaves, take your pet/pets for a walk and sit outside and sketch your surroundings.
Sleepovers
For children and/or even adults this can probably be a great idea for you. At the sleepover you can go trick-or-treating, then go to the designated place, share horror stories or share ghostly encounters that you may have had, play murder-mystery games or quizzes and or play pranks on your friends!
An amusing book and a comfortable place to rest
To top off any season of the year you will always need a comfortable place to nestle, a good book or movie (your choice) and your desired drink. If you do not like this idea you can always look up interesting things to do in your area on the internet. For Example: ” Things to do in {Insert Area Here} in the {Insert Season}” That may give you many interesting ideas.
It’s not the first time the multi-billion dollar company’s been accused of something. Whether it be the new IOS updates that really just downgrades your phone, or chargers that deplete your battery over time, it’s not really surprising to see the accusations against Apple once again.
Apple often exaggerates the cost of repairs for its products. Third-party shops who offer to fix Apple products for a fraction of the price are considered “unsafe” by Apple, since problems are usually connected with hardware that only professionals can fix. However, more often than not, Apple products can be fixed by those same third-part shops, and for a much lower price. Customers who come in to the store with minor problems such as a flickering screen are given large bills because they are told that major parts of the device need to be replaced. Some people say that they were told they needed to pay $700 for something that the person fixed for $50 by themselves.
Louis Rossmann fixes computers and provides detailed explanations on how to fix many products for prices less than one hundred dollars. His YouTube Channel can be found here.
Pot enthusiasts bundled up against the cold last Wednesday in front of 420 Premium Market on Macleod Trail when cannabis was legalized. There was an estimate of 250 people lined up, and the number only increased as the day went by. There was a point where stock of cannabis for three months was finished, which worries some people because they think this will encourage street dealers. High demand for cannabis led to technical glitches on online websites. At one time, there was 11, 000 people waiting to set their order online, with about 200 processes every five minutes. Before 9 a.m., 40, 000 visits sold dried flowers and oils.
There are some rules around cannabis, however. These include:
If travelling within Canada, you can take maximum 30 grams of cannabis with you.
If you are travelling outside of Canada, you have to follow that country’s laws on cannabis. For example, you cannot enter the U.S.A. with cannabis or possibly even with a history of being convicted with it.
In Calgary airports, only medical cannabis is allowed to be smoked.
The new K-4 curriculum includes education on consent and literacy. Children in these grades will be taught about personal space and how to respect others’ ideologies, needs, and wants. These kids will also be taught how to use a keyboard, and fractions will be taught in grade one instead of three. Memorizing the times table will become compulsory. There are no references to LGBTQ issues, however, learning how to respect others and their relationships are a key improvement to the curriculum.
Very rarely is there an issue that polarizes constituents in Canada such as the Trans-mountain pipeline. From those against the pipeline, we see an argument being made that the expansion to the already-existing Trans-mountain pipeline is an unnecessary project which endangers the ecosystem, and aside from the usual rhetoric of environmental-protectionism we also see many indigenous groups leading protests against the Kinder-Morgen pipeline on the grounds that the proposed pipeline runs through un-ceded indigenous land. From those who support the pipeline, we see an argument that claims that the pipeline will help save Canadian jobs from the recession, allowing many families to make ends meet. Furthermore, in congruency with the argument for jobs, the pipeline expansion will make Canada a much more competitive country in the global petroleum and crude oil industry.
Let’s dive into the facts.
The British Columbian Argument
To put it bluntly many British Columbians vehemently oppose the construction of the pipeline, claiming that the economic benefit to British Columbia is not as fruitful as the economic benefit to Alberta; where the oil industry is a staple in the economy. Macleans Writer Jason Markusoff puts it eloquently in his interview where he affirms that “the economic benefits of this pipeline in B.C. are not as big [as Alberta’s], but the environmental risk is” which sums up one of the main faucets of argument against the Kinder-Morgen pipeline.
Another important consideration in regards to the pipeline is the simple partisan nature of the controversy. The BC-NDP in a bid to firm up the environmental constituent base as well as appease the Greens, who are allowing John Horgan’s minority government to function, are not in favour of the establishment of this pipeline. It is also important to realize that the BC government is not even sure as to whether or not they have the authority to make a ruling on this, as it is thought that inter-provincial pipelines are the responsibility of Trudeau’s federal government. Despite the grey area, Justin Trudeau has made his point clear; “The environment and the economy need to go together,” and has so far stayed on message. Ottawa’s bid to play to both the environmentalists and the pro-pipeline activists has done anything but satisfy both sides, however the Liberals, by playing to the middle, are mitigating any potential backlash that may happen from supporting one province’s ideals against another.
The Albertan Argument
The Albertan economy had been hit hard during the recession and has resulted in multiple bouts of downsizing in most industries, not just oil and gas. The creation of jobs as well as stimulation of the Albertan economy has led to overwhelming support for the project in Alberta, in contrast to the more equal British Columbian for/against rates, and the federal 50-50 rate of support. Currently, the majority of crude oil in Alberta is sent south of the border to the United States, where the Americans purchase it with a huge discount many Canadian cooperations are forced to accept, but the construction of the pipeline would allow Canadian oil to be sold to Asian markets which would diversify the economy. With the political climate in the United States, many Liberals, including Trudeau, are looking for trading partners elsewhere so as expand Canada’s oil exports. The construction of the pipeline may also act as a course of action which may improve Canada’s environmental footprint in the long-run, as the pipeline may sway Albertans to sign on to the National Climate Change Plan, and allow Canada to hit it’s climate change targets, which notably could never be ascertained without Alberta. Moreover on the environmental benefits of the pipeline; many oil companies in Alberta are currently forced to transport their goods by railcar, which is less efficient both economically and environmentally. Railcars also increase the risk for disaster, as showcased by the Lac-Megantic disaster.
