The Athenaeum

Tag: new year

  • Canada 2020: New Government, New Year

    Canada 2020: New Government, New Year

    It has been almost three months since the Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, was voted in for a second term, this time as a minority government. Although it has only been a few months, Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau and his party have already been making many decisions and changes. So, what exactly can you expect from the liberals in 2020? 

    Treading Carefully

    Justin Trudeau and his party may have won the 2019 Federal Election, but they did so by a slim margin. The Conservatives won the popular vote and many other parties gained support that was previously directed towards the liberals. This outcome means that Trudeau will spend 2020 and the next four years thinking more carefully about his future decisions. 

    If Trudeau wants the liberals to continue to be in power, his choices must be managed with care. Already we have seen Trudeau take almost a month to form his government compared to the fourteen days he took in 2015. The extra time demonstrates Trudeau’s recognition that he must make smart choices that benefit all of Canada and not simply a select few.

    The Western Divide

    The liberal’s victory drove a wedge between Canada’s west and east. The western provinces, primarily Saskatchewan and Alberta, expressed concern that their problems were not going to be addressed by the liberal party. Justin Trudeau has promised to do what he can to understand the frustrations of the people in the west and respond in the best ways possible.

    Based on his promises, in 2020 Justin Trudeau will work towards making Canada united again from coast to coast to coast. The first step made towards this unification took place when Trudeau unveiled his cabinet, which consisted of Jonathan Wilkinson as Environment Minister and Chrystia Freeland as Intergovernmental Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. While neither Wilkinson or Freeland represent ridings in Alberta or Saskatchewan, both ministers were raised in the west and Trudeau hopes that they will be able to respond effectively to some of the west’s major concerns.

    Jason Kenney, Alberta’s Premier in a statement said, “With no ministers from Alberta, I hope that ministers with portfolios of especially urgent interest to our province will listen to Albertans, take our concerns seriously, and work constructively with the Alberta government to address them”.

    Although Trudeau made the first step regarding recognizing the west, 2020 will be the year that determines whether the gap between the west and east closes or continues to grow.

    Climate Change

    One of the factors that played heavily into the 2019 Federal Election and many parties’ platforms was the crisis of climate change at hand. Back in June, the Liberal government proposed a ban on single-use plastics to come into widespread effect in early 2021. If the ban is to take place officially, much of 2020 will be dedicated to finding alternatives to single-use plastics and slowly initiating the changes.

    A number of municipalities have already put this ban in effect. In Devon, Alberta stores in the community are no longer allowed to distribute single-use plastic retail bags as of January 1st, 2020. Many cities in British Columbia have jumped on this initiative such as Surrey, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Salmon Arm, Saanich, Tofino and Victoria. 

    Trudeau has made progress in the past towards reducing the countries carbon emissions and it can be expected that in 2020 he will continue his efforts to make Canada greener.

    Wireless Price Cuts

    Part of the Liberal’s re-election platform was the promise to reduce wireless bills by 25%. Wireless bills are an issue that concerns the majority of Canadian’s and this promise seems to be taking precedence in 2020.

    Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains announced to The Canadian Press that these price cuts will take place within two years starting in December 2019. Already prices have dropped between 27-28% from 2016 to 2018 and the liberals plan on furthering that reduction even more. Bains reported that the liberals made a commitment and plan to uphold it in the coming year.

    Many details surrounding how the liberals will achieve this 25% decrease have not been released yet but with the new initiative in place, Canadians should expect details to arrive soon.

    Campaign Promises

    There are many promises made by parties during the campaign period and it is hard to predict which ones will be tackled in the upcoming year. With budgets being decided, the liberals should begin to work on a number of promises in the upcoming year but since we are still unsure, these are merely some important matters the party will be predicted to deal with within 2020.

    With the west, climate change and wireless price cuts in mind, it will be interesting to see what the Liberal Party accomplishes or what mistakes they make this year.

  • Axemen Close-out 2019 with OT Win Over Moncton

    Axemen Close-out 2019 with OT Win Over Moncton

    WOLFVILLE N.S. – The Acadia Axemen closed out the 2019 half of their season on a high note with a nail-biting overtime win over the visiting Moncton Aigles Bleus.

    Acadia took advantage of a powerplay opportunity to get their first goal of the night. After some patient play from Owen MacDonald, he feathered a perfect pass across the ice to Jordy Stallard who ripped a wrist shot over the blocker of the Moncton goaltender. The goal came at 6:49 of the first and was also assisted by TJ Fergus.

    The rest of the period remained quiet with solid goaltending from both Moncton’s Etienne Montpetit and Acadia’s Logan Flodell.

    It was 1-0 Axemen after the first period.

