Last week on the TaskBlog, we discussed various methods I’ve grown fond of for keeping you doing that essay you should really be working on right now. This week, I’d intended to do a follow-up to my “best iDevice apps” post, but got very angry when I was sifting through the comments sections of the various apps I loved so dearly. With that in mind, I’ll be doing an article on how to appropriately comment on the internet.

The reason I elected to do this is because the internet is already a very important place in society, and it’s only going to become more so as time goes on. This is something nobody formally teaches you. So let me share with you a few very annoying ways to comment on the internet (do not repeat), so you may learn from them (again, do not repeat). (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…)

So, the inevitable happened. We all made it! It’s Reading Week at Cape Breton University.

Some of you have traveled far, maybe home to see family and friends; maybe to the sun to get out of the cold; or maybe some of you are like me and are kicking it in Sydney for the break.

While obviously many would rather take a week off of class work and your regular surroundings, sometimes that just isn’t possible. The reality for many is that there is still work to do, and homework to tackle before you can fully relax this week.

As for me, I have a pretty long ‘To-Do’ list to accomplish over the next few days. My list goes from enjoyable things like giving my room a fresh coat of paint… to reading and writing essays. In there I also have to deliver this week’sCaper Times, exercise, and well… relax and enjoy some free time to myself!

In the spirit of enjoying a half-break, I’ve piled together a list of what I’m up to this break that balances work and play, giving me the energy boost that will (hopefully) take me to April.

(more…)

I have a secret. I’m terrible at cooking. And baking. Anytime it comes to food, I’m completely in the novice category.  So I have been trying to change this, by reading cookbooks, watching videos, and of course, practicing!

In doing this, I have come across a recipe that is SO easy, I’m going to attempt it alone, and have very high hopes of it turning out.  Also, it’s perfect timing for this recipe, because it involves chocolate, and if you are looking to make that someone special (or yourself) something from the heart this Valentine’s Day, you are in luck!

(more…)

Last week on the LearnerBlog, we discussed how, in an ideal world, everyone would go beyond classroom-provided material, at the very least in subjects they’re interested in. This week, I’ll be discussing a few ways to keep yourself on-task; or, at the very least, things that are moderately effective at keeping me on-task when there’s an essay I absolutely need done.

(more…)

For some reason, Valentine’s Day is an exciting day for students at CBU, and around the world. I’ve got a few suspicions as for why… but the main reason is definitely that February is a boring, lazy month. We’ve got midterms on our mind, heavy sweaters on our body, and absolutely no motivation to have fun or get out.

Understandably, Vali-Day is a needed break and distraction from this mid-winter slump… but sometimes it’s just easier to grab some of the cheap valentines cookies and candies and crash on your couch. So, in the spirit of another unmotivated, hibernating student… I’m going to list the best ‘love to love’ and ‘hate the day’ Valentine’s Day movies to watch with a few friends, special someone, or with the company of a ton of bad-for-you treats. (Hint: I’m going with option three.)

(more…)

For many years, the Cape Breton Students’ Union has seen declining voters during the elections for voting for the new president, VP-academic, and members of SRC.

This year, they want to change that.

Launched last week, the Students’ Union and well over one hundred CBU students took a stand against low voter turnout. A campaign has been launched called ‘Give a $#*! and Vote.’ For more information on the campaign, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110292879046473.

The campaign urges students to stop making excuses, and to find out more about the candidates and their platforms as they will represent you next year.

So, this year, Give a $#*! and Vote on February 16 and 17th.

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…)

Hmmmm… green tea!

(more…)

I’m going to make this one short and sweet because to me, this is a really important subject where we need to get right to the point.

Mental illness has a negative stereotype surrounding it, when that’s rarely the case. When most people think of mental illness, they think of someone who suffers from schizophrenia or multiple personality disorders. In reality, mental illness covers a wide variety of problems including depression, anxiety and even phobias. Few would even know that one in four Nova Scotians suffer from mental illness.

On February 9^th, Bell Canada is doing their part to get the discussion about mental illness on the right track, by creating “Let’s Talk Day.”  They want to help get rid of the stigma surrounding mental illness, while monetarily helping mental health programs.  On the 9^th, for every text message sent and long distance phone call made, Bell will be donating 5 cents. It might not sound like a lot, but the average teenage/young adult sends about 100 texts a day.  So if you are on the Bell network, you can be donating 5 dollars just by going about your daily business!

So, catch up with some long lost friends, or call a family member you haven’t talked to in a while, you’ll be doing more good than you know.

Olympian Clara Hughes is heading up this years "Let's Talk" campaign

For more information about the Let’s Talk campaign, or more information about mental illness, please visit: http://letstalk.bell.ca/