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What’s Up With Marvel ANAD Part 3

Mankaran Gill
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If you have been reading any Marvel comic or crossover event recently there have been dark times in the current line up of comics. While there have been some amazing issues and story arcs, the vast majority of issues and events have seriously been affected by the ANAD (all new, all different) curse. Previously on What’s up with Marvel ANAD and What’s Up With Marvel ANAD Part 2, I talked about a curse that is affecting the current line-up of Marvel comics. Within the past 2 entries of this series I had talked about much of the problem however we still have lots to talk about. This post will not cover one but two parts of the curse as the two issues are connected. Let us now continue our journey together and delve into the topic once again without further ado.

 

Alienating New Readers

While this issue doesn’t affect old readers as much as new readers it is still an issue that needs to be addressed. It is a fact that once the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) kicked off, a lot of new readers flocked to comics. The team of Avengers in the comics in 2012 was more or less the same team as the movie The Avengers. The movies allowed readers to relate to the characters and be familiar with their personalities and gave them a sense of connection. However if someone was to go to an Avengers comic right now the current members (at the time this blog was written) consists of Captain America (Sam Wilson), Thor (Jane Foster), Spider man (Peter Parker), Wasp (Nadia Pym), Vision and Hercules. Sound familiar? That leads me into the part of the curse. 

Developing Characters

 Image result for Wasp Nadia pymImage result for Ironheart

This alienation isn’t just affecting new fans, old fans are being pushed away from the comics they have been reading for years. This part of the curse isn’t about how these characters aren’t appealing or original but about how fast they have been produced and on the scene. I talked about this issue slightly last time about how Riri Williams had become Ironheart (effectively taking on the mantle of Iron man)  within a year while Wally West became the Flash after a few decades. By pushing old characters out of the way and replacing them with new ones, this quickly creates a character that readers cannot relate to and (much of the time) underdeveloped. These characters seem bland and need time to grow and flesh out a distinct personality and rouges gallery (A certain group of villains associated with one hero which adds to the character and makes them unique). The characters have had no time grow and experience stories that define them.

Conclusion

Marvel isn’t just alienating or pushing away new or old readers but both, they have made the landscape almost unrecognizable to anyone. All the issues I have talked about can be fixed however it won’t happen instantly. Changing the course of Marvel may take a couple months up to a few years however it’s inevitable. Fans have been complaining and we are having and impact on the comics and their course. All hope is not lost however we must endure these dark times until they have passed.

In the final part to this series I will not look at another part of the curse but wrap up all the issues.

Cool Cats

Nina Zhukova
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What’s one thing that Calgary has been needing? The place that has so much whimsy that Willy Wonka would be jealous of. A place where one could truly relax and reach the ultimate calm, a cat cafe! The one place that is just about cats and all their glory. But not only that, it mixes everybody’s second favorite thing — food.  That place is called Regal Cat Cafe.

Don’t worry there’s two separate areas for eating and gazing at the best animals in existence. So anybody with allergies could still go and have a great time.  Probably the best part is that the cats are all from the MEOW Foundation, a no-kill charity that specializes in helping cats and making sure that they get the cats to a good home full of love. If you do fall in love with a furry companion, you can always adopt it.

 

The cafe is going to have reservations because only a specific number of people are allowed for the benefit of the cats to not overwhelm them . Each reservation is 45 minutes but they also have four walk-in spots for each time, if you just so happen to be in the neighbourhood.

The Regal Cat Cafe is now open in Kensington and it’s the purrfect place to make a reservation for any cat-lover. It mixes cats, adoption, charity, coffee and food, the best things in the world.

 

Kiana’s Ultimate Reading Suggestions Part 3

Kiana Baghban
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I’ve finally decided to end the series, so let’s jump right into the last part of the list. If you’ve missed part one and two, check them out.

Rocket Boys/October Sky, by, Homer H. Hickam Jr.:

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Rocket Boys/October Sky is the first memoir in a series of three, about growing up in a mining town, and a boy’s pursuits of overcoming many obstacles to achieve his dream. (It was originally published under the name of Rocket Boys, but was renamed as October Sky, after the movie came out which bore the name). I read the first five chapters in October (how fitting) of 2016 with my Grade 8 ELA teacher. After the unit was over, I took it out of the Calgary Public Library and finished it on my own. It’s the ultimate feel-good, delayed-gratification, short-term-pain-long-term-gain book; even though there were a few times where I had to draw out the tissue box. But, it’s a wonderful memoir and I always get a warm bubbly feeling when I think about it.