    Les Aigles Bleus were next to strike, tying up the game just before the halfway mark of the second period. After dangling through a pair of Acadia players creating a 3 on 1, Danick Crete eventually finished off the rush by slamming home a rebound at the side of the Acadia goal. Robbie Graham and Alexis Roy assisted.

    The Axemen regained their lead at the 14:03 mark of the period on the powerplay. Right off of an offensive zone faceoff, the puck took a weird bounce off of a Moncton players’ helmet before glancing off the goalie for a rebound potted home by Cristiano DiGiacinto on the edge of the crease. Mason McCarty grabbed the assist. The period closed with the Axemen on top 2-1.

    Maurizio Colella would give the Axemen a two-goal cushion on the powerplay 5:59 into the third period. A long battle along the boards eventually came loose to Mason McCarty who fed Colella in the slot for a one-timer that beat Montpetit to the blocker side. Cristiano DiGiacinto had the second assist.

    Though time was running low, Moncton would not go quietly.

    Maxime St-Cyr brought Les Aigles Bleus within a goal with 1:51 left in the final period. His wrist shot from the point sailed through a sea of bodies and beat Logan Flodell to his blocker side. Alexandre Bernier and Vincent Deslauriers had the helpers. They were not done there. 

    Robbie Graham would tie the game at three with just 39 seconds remaining, after a mad scramble in front of the Acadia goal ended with Graham burying the loose puck over the down and out Axemen goalie. Maxime St-Cyr and Francis Thibeault assisted. 

    Next stop: Overtime.

    The extra period concluded with just a minute and half remaining. After TJ Fergus did well to keep the puck in the Moncton end, he found his way towards goal before feeding Owen MacDonald whose quick move in tight to the forehand put the game away for the Axemen.

    Axemen assistant coach Kris MacDonald, who manages the powerplay team, was happy to have scored on three of four powerplay opportunities.

    “We had some lucky bounces and the boys executed well and got the job done and it was nice to see. We have had a lot of guys out of the lineup and a lot have stepped up. Our group is tight and a have a ton of character and great work ethic,” said MacDonald

    Axemen goaltender Logan Flodell made 33 saves, while Etienne Montpetit made 29 stops for Moncton. While Moncton was unsuccessful in their 3 powerplay opportunities, Acadia capitalized on 3 of their 4 extra-man chances.

    Both the Axemen and Les Aigles Bleus head into the break following that Saturday’s game, as they will return to action on January 3rd. Acadia will take on Saint Mary’s to ring in the new year, and Moncton will be facing off with StFX.

    Provided by Griffin Herrington, Acadia Athletics Communications

  • Chop your L’s with Pride

    Chop your L’s with Pride

    The new year is right around the corner which means new year’s resolutions for most people. A time to start afresh. Commit to making better choices, trying new things and maybe even cutting out some undesirable people from your circle of influence. Whatever the case may be, this is usually a time best for reflection, introspection and preparation, I guess.  With this train of thought, I too have been reflecting on my past year. My 2018 was… interesting to say the least.

    I tried new things, some good some bad. I made new friends and lost a few along the way. My country (Zimbabwe) started with a new government that was ushered in by a ‘not a coup process’. Naturally expectations were high or even unrealistic as it seems the country remains in the doldrums but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We all remain hopeful that the country is heading in the right direction.

    Back to Canada, I got more involved, both with Acadia and the Wolfville community to try being a more productive member of society (emphasis on the word try). I joined more clubs, talked to more people and volunteered more. In all this there were challenges, trying moments and stress but joyful, fulfilling and happy moments too.

    I just wanted to do something that was different from my routine. But as usual nothing ever goes as planned. One important thing I learnt this year, was just how unstructured life is. Weird lesson to learn but a hard one to accept. I am an overthinker and to deal with this, I like to plan a lot. However, 2018 clearly had other plans for me because it felt like I showed 2018 my plans which it laughed at before proceeding to tell me the plans it had in store for me day by day.

    When I first came to Acadia, my group of friends consisted mostly of Nigerians. I got introduced to Nigerian Pidgin or slang, which is basically broken English. Anyway, that is where I first heard the phrase “chop your L”. The phrase basically means to take your losses and usually used in a humorous context. Chop your L in silence was usually the phrase used when one of our friends was acting a fool. I always thought that it was a funny phrase- take your losses in silence.

    I still find it funny, especially when I look at how many Ls I have had to take this year.  To name a few, I ran for one of the Councillor positions in the 2018 General Elections….and lost. It sucked, naturally. This was one L I took in silence but looking back, it added a new dimension to my world. A world of possibility and change. Something different.

    I ran again for equity officer in the By-Elections because apparently, I didn’t learn the first time? Regardless I lost again, and it was another L I took, maybe not as silently as the first one. I got so fixated on this loss that I couldn’t see the small wins that came with it.

