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The flexible fabrics fixation

Written by Paige Murray Thursday, 01 December 2011 14:11

In recent years the activewear trend has spiked significantly.

People showing up to work in yoga pants is now commonplace and expensive purchases with high spandex content no longer need to be justified with gym memberships.

Since living a healthy lifestyle became “popular” in today’s society, many people want in on the trend. You can eat a dozen cupcakes and drink four litres of Pepsi a day, but as long as you’re wearing a matching Lululemon ensemble you’re part of the fad, realistically or not.

For active individuals and trend seekers alike, Lululemon is the quintessential provider when it comes to stylish workout-wear.  With a hint of sexuality in the clothes and a high price tag, the tight-trend of Lulus is considered chic.

Whether or not chic and spandex can ever co-exist is an entirely different issue.

Recently a Catholic school in southeast Ottawa has asked students to cover up when wearing these stretch pants.

"If they are wearing 'Lululemon pants' or 'jeggings' of sorts, a long shirt covering them is required, otherwise they will be sent home,” reads a statement from the school regarding the current media attention surrounding the spandex sanction.

Representatives of the school claim stretch pants from Lululemon and other manufacturers are too revealing.

The rule has caused outrage among the students and earlier this week a petition titled “Save Lulus” had garnered 250 signatures. They have also taken to social media sites to voice their irritation.

What originally started as frustration with the typical cotton attire utilized for yoga practices, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson created the brand that has started a phenomenon.  From world-class athletes warming up for practice to trend-tracking teens fighting for their right to rock the Lycra, it appears these “fancy sweatpants” are here to stay.

Winter break is almost here!

Written by Lacey Vornbrock Monday, 28 November 2011 08:38

We’re almost there; we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The semester is almost over.

What’s waiting at the other end of the tunnel varies from person to person. It may be your mom’s special meatloaf, a vacation to a balmy resort, or more hours at your part-time job.

 But whatever it is we’re each heading towards, I think we can all agree that the last day of classes will be a good day.

But before we can enjoy the winter break, we have to give one final push to wrap up this semester. These are a few things that might make the last two weeks a little less painful.

1- Lentils. Some of us have burned through our savings/loans and whipped out the credit card. It’s tempting to use that magic piece of plastic as a way to live like a king until you return to work, but that will only cause more stress later. If you have a bag of lentils, water, some spices and a stove, you have nutritious soup.

2- Upbeat music. For now, put away any music that makes you think too deeply. Save that for the break, when it’s perfectly acceptable to sit in your room and indulge in self-analysis. Right now you need something that will get you moving. Swedish pop star Robyn has saved me from myself more than once.

3- A time-wasting game. It seems counter-productive to do anything that would purposely waste what little time you have to finish assignments, but sometimes it is necessary to reward yourself with a little break.

Games like Sudoku and Solitaire keep your brain active while allowing you to mentally step away from your schoolwork for a while. And I’m sure by the time I tell my grandchildren about my time in college, I will have forgotten what my grades were. But I will remember my 94 per cent success rate on Freecell.

LED street lights coming to Lethbridge

Written by Lacey Vornbrock Monday, 28 November 2011 08:29

Street lights in Lethbridge will receive a money-saving makeover, starting in 2012.

As part of city council’s plan to save money on energy costs, the existing high pressure sodium street lights will be converted to energy-saving LED lights.

Darwin Juell, city of Lethbridge transportation manager, says the new lights will save the city about $1 million per year.

“LED’s save easily approximately 50 per cent of the power compared to the traditional HPS bulbs. Plus they also have lower maintenance costs since they last so much longer,” said Juell.

LED lights are also safer, due to a lower voltage, and cause less glare, leading to better visibility for drivers.

Juell says the plan is to have as much of the city as possible converted to LED street lights by 2014.

“Not all existing HPS bulbs would be converted over if the price of the LED is too high or not possible, but at least all of the existing cobra heads will be converted over. This mean 90-95 per cent of the city would be converted.”

The project will cost around $7.5 million and will be funded by the provincial NDCC (new deal for cities and communities) grant.

The spirit of celebration

Written by Paige Murray Thursday, 17 November 2011 16:06

Blood: It's in you to race

Written by Hayley Tanner Thursday, 17 November 2011 15:12

Blood is something all people need to live. The great thing about giving blood is that although it may not be used immediately it will always go towards the saving of someone’s life.