Aside from the pipeline’s ability to allow many families to pay their bills and put food on the table, it would also make Canada a much more important player in the global oil economy. Given Canada’s already modest environmental footprint, it may be a smart idea to secure our place as an oil-exporting country on the global scene. By making ourselves more of a competitive economy not only are we protecting Canadian jobs and the Canadian economy, but we are also protecting Canadian values. Many nations of the world today are forced to purchase their petroleum from nations who do not share many of their values, and Canada’s ability to pander to those markets allows Canada to push Canadian values worldwide. This also means that Canada has much more freedom both economically and politically to trade with partners who Canadians want to trade with. For example, if hypothetical country X is a tyrannical regime, Canada, as well as many other nations, are no longer forced to fund the behaviour of said country’s regime.
So, in the end, the fundamental question is do we value our economy and workers over our environment?
Imagine if the fourth Avengers movie started with Peter enjoying his life. Wanda and Vision living their lives together. Thor and Loki enjoying a drink with each other. Then Tony says “that’s how I wish it happened…” All of these visions dissolve into the Marvel logo we all know and love, but this time there is no triumphant music; there is only silence. You don’t know it yet, but you didn’t just walk into a movie, you walked into a funeral.
Tony’s nightmare from Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The untitled fourth Avengers movie is set to release Spring of 2019 and there are more fan theories than ever! Below is a list of some popular ones:
We all know that many of our favorite characters who got killed by the snap will return to the big screen, but how? Reddit user LA -Confidential has an idea. If you want to read his theory, you can find it here. For those of you that don’t have the time here is the TL;DR:
The entire theory revolves around the idea that Dr. Strange was using the time stone as he gave it to Thanos.
The stone is glowing as he hands it over.
The theory is that Dr. Strange knew the snap would happen no matter what they did, in fact, the snap is necessary for our protagonists’ victory in the end. When Strange handed over the time stone, he was casting a time loop that would eventually loop back to a time before the snap. When that time comes, it will allow all the Avengers to group up and go to the past to collect stones for a gauntlet of their own, which they will use to defeat Thanos. So why did the snap need to happen? Because the snap trapped Ant-Man in the Quantum Realm, which forces him to learn about time vortexes to escape. Those are the same vortexes the Avengers will use to travel through time to collect stones for a gauntlet Captain Marvel will wield.
Another popular theory is that all of the characters who died from the snap are trapped in the soul stone. Now imagine the soul stone traveling back to Vormir, perhaps after Thanos regrets losing Gamora and tries to bring her back, and Steve and Tony stumble upon it.
Vormir
Steve sacrificing himself for the stone would be a bit obvious, Tony on the other hand (whose story arc had him transform from selfish billionaire to father figure) could have a fitting end if he decided to sacrifice himself. Steve once told Tony “You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.” Tony is now that guy. What if he asks Cap to push him off? Cap could end up wielding the stone to save all the others, possibly even killing himself in the process.
There are many, many more theories on the internet, and if you are ever bored I encourage you to read some of them! I am also very sure many more theories will pop up once the trailer is released, but for now, all we can do is wait.
In light of what we have recently seen happen around the world, in my opinion, the best thing about Canada is its diversity, embrace of pluralism, and acceptance of others. The following story I wrote a few months ago is a reflection of these collective Canadian values and those which I hope to see continue for many generations to come.
Tiny blue droplets of tears slowly rolled down my cheek as my left foot moved forward onto the platform of the old, rusted train. I pressed my face against the foggy window, taking a good look at my surroundings. This may be the last time I would be seeing the town of Homs, Syria. The place I was born and the place I took my first steps. Memories of the past twelve years of my childhood were all flooding my mind like a thunderstorm. For a moment, I wished the entire world would freeze, I just wanted to stand here staring at my home city forever. Then again, what was the use? Every building had been burnt to rubbles and some of my best friends had been blown to pieces.
I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, “Keep moving, Layla,” mother coaxed. And, before I knew it, there was a quick plunge and the train started to move. Soon enough, my hometown became a tiny speck in the distance.
All around me, everyone was caught up in the joy and delight of their so-called new countries – some going to America, others to Australia. And many of them were like us, taking a train to Lebanon and then a plane to a strange place called Canada. Even mother, father and my younger sister, Mreym, were absorbed in this wave of glee.
I was alone. I wanted to stay in Homs. I wanted to wait until the war was over and then continue life as it was before, but father said that would be impossible. I wanted to go to school, do well and become a doctor. I wanted to help people in my home country, save lives and even become a female hero. In Canada, I would never be able to do that. It would be hard enough to learn a new language, make new friends and live in a new neighbourhood, yet alone become a female hero.
Over the next day, mother and father were much too busy to notice Mreym or I. Everywhere we went, they had to fill out forms and talk to officers dressed in very professional outfits. I, on the other hand, spent the entire time in my own self-assuming presence and misery. My gloomy, murky mood caused me to stay in a cloud of darkness, not talking to anyone and not observing all the occurrences around me.
The only one thing that really resonated with me was the sympathy and kindness everywhere. Kind people escorted us everywhere we went. I wondered, was this what it was like in Canada?