The Pearl, by, John Steinbeck:

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Let me warn you, this book is NOT a cheerful story, please don’t get fooled by it’s flimsy cover. It is a story about a pearl diver, Kino, as he explores the darker sides of the human nature to his own expense. This book will tear out your heart and throw it away. I was crying from the second page. Ok, reading that over, I may have gone a little too far. But this is a truly philosophical book, and it will make you reconsider the world that we’ve created for ourselves. I suggest reading the pearl in one sitting, at least for the first time, so you can lose yourself in Kino’s world. At least, I find re-reading the book, that the one sittings were the times when I find a new meaning in-between the lines.

Sophie’s World, by, Jostein Gaarder:

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Sophie’s World was initially what got me into philosophy. It follows the life of Sophie, a teenager living in Norway, and the introduction to philosophy that she gets from Alberto Knox, a middle-aged philosopher. I came across this book in an Indigo on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It immediately caught my attention, and I read the better part of it well into the evening over an earl grey latte, and it kept me up feverishly reading the last 50 pages that night. I adored it and it was simply scrumptious, even though it made me feel insignificant after finishing it. It’s a very educational book, but a page-turner at the same time. Definitely worth the re-read.

The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, by, Ernest Hemingway:

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The ‘story’ gets summed up in the title. I came across this book looking for more Hemingway in the school library. At first, I didn’t get hooked by Hemingway’s prose, and I had to put it aside a few times, but soon, boy oh boy did it turn good. I began to read anywhere I went, and it just kept getting better and better. Some of my all time favourites short stories out of this collection were: The Old Man and the Bridge, The Light of the World, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and what there was of the Nick Adam’s Stories. I say this because Hemingway wrote a collection of shorts circling around the autobiographical main character, Nicholas Adams. And after his death, they were all collected and published in a separate copy, and I’m pretty sure that not all of them were there. Another warning, Hemingway has a certain style of writing that cuts straight to the point, so if you read ahead a paragraph, you may see that somebody’s leg was shot off. He also constantly uses an active voice so instead of: “she was writing” he would write “she wrote” which makes it a little hard to understand his writing. Not that it’s impossible, you just need to put in some extra effort, but it’s extremely rewarding afterwards when you’ve understood the story.

The Anne of Green Gables Series, by, L.M Montgomery:

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Now you may groan because since you’ve turned ten, people have been drumming into your ear to “read Anne of Green Gables” and you may be even more disappointed this showed up on the list at all, but hear me out. What most adults don’t tell you, is that there’s eight books after Anne of Green Gables not including the first novel. Those who think that there were only seven books after Anne of Green Gables, did you know about the eight book, AFTER Rilla of Ingleside? Yeah! The Blythes are quoted! *wink wink* It’s super good! *wink*  Anyway, back to the main story. I hate to say this, but those people were right! Anne of Green Gables is a superbly good book, and you’ll come across nothing like it. If you find it hard to read, listen to the audiobook. Librivox.org has a lot of free audiobooks in the public domain (including about half of the Anne series), so if you’re being bugged to read more classic books, go on to Librivox and BOOM! Thousands of books right at your fingertips AND you don’t need to make an account or anything! I loved the book when I started and I shed buckets over the nine books in the series. There truly can’t be a better book to introduce you into the little world of L.M Montgomery.

The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (or as it is better known: David Copperfield), by, Charles Dickens:

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Did I have to tell you the full title of the novel? No, did I want to? You bet. Okay, let’s jump right into this. David Copperfield to Dickens was basically what Nick Adams was to Hemingway; a veiled autobiography. Why veiled? First because it’s fun to say, and it gives a mysterious glint to it, and second, neither author ever directly stated that this was their autobiography. So, the book follows David Copperfield from infancy to maturity, so as you can expect, there’s a lot packed into it. Love, hate, greed, humility, peace, feuds, etc. etc. basically all you can expect to find in about twenty to thirty years of a person’s life. I was searching for more Dickens after I had finished Great Expectations and it caught my eye instantly. Another tearjerker, and I must say, that I’m in no hurry to read this one over again, but I soon will.

Okay! Well, thanks for sticking with me till the very end, I hope I didn’t bore you too much with my ramblings. I hope you enjoyed the list and found some books you would like to try, and I’ll probably make another two years from now, to add on to the never-ending list!

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Youth Central Alumni: Sheliza Kassam

Talia Santarossa
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Youth Central Alumni: Sheliza Kassam

Our next featured alumnus is Sheliza Kassam, who, during her time at Youth Central between 2009 – 2014, was involved with the Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC), Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC),
Youth of Distinction Awards (YODA), Youth Week, and Youth Are Awesome (YAA) committees.

