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Vegetarian Cities: A Step in the Right Direction?

Dhriti Gupta
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Late last month, the city of Turin, Italy, made waves when recently elected mayor Chiara Appendino, declared the city the first in Europe to take on a meat-reduction agenda. Appendino’s campaign strives to promote a vegetarian lifestyle in order to reduce the city’s environmental impact and improve the overall health of Turin’s citizens. However, as a city situated in Piedmont, an Italian region renown for a mainly meat centered cuisine, most locals are not convinced to go cold turkey.

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Despite the outrage and backlash against a so called “vegetarian city”, Turin’s new mayor assures the city that her intent is not to erase or disrespect the city’s cultural and culinary heritage, but rather to reinforce sustainability. The new administration even plans to implement school curriculum that includes the extensive impact of meat on environment in order to help children strike a balance between maintaining their health and living an eco-friendly life.

“Leading medical, nutritional and political experts will help promote a culture of respect in our schools, teaching children how to eat well while protecting the earth and animal rights”

– Turin City council

With all this in mind, the question arises: Is this really plausible? Of course, it’s pretty much impossible to completely convert a city to an entirely vegetarian mindset, but if the majority were to simply rethink and reduce their meat consumption, could it have real benefits? Research says yes!

A 2014 study from the U.K.-based think tank Chatham House observed that there doesn’t seem to be much of a solid linkage in most people’s minds between meat production and environmental damage, noting that “compared with other sectors, recognition of the livestock sector as a significant contributor to climate change is markedly low.” Yet, agriculture and food production make up a whopping quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of which are livestock-related.  In fact, Oxford researchers found that if meat consumption continues at its current rate, by 2050, that number would double to account for 50% of all greenhouse gas emissions. However, the study also found that if we were to introduce global meat-reducing dietary restrictions, food related emissions would be cut back by 29%, with vegetarian guidelines increasing the reduction of food related emissions to 63%, and vegan diets peaking at a 70% cutback.

“We do not expect everybody to become vegan. But the climate change impacts of the food system will require more than just technological changes.”

– Dr. Marco Springmann, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food

Considering all of the many, many, ways in which meat consumption is harming the environment, using up land and resources, and costing the world billions, this concept of “vegetarian cities” doesn’t seem as bad of an idea as Appendino’s opposers are making it out to be.

20141027135338-Reducetarian_Banner_5As of late, local and national campaigns regarding issues like the negative effects of smoking, the importance of physical activity, or even the significance of turning out your lights have brought about successful results. Why can’t a plan or platform for monitoring global meat consumption be implemented in the same way?

With all of this considered, vegetarian cities do seem to be a step in the right direction in regards to reducing impacts of climate change and preserving the wellbeing of Earth and its citizens. Although it may be gradual, the change in the long run would bring about significant advances and development in the way we maintain sustainability for Earth’s future generations.

 

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YAA’s Summer: Summer Camp Lookbook ft. Editor Hui Wen

Danielle Leong
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After a summer full of adventures and memories, what could serve as better icing on the cake than a week-long getaway from the city?  For bloggers Hui Wen and Richard, along with myself, it’s safe to say that the next item in our summer itinerary has us sitting on the edge of our seats.  All three of us are heading off on a week-long vacation, and the fact that we get to experience it together makes it even more exciting!  We aren’t headed for Paris, or London, or Milan, or Disneyland, no, but I think we’re headed for a destination equally as unforgettable.  We’re going…to SUNIA!!  SUNIA is a week-long summer camp that takes place either from August 14th-19th or 21st-25th, depending on if you go week A or week B.  This is a camp that highlights the skills of Model United Nations, an extracurricular which is both fun and valuable.  However, it wouldn’t be a summer camp if all we did was Model United Nations… that’s why SUNIA is located at the Goldeye center in Nordegg, Alberta, where there is wildlife and nature galore.  Like any overnight summer camp, we’ll be hiking, swimming, canoeing, eating amazing food, and taking lots and lots of photos! Richard, Hui Wen and I are city dwellers, so we drew a bit of a blank when it came to what to wear at an outdoor camp. (the most important thing, obviously.) Literally though- I questioned Hui Wen multiple times on what to wear/bring, because my entire wardrobe is from brands which begin with “Urban”… Thankfully, Hui Wen has a flawless sense of style no matter the situation, so she came up with the fabulous idea of doing a Summer Camp Lookbook.  The outfits she put together gave me a pretty good idea of what to bring to summer camp, camping, etc, so no matter the type of camp you head off to during summer, here are some staple looks!

OUTFIT #1

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Pullover: School Store, Ripped jeans: Hollister, Shoes: Nike

Being comfortable and cute at the same time isn’t hard- in this outfit, Hui Wen has paired a cozy pullover with ripped skinny jeans and sneakers.  It’s always nice to bring a pullover that will keep you warm, especially since weather everywhere can be quite unpredictable.  Under the pullover Hui Wen has on a basic tee (featured in the next outfit), so she can prevent overheating by simply taking her pullover off.  Sneakers are essential for summer camp, because hiking up mountains in heels or flats can’t be a fun experience.

OUTFIT #2

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T-shirt: Little Hippies Yoga

Hui Wen demonstrates how to pack light by styling this Tee shirt three different ways- under a pullover in OUTFIT #1, with rolled up sleeves in OUTFIT #2, and with a flannel in OUTIFT #3.  In OUTFIT #2, all Hui Wen has done is taken off her pullover and tied it around her waist.  If you’ve been hiking/outside for a while and the temperature is really bothering you, an easy way to stay cool is to roll up the sleeves of the shirt you’re wearing.  This trick works especially well with T-shirt sleeves.  Another useful essential when out at camp is the hair elastic.  Whether you’re swimming, too hot, hiking, or having your hair being blown by the wind into your face, a hair elastic is fool-proof.

 

OUTFIT #3

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Flannel: G H Bass

Hui Wen is still wearing the same T-shirt, but unless I looked closely I would think she had on a completely different outfit.  Flannels are adorable no matter the season, and since they are super comfy bringing them to camp is a big yes.  They are also quite versatile- you could simply layer a shirt with a flannel, or you could button it up to conserve warmth, or you could tie it around your waist, or you could sit on it.  Also, wearing a belt does no harm, especially if it’s as cute as the one above.  Belts tend to pull outfits together, so even if you’re feeling lazy just pop one on, and there you go!