That’s the goal behind Totally Lethbridge College’s fourth annual blood drive - to save lives.

This year’s drive has been aptly named The Race for Life.  The race consists of two teams, students and alumni vs. staff and faculty.

With the vital nature of blood, there isn’t a bad reason to donate.

With a goal of 200 donations, college students and alumni, as well as staff and faculty are encouraged to invite their friends and family to compete along side them.

As of Monday Nov.14, Team Student had taken a commanding lead with a total of 102 donations. Team Staff trailed, with their donations topping out at 36.

The race continues until the end of November. Complementary shuttle rides are available to transport members of both teams safely to the Canadian Blood Services office, and back to the college.

If you still can’t think of a good reason to donate, even though you’ve come this far in my blog, here is reason to donate number three: No one ever asked me, I didn’t realize my blood was needed.

“Consider yourself asked!” As the college’s web page suggests. Every two seconds someone somewhere in Canada needs that blood, to survive.

Did you know... That in the U.S. over 38,000 donations are needed to save lives every day?

If reading this has piqued your interest, I’ve done my job. If you’d like to learn more or would like to donate please call 1-888 2 DONATE.

Poverty in Lethbridge

Written by Kayla Nash Thursday, 17 November 2011 14:43

 Poverty seems to be one of those issues with a stigma to it.

Certainly not everyone, but many people tend to turn their head the other way.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Lethbridge is wealthy, we’re a thriving community.” Well that may not be entirely true.

Lethbridge has the highest rate of poverty in Alberta, after Calgary and Edmonton, with13 per cent of the population living in poverty.

The Vibrant Communities model which, according to its website, is described as “a community driven effort to reduce poverty in Canada” was introduced in Lethbridge earlier this year.

Vibrant Lethbridge believes in making use of our most valuable assets: people, organizations, businesses and government.

The committee held a round-table session on Nov. 15 to bring those valuable assets together. With a turnout of over 60 people, it’s clear that the community cares about this issue.

That’s a great thing. Poverty can effect more than those in its direct path, overall it can affect an entire community.

Not a lot of people are aware of the issue, which in a way helps the poverty along.

Raising people’s awareness is important and according to Vibrant Lethbridge committee chairwoman, Renae Barlow, it’s what they’re focusing their efforts on.

11/11/11

Written by Lacey Vornbrock Sunday, 13 November 2011 11:16

Today is Nov. 10, which means that tomorrow is Remembrance Day. It also means that tomorrow’s date is 11/11/11, one of those rare days when you don’t have to worry about proper date format. Too bad most businesses will be closed; it would be a nice day for paperwork.

 Everyone has their own opinions on superstition, and most people have a tendency to look for signs in ordinary occurrences. So, naturally 11/11/11 has become a trending topic on Twitter, a common place for light discussion on universal topics.

Most people are saying that 11:11 tomorrow morning and night will simply be two minutes of good luck, and good times to make a wish, buy a lottery ticket or take a risk. Some are also predicting it will be a good day to fall in love. I’ve never thought of Remembrance Day as being particularly romantic, but it would be an easy anniversary date to remember.

The most bizarre theory is that there are 1,111 spirit guardians who use digital clocks to get our attention at 11:11, just as a reminder that they are there. Some extreme believers in this theory will be performing rituals at the Great Pyramid of Giza, hoping the spirits will manifest themselves in a more obvious way.

My favourite approach to the date is that of the Corduroy Appreciation Club, whose members have chosen to recognize 11/11/11 for its resemblance to the fabric they love. They plan to celebrate by wearing as much corduroy as possible.

On Nov. 11, 1911, the central United States experienced an extreme temperature drop that’s become known as the Great Blue Norther of 11/11/11. In some cities, temperatures dropped 37 degrees Celsius in a 14-hour period. A few pessimists are predicting this will happen again, forecasting  extreme weather and natural disasters.

And some people aren’t making predictions at all, instead scolding everyone who is talking about the numeric significance 11/11/11 instead of Remembrance or Veterans Day. While I sort of agree with them, and I’m not overly superstitious, I just might wear my corduroy pants.