“I never really used to volunteer in my community. I was never really engaged,” Sheliza explains, “The first catalyst to my volunteer experience was definitely at Youth Volunteer Corps.”

She recalls at her second-ever project with YVC, she was painting children’s faces and distinctly remembers that each child that she met had their own story and a reason behind the character or figure that they wanted her to paint them as. Sheliza found it very interesting to see their perspectives, and she looks back on it as a “remarkable” experience.

After that project, it was an opportunity for me to realize that volunteering was fun. [Volunteering] was an opportunity for me to meet people that I wanted to help and make a difference to.

For Sheliza, her most valuable experiences came with her time sitting on the MYC committee, where she was a co-chair. During her time with MYC, she was involved with piloting the Mayor For A Day project, which has been a success right from its inaugural year.

“I had never really realized that youth had the power to make such a tangible impact. I definitely think that the Mayor’s Youth Council gave me some perspective that youth have a say.”

Since graduating from Western Canada High School and leaving Youth Central, Sheliza currently sits on the Chemical Engineering Society’s council through the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering. Her current volunteer role has shifted more toward event planning and organization, but she still claims that she, “definitely got all of these skills from being a Youth Central volunteer.”

Youth Central has really helped me learn how to work with diverse people and with a team. I think that’s a skill that I learned as a Youth Central volunteer and that it’s something you can take anywhere.

A prime example of how the “spirit of volunteering” lives on with Sheliza would be her personal endeavours in the non-profit sector. In January of 2013, she founded Children’s Birthday Miracles, a charitable organization aiming to ensure that underprivileged children have the opportunity to have a birthday party to call their own. Sheliza recalls that when CBM first started, “We didn’t have any funds, I didn’t know what to do, but I was really passionate.”

Instead of letting this roadblock get in her way, Sheliza applied for the Youth Foundation Grant and received $2500, which became the basis upon which CBM was founded and how her passion became a reality.

Sheliza is currently working towards a degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Calgary, with plans to graduate in 2020. Upon completion of her degree, she plans to pursue a career in project management and oversight in engineering infrastructure development.

Finally, Sheliza would like to offer to current and future Youth Central volunteers with this piece of wisdom:

Take every opportunity that comes your way and build off of it. I would also say that if you’re involved in a Youth Central committee, and you have an idea on how to improve a program, do it. Get the right people, find the right resources, and bring your passion to life. Youth Central wants to hear your voice.

The Power of Perspective

Aaron Wen
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What do you see in the image above? Depending on where you look at, you may either agree with the person on the left, or the right. Perhaps, if you are the more open-minded kind, you are willing to accept both. If you are a natural debater, you might fight to the bitter end to take a side. If you’re like myself, you would have paid more attention to the fact that the guy on the left has a majestic afro, and the guy on the right looks like he needs to step on the cardio machines. Whatever you saw, it is only an image to represent your perspective in life, an image that screams “you.” And every day, you take billions of photographs.

I doubt that you haven’t heard the phrase “Food for Thought” before, it’s often used in numerous discussions on a myriad of topics, be it politics, economy, philosophy or social structure and laws. The reason why it works is because of how it engages the values, beliefs and identity of different people into one conglomerate of a discussion: you express your opinions on an issue because of the character that you are. It is a minor demonstration on the power of perspective.

We are always changing with our environment. So many factors such as people, events, atmosphere and background all play a role in who we are. Imagine yourself as a canvas, and everyone else has a paintbrush. Some strokes may be small, others may be huge, but they all play a part in the final masterpiece that is you. Your perspective is composed by the “canvas” that you have, and when the canvas changes, so does your perspective. Believe it or not, this really matters. Take the 2016-2017 Presidential election as a prime example of how perspective works. A prominent figure throughout the entire campaign of Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton was the use of social media and internet to pool supporters. Among all the 3 a.m. tweets and scurrilous criticisms, people were often confronted with “Fake News.” It became such an issue that numerous news stations like CNN covered this real news story on fake news. (A bit confusing I know…)

Though we are taught as high school students to use “reliable sources,” it’s not surprising to hear that a lot of “Fake News” soon became one of the driving forces in deciding the American election. Why? Because it’s not that people don’t want to hear the truth, but much rather they wish to hear what they want to hear.