It reminded me of home before the war started, how everyone had shared everything and we all got along. Those memories were savoured in my mouth like a red cherry sucker. For the last couple of years during the war, no one had been like that. Everyone just cared about themselves and it seemed everyone had become enemies.
“Layla, wake up, we have arrived,” a silky voice tamely muttered. “It’s time to get up now, we have much to do!” the voice continued, now in a much stronger tone.
“Mother, please give me a few more minutes. You complete the chores yourself and then I will wake up and walk to school,” I groggily moaned. But then, as I calmly opened my eyes, I realized that there were no chores to be done and no school for me to go to. I wasn’t in Homs anymore. I was on an airplane. Now, mother was waking me because we had finally arrived in Canada.
A rush of emotions quickly coursed through my body. We were at our ultimate destination – Calgary. The place everyone had been talking about for so long. I had never wanted to come here in the first place, but deep down inside, I had surprised myself with an eagerness for this new place. There was a slight twinge of excitement inside me because I wanted to see – with my own eyes – this apparent paradise.
The four of us strutted in complete silence down the tunnel from the plane to the airport, none of us quite knowing what we were going to see on the other side. Then suddenly just as we were entering the terminal, a glaring bright light started blazing in my direction. Golden rays of sunshine flooded my face with brightness. For the first time in days, I was seeing light instead of darkness.
But then as I raised my eyelids, I saw a mob. There were people surrounding the airport terminal on every side of us like they were cornering us. They were all carrying large red and white flags with a design that looked like a leaf. I immediately started to panic. I started shivering, my body started trembling, and my teeth started clattering. Back home in Syria, the way we got the signal an attack was going to begin was by people holding their flags high and proud in the air, just like the mob of people in front of me were doing right now. I thought we had fled Syria from war to peace, not come to another war. Were these people going to capture us, were they going to kidnap us, were they going to kill us?
In my moment of terror the only thing I could think of doing was to run. It was just my natural instinct. Anytime I had seen a horrid sight in Syria, I would dash as fast as lighting away from the danger and back to our home. So, that is exactly what I did, I sprinted as fast as I could across the airport terminal.
All around me, I could feel air blowing in my direction. I thought I could even hear the thumping tread of people whisking to follow me. “Layla, Layla, come back,” I heard mother scream. But, I didn’t stop. I was focused on getting as far away as possible from these people. How I wished my family would also follow me so we could be safe together.
So caught up in my own thoughts, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was running. Thump. I had just bumped into something, and it was blocking my path to get any further.
Alarmed, I stopped in my footsteps. It was a young girl about the same age as me, standing right there in front of me. She was wearing a pink frilly dress with black flats and looked so cheerful. Her soft, wavy hair bounced along her sweet face which had a small, genuine smile. But what I didn’t notice for a few seconds was that she too was holding one of those red and white leaf-flags.
Oh, no, I hadn’t escaped from those people, I had just found more of them. There’s no use now, I thought. Even with my fast-as-a-cheetah running skills, this girl was standing in my only path. There was no way I would be able to get away from her. I may as well just let her do what she wants. She would call her people and they would take me away and kill me. But, before I could get any further into my thoughts of what was going to happen to me, a luscious, fluffy voice rang out loud.
“Welcome to Canada,” that voice rang.
For a second, I had trouble believing that musical voice that uttered such gentle words was actually coming from the girl standing before me, holding a flag. But there was no doubt about it, she was the only one around and the expression on her face just showed unconditional love and friendship.
It was those three words that had changed my entire perspective on this new country. It was those three words that had made me realize – these people didn’t want to fight us, instead they wanted to welcome us. It was those three words that brought back my feeling of hope. That told me everything was going to be ok. It was those three words that said Canada is an incredible country that was going to wholeheartedly accept us, help us build an amazing future and achieve our dreams. Those three words promised that my dream of becoming a doctor would be fulfilled, right here in Canada.
Halloween is approaching quicker than you think! Why would you want to be that one (lame) person that doesn’t dress up for the Halloween party or at school- Here are a few ideas for Halloween costumes !
Winnie The Pooh: This first one is cute to do with friends! Or even rocking one of them solo.
Crazy Cat Lady
3. Characters from Holes
4. Dressing from a different decade! : 70’s? 80’s? There’s so much to choose from!
5. Running Forest Gump : Honestly, this could be my favourite one.
October? Hmmm, more like Spooktober! If you enjoy Halloween as much as I do, you better check out these events to satisfy or spark your Halloween spirit.
Cost: $16.95+gst admission, pumpkins range from $1 – $13 or more
Sure, it is easy to go to a grocery store and buy one of their pumpkins to crave; but, have you ever visited a farm for pumpkin picking? If not, you are totally missing out on this experience. The Calgary Corn Maze offers a family friendly event that allows individuals to visit and buy a pumpkin of their choosing. Pumpkins are reasonably priced and range in size, colour, and purpose. Admission is required to purchase a pumpkin however, it also gives you access to festival activities and the maze’s regular attractions.
Cost: $15.95+gst for adults, $14.95+gst for children and seniors
Grab your friends, family, significant other, or any other individual(s) that you would not mind dragging into a corn maze and getting lost with. Your goal is to attempt to navigate through the maze at night with only the light of your flashlight and sense of direction guiding you.
Cost: $20 for adults and walk-ins, $15 for children (ages 6 – 12)
Do you know about the ghost stories that take place in Calgary? If not, Calgary Ghost Tours allows you to learn about local history and folklore surrounding the mischief, mayhem, and even murders that take place here in our beloved city. It is recommended that children who are prone to nightmares should not attend this event.