Movies to remember the fallen

Written by Greg Humber Thursday, 10 November 2011 15:28

Remembrance Day is the time of year when we pay tribute to our fallen soldiers.  Those that served in both World Wars, Korea and Afghanistan and who made the ultimate sacrifice, so we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

It can also be said that these events helped change our country for the good. Canada’s war efforts had been acknowledged all over the world. In parts of Europe people still remember Canadian soldiers who helped liberate their country.

The one world where Canadians get no recognition for their war efforts is the world of Hollywood. It’s like we were never there. You can see movies about England, United States, Germany and Japan, but Canada is forgotten.

However, there are some movies that do acknowledge Canadian efforts:

The Longest Day – 1962

This movie is about D-Day and the Allied invasion. It starred John Wayne and Richard Burton. Canadian soldiers are mentioned in helping set up ground forces on that historic day.

The Devils Brigade - 1968 

It tells the story of the 1^st Special Services Forces, a joint American and Canadian commando unit that served in Europe. The Germans gave them the nickname because of their fighting abilities. It starred William Holden and Cliff Robertson.

Hopefully, the next generation of movie-makers will do a better job of remembering our efforts.

Take time to remember

Written by Jen Golletz Thursday, 10 November 2011 14:44

While I was growing up, my great uncle Bill loved to play crib, and was always around for family gatherings but remained a mystery to me.

He was a rather blunt, sometimes cranky old man, usually impatient but truly had a kind heart.

As a child I knew something had happened to him, that’s why he looked so different.  My Grandma would always tell me how handsome he used to be, which I found to be rather confusing.

His face was wrinkly and scarred, and he had little hair on his head. He was missing a few fingers, and had what my younger cousins would refer to as ‘crazy eyes’.

As I got a little older I learnt that his name wasn’t Bill, but Lance Fields. Also, that he was a solider and proud of it. He loved the army and the brotherhood that came with it.

As a child the concept of war is hard to understand, especially for the fortunate generation like mine that has never had to live through a world war.

At the age of 23 Lance Fields enlisted himself in the army, the year was 1940.

Fields trained in Canada and England before engaging in combat in France, Belgium and Holland.

On April 18, 1945, Fields was injured in combat. He was caught in an enemy flamethrower, causing extensive wounds and third degree burns.

Lucky to be alive, Fields was sent home to Souris Man, and was discharged in 1946.

He lived in Souris for many years, spending his time with our family and the local Army Navy branch. He passed away in 2009 at the rip old age of 91.

He would occasionally share memories of his training and time at war, but they were always positive memories reminisce of times he had with fellow soldiers.  

Once I was at the age to comprehend my uncle’s story, I was grateful to have had time to spend with him and admired him for his courage and wisdom.

The thing that he influenced upon me most was his unwavering love and dedication to his country.

His memory stands out to me most on Remembrance Day because he was what made the memories of war real to me.

Whether or not you have known someone or lost someone in a war, past or present, take the time to remember them and their family tomorrow.

Thank them for their sacrifices, and like my uncle, their un-measureable love of our country.

'Gay penguins' cause a stir

Written by Kayla Nash Thursday, 10 November 2011 14:14

A ‘bromance’ is a natural part of life and is cherished by men all over the world. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s defined by Urban Dictionary as “the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males.”

It’s a friendship, a man-bond.

Buddy and Pedro are two males who have formed quite the bromance. It has actually gone public and gained supporters.

Granted, Buddy and Pedro are African penguins at the Toronto Zoo, but who is one to judge true friendship?

According to The Globe and Mail, the two male penguins were referred to as the ‘gay penguins’ despite zookeepers saying the bond wasn’t necessarily sexual.

Now the buds are facing separation because the zoo wants to use their awesome penguin-genes to breed with. However, the separation has caused gay-rights activists to cause a commotion.

Even though same-sex marriage has been legalized in Canada since 2005, the outcry seems to suggest that the political issue still remains.

The idea has been called unfair and heart-breaking even going so far as to accuse the zoo of forcing the penguins into the sex-trade industry.

But naturally it’s also been the centre of ridicule. 

Jimmy Kimmel refers to the incident as “Brokeback Iceberg” and claims the lovebirds were spotted at a Lady Gaga concert.

In an interview done by CBC, zoo curator Tom Mason expresses the “tendency people have to anthropomorphize things” and says people “try to think of penguins as humans.”

Obviously, penguins are not humans. Well, except the one in Batman, but other than him, penguins are not human.