Let’s put it this way: If I told you that Calgary passed legislation to have flying cars within the next 5 years for less than $2,000 a vehicle (without payments needed for gas), your first instinct may be “Is this real news?” or “What a time to be alive!” (The image below is actually a flying car that was tested successfully, so for the record it could be real news.)

Image result for flying cars

But think about the statement I just made (which is still completely false by the way, even if flying cars exist); what are the consequences? Alberta is heavily based on the oil-industry, so what happens to the economy? What do we do with the millions of workers who are now jobless? What are the consequences to the environment? How will we have to change traffic laws and roads? Are there implications to the electricity industry? IS THIS EVEN SAFE? No one can answer these questions with a perfectly correct answer, and bam: Food for Thought.

While perspectives reflect our ideas, it also conflicts with others. A conflict in ideology and thought is what creates a divide in our nation. A conflict in thought is what forms the schisms within the fabric of our society. And conflict is fine, your perspective is what makes you unique, it is what makes you distinct from everyone else. It is the lack of respect that people have for each other which creates violence we see today. I don’t defend anyone’s thoughts and opinions, and in fact I do disagree with many of them, however it is more important to realize that simply denying them the ability to speak and express their opinions is not mitigating anything. The power of perspective is much greater than we can ever imagine, but the responsibility is just as great.

Ed Sheeran is Back – and He’s Better!

Bhavana Vel
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After one long year of being away from social media and the spotlight, Ed Sheeran has finally made a comeback. His highly anticipated album, titled ÷, dropped on March 3rd, and the fans are in a frenzy. The entire album has been scattered about the Spotify Global Top 50 chart. It’s currently the #1 album on iTunes. The single Shape of You (which you’ve probably heard) is the #1 song on both Spotify and iTunes. The album is being received spectacularly, and deserves as much.

Divide truly proves how much of a musical genius Ed Sheeran is, with soft songs such as Supermarket Flowers (an ode to his departed grandmother) and upbeat songs like Nancy Mulligan. Listening to the album is a great experience- in fact, I’m listening to it as I write this and am thoroughly enjoying it. Divide mostly features Sheeran and his guitar, which you can hear in every song, but also new and unique tunes that you won’t hear anywhere but this album.

Divide also does justice to Sheeran’s lyrical ability (though his previous albums have done so as well). The lyrics are catchy, heartfelt, raw, and personal, regarding topics such as love, loss, and life.

“Well, I’ve found love inside the arms of the woman I know. She is the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home.”

– Hearts Don’t Break Around Here

This is just a sample of ÷.  I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with this album, and I highly recommend giving the songs a listen.

Stream Divide below.

 

image source: x

I Answered Some Of Google’s Most Popular Searches…

Hilary Guo
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Google is a powerful search engine that can find the answers to almost all your questions, but can it give better answers than me? Probably, yes, but let’s do this anyways.

What Am I Riddles

(answers at the bottom)

A) I am the beginning of something important, yet the end of something fun. I am hated by many yet without me, years would be shorter. What am I?

B) When you buy me I’m green, when you eat me I’m red and when you spit me out I’m black. What am I?

What Am I Doing With My Life

You’re doing something amazing. You might not realize it but what you do contributes so much. No matter if you’re a teacher, in school, a chef, a stay-at-home parent, unemployed, a doctor, still a kid, an astronaut, etc. What you do everyday changed how we live. You are important, without you there’s no us. Don’t worry if you think you’ve hit rock bottom because in that case, there’s nowhere else to go but up. You’ve got this. Enjoy your life, I promise you you’re doing great.

What Am I Good At

-Living

-Breathing

-Helping the human race escape extinction

What Am I Doing

I don’t know but here are some things you could be doing:

-riding a horse

-synchronized swimming

-writing a 548 page creative essay about aliens

-flying a plane

-watching every single Jonah Hill movie ever made

-performing at an opera house

-taking a bath in a tub full of coffee

How Can He Slap

He probably raises his hand and moves it with force in a semi-circle shape.

How Can He Not Miss Me

Okay, first of all, STOP. THINKING. ABOUT. HIM. He is sooooooooooo not worth your time! You can do a hundred times better than him. He doesn’t even deserve you. Quit pondering about how he’s doing and focus on something more important: yourself. Who cares if he doesn’t miss you? He’s only one person, there’s probably better people out there who miss you more. If he doesn’t miss you, it’s his loss because you are so great and he must be beyond stupid if he left you in the first place. YOU. DON’T NEED HIM.