For those who crave and love the thrill of being scared the Train of Terror is perfect for you! The Train of Terror is NOT a relaxing railway tour. This train ride is designed to provide you with horrors that will chill you to the bone and keep you up for days. It is important to note that October 20 & 27 are the only dates that allow teens to board the train. Additionally, minors are required to have waivers signed by adult guardians in order to participate in the event. The Train of Terror is EXTREMELY not recommended for individuals faint of heart, claustrophobic, or uncomfortable with props or actors coming into contact with them.
Obviously, you knew that Screamfest would make it onto this list; however, are you aware that this is the 13th and FINAL year of Screamfest. Let me repeat that again, it is the FINAL year of Screamfest! If you have yet to experience this event this is your last chance to do so. Screamfest is filled with frights that are sure to make you scream (hence the name). This event is rated PG- 13, so sorry to you youngsters out there. Individuals who are faint of heart are also recommended to not attend Screamfest.
Many people get bored at some point in their lives. Instead of sitting around and feeling the time slip away from you, here’s a short list of things you can do or choose to ignore.
Remember your public library that you haven’t visited since your bookworm phase in elementary school? Go see what’s there.
Have a pile of paper hiding under your bed? Sort through it.
Still don’t know what the other side of your community looks like? Take a walk.
Have a recipe bookmarked that you still haven’t gotten to? Make it.
Don’t know what some of the buttons on a calculator do? Find out.
Ever thought about writing a book sometime in the future? Make a plan for it.
Still aren’t sure of what waste goes where? Learn about what’s garbage, recycling, and compost.
Don’t know the difference between stalactites and stalagmites? Go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole.
If you’re struggling to fall asleep on a regular basis, you’re not alone.
I’ve recently talked to a psychiatrist about something that has been plaguing my life since I was a little kid: sleep (or really, a lack of it). I’ve dealt with insomnia for years, and it seems like, at this point, I’ve tried everything: a warm bath, eye mask, drinking chamomile tea, meditation, bedtime podcasts, sleep aid meds (ie melatonin)… the list goes on. And yes, many have worked in the short term, but most lose their effectiveness as time goes on (ie sleep aid meds), or, is simply not feasible on a regular basis (do ANY of us have the time to take a bubble bath every day?). Some just never worked for me at all (ie. those bedtime podcasts…). Some feel just way too weird (ie putting your phone away, meditations). At this point, I’ve almost given up. I cannot sleep until 12 am, no matter what time I go to bed! But I gotta get up at 7 the next morning… and so the vicious cycle of fatigue ensues.
Here is how the psychiatrist describes it:
Cutting your sleep short leads to a multitude of problems, ie. moodiness, trouble concentrating, weakened immunity
Teens need an average of 9 hours of sleep per day.
This number will fluctuate from person to person, but MOST teens do require that amount of rest for optimal growth and functioning
This means if you have to wake up at 7 for school in the morning, you would need to fall asleep at 10 pm the night before.
This seems unrealistic for most of us because we don’t even feel sleepy at 10 pm.
This is because in many cases (especially in teens) our biological clocks (and thus our sleep cycles) run later naturally. Meaning, our brains are wired to not want to fall asleep until midnight. If we let our brains get the rest they wanted every night, we would naturally wake up later in the day. This can happen on the weekends, however…
However, for school or work, you need to wake up earlier. This is when a late sleep cycle becomes problematic: You are consistently cutting your sleep short on the weekdays, but then reinforcing the late sleep cycle on the weekends.
So… you NEED SLEEP! But how can you force yourself when you really don’t want to (or can’t)? What if my sleep cycle is just later?
Answer: You need to develop good sleep hygiene, and move your biological clock forward.
Developing good sleep cycle and hygiene is a bit like training for a marathon. You have to want it bad enough, and be willing to put in the time (time for yourself to rest!), dedication, and consistency. You must develop good habits, and work toward your goal in increments.
Here is the psychiatrist’s advice for me, and after years of hearing sleep advice, this is the most tangible advice I’ve ever heard:
You need a strong association between sleep + bed, and you need to train your brain to do this. If your brain associates bed with something other than sleep, going to bed is not going to make you fall asleep
Don’t stay in bed if you can’t fall asleep
Many of us try to tough it out and lie in bed awake and frustrated when we can’t sleep. This is EXTREMELY counterproductive. When this happens, your brain is learning that bed is a place to stay awake, which is the opposite of what you want! So, if you find yourself unable to fall asleep after 30 minutes, don’t just stay there and hope for the best. Get up, go downstairs, read at your desk, or walk around for a while until you feel tired again, and try again. This might seem like it’s making things worse at the moment, but sticking with it will pay off.
Don’t do anything else in bed except sleep
Many of us have a tendency to read our phones, watch Netflix, work, or study in bed. Of course, it’s comfy, but it’s detrimental to your ability to fall asleep in bed because it’s making an association between working + bed, or active + bed. So, when you climb into your bed ready to sleep, your brain is thinking “It’s time to work/read/study!” and you are not going to want to sleep. Instead, if you have the urge to read, or watch TV when it’s bedtime, do it in the living room, or at your desk, and save the bed for sleeping only.
Don’t push yourself to fall asleep at a certain bedtime if you are not sleepy. At least, not for now.
Start by going to bed about 30 minutes before you would normally fall asleep, even if that time is later than what you would like right now.