OUTFIT #4

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Shirt: American Eagle, Shoes: Birkenstocks, Shorts: Levi’s

Simple shorts and a T-shirt work great in any summer setting, especially summer camp.  This outfit would probably be worn on a hotter day when you wouldn’t want to be bothered by full length skinny jeans.  Any shorts-and-shirt combo works, but make sure what you’re wearing is appropriate for the occasion.  Hui Wen is wearing clothes which are a perfect length and fit (since there are going to be diplomats and SUNIA has a heavy academic portion, wearing revealing clothing would do more harm than good), and she would wear this outfit on a casual day as opposed to a conference.  On her feet, Hui Wen is wearing a good old pair of Birkenstocks.  Birks are perfect for summer-they’re comfy, cute, and they go with everything.

OUTFIT #5

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Shirt: Topshop

Once again, you can’t go wrong when pairing a good quality pair of shorts with a cute tee.  Hui Wen is wearing a basic black T-shirt with the same pair of shorts, belt, and Birks, and she still looks fabulous!  We both agreed that the scallop detail on her T-shirt is beautiful.

And there you have it! 5 comfortable, cute, camp-worthy outfits that can last you an entire week in any temperature!

Farewell for a week from Hui Wen, Richard and I as we embark on our SUNIA 2016 journey! A direct quote from Hui Wen: “My summer will start when I go to SUNIA”.

When we return, you can all look forward to both an exciting summer camp vlog of our journey, and perhaps even an interview or two with people who we meet there!

 

 

Featured Image source

In Which Danielle and Hui Wen Make A Vlog…

Hui Wen Zheng
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In Which Danielle and Hui Wen Make A Vlog…

After months and months of talks to do so, fellow editor Danielle and I finally braved (mild) embarrassment and fear of the unknown and, braced with a selfie stick and iPhone (64GB — bless up), conquered 4 street to bring you all a vlog of the cool places we saw. Despite having attended school a few blocks away from 4st from elementary to high school, even I saw things and went into places I hadn’t gone to before during our trip. Vlogging, as it turns out, truly is a great way to push yourself out of your comfort zone to explore new places and see new things you didn’t even know was there while being able to capture your treasured memories on film. In the end, it really wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable or embarrassing as I had feared. Instead, I had a great time. You don’t even have to go out an buy an expensive vlogging camera to film a vlog; just grab a friend, set a location, and use what resources you have on hand!

 

 

Verdict? Danielle + Hui Wen = friendship goals

Dear Islamophobe

Hafsah Syed
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Islamophobia is hatred, fear or prejudice of Muslims, in simple terms defined by the dictionary. This type of fear or hatred is far different then fear of heights or spiders for example. This type of fearmongering hatred and prejudice is a significant factor that once influenced and encouraged ordinary Germans to contribute to a genocide during the Holocaust. The rise of Islamophobia today shows similar characteristics, to the point where

  • Twitter hashtag #KillAllMuslims trended globally in 2015, essentially calling for the genocide of the global Muslim nation (x)
  • Millions of innocent Muslim Americans are threatened of the possibility of profiling, banning and patrolling by current and former leading presidential candidates because of their faith (x)(x)
  • A huge surge, even by 500% in some areas, in hate crimes against Muslims including attacks on individuals whom “look Muslim” and the vandalization and burning of Muslim properties and mosques. (x)(x)
  • Harassment and blatant discrimination against Muslim individuals, including accounts of being barred from particular stores, being kicked off of a plane for speaking Arabic (x), having one’s hijab yanked off, verbal attacks in public, etc. for which there are innumerable sources.

These Islamophobic instances continue to grow at a rapid rate in Canada and worldwide as a result of scapegoating and propaganda, not only threatening the well being of Muslims but also threatening the safety of nations by encouraging radicalization and terrorism, achieved through the fostering of the notion “us and them“, by demonizing individuals to the extent that they may feel as though they belong to no community other then the one that welcomes them with open arms, accepts them, and grants them a sense of purpose: terrorist groups (x).

 

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People, Islamophobes in particular, are primarily concerned about their well-being and safety in regards to “Islamic” terrorist attacks and when the average person sees someone as a threat, they tend to segregate them from their communities. However, is it realized that “Islamic” terrorism is committed only by 0.0001% of 1% of the Muslim population? Why is a 1.6 billion member population held accountable for actions committed by 0.0001% of 1% of the entire population? Why is it that when a “Muslim” commits a crime, Islam becomes the hot topic, while when overwhelmingly “religious” white people, for example Dylann Roof, commit mass shootings in USA, they are almost always labelled as loners experiencing mental health issues, their religion never coming into question; why is it that Islam gets the unfair coverage and the population of Muslims the unfair treatment?

Terrorists say that they are Muslims acting upon the ordain of Islam, however these supposed “Muslims” bomb mosques worldwide and commit atrocities to Muslims in Asia and Africa. A recent example of this is the 300+ Iranians bombed by ISIS while shopping in preparation for Eid, a Muslim holiday. In fact, in the recent terrorist attack on Nice, France, it’s been reported that 1/3 of those killed were Muslims. (x)

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Logically reasoning, why would Islam ordain attacking mosques and members of it’s own community? It doesn’t, I can say as a Muslim. Not to mention that most terrorists are known to be isolated, non-practicing Muslims. Are there other modern-day factors that are encouraging the rise of terrorism? Of course. If you’d like to talk about tackling terrorism, let’s discuss the issues surrounding a lack of education and public services, greed, power, ultranationalism, desires for revenge, mental health, and absolute poverty in some cases- factors that make luring young and desperate people significantly easier for terrorist groups across the globe. Terrorists manipulate and twist aspects of religion only to convince and justify to themselves that the atrocities they commit are somehow for the better. It is not only unacceptable, but also dangerous, to assume that cruel, narrow-minded groups are representative of nearly 2 billion Muslims of various, innumerable cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies. 

There’s a need to educate ourselves and others on both sides of the world. One thing is clear however: scapegoating and blaming groups has never made anyone safer, and to this, our friend history stands a clear, tenacious witness. We are all victims of terrorism, and by dividing and fighting among ourselves, we serve only the interests’ of terrorists themselves, working eagerly to spark war between our communities and thus, recruit more people to join their communities.

Together, let’s show them we’re better than that. Because we are.