How Can He Move On So Quickly

Because he’s heartless. Because he didn’t care. Because he never cared. He is so many levels below you, you need to stop reaching down to those types of people. He didn’t treat you the way you should be treated. Stop caring about him, he’s a waste of your time. Just wait until you find something real, now that stuff is worth it, not this little dumb boy who played with you like you were some sort of toy. You need to find someone who cares enough to stay.

How Can He Just Stop Loving Me

‘Cause he’s blind. He somehow can’t seem to see how lucky he is to have you, so he left. Guys like these are possibly the worst kind. Not only do they have bad judgement, they also try to convince you it was your fault when it wasn’t. If he goes on like this, he’s just going to die alone with a trail of broken hearts behind him. But you’re not going to be one of those broken hearts, you’re going to be a survivor and fight through it. Cut off the leftover feelings you still have for him, you won’t ever need it again. If he doesn’t love you the way you love him, that relationship will not be worth it.

Why Is It That I Can’t Get A Boyfriend

It’s probably because you’re way too out of their leagues and they can’t keep up.

Why Is It That When I Think About Something It Happens

Actually, I remember hearing a story about this and I totally forgot where it came from, but I think it went like this. There once was a group of monks who sat still for hours and hours everyday just thinking and meditating. One time they were all thinking about this demon. They thought about it so hard and for so long that eventually, the demon became real. If you can picture it happening, it could happen.

Why Is It That I Can’t Get A Girlfriend

It’s probably because you’re way too out of their leagues and they can’t keep up.

 

Riddle Answers: A) Monday B) Watermelon

And that was me attempting to answer some of google’s most frequently searched questions. Who did it better? Me or Google?

 

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Senioritis…in High Schoolers?

Danielle Leong
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If you are in your final year of high school, chances are you received your diploma results this past weekend, whether you wanted to or not.  As I was discussing how my exams went with a friend of mine, she mentioned that she was beginning to be afflicted by senioritis.  At the time, I was confused, because based solely on the “senior” part of senioritis, I assumed that it was something that only afflicted, well, seniors…

However, after conducting some research and asking around, I discovered that senioritis is/and

  • A) Not an actual disease
  • B) Doesn’t really affect senior citizens, but instead “seniors” in high school

It turns out that senioritis is a very unofficial yet extremely prevalent trend in graduating high school students, (which happens to be myself and many of those around me).

So what is senioritis? Senioritis is, in essence, the wave of laziness that tends to affect graduating students who have already been accepted to university in their first semester of high school.  Since high school itself is basically the entrance exam to university, when the end goal is achieved students can sometimes relax a bit too much.  Symptoms of Senioritis include:

  • laziness
  • not taking classes as seriously as you did before
  • being late
  • not doing homework
  • a  more relaxed mindset
  • caring less and putting in less effort

If you did well on your diplomas and classes, chances are you might be experiencing a bit of this senioritis phenomenon- it’s hard to avoid, in all honesty.  Yes, you should definitely be proud of yourself for doing well, but don’t let your good results get to your head too much! If you think you’re experiencing senioritis (I know myself and a lot of my friends definitely are), you should be careful.

Remember that universities look at your full year transcript to guarantee your acceptance- if there’s a huge drop in your classes in the last bit of high school, and you’ve been working hard for all those other years, wouldn’t it be tragic if you were withdrawn from admittance just because you got too relaxed?  Senioritis, when affecting grades, is definitely a cause of university withdrawal- if they see that you’re not as committed as they thought you were, they may not want you anymore.  Withdrawal is probably the worst case scenario, but there are other bad cases that you would certainly want to avoid as well.  One can be that the universities put you on academic probation-meaning you still get accepted but you have to maintain a certain GPA, and another is the withdrawal of financial aid.  Be careful!

 

So how can you cure senioritis?  Well of course, the best cure is to not be affected by it in the first place.  Perhaps some of you are approaching your senior year, and after reading this article and finding out about senioritis this will be the case 🙂

However, if you are already experiencing the symptoms of senioritis, here are small things you can do to prevent it from developing into something that could harm you:

 

All that being said, don’t fall into the trap of senioritis, but remember to still enjoy your last semester of high school! You probably have worked pretty hard to get where you are today.

High school is supposedly one of the best time periods in life, so might as well make the most of it

-Sincerely, a fellow graduating student.

 

 

Slam Poetry Videos for Cheers, Tears, Jeers, and Facing Fears

Kandace Peroramas
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The day I scrolled through my Facebook timeline 3 years ago and watched slam poetry champion, Neil Hilborn, perform this was the day I fell in love with slam poetry:

I vividly remember tearing up because his performance was so passionate and raw, and I had no clue until that moment such kind of art existed. It’s safe to say that once I watched my first slam poetry video, it hasn’t stopped since.