Let’s say your goal is to be asleep by 10:30 pm each night. If you are used to falling asleep after midnight, your brain’s is not going to adjust to an earlier sleep time right away. If you suddenly try going to bed at 10:00 pm, you’ll likely end up lying awake for hours, frustrated that you can’t sleep. This is why many people who try to go to bed at an earlier time do not succeed in changing their sleep patterns. To re-adjust your sleep cycle to an earlier time, start small: if you usually fall asleep (note: fall asleep, not go to bed!) at around 12:00 am (even if you are usually in bed by 10:30 pm), try reading (or doing something relaxing) somewhere else until 11:30pm, and actually going to bed then. Although this will seem like a late bedtime, you will likely find that you are falling asleep more quickly than you normally would, spending less time awake in bed. This is the association that you want your brain to develop between bedtime and sleeping.
Once you’ve established a bedtime at which you can reliably fall asleep in a reasonable time (about 30 minutes), try pushing the bedtime forward by 30 minutes. For example, if you’ve established that you are able to fall asleep by 12:00 am consistently with a bedtime of 11:30 pm, try now to change your bedtime to 11:00 pm (to fall asleep at 11:30 pm). Keep up the new bedtime for a week, and once it’s comfortable move it forward again, to 10:30 pm. Keep at it until you are falling asleep at the time that you would like.
This will require LOTS of dedication, and slip-ups will happen. Don’t let a slip turn into a slide.
On weekends, your schedule may change. You’ll likely wake up later, and go to bed later also. However, do your best to keep it consistent. Two out of seven days is not going to hurt you in the long run, but during the adjustment-to-new-clock phase, it will be easy to let one late night ripple into the rest of the week. Do your best to keep on track!
No caffeine after 3 pm!
Relaxing activities (ie. baths) are good for calming yourself down before bedtime
No screens 15 minutes before bedtime (I find this one hardest to follow)
I’m hoping, with this advice, to finally get enough sleep on weeknights. It’s been working so far for me, hope it can work for others too!
Is the difference between what is morally “right” and “wrong” distinguishable? Different views of philosophers yield different answers; however, one common denominator that all answers are based on is the sheer complexity of life, and that there are too many factors involved in the question to answer it. A nihilistic view would be that since nothing matters in life, “right” and “wrong” actions have no consequences, therefore there is no difference. An existentialist view would leave it up to the individual, what the person thinks as their purpose in life and how they view their actions is how the systems should be. To conceptualize this, think of the example (not one based on morals, just to visualize): I think pineapple on pizza is correct and milk before cereal is wrong, and that would be it. However, does this still not equate to there being no difference between morality, since everyone has a different conception of it? To complicate things further, here are three examples that represent the same moral dilemma but from a different view. These examples ultimately show the fault in our moral intuitions.
The typical train problem that comes up often when moral dilemmas are mentioned is the classic thought experiment first developed in 1967 by the philosopher Philippa Foot. Imagine you are standing by a set of train tracks. You spot a train approaching from the distance down the track where five people, who cannot hear or see the train, are standing. There is no way for them to move out of the way in time. Suddenly, you see a lever, which you realize if you pulled, the train will be diverted to another set of tracks away from the five people. There’s a catch, however, because this train track has one oblivious person on it. What will you do? Is the death of one over five more morally correct to you? Did the thought of not being responsible for the death of five, since you had nothing to do with it, more morally correct than purposefully pulling the lever, where you will kill one person? Is being a bystander as morally evil as letting someone die? This moral dilemma allows us to think through the consequences of our actions, and determine moral values from the outcome.
Now, consider this variation of the train problem. Imagine the same scenario as above, except that you are on a bridge above one train track with five people on it, again oblivious to the approaching train. This time, there is a large person standing next to you on the bridge, and you realize that pushing them down from the bridge on the train tracks would successfully stop the train. So, would you sacrifice one person for five others? Is the outcome here not identical to the problem above, where it’s either one or five deaths? An interesting fact I have noticed when I ask people these questions is that, while an outstanding majority would pull the lever, almost none would push the person off the bridge. A possible conclusion as to why this is so would be that pushing the man off the bridge seems more direct than pulling a lever. This speaks volumes about psychology, where many like to stay in the sidelines and not want to be put under direct attention or blame.
What’s your judgement?
If you heard these two incidents on the news, where one person pulled the lever and the other pushed the person, which one would you consider as morally correct? Often, this is more easier to determine than evaluating what one would do in the situation, because again, observing from the sidelines is rather than putting yourself in a situation seems as a more comfortable choice, where you aren’t in risk of being judged.
This variation to the original train problem is the most visual. If it is thought about, the first two problems do not create a gruesome image in our minds, since we are focussing on morality in our minds, where we are lost in our thoughts and not in the present for a moment. However, this variation makes that impossible. Imagine you are a doctor with five patients all in need of transplants in order to survive. Two need a lung, two require kidneys, and one a heart, all of which one person has. In the next room, you have one patient that is successfully recovering from a broken arm. They are perfectly healthy. Is killing this patient and harvesting their organs for the five others the way to go? This situation has the same factors and consequences as the other two, yet killing a healthy patient seems absurd to the same people who would pull the lever or push the person, which is essentially the exact same thing as the first two problems.
If all these moral dilemmas deem the same results, yet the majority of people are willing to only pull the lever but not push the person or kill the healthy patient, are our moral intuitions inconsistent and unreliable? Are they even logical? I mentioned this is the first problem, where killing someone or letting them die are perceived as two different things to the human mind. The former is active and intentional, while the latter is passive and “I did not do it, so I am a good person!” The intentional act of killing is worse than being a bystander to the act. This is seen everywhere and is known as the principle of double effect. Indirectly causing harm for the greater good is permissible, but directly causing harm in pursuit for the greater good is not.