 

 

Featured Image: source

Hiking at Lake O’Hara

~ Chu ☆ ~
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Hiking at Lake O’Hara

So it’s summer, and everyone’s out having fun, being in the sun, seeing new things, travelling to new places, etc. Is anyone else feeling a little left out? But luckily for us, travelling doesn’t necessarily mean taking a plane to the Bahamas and going to the beach. Travelling can be more local than that. For example, for those of you who are staying in Calgary for the summer, why don’t you take the opportunity to travel to Canada’s own Rocky Mountains?

Yes, as an attempt to get me out of the house more often this summer, my parents have decided to take advantage of living so close to the Rockies, and do a few hiking trips.

And amongst several of these (torturous) hikes, the most recent would be last Sunday, when we hiked the Wiwaxy Gap trail at Lake O’Hara, in Yoho National Park.

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Although the next week will probably be spent complaining about these mosquito bites that I unwillingly obtained from the hike, it was actually an excellent, very scenic hike that I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to get out and explore the mountains this summer!

Sunrise over the Rockies
Sunrise over the Rockies
Caught a glimpse of a grizzly bear!
Caught a glimpse of a grizzly bear!

My day at Lake O’Hara started at 3:30 AM, when my parents woke me up, because for some reason, we had planned to leave Calgary at 4 AM. Why, I may never know. But in hindsight, it was actually pretty cool that we left so early, as we managed to catch the sun rise over the mountains, and we even saw a grizzly bear while driving in to the Lake O’Hara parking lot!

 

Some nice little scenery from the beginning of our hike
Some nice little scenery from the beginning of our hike

After waiting a couple hours because we left too early (I bitterly thought while sipping my tea), we took the 8:30 bus up to Le Relais, the day shelter, and we started our ascent up the mountain!

The trail we took was approximately 10 km long, but it was fairly steep, and there were a fair bit of exposed terrain, some scree slopes, and boulder fields. But it was definitely worth it, as the views were absolutely amazing

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Admiring the view!

I must say, one thing about Lake O’Hara that I really enjoyed was that there weren’t many people there. The tour guide explained this to us on the bus ride, basically, to protect the area, visits are intentionally limited. For example, there are only 30 camping sites, which have to be reserved 3 months in advanced, and generally are all reserved within 10 minutes. There are only a few buses every day that will bring you up to Le Relais, and you also have to buy a bus pass months in advance for that. This limitations are put in place so that visitors can enjoy the amazing area in reasonable solitude. However, if you’re feeling up to the hike, you could also hike up the 12 km that the bus would otherwise drive you to.

 

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The hike’s tough, but definitely worth it!

Although this hike may seem quite intimidating, but it’s actually fairly reasonable, even for anyone who isn’t an avid hiker. I, personally, am probably pretty out of shape (whoops?), and the hike didn’t even completely kill me!

So this summer, take advantage of our beautiful Rockies, and consider going hiking at Lake O’Hara!

 

(All photos are my own)

Calgary Thinks: More Than Just a Conference

Hui Wen Zheng
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I’ve had several moments this summer where I came to the sudden realization that in three months, I will begin the life-changing and convoluted procedure of applying for post-secondaries and scholarships. While that is an exciting step of everyone’s life; the freedom of university, the new people you’ll meet, it is also a daunting one. This is all happening so soon, and yet I feel as though I know little about the actual process of applying to universities, let alone all the scholarship opportunities and deadlines available to me. I’ve heard so many different stories about application processes and real-life experiences that I am now more confused than ever. Common questions I wish I could ask range from the obvious, like “what was the appliCalgary Thinks General Postercation process like?”, to more specific ones like “what is student culture like around [insert post-secondary institution]?” I’ll admit, post-secondary fairs have been of little help to me in this department, as all the presentations I’ve attended featured a sponsored student speaking about all the great things about the university that I could’ve found with a quick Google search.

Earlier this year, I was contacted by friends working with Canada Thinks, a Non-Governmental Organization that holds so-called “conferences” each year with specific topics intended to engage, inspire, and inform youth, to help create a conference here in Calgary focused on real-life post-secondary experience and advice. After months of hard work, I am excited to announce that our team will be hosting the 2nd annual Calgary Thinks Conference in room 102 of the ICT building at the University of Calgary on Saturday, August 13th, from 3:30pm-6:00pm. With several speakers from Canadian and international post-secondaries, we hope that these students can clear up questions about university life. Not only will this be a chance for you to learn about unbiased reviews of each institution, you are also preparing for the not-so-distant future by staying informed and ahead of the game. Tickets are now available from Eventbrite at a discounted earlybird rate of $10 until August 6th, so make sure that you nab your tickets now! Spots are limited and CTV News will be providing news footage of the event as well. Hope to see you there!

Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/calgary-thinks-student-university-conference-tickets-25752380062

 

Cover image source: (x)

Pokemon Go – A Cultural Phenomenon

Richard Lee-Thai
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Pokemon Go has taken over the world by storm and chances are, you’ve seen countless posts about it on social media. For better or worse, it the current fad. There are already a ton of gameplay articles written, so I will focus on my personal experience with this game and the cultural implications it has.

What is Pokemon Go?

Put simply, it is an app that utilizes GPS technology and allows players to experience catching Pokemon (shorthand for Pocket Monsters). As someone who loved Pokemon growing up, this is a dream come true. However, even for people who have never been a big fan of Pokemon, this game is appealing. There is a certain type of satisfaction when you capture a new Pokemon and add it to your collection.

Specific locations and attractions are marked as Pokestops and players can venture to these locations to get goodies. Moreover, it is necessary to travel around in order to capture lots of Pokemon. This unique aspect is part of why I find this game so fascinating and I would go as far as to say that it’s revolutionizing the role of games in our society.

Example of Pokemon Go Gamplay (Image Source)
Example of Pokemon Go Gamplay (Image Source)

A Social Game

Games can sometimes have the negative connotation of being a time-waster or it’s distracting people from more important things in life. However, I will argue that games can be beneficial when approached from the right perspective. At its essence, Pokemon Go promotes going out and socializing. If you wander around downtown, it doesn’t take long to notice the Pokemon Go players gathered in herds. It’s an easy icebreaker. Strangers have the common interest of Pokemon to discuss – where they found certain Pokemon, showing off each other’s collections and so on.