If I have free time or just find myself on my main source of procrastination, known as YouTube, I will probably end up watching a slam poetry video or two (or sixteen; who knows). That is exactly what happened a few months ago, and I am so happy it did because I once again realized the range of emotions watching slam poetry brings out of me. I could be crying then hysterically laughing in the span of 3 minutes, but that’s the beauty of it.

Being youth and constantly feeling the external pressure to find our place in this world,

I think we all need something we can turn to and remind us of our humanity.

For myself, in particular, it is slam poetry. I can always count on it for inspiration or de-stressing.

Slam poetry, regardless of the subject it is speaking about, can be universally understood for the reason that emotion, expression, and art are universal. There is a slam poet out there that knows what you are going through or what you need to hear. So without further ado, here are 13 slam poetry videos to build the foundation for what I hope will be your appreciation for this type of art.

Note: there will be an * beside videos with mature language and/or triggering content. 

For Cheers

*Like Totally Whatever

To the Boys Who May One Day Date My Daughter

Lost Voices

ART MAJOR v. DERRICK

59, Paper People, and The Sunshine Kid

For Tears

Almosts

*Yet Still, I Wait

When Love Arrives

For Jeers

*Feminist Dudes

*Rape Joke

*Dear Straight People

For Facing Fears

*The Shotgun Cabinet

The Type

Best wishes,

Kandace  🙂

The Positive Effects of Video Games

Claude Lu
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As a kid, I remember spending countless hours on video games in my room as I wanted an outlet from school. Pokemon, Minecraft and League of Legends are some of the games that I have fond memories of playing with my friends. Although video games are known to isolate individuals from reality, I often felt a sense of belonging with those I played with. As we shared a common interest in a particular genre of game. Video games are often team-based and sharpen one’s cooperation and leadership skills. However, parents only view video games as addictive and meaningless, believing the time wasted on these games could be used for school work or another hobby. Personally, I view video games only as a pass time now, however these virtual games have helped me improve in certain cognitive areas and deal with pressure.

1.Cognitive Skills

Many multiplayer online battle arena games help improve with skills of reasoning and strategy, which can be further applied to math and sciences. Video games often improve one’s cognitive skills as the brain is stimulated when engaged in video games. Video games are often associated with being mindless, however a lot of thought and reasoning in a short given time is required to make an accurate decision. A player has to process a bunch of information in a short time, but also utilize the useful information from the useless, to create a strategic plan to reach his or her goal. Often microphones are used by players on the same team to exchange information and create a plan with the gathered information.

Video games often require more thinking and reasoning than school in my opinion. Mathematics and sciences are often straight forward and often have only one solution that is not only the fastest but the most concise. However, video games are different as there are many different ways to approach a situation and there are many possible outcomes. It is the objective of a team to analyze the situation and think about the possible approaches to certain situations. There is never a best way to reach the goal in video games. This article from Business Insider further elaborates and expands about the improvements video games can make in one’s cognitive skills.

2. Helps to Manage Stress

Currently I am in grade 11 and I am often find myself feeling pressure from my myself and my parents. School is usually the reason why I am stressed as grades are an important part of a academics and sometimes, you will not get or achieve the mark you wanted. Video games have been an outlet from school as when I play shooter games, I am able to release my frustration and anger that has built up throughout the day. I find video games relaxing and not as stressful in comparison to the academic workload that I have. While others may find reading a book relaxing, I feel gaming has the same effect and I am able to enjoy it along with my friends who often deal with the same stress. Video games has not only been an outlet for my stress, but has helped me improve in coping with stress. For example, I always found myself under performing during an exam even though I spent hours studying the material.

I often did not trust in my own answers and would choose a different answer than the one I believed was correct. I realized it was the combination of anxiety, nonacceptance of failure, lack of confidence that resulted in myself not doing great on exams. However video games created a high pressure and stress environment where if I were not confident in myself and my ability to perform well, not only would I, but my team would lose the game. It is only having been placed in these stressful situations that I have been able to learn how to be confident in my own abilities which I have applied to school, especially during exams. Over a period of time, I was able to witness the gradual improvements in my test scores as I slowly became more confident in my test taking abilities.

Although I do not advocate spending the majority of one’s time on video games, the occasional 30 minute session is perfectly fine. Similarly to other things, video games can become addictive and breaks are definitely required in between. If anyone tells you that you are wasting your time on video games list some of the positive effects of video games from this article and maybe someday you might even become a professional player. Similarly to everything else video games can be helpful but only in moderation.