Research done by neuroscientists have shown that pulling the lever activates the logical and rational area of our brain, indicating that the person thought it was logical to save five people over one.
However, pushing the person off the bridge activates the emotional reasoning area of the brain as well, indicating that emotions are involved, and the action of killing one to save five is felt differently.
Should emotions be considered when the line is drawn between what is morally correct and what is not?
In the real world, larger factors are to be considered. Moral dilemmas include war, politics, and even economics, and have appeared in popular culture such as the film Eye In The Sky.
“How to stop being a Perfectionist” By a Perfectionist
Perfection, something we all strive for in our daily life especially in academics, is defined as the process of improving something until it is free from all flaws and is “perfect”. Although we commonly associate supreme excellency with perfection, there is a clear line that needs to be drawn between being a perfectionist and being excellent. Being excellent is simply about giving the best you possibly can while being a perfectionist is about neglecting the positives and focusing on improving the negatives of the work.
Firstly in order to identify yourself as a perfectionist, you must be the following:
Afraid of Failure: Many perfectionists including myself are afraid of failure. Failure, however, is relative to all of us. Some might define failure as simply failing a test, getting a bad grade in a course or just getting slightly lower than what you expected on a quiz. Others define failure as not being able to reach the expectations they set for themselves.
Have Trust Issues: Are you afraid to trust your partner to do the same quality of work as you on a lab assessment? Or do you find yourself in a constant need for control? If yes, then you might just be a perfectionist. Perfectionists often find it hard to adjust to others’ frequency and intensity, firstly because they are inflexible with their own standards, and secondly, because they always expect the best from themselves. Thus, it is natural for them to cooperate with others especially when their work ethic is incompatible.
Constantly finding flaws: This can be perceived in many ways. Firstly, the most common way to tell whether you are constantly finding flaws is through self-examination. Most perfectionists are more overcritical of themselves than of others around them. Secondly, many perfectionists tend to point out spelling mistakes or minute grammatical errors in others’ speech or writing. To perfectionists, it is extremely important to correct flaws not to impress others with their knowledge but to simply create a surrounding that is free from flaws.
Everyone is a perfectionist, some to a higher extent than others but here are 5 ways on how to stop being a perfectionist and being excellent instead:
Firstly, Identify if your standards or goals are realistic and attainable. Often times perfectionists are known to set extremely high standards for themselves which can lead to stress at school, workplace, etc. and overall disrupt mental peace. Setting realistic goals will help you maximize your potential along with reduced stress levels. Extremely high and unrealistic standards are only going to cause unnecessary anxiety and can lead to isolation.
Secondly, realize failure is a part of success. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them rather mourning over them. Mistakes are simply opportunities to do better than you did before and only result in stronger results. Often times, perfectionists are so afraid of failure that they continue to criticize themselves over minor failures.
Third, surround yourself with positivity. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between contentment with work and positivity. When appreciating the positives in nature, others’ work without any criticism, we open ourselves to appreciate other opinions right or wrong, which is crucial to our overall growth as human beings.
Fourth think of the bigger picture. In the long run, the imperfections we hold inside make us vulnerable and
“vulnerability is the birthplace for innovation and change” – Brené Brown
Perfectionists are extremely focussed on removing all flaws from their lives as well as their work that they forget their imperfections are what make them unique. Realizing that a few imperfections don’t make someone an unworthy person, rather contributes to them being human.
Lastly, Be yourself. Most people try to achieve perfection through incredibly high standards set by themselves, family, society, etc and they feel constantly forced to so. Sometimes, it’s okay to let go of perfection and dance in the rain like an average person. When we expose our true selves to the world, we let go of the image that is expected of us, which not only provides us with inner peace and happiness but also relieves stress.
Hopefully, you follow this guide and find yourself much more relaxed than before.
Looking past personal prejudices, similar to sexism and homophobia, racism is systematic. It exists within societal institutions like the government, the education system, the health care system, the criminal justice system, and the work force. This results in underrepresentation of people of colour in positions of power and mistreatment of people of colour across institutions that are supposed to protect them, care for them, or teach them. Throughout Canada, Europe, and America, there are a plethora of current and past legislation that enforces discrimination within society. However, there is one standouts example of legislation that upholds a discriminatory status quo, which entirely exemplifies the implication and existence of systemic racism.
American society is notorious for its past and current mistreatment of the black community. It wasn’t until the 13th Amendment that slavery was abolished. The first slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619 and the 13th Amendment was effective in December 1865. Regardless of that abolishment, the treatment of the freed slaves only minutely changed. At the time of the 13th Amendment, the right to citizenship and the right to vote was also granted to the newly freed slaves through the 14th and 15th Amendment. Yet, the black community was still treated as second-class citizens, where they were separated from white counterparts in transportation, recreational facilities, prisons, armed forces, and schools through a series of laws passed by the Supreme Court between 1873 and 1883. The origin of the name of these laws called the Jim Crow Laws, is associated with the first performer to blacken his face and perform as a plantation slave named Jim Crow. The Jim Crow Laws were finally abolished on July 2, 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Protesters in support of the Jim Crow Laws
The fact that segregation was abolished in America over 50 years ago is overshadowed by the persistent prejudice that continues to disadvantage the black community. Even after segregation was abolished, a practice of systematically denying residents of certain areas services and loans arbitrarily based off of their ethnicity became commonplace. Known as redlining, policies developed by the Home Owners Loan Corporation led to disinvestment in a discriminatory pattern. HOLC was established in 1933 by the Rosevelt Administration to reduce home foreclosures. Eventually, HOLC was institutionalized in 1937 by the U.S. Housing Act, creating the Federal Housing Association. The HOLC and FHA decide which areas are fit for investment by banks, insurance companies, savings and loan associations, and other financial service companies. The zones, which had predominately black populations, were physically shaded red on maps. This caused the black communities to become severely underdeveloped, while predominately white areas that received loans were able to expand infrastructure, start small businesses, and improve their quality of life.