My first experience with Pokemon Go was going Pokemon hunting at 1:30 am (yes, am, not pm). It was the night of my birthday and after playing many board games, my cousins were planning to head downtown to hunt for Pokemon. I hadn’t started playing yet, despite all the hype, but I decided to tag along to see what it was like (never tell my parents I went out in the middle of the night to hunt virtual monsters, they would never understand haha).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzxaHE4rWgY

(Footage of Central Park, NY, with crowds of people rushing to capture Vaporeon, a rare Pokemon)

Surprisingly, there was a ton of people out walking around just like us. I couldn’t stop mumbling the phrase “this is so weird“, because honestly, it does take some getting used to. We headed over to Prince’s Island Park where people had set up some lures – these are purchasable items that can be attached to a Pokestop to attract Pokemon. Lo and behold, there were actually a few dozen people milling around a bridge. Some even brought lawn chairs to sit down and catch Pokemon leisurely.

This all goes to show that Pokemon Go is permeating into our day to day lives and it’s both strange and exciting. Through the Pokestop system, it encourages people to explore parts of their own city that they might have never bothered to look at before. The hype for this game might die down over time, but right now, it’s on an upwards trend with more and more players joining each day. You can tangibly see the sheer amount of players everywhere you go and I feel like it’s a building a close-knit community.

A Way to Exercise 

While most gamers are criticized for staying cooped inside too much and not getting enough fresh air, Pokemon Go is the exact opposite. Gamers are actively choosing to venture out instead of staying at home, with some players even willing to brave bad weather in order to capture rare Pokemon. Another aspect of the game that is encouraging an active lifestyle is the Pokemon egg system.

Pokemon Eggs (Image Source)
Pokemon Eggs (Image Source)

Throughout a player’s journey to becoming a Pokemon master, they will receive Pokemon eggs. These can be hatched by walking a distance (separated into 2km, 5km and 10km) and you will be rewarded with a Pokemon. This is again, done through the use of GPS tracking your movement. And for those who want to cheat the system by driving around in a car, the game will stop counting your movement after you exceed a certain speed (around 20 km/h). This means that you have to walk around if you want to hatch your eggs. Alternatively, players can bike or roller blade to cover more distance without exceeding the speed limit.

I think this provides a wonderful incentive for people to stay active and it’s all thanks to a game. The game is not perfect, with the danger of people getting distracted while crossing the street or the potential of players going too far to get a Pokemon. I would advise players to play responsibly. With this being said, I feel like the benefits of this game far outweigh the cons. In fact, I’ve been Pokemon hunting almost everyday this week and I’m excited to see what the future holds.

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Being a Tourist in My Own City

Talia Santarossa
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I’ve lived in Calgary my entire life. Same neighbourhood, same street, same house. The furthest I’ve everIMG_4459 moved is into what used to be our guest room. As a result of this, I have (regrettably) become so used to the idea of the little Calgary that I know that I often forget that there’s so much to explore in this city than I give it credit. I heard a report on the radio a few weeks ago that said that Calgary was voted one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit this summer and I though to myself, “Are you serious? Calgary’s ranked above major world cities like Amsterdam? Whoever made this list must be seriously biased.”

Soon after hearing that report, I had a change of heart, and not in the way that I would probably have expected. A friend of mine from Nova Scotia came to visit for a week and he had never been here before. It fell on me to come up with things to do and places to see, something that seemed like a fairly daunting task at the beginning. Once we got to talking and my parents joined the conversation as well, we came up with what I can only describe as the best staycation I’ve ever taken. I love travelling and going places and experiencing different cultures and histories and it had never occurred to me that I was missing so much in my hometown.
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The first thing I needed to realize is that in Calgary, we are not restricted to activities that are within the city limits. We took day trips out to Drumheller and into Banff, which aren’t that far away and offered unique activities that we don’t get in the city. From the Hoodoos to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and Lake Louise, there’s so much to discover within a decently small radius of the city. If you’ll ever believe it, I’d never actually been on a proper hiking trip until about two weeks ago. That’s how tightly bound to my little corner of Calgary that I was.

Not only was I forgetting what other wonders are around Calgary, I was also forgetting that there’s some pretty cool stuff in the city too. Until this year, I had not attended Canada Day celebrations in the city (with the exception of Heritage Park several years ago) and had never gotten to experience any of the vibrant IMG_4476
festivities in the downtown area. I also attended my first Calgary Stampeders football game and gained an appreciation for how much more exciting football is when you’re watching live. In becoming a guide to someone else, I remembered what I had been forgetting. Even just walking up and down 17th Ave., I was reminded of all of the cool and eclectic shops and restaurants that our city boasts. Between wandering downtown and into Inglewood, I was reminded that hey, Calgary’s a pretty cool place! Heck, I hadn’t even been to the zoo since before the penguins arrived several years back.

All of this just goes to show that no matter how long you’ve lived somewhere, there’s always something to discover. It was fun acting not only as a guide to the places I knew, but as a newcomer to others. The most rewarding part? I got to experience my own city like never before. IMG_4343

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What if Donald Trump Actually Wins?

Dhriti Gupta
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In the early days of campaigning, it was a joke, a source of laughter and disbelief. The “you’re fired” guy? Running for president? He didn’t have a chance, no one would be crazy enough to vote for him! However as time progressed, we found out there were people crazy enough to vote for him, a whole lot of them in fact. Now the dismissive disbelief has evolved into fear. No jokes now. Instead, people begin to start considering what’s to come if the unthinkable actually happens. The thing is, it’s a little hard to predict the aftermath of an election favouring Donald Trump when so little of his complete platform either is relayed to the press or remains the same on a day to day basis.

2016 USA presidential election poster. EPS 10

Yes, everyone knows Trump is building a wall between the US and Mexico. Yes, it’s common knowledge that he intends to eliminate and restrict the entire Muslim population from the US. Yes, we all know about how sophisticated and “hugely classy” his vocabulary is. Yes, we have all watched the compilation of him saying China. But does anyone know what he thinks about healthcare and education, specifically secondary education? What is Trump’s stance on the police brutality issues against people of colour? How does he plan to manage the increasingly critical matters of climate change and sustainable energy? What does Mr. Trump think about Canada? Does anyone know? I for one can confidently say that before I wrote this article, I hadn’t the slightest idea of what the answers were to any of these questions.

Therefore, I have compiled a list of where Trump stands on a variety of important issues. This was not the easiest task to do considering he completely changes his policies from month to month, often completely contradicting himself from one interview to the next. I can also safely say this did not change my opinion on him one bit but I do think it is important to understand what is to come with the rumbling thundercloud of the coming election looming over everyone’s head.