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Is #OscarsSoWhite a Thing of the Past?

Talia Santarossa
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With the 2016 Academy Awards at the root of the cynically popular hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, after no POC (people of colour) actors and actresses were nominated for any awards, The Academy got quite a bit of flack from the public.  This year, however, the nominees were considerably more diverse than in previous years. With 35% of the nominees for the four Best (Supporting) Actor/Actress categories being people of colour, it was evident that this year had the potential to begin to spell progress in racial dialogue in Hollywood.

Last night, on the biggest awards night of the year, in a stunning turn of events, both Supporting Actor/Actress awards went to African-American winners: Mahershala Ali for his role in Moonlight, and Viola Davis for her role in Fences. In fact, Ali is the first Muslim actor to ever win an Academy Award. Additionally, Moonlight‘s victory (and somewhat of an upset) in the Best Picture category marks another triumph for diversity.

In spite of this seemingly remarkable progress, one thing that definitely stood out to me was that Dev Patel was the only Asian nominee, and historically, only the 13th actor of Asian descent to ever be nominated for an Oscar in an acting role. Considering that the Asian continent comprises almost 60% of the world’s total population, this is a striking statistic. In terms of the Academy Awards, this notable lack of Asian nominees can only be an indication that there is still much to be done in terms of recognizing and acknowledging the roles of minority actors and actresses in North America.

Seeing so many POC actors and actresses finally being recognized for their outstanding work in film is fantastic, but was this year just a blip in the fight for racial diversity in Hollywood? Were there just so many distinguished performances by POC actors that they were impossible to overlook? Was The Academy attempting to save face after last year’s backlash? Whatever the answers to these questions might be, we can only hope that the work of people from such diverse backgrounds continues to be celebrated in the future, and that 2017 was the beginning of increased recognition for minorities in mainstream and popular culture. Without question, there is still a lot of work to be done, but as long as we continue to encourage positive dialogue, progress is just on the horizon.

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What’s Up With Marvel ANAD Part 2

Mankaran Gill
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If you have read Marvel comics recently there have been dark times in the current line up of comics. While there have been some amazing issues and series the vast majority of issues and events have seriously been affected by the ANAD (all new, all different) curse. Last time on What’s up with Marvel ANAD I talked about a curse that is affecting the current line-up of Marvel comics. I had also talked about what the curse was; however, that was not all. I had merely discussed a portion of the curse and this time we delve deeper. Let us now continue our research into the topic without further ado.

 

Diversification Way Too Fast

 

Before I start I would just like to say that I am not against diversity. I am up for the idea for a new character to come and take the role and mantle of a previous character to adapt to modern times while still representing the old character. I am glad that Marvel is adding more genders, people of colour and LGBTQI members. However, with that said, I am not a fan of how and when Marvel handled this mass diversification. A main problem surrounding this issue, not just me but many others, is how fast and abruptly the new characters are taking the mantle. Riri Williams who has recently replaced Tony Stark was not very well known before taking on the mantle. How long has Riri Williams been in comics? Less than a year! Not less than a year as Ironheart but less than a year as a character. To put this into comparison, Wally West first appeared as Kid Flash in 1959 and it wasn’t until 1986 when he became the Flash! 27 years as Kid Flash before taking the mantle. Many fans are complaining about how swift Riri became Ironheart and took over the Invincible Iron Man series, they complain about how they don’t really know who she is and can’t relate. While this is only one case it is a problem that is prominent in many other stories and hero’s right now.

Conclusion (Part 2)

 By diversifying the entire cast of hero’s all at once and at such a rapid speed, Marvel is sacrificing character and story building to be politically correct. And though it may not seem like it, this problem takes away something every reader wants. Choice. With many titles before we, the readers, could choose to read character B if character A was unappealing to us even though both characters held the same title. An example of this was when fans could read Jay Garrick (the original flash) and Barry Allen (the second flash) at the same time. That is why the current diversity shift in Marvel isn’t working.

However, this isn’t all, read more in Part 3 as we discuss the third and final part of the curse.

Combating the Mid-Winter Blues

Avanti Karkhanis
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Right around this time, everything is boring. The excitement of the winter holidays and new year have passed,  spring break is too far into the future and the end of the school year seems like eons away. A new semester has just begun, and every day feels endless. Second semester to me feels like an old Greek myth: we labor like Sisyphus to get the  rock to the top of the hill, only to have it roll down and start again. After working hard and accomplishing our goals for first semester, it seems so meaningless that we have to do it all over again. Not to mention that the weather is cold and gray, further adding to what I like to call the mid-winter blues.