    I wanted to go home (Zimbabwe) in the summer but as I said before 2018 was just not having it. Anyway, sometimes we take unnecessary Ls or better still, we perceive many events as losses. I guess in the heat of the moment, when all that’s playing in our head is the outcome we wanted, it becomes easy to focus on the negatives. A relationship gone bad, a failed test, or a missed opportunity? Its never easy but its not the end because hey it’s the end of the year and you’re still breathing. My mum always tells me that there’s always hope for the living and I believe her.

    With each door that was slammed in my face, 2 more opened next to me. I just had to take a step back and look. It might not have been the door I originally planned on entering but I have no regret having stepped through it. Sometimes we become so rigid about what constitutes a win or a loss, but I think it’s not so black and white anymore.

    As we enter the New Year, I want people to remember not to be so rigid with their goals and not to be so hard on themselves when they don’t reach their intended goals as originally planned. We should be cognizant of the fact that we are human, we make mistakes, we backtrack, we hurt, we win, we triumph also but most importantly we should learn lessons, forgive those who hurt us, and focus on striving. Be open to new ideas and new methods of achieving your goals. And with each loss you take in 2019, take it with pride. Always celebrate the small wins because hey, I took a lot of Ls this year but I definitely recorded some significant wins or better still I’m still thriving.

    Embrace the New Year with hope, expectations and possibilities in mind.

    Happy New Year!

    Ruvimbo Z. Chipazi is a third year Psychology student and the Art & Culture Editor for The Athenaeum 

  • Your Resolution: The Psychology of Habit Formation

    “New Year, new me,” or so the expression goes. You’ve made a resolution and this time you’ve sworn to see it through. But as the new semester starts and the assignments start rolling in, that today’s the day mentality starts to turn into I’ll start tomorrow. There’s no shame in not achieving your New Year’s resolution. In fact, you’re probably not alone. A recent public survey found that only an approximate 40% of adults complete their New Year’s resolutions. But what if I told you that there was an easier way to achieve your goals and make that resolution of yours a reality? With a little help and understanding of the psychology of habit formation, this could very well be.

    Like many motivated individuals, you’ve probably decided to go all out in the pursuit of achieving your New Year’s resolution. I want to quit smoking, so I’ll go cold turkey. I want to lose weight, so I’ll go to the gym seven days a week. I want to eat healthier, so I’m going vegetarian this year. Your resolve is certainly admirable, but not necessarily set up for success. Drastic changes in behaviour are not sustainable for long-term objectives because of lacking foundational habits. Quitting smoking is difficult if you’re used to smoking several times a day. Going to the gym seven days a week is difficult if you’re simply starting out of the blue. Eating a primarily vegetarian diet can be difficult if you haven’t done your research on what nutrients you need and haven’t planned out meals that are filling. If it is not a regular behaviour, you are more likely to return to your old habits.

    Habits are defined as a settled tendency or practices in response to environmental cues. Habit formation is the process of replacing these certain behaviours with new ones. As many of us may know, developing new habits can be rather difficult. As the adage goes, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks … unless you have the patience for it. One of the first steps of habit formation is to be aware of the habit you are trying to replace. If you are a repeat offender of biting your nails, the first step is to realize when you are biting them. These bad habits occur often mindlessly, so to recognize and acknowledge these actions will be the first steps to habit formation.

    “But it’s hard!” may be a complaint that you have. Changing habits has a tendency to be so. This is where step two comes in. Initiate reminders to help motivate you to stick with your new habit. If you want to go to the gym first thing in the morning, set an alarm. If you’re prone to snoozing, set multiple alarms. Pack your gym bag the night before and place it directly across from you so that in the morning it’s the first thing you see. Set your coffee maker to automatic and start your day with a good old Cup o’ Joe. Put your sneakers directly by the door. Develop your environment so that it is a constant reminder of your goal and leave yourself no excuse to break the habit.

    This being said, it’s important to do this in stages. There is a difference between training yourself into go into the gym more frequently and forcing yourself to go seven days a week. This is the easiest way to burn yourself out, and the fastest way to disturb habit formation. Going all out for the first week will most likely see you relapse into your old ways because you have failed to establish a habit. You are going to the gym with a feeling of reluctance, not because you have trained yourself to want to go. If you develop a habit over time, the likelihood that you will relapse to old habits is significantly less and will help you achieve your goal in the long run. It is better to teach yourself to go to the gym twice a week for an entire year than it is to go everyday for the first two weeks of January.

    The last step is to actually have a goal. Many of us start the New Year by saying that want to lose weight. But how much weight, and by when? You want to quit smoking, but by when? Having an actual goal in mind will help with your overall levels of motivation over the year. By setting small goals to achieve over a longer period of time, you will feel rewarded each time a smaller goal is met. A resolution is a marathon, not a sprint.

    With these things in mind, good luck in the New Year!

     

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