EDUCATION

“We must keep education local and under parental control. Unelected Washington bureaucrats shouldn’t determine what is best for our children.”

– Trump in a statement posted on his website on June 16, 2015

Essentially, Trump believes that education should be regulated on a local basis rather than federal. He does not support the federal curriculum Common Core educational standards that are currently being followed in 46 states. Although the Common Core program has some issues, if Trump cuts the federal department, there will be no one to enforce civil rights laws, check income inequality between school districts, investigate and work against gender or racial discrimination within schools, or regulate the consistency and quality of education data among states.

Education-OpportunitySmall

As for secondary education and student loans, Trump has not put forth any official plans or proposals. However in May 2016, campaign co-chair Sam Clovis shared that the campaign was focused on avoiding government interference with student lending and instead requiring colleges to share in risk of loans, and discouraging loans from liberal arts students. The campaign has also previously opposed Hillary Clinton’s aim for debt-free public higher education, Bernie Sanders’ proposal for free public secondary education, and Obama’s proposals for a state-federal project to make community college free for new high school graduates.

HEALTHCARE

“I believe in universal health care.”

– taken from an interview with Larry King in 1999

“On day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare.”

– taken from a 2016 statement on Trump’s campaign website

Trump’s stance on healthcare has been a bit of an unreliable ride. Back in 2000, he expressed support for a single payer universal health care system (like we have here in Canada). Then in 2013, he called Obama’s Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, a “big lie” and “complete disaster.” Then again in 2015, he reiterated his support and admiration for Scotland’s health care system, which is single payer. Finally, in 2016, he developed his current position on the issue which is to provide a “free-market” system of health care, vowing to repeal the “totally catastrophic” Affordable Care Act. His campaign insists that he has never supported socialized medicine. Instead, Trump plans to replace the ACA with “something terrific!”. He seems to have a solid plan to try and help those “at the lower end, where people have no money” by “work[ing]” out some sort of a really smart deal with hospitals across the country”.

POLICE BRUTALITY AND PEOPLE OF COLOUR

“At the same time, we have to give power back to the police, because crime is rampant,”

– taken from an episode of NBC’s Meet the Press

In light of the occurrences of unjustified acts of police violence against members of the black community, Trump has taken the press opportunities to stress his support for law enforcement, reiterating that “the police are the best of our society” and that “they represent our highest ideals, our greatest values, and our most noble characteristics”. However he does recognize that “there is turmoil in [the US]” and he “can certainly see it when [he] see[s] what’s going on.” Other than that, reducing police brutality does not seem to be one of his priorities.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

“Environmental Protection, what they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations.”

– Trump on Fox News Sunday 

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Trump has repeatedly dismissed climate change as a “hoax”, believing environmental cautions and regulation only restrict the global marketplace at the risk of plans that “nobody knows exactly if [they will] work”. He is also firmly opposed to using wind turbines as an alternative source of energy, calling them an “environmental and aesthetic disaster”. However, the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland recently filed a statement of environmental impact hoping to build a seawall to protect the coastal resort from rising sea levels and extreme weather due to “global warming and its effects”.

CANADA?

“I wouldn’t build a wall on the border.”

– taken from an interview with CBC’s Megan Fitzpatrick

Trump has stated that he is planning to maintain a positive relation with Canada and that he “wouldn’t build a wall on the border” as he is planning to do with Mexico. However, some of his trade and economy proposals may take a significant toll on Canada. For instance, he did also express support to reinstate the Keystone XL Pipeline, which of course would have major environmental impacts. In another interview, he called the North American Free Trade Agreement “a disaster”, promising to renegotiate the agreement if he is elected. Even if he is not planning to build an actual wall, Trump’s election will almost definitely include thicker border security to “protect” the US from the Syrian refugees residing in Canada, raising obstacles in the path of Canadian goods across the border.

Although this is a very incomplete list and there are so many more important topics to address, hopefully this information has provided a better idea of just what a Trump presidency could look like. It really can be scary to think about that as something that could really happen but maybe by having a better idea of what could occur will better prepare us to deal with the possibility and lead to a more educated and informed election.

 

 

 

How to fix the high school time crunch

Michael Xie
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When I was a just a kid, I could not wait for the day when my parents would trust me enough with the stove to leave me home alone. I couldn’t wait to be able to go places all by myself. I couldn’t wait until the day I would be able drive. I thought that I would have so much more freedom once I was older. That’s probably why I find it so ironic every time I find myself spending a Friday night alone at my desk with nothing but my chemistry textbook for company. As far as I was concerned, nothing about memorizing common chemical formulas at a dimly lit desk in the middle of the night felt free. Curiously enough, the boring Friday nights filled with nothing but schoolwork started almost immediately after I began high school. And I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one here who has felt cheated by the workload given to us starting in the tenth grade. Frankly, the jump in time and effort required in junior high to the amount required in high school is drastic and rather daunting.

Now this may have not been the same for everyone, but a simple side-by-side of how my year of grade nine social studies began versus my grade ten year reflects this disparity pretty well. In grade nine, our first assignment was to colour a map of Canada. Its difficulty was raised beyond what it had been the year before as we were also asked to label one major city in each province other than their respective capitals. Come grade ten, we were writing a source based analytical essay on our second day of class. Never mind the source analysis aspect, I had written one essay throughout all of junior high and I wasn’t even sure if I had done it in the right format. Oh, how badly I missed pencil crayons and fineliners as I sat staring at the blank word document in front of me. I was completely lost. I didn’t have the knowledge, the tools, or the practice to write an essay.

It’s been a year since then, and now writing source analysis essays are second nature. But, the question that I couldn’t stop wondering is why we didn’t learn how to write it in junior high? I spent three years in junior high social studies and year after year we learned that Cartier discovered Canada. I spent three years in junior high math, and we were still reviewing the multiplication table in grade nine. I spent three years in junior high science learning the stages of the water cycle. Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation; amusingly enough, a stage for each year. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with any of that, they are all things that we should learn. But, it just doesn’t make sense for those three years of junior high to be so underutilized compared to the three years we spend in high school.