This time of the year is dull, monotonous and involves a lot of work. There doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to, and I can feel my motivation leaving me like sand falling through an hourglass: slow and steadily. Here, I have put together a list of some easy pick-me-ups to combat these winter blues!

  1. Exercise

Going to the gym or putting in the effort to be active feels like a drag (at least to me) but it has been scientifically proven that exercise can elevate mood, and make you feel much better. In addition, many people make resolutions to lead a more active lifestyle, but never follow through! If you are feeling down, take a break from that work and go for walk, hit the gym, or call some friends for a competitive game of badminton. The local YMCA’s offer drop in gym or pool times at a low cost.

2. Sleep!

Are you getting the recommended amount of sleep? I’m not, and chances are, you aren’t too. However, turning in early will ensure you wake up better rested and ready to face whatever the day might hold. There’s also nothing better than being safe and snug under the blankets when the wind is howling and is -30°C outside.

 

3. Stay Warm!

It has also been proven that being cold makes you more depressed, so bundle up! Clutch those warm beverages close, and indulge in steaming hot comfort food. Ensure your home is between 18 and 21°C for maximum comfort.

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Websites:

8 Scientifically-Backed Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

Beating the Winter Blues

 

My Own High School Musical

Kandace Peroramas
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When I was younger, I was very shy. It was never in my nature to put myself out there for the world to see. I was content in my solitude and also being around the people I loved most. But in the years that followed,

I realized the best thing I could let happen to myself was to step outside my comfort zone and be free.

Although it may not sound as profound to you, the day I decided in grade 6 I would take Drama as an option rather than follow my closest friends into Band was a decision that would shape my life. Even 6 years later, I still don’t know why exactly I chose Drama. With no rhyme or reason, it just felt like the right thing to do. Even when I first embarrassed myself playing drama games, I never regretted my choice.

Playing Sally Brown in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”

Fast forward to junior high,

what simply started out as taking Drama classes became Musical Theatre.

The years I had already spent in church choir prepared me, with rhyme and reason this time, to audition for our school’s production of The Little Mermaid. While I only had an ensemble part, I was more than happy to spend my time after school singing and dancing.

I loved this so much, I once again joined Musical Theatre and auditioned in grade 9 for Robin Hood. This time, I had a bigger role, and I felt that I was in my element. Be it through the monologues or performances we did throughout the school year, I was experimenting with different performance-related mediums I never would have imagined. You can only imagine how excited I was to end that school year by playing Sally Brown in our performance of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown!

And while I expected for everything to end here, going into high school was yet another musical journey.

Although I did not know much about Shrek the Musical, I auditioned anyway in grade 10 for Fiona. I got cast as the understudy for Fiona, as well as Young Fiona, and one of the Three Pigs. I was very excited to have gotten the parts I did with only a few years of experience. Nonetheless, deciding to be part of this eccentric show formed friendships I am very grateful for. Grease in grade 11, similarly, challenged me to step out of my comfort zone, especially with all the dancing and 50s costumes.

It wasn’t until taking part in Into the Woods from September to December that I realized how my “High School Musical” experience was coming to a close. With this in the back of my mind, rehearsing for and performing this show was different. Every moment felt more genuine than the last, and it’s safe to say my emotions were at an all-time high. When you consider the moral dilemmas and heart-wrenching lessons laced throughout Into the Woods, playing Cinderella, it definitely felt like I was living the role as opposed to just playing it. When you find yourself in scenes having to act out emotions you have never felt or sing songs that convey inner turmoil, you don’t need to question if you’re doing it right because someone in the audience will relate, regardless. There is purpose to what you are doing, so just keep doing it.

What I hope you are able to take from this is that your passions will grow only if you nurture them.

Even when I realized that pursuing drama was never going to be my case, I feel it’s the things you do along the way toward what you really want to do that make the ups and downs all worth it. No one should ever be afraid to pursue all that they love in fear of straying from the path they have paved.

The years spent performing taught me that my worries and fears no longer exist once I am onstage. You completely take on the role of your character and channel within yourself their worries and fears, but also their triumphs. At the end of the day, you begin to realize everything holding you back in real life you are able to conquer because you were able to through that role. 

To me, that is what breaking the fourth wall is all about.

*Images are mine unless stated otherwise.*

Best wishes,

Kandace  🙂

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