A redlining map of Charlotte, North Carolina in 1935
The disinvestment of these mainly African-American communities led to severe disrepair. Those who lived in these neighbourhoods had limited access to banks, healthcare, and groceries. However, a very important exception to this was liquor stores, which seemingly overcame the financial risk throughout these communities. Lack of businesses led to severe rates of unemployment for those who were both too poor and legally not allowed to leave the red zones. Crime quickly followed into these neighbourhoods, continuing a cycle of disinvestment even after redlining was banned. This has created a vicious poverty cycle that still defines these communities today, leading to higher rates of crime, addiction, and a lack of basic opportunity and services.
The racial discrimination expressed through mortgage lending has actively shaped the current wealth patterns of America. 3 out of the 4 communities that were redlined in the 1930’s are still struggling economically. Even after 80 years, these communities, are still mostly comprised of a minority population.
It’s as if some of these places have been trapped in the past, locking neighbourhoods into concentrated poverty,
described Jason Richardson, the director of research for the consumer advocacy group, NCRC.
Bruce Mitchell, a senior researcher for NCRC, explains that these “hazardous” red zones were made up of
Anyone who was not northern-European white
and those who weren’t white,
[were] considered to be a detraction from the value of the area.
This persistent racism set the stage for America’s severe racial wage gap. Today, white families have 10 times the net worth of black families according to the Federal Reserve. Considering that homeownership is the number one method of accumulating wealth, the effect of past policy has created a permanent underclass, largely and disproportionately represented in minority populations. Until the Fair Housing Act banned redlining in 1968, the government actively contributed to the segregation of politically black (non-white) people from white neighbourhoods by institutionalizing race-based poverty.
After 50 years of the Fair Housing Act, the effects of redlining lingers. Flint Michigan is one of many communities that still experiences extreme poverty, linked to the lack of investment over 80 years ago. Across America, 2 of the 3 neighbourhoods labelled as “hazardous,” are inhabited by mostly minorities. Cities with more “hazardous” neighbourhoods continue to face severe economic inequality, while 91% of those neighbourhoods labelled as “best” in blue, have remained middle to upper-class communities. 85% of these “best” communities are still overwhelmingly white.
Extreme poverty in Flint has led to a severe water crisis
Baltimore was one of the earliest cities to adopt official restrictive housing for African Americans and Jewish Americans. Nearly every area labelled “hazardous” in the 1930’s is a low or moderate income community. The exception is an area around Baltimore’s harbour, which has been completely remodelled to attract tourism. As well, close to 70% of redlined communities in Baltimore are still primarily inhabited by minorities. Even neighbourhoods that were labelled as “desirable” have become populated by low-income minorities, while the middle-class white population fled to the suburbs.
Although the practice of redlining is now illegal, minorities still experience similar problems. A 2015 study found that race played a larger role than income in mortgage lending in Baltimore. Loans are commonplace in predominantly white neighbourhoods, where banks also gave twice the amount of loans to white people than black people. A report from the Centre for Investigative Reporting found that redlining persists in 61 metro areas. Even when controlling the applicant’s income, loan amount, and neighbourhood, areas from Detroit to Tacoma discriminate against minorities according to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act’s records. Banks blame these discrepancies on the borrower’s credit score, but that claim can’t be confirmed as that information isn’t officially disclosed.
The same researchers analyzed 30 cities for gentrification, where once “hazardous” areas spiked in value between 2000 and 2010. They found that many gentrified cities that were once redlined became middle and upper class. There was also a greater influx of economic activity. While these areas were far less segregated than their counterparts, there was also far more economic disparity between the original, mostly minority population, and the newcomers. Both past and current lending discrimination reinforces economic inequality as higher income gentrifiers are able to access loans and renovate the area, while longstanding residents don’t have the capital to improve their area, often making their home unaffordable. As rent and property tax rise in the area, longtime residents are forced to relocate. While some believe gentrification is a force of desegregation, Mitchell asks,
Is it just a movement towards increased segregation in the next census period?
While many forms of discriminatory legislation in America have long since been ended, the implications are still extremely relevant. This is because the effects of slavery, segregation, and redlining transcends into physical wellness, economic opportunity, and political power. Further, discriminatory legislation has changed the social positions of minorities in American society. Through historical acts of discrimination, a status quo was created, and it is continually upheld by everyday society and institutions. Common knowledge for many people is after slavery’s and segregation’s legal status was revoked, the government no longer had a major role in the integration and development of minorities into American society. Therefore, it is viewed that issues in those communities resulted on their own. However, through redlining, the government continued to contribute to segregation within America. At many points, America became even more segregated then when segregation was legal. African Americans and other minorities were forced to remain in low income neighbourhoods because of discriminatory lending practices. The physical separation of white people from “the others,” has led to a tremendous racial division socially in modern America, while this physical separation more or less remains the same.