It’s in high school that most of us begin to volunteer, work jobs, and become more and more involved in our communities. But, it’s also the time during which we are hit with huge amounts of information and techniques to be learnt in school. A day only has 24 hours, and with so much to do for school, high school students are being limited in their ability to do non-academic activities. This imbalance doesn’t really make anyone a fan of the Canadian system. Around a third of the Alberta public, according to the Alberta Education, is dissatisfied with the current schooling system. It really doesn’t make sense for high school to both be the time when we are beginning to branch out into society, and also the time during which we are first introduced to a heavy workload from school.

This makes even less sense when you realize how much this effect can be mitigated if the curriculum was better spread out through the six years we spend in junior high and high school combined. It is frankly more intuitive to slowly increase the workload progressively over the course of the six years, as opposed to having an extremely low load for the first three years and then trying to make up for that lower load in the final three years. Just take Singapore as an example; they consistently have one of the highest rated educational systems in the world. Interestingly enough, their curriculum is also much more evenly spread over the course of their schooling careers.

Unlike in Canada, their students slowly work towards dealing with larger and larger amounts of work. This more even distribution of the material also means they are afforded greater opportunity to participate in out of school activities, as they are not as heavily swamped in catch-up work in high school. It’s not like the one summer break between grade nine and ten somehow made us all that much smarter, what we learned in grade ten, we probably could have also learned in grade nine. So we should lessen the load in high school and slot some of the curriculum over to junior high. It makes better use of our school time from grades seven to nine, and in turn allows us more free time in high school. That way, not all of our Friday nights has to be spent staring despondently at the never-ending pages of a textbook, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll experience a little bit of the freedom that we all dreamed of as little kids.

Webber Academy Debate Boot Camp 2016

~ Chu ☆ ~
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It’s finally summer! And while all my friends are having fun travelling to 20 different countries in Europe (special mention to my lovely sister, who chose to start her vacation while I still suffered through exams), I have been sitting at home, “enjoying” seeing everyone’s cute little European aesthetics on instagram **cough cough**. But that’s okay, because you know what I did last week? Debate Camp!

Yes, like the total nerd I am, the anticipated highlight of my summer was Webber Academy’s third annual Debate Boot Camp! Held at the prestigious Webber Academy, this four day camp is focused around teaching youth the art of public speaking and debate. (Taken from the WADBC facebook page).

Source
Source

And so, the morning of July 4th, I got up bright and early (a little too early for my taste), and drove over forty minutes to arrive at Webber Academy. First impressions? If I’m being honest, I felt so intimidated driving up to the school. Firstly, it’s a large campus. To use the immortal words of Donald Trump; “It’s huge. It’s really great and huge, and it’s just so great.” (That’s not a real quote, but probably very close) And yes, this intimidation I felt was probably partly influenced by the fact that all of my previous schools have been tiny. Ex. my current school is literally just a square, with a little portable extension. But secondly, everything looked so distinguished, and fancy, and just super prim and proper, and being the peasant public school student that I am, I didn’t feel like I belonged. But partly because I was trying to take risks and step outside of my comfort zone, (and also because I had already paid for the camp and didn’t want that money to go to waste), I entered the school.

And I’m so glad I didn’t back out last minute, because the camp was definitely worth it!

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I definitely have proof that I attended Webber Academy Debate Boot Camp

First, we got so much free stuff! And of course, pretty much all of the stuff we received was labelled with that “Webber Academy Debate Boot Camp” logo.

One thing that I definitely noticed about being in Webber was that they did a lot of branding. Everything had that logo on it. Even the paper dispensers in the washrooms had “Webber Academy” on them. One might guess that they thought we would forget what school we were in!

 

 

 

 

 

Look at all these awesome people wow. (Uploaded on the Webber Academy Debate Boot Camp Facebook page)
Look at all these awesome people wow. (Uploaded to the Webber Academy Debate Boot Camp Facebook page)

In the first few hours, I had already realized just how amazing all of the staff at the camp were. They’re all incredibly intelligent, amazing teachers, phenomenal debaters, and all the students there were equally amazing. I am so fortunate to have been in the midst of all of these wonderful people for the week.

I attended eight sessions over the course of three days, and I loved each one of them. I wish I could tell you about everything that I learned, but I think I’ll leave you guys to go to the camp and experience it for yourself. However, I do have a couple really great pieces of advice (pearls of wisdom, if I may) that were given to me throughout the course of the camp.

 

Be open minded

Now this one’s pretty cliche, and everyone probably already knows it, but this really became apparent to me over the course of the camp. For example, on the first day, some of the staff did a sample debate for us. The resolution was “THBT (This House Believes That) child labour is beneficial in third world countries” (I can’t remember the actual resolution, don’t kill me !). And upon hearing that resolution, I instantly thought : “Oh gosh, how is side prop supposed to debate that?” But then first prop speaker gets up, starts speaking, and in his speech, he gives this genius phrase ; “Sure, child labour is not ideal. But there’s a difference between ideal, and let’s get real.” And I heard that, and gosh, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Basically, we were not even two hours into camp, and I was already on the verge of supporting child labour. Crazy, right? But the point is to not automatically side with one stance, but to keep your options open, and keep an open mind, which is so crucial in debate.

Your role as a debater is not necessarily to convince the judges that you’re right, but rather that they’ve always agreed with you

This was something that Keenan MacNeal told us in a session. And I thought that it was such a subtle difference, but so important. It’s reasonably easy to get a judge to side with you. If you have convincing arguments, logical points, etc, it’s not hard to change a judge’s mind. But the real challenge is to convince them that they’ve always agreed with you, even if they haven’t realized it yet. The challenge is to get them to think you know, I’ve never really thought about it, but yeah, I definitely agree with this. And I think this subtlety is such a great way to approach a debate.

And finally, this one was sort of one that just made me laugh, but in a session, Keenan was talking about his former debate coach, and how he would give the advice that You have to grab zem by ze balls (French accent included)

This one is talking about the judges. You have to really get their attention, and pique their interest. Of course, Keenan added, this one is figurative. I would not advise anyone to literally grab their judges by the balls.

So what did we do after the first three days were done?

On the last day, we had an ADSA (Alberta Debate and Speech Association) sanctioned debate tournament. For juniors, it was two rounds of impromptu, and a final round (if you were amongst the top two teams). The resolutions we debated were that “THBT liberal democracies should ban online anonymity” (for which we were prop) and that “THW (This House Would) impose a minimum age for pop stars” (for which we were opp). I was super nervous for this tournament. It was actually my first time being first speaker in a tournament, and I was so nervous about delivering a reply speech. But thanks to the Reply Speech session I had taken, I actually did a lot better than I had anticipated. My partner and I ended up 4th for team (winning both of our rounds) and I placed 6th for speaker. At the beginning of the camp, I never would have dreamed of doing that well.

