One of my favorite past times is reading a good book.  Any genre will do for me! Especially when you find an enchanting page-turner that engulfs you from the start.

Once in a while, when sitting watching a movie in the theatres, a preview will come on that I recognize from somewhere. Something about the plot and the characters. Then I usually clue in that I read the book! There have been a few lately that I particularly enjoyed.

First would be Water For Elephants written by Sara Gruen. I first read this book in my grade 12 English class and loved it. Without giving too much away, the story is told as a series of memories by Jacob Jankowski, a ninety-something year old man, who lives in a nursing home.  He tells his life story, and most notable his days with the Benzini Brothers and circus life during the depression.

Staring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz, the movie for Water For Elephants was based on the number-one bestseller book which presents a tale of forbidden love filled with the exciting circus life that is often filled with wonder, but also great danger.

(more…)

In one of my classes this past week, my professors asked the simple question of  “did you know that there will be a federal election on may 2nd?” Less than half of the class raised their hands. This is discouraging considering these are the people leading our country and making the decisions that affect all of Canada. Do young people not understand or just not care?

Are you interested and looking to learn more about the upcoming elections?

(more…)

As you may or may not know, I am President of SIFE Cape Breton, which is an organization functioning as a society under the Students’ Union at CBU. SIFE or Students In Free Enterprise encourages students to form teams on their campus and apply business concepts learned in the classroom to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need in their community.

Some members of SIFE Cape Breton

(more…)

Open since 2009, Time Machine Candy Works is a locally owned and operated candy shop located on Charlotte Street, in Sydney. This past Monday, there was a demonstration on the delicious candy offered at the unique candy shop. I had the pleasure of attending, and marching around and yelling with some of my fellow classmates.

(more…)

Wednesday evening, Feb 23rd 2011, I attended a town hall meeting hosted by the federal Liberals. In attendance were Sydney-Victoria Liberal MP Mark Eyking, Cape Breton-Canso MP Rodger Cuzner and also finance critic Kings-Hants MP Scott Brison.

A Liberal news release stated that this event was a part of the Liberals budget outreach tour to address the party’s priorities when the next federal budget is delivered next month. Focusing on investing in pensions, families, & higher education, to promote productivity and economic growth.

I was disappointed at the lack of student involvement. I would estimate perhaps 4; maybe 5 people in attendance were under the age of 30, with the majority of the audience being above 60.
(more…)

And want a chance to win over $1000? Well there is a fantastic competition for Atlantic Canadian  students called “Are You Smarter Than a CEO?” This is created for students to put their business skills to use and compete to solve real problems faced by real businesses!

There are four CEOs and they all have specific problems. You get the chance to watch the four video presentations given by each individual company. So here is your chance to prove you are smarter than a CEO

(more…)

Each month, CBU students receive an online magazine entitled Student Health 101. It is provided free by CBU, and sent out to all students. It can also be found on the CBU website under the Current Students Tab.

Being a student is hard enough, what with exams, assignments, volunteering, group projects and meetings. As well as, perhaps balancing a part-time job and a relationship. This magazine is there to help you transition into the lifestyle and give you an inside perspective about how to get the most out of life at university.
(more…)

Balancing customer’s rights to privacy and how businesses use customer’s information collected through technology will be a huge issue in upcoming years, with technology progressing at such rapid speeds.

The use of different technologies, specifically Radio frequency identification (RFID) will play a huge role in this. After learning about RFID tags in one of my classes, I was shocked at how much an organization can learn from each purchase we make, and how frequently these RFID tags are being used, without the consumer’s knowledge.

(more…)

Considering my last blog was about New Years Resolutions, kicking off the New Year with a healthy living campaign is a great way to promote healthy lifestyles. This week (January 17th through January 22nd) the CBU Students’ Union is hosting Healthy Living Week on campus.

Monday kicks off the week full of events, with the Biggest Loser Competition. This, much like the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, will be a competition to loose weight and get healthy. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people signed up! What better motivation than a little friendly competition, and not to mention having a group of friends by your side.

This type of competition is an ongoing trend, and if done correctly, can be very productive. Whether it is in your own home, workplace or even school, a weight loss competition is a huge incentive to work a little harder. You can’t get away with sneaking in that extra muffin if your friends are on the same mission!
(more…)