Poorer communities are faced with a plethora of problems in America. One example being high rates of criminal activity. Yet, the root of this problem and other problems like high rates of substance abuse, is the history of segregation and disinvestment. The lack of opportunity caused these communities to have less access to many basic needs like groceries, healthcare, and banking, yet liquor stores were able to thrive. This meant alcohol was extremely accessible. Further, in America, a portion of property taxes for each neighbourhood goes toward schooling in the area. This has caused an extreme lack of funding for schools in areas that were labelled as “hazardous.” Lack of quality education fuels the fire that is rampant poverty, as there is less opportunity for growth, leading to high dropout rates. This not only further contributes to poverty in the area, but it puts many students in at risk situations, causing some to turn to criminal activity and substance abuse. The system of using income tax of local neighbourhoods to fund schools is completely flawed, as it often causes underfunding to predominantly minority schools, further adding to oppression faced by youth in the area.
Yet, even with the discriminatory act of redlining made illegal, many cities not only continue to experience the effects of past policies, but also continue the practice in a different way. Instead of obviously separating communities into red and blue zones, cities and banks continue to disinvest for different reasons. Far too often, the disinvestment of black populations by the government is because of the high crime rates, lack of education, and other reasons associated with poverty. In a disgusting way, through legislation, segregation, and disinvestment in certain communities, poverty has become synonymous with black. This has caused a number of politicians and others in positions of power to continue the cycle of discrimination because they believe that African Americans and other minorities are more inclined to be criminals based off of superficial statistics associated with their race. These ideologies have been extremely prevalent recently considering the alarming number of innocent, unarmed black citizens being shot by police. Police brutality stems from the fact that police and average Americans make assumptions that because of their race, African Americans are more inclined to be criminals. Instead, some have been historically directed to a path of poverty that can put them more at risk; the rest is a harmful assumption made by police and citizens. Through redlining, minority populations have been separated and stereotyped. The issues in these predominantly minority populations don’t exist because the population is mostly minority. To end these severe and persistent cycles of poverty, we must dissociate poor, criminal, uneducated, and other stereotypes from minority. The truth is, minorities obviously aren’t more genetically likely to face these problems like many people seem to assume, rather, a brutal history of discrimination has caused poverty to concentrate in communities occupied by marginalized people, leading to the harmful association of poor with black.
I have fallen guilty to forming opinions without looking at the big picture. It is extremely easy to look at the statistics regarding these marginalized communities and cause further alienation and disenfranchisement. What is more challenging, is confronting the prejudices within our governments and dismantling this racist status quo that has stood strong for generations in North America. This example of redlining against primarily African minorities in America is strikingly similar to the experiences of indigenous Canadians. Although I don’t share these opinions, many classmates, family members, and people I interact with in my day to day life tend to blame First Nations for problems within their communities. Whether they blame inherent laziness, a desire to live off government welfare, or addiction, a plethora of Canadians seem to blame some genetic phenomenon for statistics associated with the education, health, and productivity of aboriginal peoples. Hearing those frankly offensive opinions really bothers me because instead of blaming the systematic issues on reserves caused by mistreatment and disinvestment, an obscure and easy genetic scapegoat is found. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and the extent to which the government should interfere with the First Nations of Canada is rightfully up for debate. However, blaming genetics, heritage, or ethnicity for problems in these communities is far from the truth. Rather, a brutal history of intergenerational trauma caused by oppressive legislation like the Indian Act of 1876, which existed for the sole purpose of removing the “Indian problem,” is at fault. Generations of aboriginals experienced assimilation and abuse inside these schools, which has caused addiction rates to sky rocket, while abuse has become unfortunately normalized for some aboriginal families. I believe it is unfair and unjust to not only blame these problems on aboriginals, but also force them to solve them with little to no support or resources. Unfortunately, many Canadians are willing and happy to look past this traumatic history when focusing on the problems of today. Across North America, this blissful ignorance causes harmful stereotypes to prosper. The pinnacle of this phenomenon being minorities, especially African Americans and aboriginals in Canada and the United States, being convicted more often then their white counterparts, convicted more intensely, and unjustly shot at the hands of the police who too often put racial profiling ahead a situational awareness. When forming opinions on any subject and also, while looking for solutions to problems in our society, we must always remember the many different paths we took to get to where we are today. It is vital to remember the past, but also apply it to our own decision making. When this doesn’t occur, history just repeats itself and misinterpretation runs rampant. Unfortunately, this exact misinterpretation has painted minorities as poor, lazy, and reckless across North America. It is time to not only remember this past, but recognize the current implications, so we can finally free minorities from the socioeconomic prison that is stereotyping and ignorance.
The Albertan economy had been hit hard during the recession and has resulted in multiple bouts of downsizing in most industries, not just oil and gas. The creation of jobs as well as stimulation of the Albertan economy has led to overwhelming support for the project in Alberta, in contrast to the more equal British Columbian for/against rates, and the federal 50-50 rate of support. Currently, the majority of crude oil in Alberta is sent south of the border to the United States, where the Americans purchase it with a huge discount many Canadian cooperations are forced to accept, but the construction of the pipeline would allow Canadian oil to be sold to Asian markets which would diversify the economy. With the political climate in the United States, many Liberals, including Trudeau, are looking for trading partners elsewhere so as expand Canada’s oil exports. The construction of the pipeline may also act as a course of action which may improve Canada’s environmental footprint in the long-run, as the pipeline may sway Albertans to sign on to the National Climate Change Plan, and allow Canada to hit it’s climate change targets, which notably could never be ascertained without Alberta. Moreover on the environmental benefits of the pipeline; many oil companies in Alberta are currently forced to transport their goods by railcar, which is less efficient both economically and environmentally. Railcars also increase the risk for disaster, as showcased by the Lac-Megantic disaster.
