Earth Hour: Yay or Nay?

Earth Hour was yesterday. Across the world people were encouraged to shut off their lights and electronics from 8pm to 9pm. The idea is to create awareness of the amount of energy we spend in a typical day and how much energy we can save if everyone helped out even a little.

I like the idea. And when you see cities plunged into darkness it gives a sense that the world is one big community and people are starting to care about the planet's health.

On the other hand, by ritualizing earth hour, we are actually alienating it. People will begin to think that this is only something we have to do one hour a year. If we really want to make an impact we should have earth day, week, or month! Everyday should be earth hour and I do not think this message is being communicated effectively . . . a lot of people will forget about saving electricity until next year.

Did you participate in this? What do you think of this earth hour ritual?

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Free Online Games

Here are a few websites with great games when you're bored:

Neopets

Alien Adoption Agency

Tetris

Insaniquarium

Blockz

Arcadetown

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Recommended Read: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is a fantastic book. I love Chinese culture and I find their practice of footbinding very interesting. It is one of my favorite novels! It's a sad book in respect to how women were treated like they were useless. But at the same time you read about a beautiful bond that two women can share. It is about the life of Chinese girl as she goes transitions to womenhood and marries. It is incredible what these women would do to prepare for their weddings. They had incredible endurance, pain intolerance, strength, and personal control. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a nice read that will take you through many emotions. If you like this book than you have to read Peony in Love. I am reading it right now and I cannot believe how amazing it is. It took me totally be suprise.

"This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments."

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Grocery Prices: Organic Foods

Organic price tags may be hard to swallow

CARLY WEEKS
Globe and Mail Update
March 18, 2009 at 8:30 AM EDT

The organic, free-range, hormone-free chicken is a staple of the yuppie cookbook. But the price is becoming increasingly hard to swallow as the reality of tough economic times sets in.
People have been buying and selling organic food for decades. But until recently, most of that activity was done on a local scale for a limited number of customers. In the past decade, organic food has exploded in popularity, evolving into an industry that resembles the traditional grocery model, complete with frozen-food aisles, weekly flyers and rows of cashiers.

The current crisis marks the first time organic retailers will have to face a sharp economic downturn since the industry's boom began. "Organic food has a huge problem," said Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst with Mintel International Group Ltd., a global consumer-research firm. "It's always been premium-priced."

While many Canadians were willing to shell out for organic nachos and macaroni and cheese when times were good, suddenly the cheaper grocery-store brands aren't looking so bad. "It's going to affect us, most definitely," said Linda Wonsel, owner of Natural Earth Organics in Windsor, Ont.

Certain organic items are expected to weather the storm better than others. For instance, consumers will likely remain loyal to products whose non-organic counterparts are widely associated with, or suspected to be tied to, potential health problems. That includes hormone-free organic milk and organic baby food, particularly in light of fears over melamine contamination of goods coming from China.

Households with small children that ate organic before the recession will likely continue to do so, according to Ms. Mogelonsky. "You don't want to feed your kid milk you don't think is safe," she said. "You will buy organic milk even though it's $5 a gallon."

And although consumption of organic meat is expected to drop due to its relatively high price, shoppers who ate organic meat before the economic downturn likely won't switch to traditional meat.

That said, they'll likely eat less of it, according to experts.
Dedicated organic customers will, for the most part, also stick to other staples, including free-range eggs, and organic fruits and vegetables.

But as more consumers look to cut costs, it's also likely that pricey non-necessities will be the first organics to go. The growth of the organic industry has sparked the introduction of all kinds of packaged foods - processed cookies, potato chips, ready-to-eat meals and frozen food. Cost-conscious consumers may no longer be willing to pay a premium for organic snack foods, according to Laura Telford, executive director of Canadian Organic Growers, a national industry association.

"The prepared stuff is going to go first," Ms. Telford said. "[Organic retailers are] not going to go into bankruptcy or anything ... but it is going to be a lean year, more than likely."

Read More . . .

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Summer Jobs for Students

Well the summer semester is approaching. And, if you are in my shoes, you need to start thinking about full time work for your time off. Even though the economy is currently suffering there are some employers looking for students and summer help.

You should check out your school's website for upcoming job fairs. This is an excellent way to newtork and circulate your resumes.

You can also check out other websites for job listings such as the following:
1. Young Canada Works
2. JobPostings.ca: Canada's Student Job Site
3. Canada Summer Jobs 2009
4. Job Bank

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Internet Stars

Got some time on your hands?

Watch these classic viral videos in order. You do not have to watch the entire videos . . the last one is the most important one.(don't worry nothing too disturbing)

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Canadian Tuition Hikes of 25%

As was mentioned in a post from early in December, schools are want to increase tuition to help them out during this recession. (click here for the post and to read why this is a bad idea).

Finally some numbers have been estimated and it seems these hikes are actually going to happen.

This article describes the current situation of college/univeristy tuition. The article is from ParentCentral.ca.

25% tuition hike touted

February 26, 2009

Dramatic tuition hikes must be part of a recession survival plan for Canada's ivory tower, warns an education thinktank.

Colleges and universities must consider charging more, despite a middle-class backlash, if they hope to avoid diluting the quality of education during the economic crisis, says the report by the non-profit Educational Policy Institute.

The report predicts fee hikes of up to 25 per cent in the next couple of years – in line with increases during the last recession – which would generate $1 billion to $2 billion for recession-hit campuses.

Caught between the surge in enrolment that happens in every recession, and the looming slowdown in government grants and private donations, Canada's colleges and universities must consider hiking fees, boosting student aid and cutting the ranks of big-ticket senior staff, said the report.

The good news, say the authors, is that many Canadians can afford to pay more. "The average net tuition a student pays in Canada, once you factor in inflation and tax credits, has gone up less than $90 in the past 10 years – to $4,066 from $3,985 – while family incomes have increased a lot," said analyst Alex Usher, co-author of the report by the institute, based in Toronto, Virginia and Australia.

"Also, there is a smaller percentage of students borrowing to pay their tuition, because so many have been able to find work," said Usher, whose report states bluntly, "The question in Canada is not whether families can contribute more (to tuition): on average, they can."

John Milloy, Ontario's minister of training, colleges and universities, said he was not willing to "get into a numbers game" yet because the province's 5 per cent cap on yearly tuition hikes for most programs doesn't end until September 2010.

"But obviously we're in a tough economy and it's no secret our resources are limited. However this government has said we do not want finances to ever be a barrier to a qualified student having access to post-secondary education."

In fact, any fee hikes during a recession are "an absolutely absurd proposal," said Shelley Melanson, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students' Ontario branch.

"It's fascinating that while every government in the world is saying we can't raise taxes, to increase what is really a flat tax on students – tuition – completely ignores the reality of the economy."

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Charlie Bit My Finger

I have been crazy busy with homework the past week and probably will be until exams are over in April. So today I thought I would just share one of my favourite YouTube videos. It is so cute!

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