This camp has helped me improve and to grow as a debater so much. I had so much fun, I learned so much, and I would definitely encourage anyone interested in debate to check it out.

And after these four incredible days of camp, what have I really learned?

That I always look derpy in photos.

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(Once again, from the WADBC facebook page)

(what an anti-climatic ending amiright?)

 

(featured image source)

Calgary Stampede Midway Food 2016: Embrace the Chaos

Talia Santarossa
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Calgary Stampede Midway Food 2016: Embrace the Chaos

It’s back: A plethora of new midway eats have flooded the Stampede Grounds for The Greatest Outdoor 2Show On Earth. Whether you’re into sweet, savoury, deep fried, food on a stick or downright weird, you can find something to satisfy your cravings.

As for myself, old habits die hard and I just HAD to try The Godfather Mac ‘n Cheese from Reel Mac and Cheese. Since trying their Million Dollar Baby Mac ‘n Cheese two years ago, I’ve been hooked. Following up last year’s addition of Jurassic Pork, the Italian-inspired dish just seemed like a logical step and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Creamy macaroni and cheese topped with Italian meatballs and spaghetti sauce, what could be better? At the fairly reasonable price of $12.00, you get a very filling helping of glorious cheesy goodness, which should be enough to hold you over for a whole afternoon. I am a huge fan of Reel Mac and Cheese’s base pasta and cheese sauce because it’s perfectly al dente and the sauce is flavourful without being overwhelming or too salty. It is my holy grail and I could not be happier every time I get to taste its wonderfully cheesy goodness.

6 Instead of trying a bunch of the new foods like in previous years, I stuck to my go-to mac ‘n cheese and then decided to go for some of the more established eats, specifically the deep fried goodness that is fair food. Now, I’ve had homemade corn dogs and other various deep fried treats, but I had never tried deep fried pickles or Oreos. As a strong proponent of everything Oreo, I knew that it would be amazing (which they were OH MY GOODNESS THEY ARE THE ELIXIR OF LIFE), but I was a bit9 skeptical about the pickles at first. They came with a side of ranch (always a good idea) and I cautiously drenched my first slice of pickle in it, which was absolutely unnecessary. They were a strange combination of hot, salty, sour and breaded, which I never thought would be any good
but I could not have been more wrong in that respect. I definitely recommend that you give them a try if you have a chance and are willing to give them a chance.

With a whole bunch of weird, wacky and wonderful treats to try at Stampede this year, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser. Try something new, succumb to your cravings and enjoy it! For the complete list of new dishes on the midway this year, check out the Calgary Stampede blog here.

Calgary Stampede Food Binge 2016: Vegetarian Garden Poutine

Hui Wen Zheng
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Calgary Stampede Food Binge 2016: Vegetarian Garden Poutine

It’s that time of year again: time to break my efforts at photo 3 (3)maintaining a healthy summer lifestyle for the Calgary Stampede’s crazy foods. This past Friday marked my first vegetarian Stampede and it was definitely quite a challenge to watch my friends eat award-winning BBQ ribs; even walking down the section of the park with all the smokehouses made my mouth water with the rich aroma. However, the urge to *try* to be healthy at the Stampede (what a joke am I right??) took over and… I had a veggie subway for lunch and a corn-on-the-cob. By dinner, I was pretty determined to eat something that I could write up a solid blog post about, so remembering the delicious Red Curry Poutine I had last year, I revisited the Poutine King food truck for some more specialty poutine. Given that my options are significantly limited now, I had to choose from the Garden Poutine or the Fisherman Poutine, which, funnily enough, I both mentioned as want-to-trys from last year. Since I had already spent upwards to $100 to be at the Stampede, I decided to be nice to my wallet and get the Garden Poutine for a modest-for-the-stampede $10.50.

 

Garden Poutine

As the picture suggests, the poutine came with a giant glob of sour cream on top with a few pieces of tofu mixed in. While this was jarring and I wondered how that much cold sour cream could ever taste good on steaming hot poutine, I quickly discovered that the trick was to mix it in with the fries really well. While this was difficult given the small container and overflowing veggies, the sour cream was able to combat the saltiness of the gravy for a milder taste, which I personally enjoyed. The veggies in the Garden Poutine included mushrooms, onion, and a ton of green pepper. Though I appreciate the effort to add greens to the dish, the ration of all the veggies and poutine was off and I found myself eating plain poutine and green pepper at the end. I would’ve enjoyed more mushroom and tofu in my poutine for sure. Nonetheless, for the price and quick turnover time of my order, as well as the quality of the poutine itself, I would definitely encourage you to try a poutine from this food truck! Look for them right across from the Big Four building’s east side.

 

All opinions are my own. 

“I Hate Shakespeare!”

Richard Lee-Thai
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If you’ve ever taken an English class, chances are that you’ve had to read Shakespeare.

If hearing that brings bad memories, then I’m sorry. I feel like Shakespeare gets a lot of criticism because the language is hard to understand. Or perhaps you are bored to tears and you hate that you have to study it. Maybe you had a bad teacher, or your mark dropped because you did bad on a quiz on a Shakespearean play. You may ask, what’s the point in reading the stories of a guy who’s been dead for 400 years? And you’ve probably uttered the words “I hate Shakespeare!”

It’s understandable. However, I want to share my thoughts on how you might be approaching Shakespeare from the wrong angle.

Romeo and Juliet (Image Source)
Romeo and Juliet (Image Source)

Plays are meant to be watched, not read.

The biggest offender in my eyes is the fact that Shakespeare is often only approached through reading. It’s not the full experience. Even if you have a vivid imagination, it can be difficult to picture everything that is happening. That’s what makes it harder to understand and less enjoyable. What is the tone of their voices? What do the settings and costumes look like? What makes this play compelling? Watching the play can help to answer some of these questions.

I still recommend reading the play, but it should be combined with actually getting to watch a performance of the play. That can be a film adaptation or even better, a live performance. In fact, Shakespeare in the Bow is doing performances of Hamlet all throughout the summer in Calgary. The 90-minute performances are at Prince’s Island Park and they’re free. They just ask that you pay what you can and I think the whole crew deserves it for all of their hard work. For more information, please check out their website!

Here is a section of the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes (Act 5, Scene 2, for those who are familiar with the play).

https://youtu.be/PUDo9abZvJQ

You might have noticed that Hamlet and Laertes are being played by females, even though the original characters are male. Actually, all of the younger characters in this interpretation of the play are portrayed with a different gender. I find this really fascinating.

According to director Kate Newby:

“In our world of Hamlet, the traditional world of the older generation clashes with the ideals of youth. We have represented the conflict between generations literally in this production by contrasting the traditional gender roles of the older generation with the gender-blind world of the younger generation. This visually supports the themes raised about identity in relation to power and social constructs in a hegemonic patriarchy.” – From the Play Guide 

 

Shakespeare presents universal themes.

The purpose of art and literature is, and has always been, to hold a mirror up to nature. That is, art and literature is a reflection of the world around us and of human nature. Shakespeare is no different. A big reason of why Shakespeare endures to this day is because of the universal questions that he explores through his plays. How does love affect us? How about ambition? What is the meaning of life and death? We have grappled with these tough questions for millennia and we are still trying to find the answers.

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Hamlet (Image Source)

This universal quality of Shakespeare’s works also lends itself to endless interpretation. It is a benefit that Shakespeare uses few stage directions because that allows directors to use their own imagination about how the play will look like. As seen with Kate Newby’s interpretation, the genders of the characters can be fluid. After all, the characters face problems that all humans face – it is not bound to a specific time period, setting or gender. 

This is also a benefit to someone who is looking to enjoy Shakespeare. There are now so many different formats and interpretations of Shakespeare that it’s easy to find a version that you will understand and enjoy. If I was an English teacher, I’m all for students using resources like Sparknotes to supplement their comprehension – they have line-by-line translations of Shakespeare into modern English. It removes some of the poetic quality of Shakespeare’s original writing, but it allows for a much better understanding.

There is even Shakespeare told through text messages and emojis:

(Image Source)
(Image Source)

There is also an amazing channel called Thug Notes which analyzes Shakespeare (and a lot of other literature) in a way that I feel like many youth would find entertaining. Here’s their analysis of Hamlet (caution – explicit language):

Shakespeare has written about a lot of different topics – you have to find one that interests you.

I think that it’s a shame that high school students will at most, only study 3 of Shakespeare’s plays. You have the the tragedy of the star-crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet, the bloody ambition of Macbeth, and the introspective Hamlet. You will probably read these three plays and it is likely that there will be people who hate all of them just because they don’t like the content. The real tragedy is that there’s so many other plays out there that you might love, but you just haven’t gotten the chance to read. 

He’s written 38 plays that include tragedies, comedies, romances and historical plays. It’s my hope that you are able to find one that catches your attention and read it or watch it at your own leisure. Sometimes studying it in class and having your grade at stake detracts from the actual enjoyment of Shakespeare.

(Image Source)
(Image Source)

At the end of the day, you can still hate him and I can’t change that. I personally view him as a fantastic writer, full of wit and wisdom. He has left a lasting legacy in our culture and we still use his sayings: “To be or not to be”, “life’s but a walking shadow”, “to thine own self be true” just to name a few. However, all of this doesn’t mean you have to like him.

There is a lot of other great literature out there and I hope you find one that you can really connect with. That’s what really matters. 

(Featured Image Source)

What’s On My Summer Reading List?

Emily Donville
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Now that it’s summer, I have all the time in the world (seemingly) to finally dig into those books I’ve been lusting over for months. My jam packed schedule during the school year inhibits the time I have for things I enjoy doing, like reading! I decided what better to do then share what’s on my summer reading list so keep reading to see some of 2016’s hottest and acclaimed summer reads.

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You Know Me Well by David Levithan

“Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other — and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.”

What makes it so appealing? I’ve been hoping to read one of David Levithan’s works for awhile now. I started in on Will Grayson, Will Grayson (a join venture between Leviathan and John Green) back in 8th grade, and never finished it. With lgbtq aspects and an alluring plot, I’m really eager to read this book. As well, It’s cover is really aesthetically pleasing, and while I shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, who wouldn’t fall in love with a design like that?

9780143187578Shooter by Caroline Pignat

“A lockdown catches five grade 12 students by surprise and throws them together in the only unlocked room on that empty third floor wing: the boys’ washroom. They sit in silence, judging each other by what they see, by the stories they’ve heard over the years. Stuck here with them–could anything be worse?”

Why I want to read it: Pignat is an Irish Canadian author and a two-time recipient of the governor general’s award. Her latest novel, “Shooter” sounds reminiscent of The Breakfast Club and a story not to set aside.

IMG_1514-1With Malice by Eileen Cook

“Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last 6 weeks should be. She comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident while on a school trip in Italy three days previous but was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident? wasn’t an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.”

Why I want to read it: I’ve come to realize that I have a thing for suspenseful novels. Last fall I reviewed E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars and just recently, I finished Kelley Armstrong’s The Masked Truth. Thrillers are easy to become addicted to, and the plot of Eileen Cook’s latest novel sounds enticing.

tumblr_o987ecBFT21tsy7l5o1_1280Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

“Nanette O’Hare is an unassuming teen who has played the role of dutiful daughter, hardworking student, and star athlete for as long as she can remember. But when a beloved teacher gives her his worn copy of The Bubblegum Reaper–a mysterious, out-of-print cult classic–the rebel within Nanette awakens. As she befriends the reclusive author, falls in love with a young but troubled poet, and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that rebellion sometimes comes at a high price.”

Why I want to read it: Something about this book is pulling me towards it. It might have to do with the aspect of poetry (which is a huge part of my life) within it’s plot that lures me into it’s grips. I’m always on the hunt for contemporary fiction with a predictable-yet-not-so-predictable story, and I feel like that’ll be the case with Matthew Quick’s novel. I also fell in love with the plot of “the silver linings playbook”, so I have high expectations for this book.

tumblr_nnocvkgalq1qbb8ebo1_1280All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

”When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.”

Why I want to read it: I’ve seen this book everywhere. It’s always prominently displayed in the bookstores whenever I pop in, and it’s been on my list for so long now. With a clear schedule and lots of time on my hands, I’m excited to finally get my hands on this book before it’s turned into a motion-picture film.

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